Well, it's been a pretty good week. I've spent most of my time at home, doing virtually nothing. Read a few books, watched "Dear John" online.
On Tuesday, I went with Becca to her brother's baseball game. He graduates this week, which is a little weird. Everyone in his class seems way too young to be graduating. I mean, they were just scrawny little kids last time I saw them. But I guess it was three years ago that I graduated. THREE YEARS? Wow. That's just ridiculous. I haven't been out of high school that long...have I? I've hardly done anything!
But I guess that's not true--I have been at Ripon for three years. And I've done plenty. I joined a sorority (Alpha Delta Pi--the first, the finest, forever), volunteered for Big Brothers Big Sisters, planned events like Relay for Life on campus, and the list goes on. I even (as we all know) spent a semester abroad. I guess I have done a lot--but the time feels like it just flew by. It doesn't even feel real!
I had a job interview with Macy's this morning. They don't really hire many people for the summer anymore, so I wasn't overly optimistic. Buuuuut...I got a job! I really love interviewing. I've had a little bit of practice now, and I have answers ready for most questions. It was great. I'll be doing "pricing" work, which is apparently rather monotonous. And I start work tomorrow morning....at 6 am. I'll need to leave before 5:15 to be there on time--I wish the mall wasn't so far away. It looks like I'll be working mornings, monday-wednesday, usually from 5 or 6 to 10 or 11. So...plenty of time for another job if I'm able to find more work. Which, in all honesty, would be really nice. I'm a starving college student who has more students loans than I know what to do with. I do have two jobs lined up at Ripon for the fall, which will be nice.
So, I'll be going to bed early tonight so that I can work tomorrow. How exciting! And, speaking of exciting things happening this week, I got some pictures developed from my semester abroad--they arrived today. Having printed copies of pictures from my travels is just wonderful. I can't wait to display them; it makes it all seem more real. I really did go to all these places, I swear!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
A return to blogging?
Well, it's been requested that I start blogging again. I can't say that my life is all that exciting, or that my blogs will be quite as interesting as they were when I was abroad, but I suppose I do have a lot that I could talk about. So far this summer:
1. I finished my final from Wales--it was emailed to me a few days ago. That's how I got to come home early! It was two essay questions, and I'm really just glad to be completely done.
2. Lissa graduated from college (whoa!) and moved into her new apartment. It's weird that we are old enough to do things like get an apartment. And it's really weird not having her at home. But at the same time, it's very exciting. She is looking for a part-time job, and then in the fall, she will complete her student-teaching in the Ripon area. Her apartment is in Ripon, which will be nice when I am back there. I'll have my own room next year, but I'm still looking forward to spending time in her grown-up apartment.
3. Mom graduated from college too! She graduated summa cum laude with a 3.9 GPA. Ridiculous, huh? Actually, it's very impressive, and she should be proud.
4. I bought a dress. I couldn't help myself. Becca convinced me to "just try it on" and, being as it fit perfectly and was on sale, I really couldn't resist.
5. I painted some walls in the house, painted the trim around some doors, and have been staining the deck. Pretty much the most exciting life ever. No really, I don't mind it. It's been a little...interesting, though. Mom's very concerned about keeping the new concrete perfectly clean, and I may have dumped over my white trim paint. About 45 minutes of panic, and scrubbing frantically with a scrub brush, it actually looks like new. Crisis averted.
6. My little brother made me dinner last night. Granted, it was basically a cheese burger (with much improvisation due to a lack of ingredients) but it was incredibly exciting. I mean, first of all, he is old enough that we can trust him to operate kitchen electronics. And second...I remember the days where he wouldn't even make himself food if he was starving. He offered to make food for me last night--like I'd say no to that!
7. I've completed my first attempt at making strawberry gelato. I'll be leaving it in the freezer overnight, and hoping it ends up alright. We don't have an ice cream maker, so for the last 4 hours or so, I've been taking it out of the freezer and stirring it by hand every 30 minutes. It tastes pretty much like strawberry ice cream, which is both bad and good. It's good because that means it tastes good. But it's bad because strawberry gelato is about 845962456 times better than ice cream. So, I'll probably try a different recipe next time.
8. I've applied to quite a few jobs now, and will continue to do so until I find something. I really need to work this summer, since I opted out of nannying so that I could be home with my family. I did have an interview with a temp agency, and hopefully that will lead to something. Wish me luck. And Lissa too--she had a summer job lined up, but somehow it was given to someone else, which is crap. But, we've both been applying to every job imagineable. I even applied at Harley-Davidson, since they were looking for someone to work in their clothing department.
I suppose that's all for now. I'm thinking that I'll blog again, early next week, hopefully with a few good stories. I do manage to stay busy somehow.
1. I finished my final from Wales--it was emailed to me a few days ago. That's how I got to come home early! It was two essay questions, and I'm really just glad to be completely done.
2. Lissa graduated from college (whoa!) and moved into her new apartment. It's weird that we are old enough to do things like get an apartment. And it's really weird not having her at home. But at the same time, it's very exciting. She is looking for a part-time job, and then in the fall, she will complete her student-teaching in the Ripon area. Her apartment is in Ripon, which will be nice when I am back there. I'll have my own room next year, but I'm still looking forward to spending time in her grown-up apartment.
3. Mom graduated from college too! She graduated summa cum laude with a 3.9 GPA. Ridiculous, huh? Actually, it's very impressive, and she should be proud.
4. I bought a dress. I couldn't help myself. Becca convinced me to "just try it on" and, being as it fit perfectly and was on sale, I really couldn't resist.
5. I painted some walls in the house, painted the trim around some doors, and have been staining the deck. Pretty much the most exciting life ever. No really, I don't mind it. It's been a little...interesting, though. Mom's very concerned about keeping the new concrete perfectly clean, and I may have dumped over my white trim paint. About 45 minutes of panic, and scrubbing frantically with a scrub brush, it actually looks like new. Crisis averted.
6. My little brother made me dinner last night. Granted, it was basically a cheese burger (with much improvisation due to a lack of ingredients) but it was incredibly exciting. I mean, first of all, he is old enough that we can trust him to operate kitchen electronics. And second...I remember the days where he wouldn't even make himself food if he was starving. He offered to make food for me last night--like I'd say no to that!
7. I've completed my first attempt at making strawberry gelato. I'll be leaving it in the freezer overnight, and hoping it ends up alright. We don't have an ice cream maker, so for the last 4 hours or so, I've been taking it out of the freezer and stirring it by hand every 30 minutes. It tastes pretty much like strawberry ice cream, which is both bad and good. It's good because that means it tastes good. But it's bad because strawberry gelato is about 845962456 times better than ice cream. So, I'll probably try a different recipe next time.
8. I've applied to quite a few jobs now, and will continue to do so until I find something. I really need to work this summer, since I opted out of nannying so that I could be home with my family. I did have an interview with a temp agency, and hopefully that will lead to something. Wish me luck. And Lissa too--she had a summer job lined up, but somehow it was given to someone else, which is crap. But, we've both been applying to every job imagineable. I even applied at Harley-Davidson, since they were looking for someone to work in their clothing department.
I suppose that's all for now. I'm thinking that I'll blog again, early next week, hopefully with a few good stories. I do manage to stay busy somehow.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Apr 27, 2010--On the Road Again!
So I blogged earlier (on Tuesday) to say that Melisa & I were going out. But what we meant was that we were leaving Bangor. I've spent the past two days cleaning and packing. It was really exciting, but also sad.
Melisa and I had dinner together, then hung out until our train left. Kat and Lauren hung out too, and helped us carry our stuff to the train station. The train ride was kind of long, but it was easy. Melisa and I have a good time late at night. From Manchester Picadilly, we took a long bus ride to Manchester airport. It was sketchy, but totally hilarious. We're a little bit loud at 12:30 in the morning...we got a few funny looks.
Getting to the airport was easy, but tiring. By the check-in desks, there were literally no chairs, so we sat on the ground all night. There was a 24-hour convenience store that we took turns going to. I got a sandwich, a candy bar, and a soda--a meal. However, the machine would not process my credit card. It didn't "deny" it, but it would say "processing" and then freeze. I tried twice, then I stepped aside because a line had appeared behind me. I let about 10 people go, and then tried the third time. It was definitely the machine, and not my card, and the cashier definitely felt bad for me. I offered to use my other card, my debit card, but he just gave me the meal for free :) I get really lucky--strangers are nice to me.
We had quite a few hours until we could check in and go. We just hung out on the floor and tried to stay awake. We wandered around, and played with the pay phones. There were some girls that boarded a plane at 4 am to Alicante, Spain...and they were wearing neon colored tutus with matching leg-warmers and heels. What?! I was trying to figure out whether they were coming from somewhere where they had been wearing that, or going somewhere that required that attire. It was strange.
At around 6:30/7, we were able to check-in for our flight and go through security. Then we hung out on the other side, and filled out forms for customs. We had to go through extra security before boarding the plane--thanks American Airlines. I got patted down and thoroughly searched. Not exciting, but the lady was very nice, and she tried not to disturb everything in my bag while she searched.
The flight was a lovely 8 hours, after the 8 hours in the airport. We were able to watch "The Blind Side" but I opted to attempt to nap during that. They gave us some crackers and soda, then a hot lunch (beef stroganoff, which wasn't very good), and then another snack (ham sandwich, candy, etc). It was nice, and I got around 4-5 hours of sleep. It took us forever to get through immigration--we took turns being questioned about where we had been, and why, etc. Then we had to wait 30 minutes for our luggage...lame. Customs was a joke--I handed them my piece of paper and they waved me through.
My family was waiting there, and I started crying when I saw them. I was excited, but tired, and I missed them. We drove to Panera, where we ate lunch :) I have missed Panera! I love soup :) Then we drove to Madison, where we dropped Melisa off with her family, and my parents took me to my car.
I drove from Madison back to Ripon, where I had plans to meet Leslie and Melissa at Christiano's. Melissa had no idea that I was coming :) I asked Leslie to make dinner plans with her so that I could surprise her. I was supposed to meet them in the parking lot, but my GPS didn't know where Christiano's was, so I had to detour toward Ripon first. So, I ended up meeting them inside. They sat at a booth, with Leslie facing me and Melisa facing away. I slid into the booth next to Liss (crying, of course). She was shocked, but very happy to see me. We had a good dinner--mmm chicken alfredo :)
Then we hid at Cady's apartment for about an hour. I called a "candlelight" for my sorority. All the girls got together at 9 pm, but only Leslie, Lissa, Cady, and I knew why. The other girls had no idea what was going on, and were SHOCKED when I walked in. And then they all freaked out. It was amazing :)
Since then, I've just been hanging out in Ripon. I can't imagine that I will have anything else to blog about, but I'm going to miss blogging. So maybe I'll blog every so often about my summer adventures. I don't really have anything planned, but I'm still beyond excited!! Oh, if interested, check out Facebook for all of my lovely pictures. I can't wait to print some and hang them up!
Melisa and I had dinner together, then hung out until our train left. Kat and Lauren hung out too, and helped us carry our stuff to the train station. The train ride was kind of long, but it was easy. Melisa and I have a good time late at night. From Manchester Picadilly, we took a long bus ride to Manchester airport. It was sketchy, but totally hilarious. We're a little bit loud at 12:30 in the morning...we got a few funny looks.
Getting to the airport was easy, but tiring. By the check-in desks, there were literally no chairs, so we sat on the ground all night. There was a 24-hour convenience store that we took turns going to. I got a sandwich, a candy bar, and a soda--a meal. However, the machine would not process my credit card. It didn't "deny" it, but it would say "processing" and then freeze. I tried twice, then I stepped aside because a line had appeared behind me. I let about 10 people go, and then tried the third time. It was definitely the machine, and not my card, and the cashier definitely felt bad for me. I offered to use my other card, my debit card, but he just gave me the meal for free :) I get really lucky--strangers are nice to me.
We had quite a few hours until we could check in and go. We just hung out on the floor and tried to stay awake. We wandered around, and played with the pay phones. There were some girls that boarded a plane at 4 am to Alicante, Spain...and they were wearing neon colored tutus with matching leg-warmers and heels. What?! I was trying to figure out whether they were coming from somewhere where they had been wearing that, or going somewhere that required that attire. It was strange.
At around 6:30/7, we were able to check-in for our flight and go through security. Then we hung out on the other side, and filled out forms for customs. We had to go through extra security before boarding the plane--thanks American Airlines. I got patted down and thoroughly searched. Not exciting, but the lady was very nice, and she tried not to disturb everything in my bag while she searched.
The flight was a lovely 8 hours, after the 8 hours in the airport. We were able to watch "The Blind Side" but I opted to attempt to nap during that. They gave us some crackers and soda, then a hot lunch (beef stroganoff, which wasn't very good), and then another snack (ham sandwich, candy, etc). It was nice, and I got around 4-5 hours of sleep. It took us forever to get through immigration--we took turns being questioned about where we had been, and why, etc. Then we had to wait 30 minutes for our luggage...lame. Customs was a joke--I handed them my piece of paper and they waved me through.
My family was waiting there, and I started crying when I saw them. I was excited, but tired, and I missed them. We drove to Panera, where we ate lunch :) I have missed Panera! I love soup :) Then we drove to Madison, where we dropped Melisa off with her family, and my parents took me to my car.
I drove from Madison back to Ripon, where I had plans to meet Leslie and Melissa at Christiano's. Melissa had no idea that I was coming :) I asked Leslie to make dinner plans with her so that I could surprise her. I was supposed to meet them in the parking lot, but my GPS didn't know where Christiano's was, so I had to detour toward Ripon first. So, I ended up meeting them inside. They sat at a booth, with Leslie facing me and Melisa facing away. I slid into the booth next to Liss (crying, of course). She was shocked, but very happy to see me. We had a good dinner--mmm chicken alfredo :)
Then we hid at Cady's apartment for about an hour. I called a "candlelight" for my sorority. All the girls got together at 9 pm, but only Leslie, Lissa, Cady, and I knew why. The other girls had no idea what was going on, and were SHOCKED when I walked in. And then they all freaked out. It was amazing :)
Since then, I've just been hanging out in Ripon. I can't imagine that I will have anything else to blog about, but I'm going to miss blogging. So maybe I'll blog every so often about my summer adventures. I don't really have anything planned, but I'm still beyond excited!! Oh, if interested, check out Facebook for all of my lovely pictures. I can't wait to print some and hang them up!
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