if i want to graduate when i want to (which is, well, a year early), i need to start taking policy-oriented courses. that's why i wrote this e-mail:
∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙
from: Michael Ross
to: Robert Stoker
subject: PSC 124
Dear Prof. Stoker:
My name is Michael Ross and I am a sophomore Public Policy major in
CCAS. I am interested in enrolling in one of your courses for next
semester — PSC 124.11 Poverty, Welfare, and Work (CRN #43949) — but
have not been able to do so using the normal online registration
process because I haven't taken PSC 002 Introduction to American
Politics (the prerequisite to PSC 124) yet. Nevertheless, I am still
interested in taking your class next semester, and that is why I am
asking you if you would be willing to sign me into your class. Not
only will I be taking PSC 002 next semester (concurrently with PSC
124), but I am already familiar with the structure of American
politics based on my experience interning here in Washington. Please
let me know whether you are willing to let me into your class, and if
so, when I can come by your office with the RTF form so you can sign
off on it. Thank you very much!
Regards,
Michael Ross
∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙
this was followed 7 (!!!) hours later by the following e-mail:
∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙
from: Robert Stoker
to: Michael Ross
subject: RE: PSC 124
Michael:
I regret that the Political Science department requires students to complete PSC 002 in advance of taking any upper division course in American politics. I hope to see you in PSC 124 in some future semester.
Bob Stoker
∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙
he really had no good reason to deny my request. only 34/49 seats are taken. also, i'm more than qualified to take that course. honestly, is it really necessary for gwu to perpetuate such bureaucracy?
i think i'm going to go over "bob"'s head and contact the department of political science and the columbian college.
in may 2007, i turned down a substantial scholarship to northeastern university to attend gwu. i was worried that northeastern would try to coddle me, what with my admission into its honors program and all. i'm going to college to learn how to deal with red tape, not have it cut for me... right?
i guess you could say that i'm having one of those "what was i thinking?" moments again.
26 December 2008
25 December 2008
so apparently i've forgotten how to drive
the following took place at 3:00 this afternoon as i was going southbound on conejo school road, just past the lakes shopping center and the 101 freeway underpass.
the blue line represents the path along which my car should have traveled. the red line represents the path that it actually traveled.
figure 1 — overhead.
figure 2 — as seen from the 101 freeway.
the yellow line represents the point of "oh, shit" — i knew i was about to crash but was powerless to stop it. and the red × represents to where i moved the car after the crash until my mom and dad came to save me.
granted, it was raining. but, i was also taking that uphill curve too fast. i lost control of the car, and i hit the sidewalk (which acts as a retaining wall for the hill so it's kind of tall). i'm fine, but i can't say that much for poor elphaba. she'll need to go to the mechanic the day after christmas.
first self-induced accident i've been in since i got my license 3 years ago. wow, i've been lucky. i'm also lucky that this one wasn't worse. still, it was kind of scary. especially that second before the crash that i knew it was about to happen...
in other news, joe is no longer coming to stay with me in thousand oaks after christmas. :(
merry christmas everybody!!!
(this entry has been published onto my live journal as well. i think i'm going to give it a chance.)
the blue line represents the path along which my car should have traveled. the red line represents the path that it actually traveled.
figure 1 — overhead.
figure 2 — as seen from the 101 freeway.granted, it was raining. but, i was also taking that uphill curve too fast. i lost control of the car, and i hit the sidewalk (which acts as a retaining wall for the hill so it's kind of tall). i'm fine, but i can't say that much for poor elphaba. she'll need to go to the mechanic the day after christmas.
first self-induced accident i've been in since i got my license 3 years ago. wow, i've been lucky. i'm also lucky that this one wasn't worse. still, it was kind of scary. especially that second before the crash that i knew it was about to happen...
in other news, joe is no longer coming to stay with me in thousand oaks after christmas. :(
merry christmas everybody!!!
(this entry has been published onto my live journal as well. i think i'm going to give it a chance.)
21 December 2008
2008: in review.
(over instant messenger)
me: "what kind of critters do you have in idaho?"
amanda: "i don't know, buffalo?"
this is the 6th time this calendar year that i have come back to visit california. considering i now live across the continent, i would say that this number is excessive.
nonetheless, i'm glad to be home right now. there's a lot of friend drama going on for me in washington, and i'm glad to be away from that for a while.
i need to be a different person when i go back to washington in january. i'm realizing that, maybe, i don't need to accept the fact that i'm unhappy with my life. i want to get out more. i want to go to clubs and meet new people. i want to rebuild the friendships i've watched deteriorate over the past few months. i want to take the risks that i've feared. i want to refuse to accept a life of humbleness.
by and large, 2008 was an epic failure. i can honestly say that i was happier with my life at the beginning of this year than i am now. sure, i've made some incredible gains in my life, especially academically and professionally. but i have fewer friends and i find that i have less fun in general. aren't i a little too young to be dispirited by life?
i need to set some goals for myself for the new year, goals of how to improve my life. unfortunately, my track record notes my failure to actualize the vast majority of my goals.
taken from my blog entry from august 24th — my goals for fall 2008:
✓ going to a few baseball games ← sadly, this was the most actualized of all my goals, but only in part: i only made it to one game.
✓ taking a class at a dance studio ← did not happen.
✓ finding a shooting gallery ← did not happen.
✓ reading fear and loathing in las vegas ← did not happen, although i did go to a used book store and ask if they had a copy. they did not.
✓ visiting other east coast cities ← did not happen, but in all fairness, i was incredibly sick during the weekend that my friends went to new york. plans are currently underway for a trip of my own to the big apple at the end of january, though.
✓ working out more ← HAH.
✓ registering as a member of apsa ← did not happen (this should have been the easiest of them all to accomplish).
i know i ought to give myself the benefit of the doubt with regards to that list of goals because i was sick for so much of the semester, but in all honesty, i've felt like i've become increasingly miserable as 2008 has progressed. first, there was the roller coaster ride that was phil and i. then, there was the nightmare of trying to make it on my own for a summer. more recently, there was being sick. and all the while, i felt like i was watching my friendships — specifically, my closest ones — slip away from me. sure, i've met some great people throughout 2008, but man, what i wouldn't give to have the closeness to patty and joanna that i had last year, when i lived down the hall from them in thurston.
as it stands, i have 1 ½ years of college left. i want to make the most of them while i still can. as my friend matt told me whenever i complain about wanting to graduate, "you'll be saying the opposite the minute you graduate." i know i'm career-oriented, but maybe he's on to something. i want to hang out with my friends in the dorms. i want to go to clubs and concerts with them. this isn't high school, and i shouldn't feel as unpopular now as i did then. i want to be 19. i want to fit in. i want my friends to call me up and invite me out to have some fun.
i spent my entire life waiting to be college. why shouldn't i enjoy it now that i've achieved it?
or, perhaps, i am incapable of overcoming my dissatisfaction?
with every passing day, a summer in california — or, at least, part of it — sounds increasingly appetizing. perhaps it's just because i am burned out on washington and desire a change. i'm fairly certain that i won't be persuing an internship for over the summer — between weddings, graduations, a bar mitzvah, classes, and seminars, i don't have time to bend my schedule to the will of an intern coordinator. with that, the need to stay within the beltway diminishes. that being said, i'm thinking i might spend the first half of the summer here in california, and the second in dc. i'd miss my gw friends, living on my own, and being in a city. but, in reality, i miss having a best friend who's known me for more than 1 ½ years, living on my own is terribly expensive, and washington in the summer is DISGUSTING (i can't decide what's worse: humidity or tourists!).
like i said, though, i'm afraid that, in the end, no option or path in life will ever truly make me happy. so when amanda told me that she'd consider marrying her ex when she returns from his mission, i told her to never settle for anyone less than the love of her life, because she deserves the utmost in happiness (and besides, eternity is a long time to spend with someone you're lukewarm about). i truly believe that. i might not have found a way to make myself happy, but that doesn't mean that no one else should be. i'm not THAT bitter. ;)
(thanks for letting me rant.)
me: "what kind of critters do you have in idaho?"
amanda: "i don't know, buffalo?"
this is the 6th time this calendar year that i have come back to visit california. considering i now live across the continent, i would say that this number is excessive.
nonetheless, i'm glad to be home right now. there's a lot of friend drama going on for me in washington, and i'm glad to be away from that for a while.
i need to be a different person when i go back to washington in january. i'm realizing that, maybe, i don't need to accept the fact that i'm unhappy with my life. i want to get out more. i want to go to clubs and meet new people. i want to rebuild the friendships i've watched deteriorate over the past few months. i want to take the risks that i've feared. i want to refuse to accept a life of humbleness.
by and large, 2008 was an epic failure. i can honestly say that i was happier with my life at the beginning of this year than i am now. sure, i've made some incredible gains in my life, especially academically and professionally. but i have fewer friends and i find that i have less fun in general. aren't i a little too young to be dispirited by life?
i need to set some goals for myself for the new year, goals of how to improve my life. unfortunately, my track record notes my failure to actualize the vast majority of my goals.
taken from my blog entry from august 24th — my goals for fall 2008:
✓ going to a few baseball games ← sadly, this was the most actualized of all my goals, but only in part: i only made it to one game.
✓ taking a class at a dance studio ← did not happen.
✓ finding a shooting gallery ← did not happen.
✓ reading fear and loathing in las vegas ← did not happen, although i did go to a used book store and ask if they had a copy. they did not.
✓ visiting other east coast cities ← did not happen, but in all fairness, i was incredibly sick during the weekend that my friends went to new york. plans are currently underway for a trip of my own to the big apple at the end of january, though.
✓ working out more ← HAH.
✓ registering as a member of apsa ← did not happen (this should have been the easiest of them all to accomplish).
i know i ought to give myself the benefit of the doubt with regards to that list of goals because i was sick for so much of the semester, but in all honesty, i've felt like i've become increasingly miserable as 2008 has progressed. first, there was the roller coaster ride that was phil and i. then, there was the nightmare of trying to make it on my own for a summer. more recently, there was being sick. and all the while, i felt like i was watching my friendships — specifically, my closest ones — slip away from me. sure, i've met some great people throughout 2008, but man, what i wouldn't give to have the closeness to patty and joanna that i had last year, when i lived down the hall from them in thurston.
as it stands, i have 1 ½ years of college left. i want to make the most of them while i still can. as my friend matt told me whenever i complain about wanting to graduate, "you'll be saying the opposite the minute you graduate." i know i'm career-oriented, but maybe he's on to something. i want to hang out with my friends in the dorms. i want to go to clubs and concerts with them. this isn't high school, and i shouldn't feel as unpopular now as i did then. i want to be 19. i want to fit in. i want my friends to call me up and invite me out to have some fun.
i spent my entire life waiting to be college. why shouldn't i enjoy it now that i've achieved it?
or, perhaps, i am incapable of overcoming my dissatisfaction?
with every passing day, a summer in california — or, at least, part of it — sounds increasingly appetizing. perhaps it's just because i am burned out on washington and desire a change. i'm fairly certain that i won't be persuing an internship for over the summer — between weddings, graduations, a bar mitzvah, classes, and seminars, i don't have time to bend my schedule to the will of an intern coordinator. with that, the need to stay within the beltway diminishes. that being said, i'm thinking i might spend the first half of the summer here in california, and the second in dc. i'd miss my gw friends, living on my own, and being in a city. but, in reality, i miss having a best friend who's known me for more than 1 ½ years, living on my own is terribly expensive, and washington in the summer is DISGUSTING (i can't decide what's worse: humidity or tourists!).
like i said, though, i'm afraid that, in the end, no option or path in life will ever truly make me happy. so when amanda told me that she'd consider marrying her ex when she returns from his mission, i told her to never settle for anyone less than the love of her life, because she deserves the utmost in happiness (and besides, eternity is a long time to spend with someone you're lukewarm about). i truly believe that. i might not have found a way to make myself happy, but that doesn't mean that no one else should be. i'm not THAT bitter. ;)
(thanks for letting me rant.)
15 December 2008
where does the time go?
lol at being at starbucks at 5 in the morning. a man just walked in to drop of a stack of copies of the new day's washington post. funny, it's still yesterday for me.
seriously though, i've got 2 finals on tuesday and i was notoriously unproductive throughout this weekend. where does the time go?
to that effect, i can't believe this semester is finally over. i could lie and say this semester went the way i'd have liked it to, but in reality, i didn't enjoy my classes, i became estranged from a lot of my friends, and half of it was spent sick anyway.
i've decided that, next semester, i'll be partaking in more activities that are actually on campus. frat parties, clubs, just hanging out with other students. i need to get back to having friends who are actually MY age. i've recently become aware of the condescending nature of some of my older friends. i don't really need to hear about how something going on in my life right now is similar to what you went through 7 years ago. sages are for eastern religions — i need companions in the here and now!
after these 2 finals, i'm officially halfway done with my undergraduate. where does the time go? i'm starting to realize that i need to take steps (like the ones listed above) to make the most out of my time at gwu. i really don't do that now. next semester is really the last one i'll have with my friends (since they're all studying abroad next year). spring 2009 has got to be all about the hanging out with peeps.
i guess it all comes down to the fact that i feel like i don't appreciate life enough. at this point, everything feels so mechanical and routine. sara (my "cousin" and best friend, who attends cal arts) just booked a flight for herself to visit her boyfriend in chicago over new year's. it's her first time ever on an airplane, and to be honest, i'm more excited for her to go to chicago than for myself to go to europe. why? because travel is an unfamiliar and novel concept for sara. for me, it's routine. i fly several times a year between california and dc. it's like a part of my commute. it's not exciting for me to go between the 2 locations — more than anything else, it's just a drag to have to travel so much.
in many aspects, i am jealous of sara because of her ability to partake in this "new" experience. what i consider routine and agitating, she considers fresh and exciting. with that regard, i am less excited for europe as i once was. i already travel so much — why can't i just stay here? (this is similar to my logic for opting not to study abroad: going to gwu is already like studying abroad for me!) sara is going to have a great time in chicago, which is more than i can say for me when i fly an even greater distance on wednesday to come home for christmas.
i say all this because i miss what my life was like a few years ago. i have great internships now that will significantly bolster my career later on, but i find myself missing macy's. i fly from coast to coast several times a year, but i miss staying in one place and finding it to be novel whenever i flew. i'm making great connections here in washington, with people whose acquaintanceship is of significant value in my professional life, but what happened to just having a few best friends who you could go to the mall with and tell all your secrets to?
i'm leaning more and more to summer '09 in southern california. yeah, i'll miss out on internships and connections in washington. but i can make a lot more money working in retail for a summer (or, even if i got another internship, i'd be saving $$$ by not having to pay rent). and as for connections, i've already made a lot; why not just spend time with sara (and everyone else) for a change?
i miss being a kid. (i can't believe i'm saying that.) and i miss being able to honestly assert that i enjoy life. (because i don't.) i know i said that i have "a life in dc" that i don't know if i'm willing to leave behind for a summer, but at this point, maybe that would be for the best.
seriously though, i've got 2 finals on tuesday and i was notoriously unproductive throughout this weekend. where does the time go?
to that effect, i can't believe this semester is finally over. i could lie and say this semester went the way i'd have liked it to, but in reality, i didn't enjoy my classes, i became estranged from a lot of my friends, and half of it was spent sick anyway.
i've decided that, next semester, i'll be partaking in more activities that are actually on campus. frat parties, clubs, just hanging out with other students. i need to get back to having friends who are actually MY age. i've recently become aware of the condescending nature of some of my older friends. i don't really need to hear about how something going on in my life right now is similar to what you went through 7 years ago. sages are for eastern religions — i need companions in the here and now!
after these 2 finals, i'm officially halfway done with my undergraduate. where does the time go? i'm starting to realize that i need to take steps (like the ones listed above) to make the most out of my time at gwu. i really don't do that now. next semester is really the last one i'll have with my friends (since they're all studying abroad next year). spring 2009 has got to be all about the hanging out with peeps.
i guess it all comes down to the fact that i feel like i don't appreciate life enough. at this point, everything feels so mechanical and routine. sara (my "cousin" and best friend, who attends cal arts) just booked a flight for herself to visit her boyfriend in chicago over new year's. it's her first time ever on an airplane, and to be honest, i'm more excited for her to go to chicago than for myself to go to europe. why? because travel is an unfamiliar and novel concept for sara. for me, it's routine. i fly several times a year between california and dc. it's like a part of my commute. it's not exciting for me to go between the 2 locations — more than anything else, it's just a drag to have to travel so much.
in many aspects, i am jealous of sara because of her ability to partake in this "new" experience. what i consider routine and agitating, she considers fresh and exciting. with that regard, i am less excited for europe as i once was. i already travel so much — why can't i just stay here? (this is similar to my logic for opting not to study abroad: going to gwu is already like studying abroad for me!) sara is going to have a great time in chicago, which is more than i can say for me when i fly an even greater distance on wednesday to come home for christmas.
i say all this because i miss what my life was like a few years ago. i have great internships now that will significantly bolster my career later on, but i find myself missing macy's. i fly from coast to coast several times a year, but i miss staying in one place and finding it to be novel whenever i flew. i'm making great connections here in washington, with people whose acquaintanceship is of significant value in my professional life, but what happened to just having a few best friends who you could go to the mall with and tell all your secrets to?
i'm leaning more and more to summer '09 in southern california. yeah, i'll miss out on internships and connections in washington. but i can make a lot more money working in retail for a summer (or, even if i got another internship, i'd be saving $$$ by not having to pay rent). and as for connections, i've already made a lot; why not just spend time with sara (and everyone else) for a change?
i miss being a kid. (i can't believe i'm saying that.) and i miss being able to honestly assert that i enjoy life. (because i don't.) i know i said that i have "a life in dc" that i don't know if i'm willing to leave behind for a summer, but at this point, maybe that would be for the best.
11 December 2008
i'm about to go explore down by the waterfront/maine avenue (because i've never been before)
thinking what should i do
now i don't have you
facing my demotion
i'm just a fish in your ocean
has been, that's what i am
with my backstage wristband
freaking seconds of you
that's not what i'm used to
feed, feed 'em all to me
careful with my stuff
what's your policy
first one's free…
i save 'em up, i put 'em in my pocket
i save 'em up, put 'em in a jar
i save 'em up, i'm gonna need 'em for later
i save 'em up, then they'll go real far
hand me downs, the takedowns
i take the leftovers
cold ones and the old ones
better than no ones
feed, feed 'em all to me
careful with my stuff
what's your policy
first one's free…
i save 'em up, i put 'em in my pocket
i save 'em up, put 'em in a jar
i save 'em up, i need 'em for later
i save 'em up, then they'll go real far
i time it out, gotta be real careful
i time it out, get 'em right on time
i time it out, i get 'em when i need 'em
time is up, what's left is over
it's over
i can never have enough
oh, i can never have enough
i sure am greedy
hand 'em over to me
nothing's free…
i save 'em up, i put 'em in my pocket
i save 'em up, put 'em in a jar
i save 'em up, gonna need 'em for later
i save 'em up, then they'll go real far
i time it out, i'll be real careful
i time it out, get 'em right on time
i time it out, i get 'em when i need 'em
time is up, what's left is over
oh, i need 'em,
yeah, i need 'em
because i need 'em
time is up, what's left is over
i time it out, i time it out
because i need 'em, i really need 'em
what should i do, now i don't have you?
i really need 'em, i really need 'em
hand me downs, the takedowns
i take the leftovers.
now i don't have you
facing my demotion
i'm just a fish in your ocean
has been, that's what i am
with my backstage wristband
freaking seconds of you
that's not what i'm used to
feed, feed 'em all to me
careful with my stuff
what's your policy
first one's free…
i save 'em up, i put 'em in my pocket
i save 'em up, put 'em in a jar
i save 'em up, i'm gonna need 'em for later
i save 'em up, then they'll go real far
hand me downs, the takedowns
i take the leftovers
cold ones and the old ones
better than no ones
feed, feed 'em all to me
careful with my stuff
what's your policy
first one's free…
i save 'em up, i put 'em in my pocket
i save 'em up, put 'em in a jar
i save 'em up, i need 'em for later
i save 'em up, then they'll go real far
i time it out, gotta be real careful
i time it out, get 'em right on time
i time it out, i get 'em when i need 'em
time is up, what's left is over
it's over
i can never have enough
oh, i can never have enough
i sure am greedy
hand 'em over to me
nothing's free…
i save 'em up, i put 'em in my pocket
i save 'em up, put 'em in a jar
i save 'em up, gonna need 'em for later
i save 'em up, then they'll go real far
i time it out, i'll be real careful
i time it out, get 'em right on time
i time it out, i get 'em when i need 'em
time is up, what's left is over
oh, i need 'em,
yeah, i need 'em
because i need 'em
time is up, what's left is over
i time it out, i time it out
because i need 'em, i really need 'em
what should i do, now i don't have you?
i really need 'em, i really need 'em
hand me downs, the takedowns
i take the leftovers.
08 December 2008
you change your mind like a girl changes clothes
it's been so long since i've written in my blog that i feel like i need to reintroduce myself. hello blog, i'm michael. nice to meet you.
as of late i've been extremely busy studying for finals and consequently unable to write. this particular round of finals is kicking my ass. it was the grace of god that allowed me to pass my chemistry final. now i've got 4 left and i'm definitely feeling the pressure.
the rest of thanksgiving was all right. not bad, not great either. i'm still disappointed that so few of my relatives materialized for thanksgiving dinner. i feel kind of silly flying clear across the country for an event which my relatives, who already live in the southland, didn't deem important enough to attend.
getting back to dc was also a drag. my plane was 2 hours late leving burbank, and so by the time i arrived in dallas, i had missed my connection. as a result, i had to wait around in dallas for a couple of hours for the next flight to dc. in the end, it took me the entire day to get back home. i hate that.
anyway, i'm pretty unenthusiastic about going back to california one week from wednesday. i mean, i was just home!! i'm pretty frightful about getting stranded at another airport, and besides, i'm not really looking forward to spending 3 ½ weeks in the golden state. i love living in the city, i don't like living with my parents, and i'll miss all my friends here in dc. plus, today's high was 32º, and I LOVE THE COLD. somehow, barbeques and swimming on christmas day doesn't appeal to me.
you see, i really don't consider going back to thousand oaks a "vacation". a vacation is something you go on to relax, have fun, and try something new. that definitely does not describe thousand oaks for me. (luckily, i found a cheap airfare to europe for joe and myself in march — $600 rountrip on virgin america!! boo yeah!!)
other than dreading going home for yet a 6th time this calendar year (my resolution for 2009 should be to go home less), i've been thinking a lot about my summer plans. logic is seemingly tell me to stay in california for the summer — you know, suck it up and live at home. i can take classes at cal state, intern somewhere in the city, even participate in those summer programs in berkeley (the location of the ihs seminar i want to attend this year) and montana that i've been dreaming out. but then i run into some problems, like: would cal state offer the courses i need? how would i be able to take on the arduous commute into los angeles, without a car of my own in one of the most car-necessary markets in america? and would i even get in to those programs if i applied? (i'm thinking i'm going to have to pass up the one in february because my dad is coming into town during that weekend, so i'd like to at least be able to do those other two.) plus, there's the ultimate question: would i be able to withstand living in thousand oaks — under my parents' roof — for 3 ½ months? moreover, i've got a life here in dc... can i really leave it behind in dc in may and then expect to be able to pick it back up in september?
in the end, it all comes down to the money. i'm starting to lack the funds to travel back and forth as much as i have. if i go to california for the summer, i stay in california for the summer. if i stay in dc for the summer, well, i stay. (except for jeffrey's graduation in june.)
i love the independence which i possess. the fact that i've got money of my own in the bank gives me a sense of security which is, well, fantastic. on the one hand, i understand that i'll forfeit a lot of this independence if i go back to california for the summer. on the other hand, summer '08 in college park might have been a fruitful affair, but it was also an expensive one, thus possibly causing me to forfeit this independence of mine down the road. although lcv paid me pretty well (in fact, i don't think i can find such a well-paying internship again), i still wound up losing more money than i made. unless i could convince dad or student loans to pay for my rent for a (less shitty) apartment this upcoming summer, it'd be economically unwise.
at least i can take solace in the fact that, in 1 ½ years, i will be a college graduate and will be able to financially support myself better... well, hopefully. ;)
in other news, i burnt my tongue on a slice of pizza 3 days ago, and it's still swollen. i'm not sure what to do about this, but it's really becoming bothersome to me.
i realized it's going to be kind of hard to find any friends of mine to live with next year because they're all going abroad. jared (my freshman roommate) and i talked long ago about living together again for our junior year, but as gabbi (his girlfriend) told me over coffee on fri., he'll be studying abroad. i'm considering becoming a house proctor or just moving off campus altogether. my friend steve and i were half-jokingly discussing living together downtown once his lease expires in july, but again, that raises questions about my summer plans.
i've seen "quantum of solace" twice, and i loved it both times. now, i need to go see "the boy in the striped pajamas". i keep noticing the book version of it on pablo's desk. i'm not sure if i should ask him if i can borrow it to read it first, especially because i've already got michael crichton's state of fear and emily brontë's wuthering heights on my queue of books to read.
i bought a new pair of jeans at the aéropostale at tyson's yesterday. i don't know why i keep on buying their shitty jeans. i need to rework my budget so that i can have the money to invest in quality clothing, rather than the rubbish i buy that unravels within months of purchase. that being said, steve wanted to buy a $50 wool cap at ruehl, which i think is ridiculous. i think he's still cross at me for not letting him buy it.
i still have a lot more review to do for my exams, but i'm going to go to bed anyway.
as of late i've been extremely busy studying for finals and consequently unable to write. this particular round of finals is kicking my ass. it was the grace of god that allowed me to pass my chemistry final. now i've got 4 left and i'm definitely feeling the pressure.
the rest of thanksgiving was all right. not bad, not great either. i'm still disappointed that so few of my relatives materialized for thanksgiving dinner. i feel kind of silly flying clear across the country for an event which my relatives, who already live in the southland, didn't deem important enough to attend.
getting back to dc was also a drag. my plane was 2 hours late leving burbank, and so by the time i arrived in dallas, i had missed my connection. as a result, i had to wait around in dallas for a couple of hours for the next flight to dc. in the end, it took me the entire day to get back home. i hate that.
anyway, i'm pretty unenthusiastic about going back to california one week from wednesday. i mean, i was just home!! i'm pretty frightful about getting stranded at another airport, and besides, i'm not really looking forward to spending 3 ½ weeks in the golden state. i love living in the city, i don't like living with my parents, and i'll miss all my friends here in dc. plus, today's high was 32º, and I LOVE THE COLD. somehow, barbeques and swimming on christmas day doesn't appeal to me.
you see, i really don't consider going back to thousand oaks a "vacation". a vacation is something you go on to relax, have fun, and try something new. that definitely does not describe thousand oaks for me. (luckily, i found a cheap airfare to europe for joe and myself in march — $600 rountrip on virgin america!! boo yeah!!)
other than dreading going home for yet a 6th time this calendar year (my resolution for 2009 should be to go home less), i've been thinking a lot about my summer plans. logic is seemingly tell me to stay in california for the summer — you know, suck it up and live at home. i can take classes at cal state, intern somewhere in the city, even participate in those summer programs in berkeley (the location of the ihs seminar i want to attend this year) and montana that i've been dreaming out. but then i run into some problems, like: would cal state offer the courses i need? how would i be able to take on the arduous commute into los angeles, without a car of my own in one of the most car-necessary markets in america? and would i even get in to those programs if i applied? (i'm thinking i'm going to have to pass up the one in february because my dad is coming into town during that weekend, so i'd like to at least be able to do those other two.) plus, there's the ultimate question: would i be able to withstand living in thousand oaks — under my parents' roof — for 3 ½ months? moreover, i've got a life here in dc... can i really leave it behind in dc in may and then expect to be able to pick it back up in september?
in the end, it all comes down to the money. i'm starting to lack the funds to travel back and forth as much as i have. if i go to california for the summer, i stay in california for the summer. if i stay in dc for the summer, well, i stay. (except for jeffrey's graduation in june.)
i love the independence which i possess. the fact that i've got money of my own in the bank gives me a sense of security which is, well, fantastic. on the one hand, i understand that i'll forfeit a lot of this independence if i go back to california for the summer. on the other hand, summer '08 in college park might have been a fruitful affair, but it was also an expensive one, thus possibly causing me to forfeit this independence of mine down the road. although lcv paid me pretty well (in fact, i don't think i can find such a well-paying internship again), i still wound up losing more money than i made. unless i could convince dad or student loans to pay for my rent for a (less shitty) apartment this upcoming summer, it'd be economically unwise.
at least i can take solace in the fact that, in 1 ½ years, i will be a college graduate and will be able to financially support myself better... well, hopefully. ;)
in other news, i burnt my tongue on a slice of pizza 3 days ago, and it's still swollen. i'm not sure what to do about this, but it's really becoming bothersome to me.
i realized it's going to be kind of hard to find any friends of mine to live with next year because they're all going abroad. jared (my freshman roommate) and i talked long ago about living together again for our junior year, but as gabbi (his girlfriend) told me over coffee on fri., he'll be studying abroad. i'm considering becoming a house proctor or just moving off campus altogether. my friend steve and i were half-jokingly discussing living together downtown once his lease expires in july, but again, that raises questions about my summer plans.
i've seen "quantum of solace" twice, and i loved it both times. now, i need to go see "the boy in the striped pajamas". i keep noticing the book version of it on pablo's desk. i'm not sure if i should ask him if i can borrow it to read it first, especially because i've already got michael crichton's state of fear and emily brontë's wuthering heights on my queue of books to read.
i bought a new pair of jeans at the aéropostale at tyson's yesterday. i don't know why i keep on buying their shitty jeans. i need to rework my budget so that i can have the money to invest in quality clothing, rather than the rubbish i buy that unravels within months of purchase. that being said, steve wanted to buy a $50 wool cap at ruehl, which i think is ridiculous. i think he's still cross at me for not letting him buy it.
i still have a lot more review to do for my exams, but i'm going to go to bed anyway.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
