I'm preparing for grad school and have already done a little bit of shopping. I decided to get a new backpack and replace the one I've had since I was in Jr. High. I used it all through high school and college and figure that getting into UCLA means that I should start a new leaf and treat myself to a few things. I think my buys are more of an investment than anything else. I also splurged and got an ipod nano. Ok, so I've never had an ipod of any sort and am a little behind on this technology train. I'm definitely not a fore-runner. I like to sit and watch the prices get a little lower, the technology to get a little better and for me to actually have use for it. I have to say that I am so in love with my nano already. I'm listening to it right now. I've loaded in about 250 songs from my CD collection and am not even close to having half of my collection in it yet. This is why I bought the one with more memory. I love music. And my CDs and music are pretty priceless to me. I remember going & studying in coffee shops with my walkman. I miss that. I am able to study much better when I have good music on in the background. I kinda forgot that. It's also another way to block out the world and my thoughts. Helps me focus on whatever I'm studying while having the music to focus on in the background. I read my next chapter in my statistics book today while listening to what I've already loaded in on shuffle. All I can say is that my walkman couldn't do this. And I am so utterly amazed. It even has a video camera. Really?! And it has games! Remember when cell phones were first popular and they actually had games on them? Nothing big, but they had "Snake" and "Mancala" and some sort of "Space Invaders". What happened to that?! Now if I want a game on my cellphone I not only have to pay to get it on my phone, but have to pay for the time that I play it. Why?! It's so mean. But my new, favorite toy has music AND games and it's tiny and I love it!
Ah, my nano and I will go places together. Now we can study together, ride the bus together, and just have a nice time. Who knew that less than $200 could give me such happiness? I would've bought this much sooner if I knew how happy it would make me. So, my next big investment is going to be a laptop. I've never had one. And because I have this nifty nano, I'm thinking a Mac will suit me best. It's going to be expensive even with a student discount (which I hear is pennies anyways). But I think that it'll be very useful. One of my friends had some great advice about the subject, so I'm definitely going to look into it and ask her some more questions to make sure I get something really worth while. My boyfriend and I share his computer, but I think it's time I got my own.
Grad school, new backpack, Nano, laptop,...oh my, I'm definitely growing up!
I'm reading "Waiting" by Ha Jin right now. I'm about halfway through it. It's a pretty good story. I'm not completely in love with it, but am enjoying it. It's about a man living in Communist China as a doctor in the military, so he's far from home. But he never loved his wife as she was picked by his parents. He wants to divorce her to marry one of the nurses, but he keeps getting denied by the courts for a divorce. Although after 18 years of marriage he will be eligible for the divorce. It's a strange love story. The man and the nurse are only best friends and cannot have an affair because they would get shamed and thrown out of the military. It's tame, but still tugs on your heart strings a bit. You feel so badly for all involved, but there is no clean solution; someone is going to be hurt by what might happen.
So I start UCLA this fall. I have to admit I'm a little overwhelmed by it all. Like the fact that it's quarters and not semesters. I'm not a fan of writing papers & to have to do them twice as quickly. I have to take a boot-camp Computer Programming session and am really hoping I get into that class. It's like a week long class 8 hours per day. It's going to suck, but at least I'll be with the people starting in the same program with me. I can start to make some friends. That's exciting. I'm going to take the bus there & back, so I need to do a test run sometime soon. I have to find a part-time job; hopefully something on campus. I'm hoping I get work study and some kind of loan. This is going to be so expensive. Eeek, I'm going to be in so much debt in 2 years.
I am very excited I will get a Masters and even more excited that UCLA accepted me! It's been 2 years in the making. I still don't believe it sometimes. I graduated from undergrad a little over 8 years ago. Wow.
Here's what my nano is playing for me right now...a little of... Minus the Bear, Snow Patrol, Doves, Save Ferris, Elliott Smith, Sarge, Creeper Lagoon, Pinback, Tegan & Sara, Trainspotting soundtrack, Candlebox (you know you love them & are very, very jealous that I have all their CDs!), and many, many more with much more to be put onto the computer and then put on my nano. Aw. Love. This is true love. I knew I'd find it one day. It's on the list of technology I can't live without (caller ID & call-waiting caller ID, DVR, microwave, toaster-ovens...ipod).
Still without a job, but I did get into grad school, so I'm not so worried about finding a job anymore. Too many other things to worry about now. Way too many. Although, before I knew I got into UCLA (let's see how many times I can mention I got accepted into grad school in this blog entry...yes, I am so happy!) I applied to work for the US Census. I took this really easy and fun test about a month ago. I wish the GRE was like that, but then again I did get accepted into UCLA so I don't have to worry about that anymore! I finally received a phone call yesterday from the Census and called them back today. I have a paperwork interview in another month and then the following week is training. I think the job is for only about 6 weeks, but it beats unemployment checks and truthfully I think it'll be fun to tell people I worked on the 2010 Census. (Remember I'm going to Library school, so things I find "fun" is not the same for others) I don't think it's completely full-time, but truthfully I'm really, really liking being unemployed and should enjoy this before I start at UCLA and get really crazy. Talking to the Census today was pretty funny because this woman who was talking to me is reading this script to me to ask me questions about what hours I can work and tell me a little bit about being an enumerator and such. I must've been one of the first she read it to, because at some point she says, "Um, ok...oops I already said that...um, so...wait. I don't understand this part, let me put you on hold. " Ha-ha. And she asked me the same question a few times (for some reason, it's listed a few times in different ways) and I'm answering the same way and she says "Huh? It kinda repeats, doesn't it?". Anyways after she told me all the information I need to know, what to bring, what to wear, that they will fingerprint me and where I am to attend in a month the phone call is finally over. It was a tad amusing.
That's the gist of my life right now. Lot's of new things.
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