interesting things

One of the reasons I haven't been posting a lot on my blog is that I'm pretty sure my life is devoid of interesting things. I'm not experiencing a new culture or making a huge transition, and you might think: this is strange, since Marisa had possibly the most boring summer ever last year and still managed to entertain people with her blog. I guess that's because I was blogging about thoughts instead of experiences? In any case, I started to feel particularly boring, so here are some things that I've been up to and I suppose qualify as interesting, if you're really into the slightly mundane aspects of life:

• I took the GRE last Saturday, and everyone wants to know how I did and where I want to go to grad school, and I have neither of those answers. Of course I immediately looked up the initial score they gave me (it's a computer-based test, so they give you an estimate of how you did immediately upon completion...scary!)--but I don't really know if it's good enough for where I want to go, since I don't really know where I want to go. (This is all regarding obtaining a PhD in economics.)
• I purchased checks for the first time! They're pretty cool, and I actually know how to write them thanks to the IV checking account. I'm so grown up. I had to go to the bank twice to accomplish this.
• I'm keeping a super organized account of my spending for the summer, which basically serves to make me feel like a terrible person all the time. I love keeping a budget but I just keep spending money and I can't stop because they're all necessary things. 
• I discovered this really neat website, TeuxDeux, which I can use for my daily tasks (laundry, library, emailing, etc.). It's really clean and organized and much better than Google tasks or sticky notes at keeping me on-task.
• I finished watching Community! Sad day.
• I read like half of Jane Eyre the day before/of my GRE test, because it was the second half and I needed to know what happened. I think Charlotte Bronte examined part of my soul before writing that book; yes, it was that good.
• My legs hurt all the time from standing at work/occasionally working out. I've also learned that I can read The Hobbit while on the elliptical...score!
• There was a minor ant infestation in our room in Bryan last night, but it was pretty contained...just frightening.
• There's a new store in New Town that's basically a novelty/candy store which is really cool, but I haven't bought anything there yet.
• Taylor (roommate) and I developed a checklist of things to do over the summer, which we will eventually make it though, promise! Mostly they're related to food, but also of note: go to the zoo (this weekend!) and get buff (by the end of the summer, as measured by our pull-up ability).
• Research is going swimmingly--we should be ready to recruit participants come second summer session (which is to say, July). Until then it's experiment design and coding time! I've been spending a good amount of time in my lab working on this either in the morning or afternoon any given day, depending on my work schedule or other important commitments...like coffee dates. :)
• Relevant (my church) is going through some changes, which is nice to see--they just announced their new leadership team and are looking into a new building. Although it's a smaller crowd without most of the students, it's been fun to hang out more with the regulars/adults.
• I joined a small group that's studying the fruit of the spirit, facilitated by none other than Catherine Townes! (Sidenote: she has a really cute apartment! I shouldn't have expected any less.) It's exciting; I love that in the summer you do have a smaller group of people around so that it's easier to spend time with people you might not have time for throughout the year.
• At work I've learned how to chop all kinds of foods! Also, yesterday I gave in and made myself a falafel pita because everyone else was (don't worry, we still had to pay...half-price!). It was super yummy! I tried like three things I hadn't ever eaten before, but they were really good! I think I'm growing up, but actually. Like, I even got green peppers on there. So now I know that I can fully recommend this pita, in addition to the others I've tried (which are only the caesar and buffalo chicken...eeep). But I just want to eat all of them all the time!
• I'm trying to cook more but it's difficult when I work a lot at dinner time. So far Taylor and I have made fajitas, bacon/cheese bagels and lots and lots of pasta, but when I cooked with Jamie we did manage to include some vegetables. On the bright side, we just eat sandwiches for lunch so that's always something yummy and cheap to get by on (99 cent bread!).

That's mostly it for Williamsburg--some rain this afternoon, some people visiting soon, and lots and lots of sleep. Maybe boring, but I'll take it.

things I still don't understand

• the Libor-OIS spread
• Tim Tebow
• hummus
• why I stay up so late
• why I regularly dream about pokemon
• why Adam Levine's voice is so soothing
• pre-meds
• color catchers (I don't trust them)

...to be continued.

(part one)

work!

I haven't had a job since 2008 so you might think that I would hate working now, but you'd be wrong. I've been at my new place of employment for almost two weeks and think it's great! I'm only there for a few hours at a time and I get free froyo, but aside from those perks, I actually have really enjoyed the tasks assigned to me (from cleaning vents to slicing onions). I feel like a productive member of society!

My past work experience is pretty scattered, and though I've had odd jobs (from designing layouts for a newspaper to constructing shelves) which provided me with some extra cash, it's really nice to be earning real money again. And my first job was working at an after-school center, so though it was a step up from babysitting it wasn't exactly food service. Here are some of the new things I'm experiencing which I think will really be helpful in developing my character into a more mature adult:

• Having an irregular work schedule. This is making me dependent on my employers and is throwing my idea of order and schedules out the window! I won't know what next week will look like until the end of this week, and it's kind of scary but kind of nice to not have to worry about it and just do what I'm told.
• Being new at things. I have to ask for help with all kinds of tasks (yesterday, it was working the sink!). This is great for keeping me humble!
• Having a uniform(ish). This is super new to me! I have to do so much laundry, which is good because it keeps me from putting it off all the time.

Otherwise I'm a pretty responsible being already, and I think I've always known the value of hard work, but it is neat to get a new experience reinforcing that. I really like doing what I'm told in an efficient manner (see: homework, every volunteer experience ever, etc. etc.) so it's not really surprising to me that I enjoy being a good worker.

The other major task of my summer is my research project, which I should technically be working on right now because I'm sitting in my private lab in Morton, but more on that later.

roommate bonding

I've been lucky to have a string of incredible roommates throughout college, and let me tell you, there is nothing in the world quite like roommate bonding (except for realizing that your friend is suddenly your best friend, that's great too!). Sometimes it takes effort, sometimes it's natural, gradual, discrete or immediate; sometimes you're already friends but still need to go to the next level. Maybe other people have more uniform relationships with different roommates, but mine have all been pretty different. I think the best kind of story is one of friendship, and the unique experience of living with someone--being with them during exciting times, seeing them at their worst, knowing their schedule almost like it's yours, discovering quirks, dealing with bugs, describing dreams--can form some of the deepest friendship bonds I've known.

I have been incredibly lucky to live with some of my best friends, both during the academic year and during the summer sessions in Williamsburg. Summer roommates are fantastic because schedules are chill, late nights are possible and cooking adventures abound. With so few people around campus, it's great to have someone who you can rely on to force you into some minimal social interaction (even if that's just watching TLC together). And because it's for such a short time, it's easy to live with friends; habits can remain quirks instead of developing into peeves.

My roommate for the past two years is one of my favorite people...and one of my favorite stories. We lived on the same freshman hall and decided quickly after meeting each other that we were compatible and would make great roommates. Throughout the year we didn't spend much time together, yet somehow ended up signing up to live in a suite with a pair of roommates from our hall who we each knew better than we knew each other. The first semester was kind of awkward. We talked some, mostly about economics and APO, which we were both joining. We watched a lot of tv separately and didn't interact much, but we didn't have any complaints with each other. At this point I don't remember what it was that pushed us over the edge--what made us friends rather than just cohabitants--but we both agreed that we had a weird first semester together. After we mutually noted the awkwardness, it went away. We've had a lot of bonding times since then, helped a lot by living in a normal double rather than a suite the following year when we realized how great we were at being roommates (not to brag or anything). Between having economist brains, loving dresses and loving great television, I'm super sad to not live with her again but am so grateful for her friendship--which would, let's face it, be nonexistent if we hadn't had great late night conversations.

But, on the plus side, next year I get to share an apartment with three great girls and am so excited to see how our friendships develop. (Disclaimer: my future roomie is already my other half.) And in the meantime I get to live with another friend over the summer! We've already dealt with a cockroach corpse and I'm sure have much more bonding to accomplish before August rolls around. :)

On top of great relationships, I've learned so many life lessons from striving to be a great roommate, from what is uncompromiseble to how rewarding it is to sacrifice my time for the benefit of someone else...and also that it's important to eat fruit, call your parents, read, go to the gym, confront conflict, keep someone's trust, listen intently, live purposefully, sleep occasionally and just take out the trash if it bothers you so much.

rockbridge recap

As you may have noted in the past two years, after finals intervarsity folk head to the mountains to this camp called Rockbridge. I hesitate to call it a camp because we live in some fine dorms and get amazing food (I finally figured out we get the same menu every year, hahhhh), but nonetheless we do have scheduled time and then free time and there are like 500 people there. After my freshmen year I was required to go for small group leader training; last year I couldn't stay away and did a track called "identity transformed" (this was also a transformational time for my blog because I for the first time got more than 15 readers: read that post); this year I was also required to go, being on exec. My scheduled time included a lot of talking to the rest of our exec, assessing our chapter, setting goals for the next year, praying over our campus, etc. I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of spiritual growth, since all of that sounds like a lot of business.

I was planning for a week of business, relaxation and emotional draining because in the past exec seemed to be very tired after talking about priorities all day. And then after that they were incredibly kind to me--even though I was pretty sure they were the ones in need of some personal care, many of them spent time hanging out with me and listening to me work through problems. I greatly appreciated this and considered it then my duty to do the same for others. I confess that I was not particularly looking forward to being the advice-giver after a semester of already holding this position (or, more like a lifetime; I have been \gifted in terms of listening ability).

But let me tell you how that expectation was changed. I knew already that this year's exec got along really well. Although we have had tremendously long meetings, everyone's been a trooper about them, knowing that it's better for us to discuss important topics than for them to fester. We love hanging out together! Even though we have different social circles we've found time to eat giant bowls of ice cream or watch New Girl together, which has been very fun. So this week was looking pretty good: I got to have a week of exec meetings!! I feel like we never have enough time to talk about business, so it was great to talk through some of the things that we didn't have time for last semester. We also had fun together (we had an impromptu photoshoot so that we were sure to get pictures with Sharese, who had to leave early). :)

In the middle of the week I started getting overwhelmed with the amount of things we were expected to do and the very little time we had for them, so I kind of checked out. I thought: I can take care of this in the summer. I'll have so much time! But then I started getting overwhelmed at the thought of handling everything myself. Between planning events, thinking about the purpose behind everything we do, coordinating volunteers and so many more things to think about, I realized that would be impossible. I knew I wasn't supposed to do it on my own and yet I was still selfish enough to think that I could.

That's when God comes into the picture. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace during worship the last night and I suddenly realized what I had been doing wrong. God's got my back! Exec's got my back, too! For the logistical things, there's a reason that we have a team of people and not just a dictator/president/single student leader. It's helpful to talk about events and work through all the details and perspectives, and even if it doesn't feel productive, it's absolutely necessary. And for the scope of things I have to handle, from interpersonal issues to complaints to secrets (like Kennis coming to Rockbridge!!!), I'm not strong enough to rely on myself; even though I want to rely on exec, sometimes that doesn't work either. That's where I need God most. I want someone who I can share all of my stress and troubles and thoughts with? Sometimes friends say that they want that but I think we can all agree that it would take an INCREDIBLE friend to withstand all of our anger, pride, sorrow--not to mention joy--and to still be sympathetic and loving. Welp, I don't have to count on one person to do all that, and sometimes I can't find an impartial person to share that with, and that's when I just need to press in to who God is and accept his love. He wants to be my support and I am so grateful for that.

Other great things about Rockbridge:

• Kennis was back from Paris!
• Hanging out with  freshmen sophomores! I'm so excited for people who are newish in our community and there were a lot of newish faces, which was great! I wish I had more time to hang out with everyone :(
• The Big Ten
• The slides! I used to be scared of them, but actually they are probably the least scary thing about camp
• Semi-learning how to wobble
• Hunger Games and our best-dressed tributes
• Hanging out with Marty! Marty is such a huge blessing and great friend. I was so glad he got to be with us during track time!
• Chapter time; I love you allllll :)
• Picture time - many thanks for indulging my request to have pictures with as many people as possible!
• Graduates - so glad I got to see you guys for a week before you headed off to real life
• Worship - so good!  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL37B4C301EE7E918E&feature=view_all (especially 10,000 reasons!)
• God was so present in so many people's lives and I loved hearing about it! Keep telling your stories!

whatup summer 2012

Yeah, I'm back to blogging, maybe for realzies if I find enough time. What's that implication? Marisa won't  have much free time? Allow me to explain.

Things I'm doing this summer:

• Living on campus for both summer sessions
• Conducting upperclass Monroe research project involving economic experiments
• Starting work at Pita Pit
• Taking GRE
• Road tripping to Carlo's bakery
• Making cake pops
• READING (Jane Eyre/The Hobbit/Northanger Abbey/Shakespearean tragedies)
• Picking grad schools
• Cooking (learning how to make things other than just chicken and pasta)
• Tryna find a bible study
• Hanging out with my summer roommate (Tayrawr!) and other friends in the Burg
• Watching The Glee Project!!!
• Actually exploring CW
• Tanning? Or at least beaching
• Maybe seeing Tim Tebow if I'm forced to

So if you're tryna keep in touch, there are a variety of ways to do so:

• Read my blog
• Write me letters or give me your address and I'll write you letters!
• Visit me in the Burg (no guarantee I'll have free time, but it's a pleasant enough place)....but seriously if you want to see me come visit!
• Skype OR hang out on google+ (you know you want to)
• Facebook stalk
• Text/call/email/facebook/tweet/etc.
• Wait until August (not recommended)

spring 2012 accomplishments // notable moments

• Making turtles
• Helping Jamie pack her room
• Not crying at 50/50
• All of the coffee dates
• Running into LJ+grandma while shopping with Mom
• Miss Jones taught me English...
• Learning yoga, preferring pilates
• Late night Kelliann encounters
• So many cupcakes (per usue)
• Campus golf? so mainstream...
• Baking, blogging, tweeting...anything to avoid mathing
• Avoiding pudding wrestling
• Florida nbd
• Maybe getting tan?
• But definitely getting attacked by a seagull
• Hunger Games consumption
• "Let's be friends!"
• Getting adopted at Relevant
• Phone tag, Jamie style...also skyping while driving?!
• Emceeing large group
• Co-starring in three IV videos (bet you can't find the third)
• Joanna's birthday
• Monopoly beast
• Eating like 1/3 of an ice cream cake in one sitting
• Mad about chocolate...yum
• Getting my first applied-for job
• Joining Mortar Board
• Best dress week ever
• Painting out
• Losing twin appreciation week to the best twin ever
• Breaking the world record for most people spooning
• Establishing the term "studwellian"
• Late night exec timez (sometimes unintentionally)
• Hanging out with Katie all of the days...and also reading the beeblay all of the days
• Not getting mono for Rockbridge
• Actually being able to go outside for Blowout
• Writing 16 pages of non-fiction (which is to say a super long paper) in two days...most of which was written between dinner and lunch with a final in between
• Not failing any classes! (yet)