Last Month Catch-up

Hello again! So many things have happened since the last time I wrote a [real] post. So many things, in fact, that I don't even really know where to begin. Big Life Things: I did pass my thesis proposal, as you may have seen on Facebook, so now I have to do, you know, all the actual work. It will get done, though, and Dr. K has advised me that, if it does not get done, it's ok, because he will still tell people I graduated. So I've got that going for me. At the moment I'm not terribly concerned because I've been extremely productive since I've been home. So productive, in fact, that Google thought I was a robot and will not let me access Scholar. My mom made me read part of this book about optimism and how it isn't always such a great thing, which recommended doing this thing called "WOOP" (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan), where you basically write down what you want to accomplish, why you want to accomplish it, what's going to get in your way (e.g. "I'm super lazy"), and what you can do to get over that obstacle. So I've been doing that every day and I've gotten tons done, including starting my taxes, for some reason. I've also made my office extremely comfortable with this huge, soft blanket and lots of tea, so staying there and doing work is a lot more enjoyable than it otherwise would have been.

Socially, let's just say it's nice to be back in the Midwest (not that I don't miss you East Coasters so, so much!). I went to trivia last night, and it turns out I missed out on all kinds of weird things, which I don't really think I can write about here. Let's just say plans are in the works for a New Years Eve Round 2. I'm also planning a trip down to the cities this weekend for Ladies' Night and brunch. Emily is going to be leaving Minneapolis in a few weeks, so I really need to get in some time with her.

Oh and break! Maybe I should tell you some things about break. I read all of the Harry Potter books (they're pretty good, you guys should maybe check them out!); turned 26; rang in the New Year in New York City with Sam and another Sam (!); saw a couple of Lauras, another Emily, and met a whole bunch of other lovely ladies for a Toast meetup/book chat; got to see so much family at my cousin's wedding; and managed not to kill either my parents or Becky. My favorite part, though, was probably Jack Bauer sleeping with me every night (as soon as I move into a pet-friendly apartment I will immediately turn into a cat lady, and I am so looking forward to that).

Finally, judging by the popularity of my last post, I'm going to try to continue to Give The People What They Want, so enjoy, folks: