Episode 4: The Calm Before the Storm

Hello world. Thanks for tuning into today's episode of the "Glass Half-Full Chronicles. Today's episode centers around the good ol' saying "The calm before the storm." The storm being the undesirable Summer 2 session of UIUC classes that starts tomorrow. 

Today is a Lazy Sunday. I got to go to mass, did laundry, and have done about absolutely nothing productive today (except for massively edit my blog layout and write this very blog post). It's very calm. And everyone who is here for Summer 2 is moving in! It's very exciting to see more people around Newman. But it's not crazy mayhem like it is during Early Move-In and University Move-In. When I went down to switch my laundry, I was the only person in the whole room. The workout room across the hall had the lights out and was empty. Very rarely do either of these things ever happen during the school year.

The cool thing about summer is that there aren't as many classes to take and aren't any RSO's (registered student organizations), so there's actually quite a bit of free time. Yesterday, my boyfriend and I went to a lovely little place called Allerton Park, which is about a half hour west of Champaign-Urbana. It was beautiful. Filled with many hiking trails and so much eye candy with regards to nature, it was definitely worth the drive. 

About 2 minutes after I took the third picture, it started down pouring! Our day out in Monticello was cut a little short, but it was still worth it. Plus, it's an excuse to go back. We relaxed the rest of the day and watched some of The Blacklist (great show, highly recommend it, by the way), chatted, and went out to dinner. It's so nice to be able to just relax for a little bit. My weeks are filled with classes and work and research, so to be able to forget about all that for a whole weekend has been wonderful. This calm has been amazing. I must now prepare for the storm a-brewin'. Tomorrow, the real world begins again. Classes start up again, I have to wake up early, and I'm in the research lab for 5 hours. I'm looking forward to this new begin, and am ready to conquer this storm.

Episode 3: The Return

Hey blog. How've you been for the past year or so? I've found myself so busy that I haven't had the time to write for my blog. There's so much that's happened this past year that I wish I documented here, but it just wasn't meant to be. But for now, I'm back to looking at the glass half-full and documenting my daily musings (or, close to daily, depending on time).

So today is the first day of what I like to call "The Weekend of Freedom." Long story short: The Summer 1 session at U of I just ended yesterday, and the Summer 2 session will begin on Monday. It's one weekend where I don't have to worry about homework, exams, group projects, or even work! For those who haven't been in college, college can be tough. You have so much for free time, but school gets more difficult and there's always something to do. The only times with nothing to do are winter break (between Semester 1 and Semester 2) and summer break (between Semester 2 and Semester 1 of the following academic year). Since I'm taking classes all summer, my "break" times are much less than the normal person.

Most people I know are either doing an internship back home or are counselors at Camp Tecumseh. Trust me, summer classes was definitely my last choice for this summer. Like I said, college is tough. I became so enveloped in everything that I was doing this past year. I took 17 credit hours. I worked crazy amount of hours (probably almost full-time) in my dorm's hall office. I went on a Koinonia retreat and decided to serve on team for one the following semester. I tutored. I was part of a committee for the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society. I went to bed 3am or later every night, forcing me to take naps. I became burned out. My grades suffered. As a result, instead of studying abroad or working as a Resident Counselor at Camp Tecumseh (my lifelong dream), I am currently sitting in a booth in the Newman Hall Cafeteria thinking about what could have been. Next summer is studying abroad. The summer after that is after I graduate. The hope is that I'll be back at camp (if I get hired), but I also need to make sure I find a teaching job.

Regardless of my situation, I am still remaining optimistic. I will get a job. I know I'll be back at Camp T, even if it's just visiting a closing campfire as former staff instead of returning to staff. And being in Champaign during the summer is kinda fun. I've tried so many new food places and have made new friends, and gotten to know old ones better. And there's the added bonus of my boyfriend being in town too. I can tell that coffee dates are going to be the next big thing this summer. We've already been on two this week. We went to this place called Flying Machine Coffee in downtown Urbana. It's the perfect little place to chill and get some work done.

Another great thing about the summer: campus is DEAD. It's like nothing compared to the school year. I now understand how the camp people from West Lafayette feel in the summer. When I was the Day Camp Photographer the past two summers at Camp T, my good ol' friend Jack McGee advised me to bring my bike to zip around from place to place, especially on Tuesdays at the Lake. So when I brought my bike to campus this summer, it felt just like old times. I've been able to go back to my favorite place, the Beckman Institute, now that I have my bike. For someone short like me, it's about a 15 minute walk normally. I can get there by bike in less than 5 minutes. They also have a little cafe in there, so I can nab a coke or a brownie if I want during my studying. Between Beckman and the coffee shops, I think I'll be set.

That's about all I got for the day today. I'm going to enjoy the rest of my weekend without responsibilities. Stay tuned for scenes for the next episode.