Nearing the End

Hey, guys!  I know it's been a while since I've posted, and this is just going to be a short one...but it looks like I'm almost done with grad school.  That's right.  Five more weeks of classes (including this one), an internship (culminating experience) that should end in June, and I graduate in August.  Then...well, who knows what comes next!  Probably get out of the house more, look for full-time work, finally have time for a boyfriend...Crazy.

Hope you guys are all doing well.

I'll try and post again soon.

~em

New Start

Ah, the start of a new year.  New classes, new excitement at work, and of course, new books to be read.  I'll be honest, I'm rather glad classes have started again.  There's something really fun about new classes, getting all new assignments, learning new things....But, give me about five more weeks and I'll be ready for summer again.

I have a lot of good things planned for this year.  But, the big one for right now (since there's too much snow outside to really have any fun) is going to be reading.  Lots of reading.  I have a whole list of books stacked up to dive into, including several manga series that I've already started (One Piece, Death Note, Phoenix, and Black Jack, just to name a few).  For this first blog post of the new year, though, I'm going to touch upon something very near and dear to my heart: the library.

I have read a couple books so far this year (If you don't believe me, just check my Goodreads account!), two of which have focused on that funny little place called Customer Service.  I Work at a Public Library (Gina Sheridan) and Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops (Jen Campbell) provided me with many a much needed laugh.  As a library staff member myself (I'm not sure if I actually mentioned this here--I keep writing up posts and deleting them before they're published--but I was promoted in July to an Adult Services Associate Librarian, yay!  That means I work even more with the public, and my stories have gotten stranger and stranger.  The stories in these books alternately surprised me, horrified me, or left me shaking my head with a knowing chuckle: these are things I knew all to well.  If you've ever wanted to work in customer service, or if you already do, then you should definitely check out these books!  They will probably scare you away from getting into a customer service position, but if they don't, you'll see just how much fun is to be had while working!

Classes have started today, so I'm getting acquainted with all the fun stuff I'll be learning this semester.  First is Public Libraries, with Library Services for Adults starting in a few weeks.  I'll be sure to keep you posted on anything interesting I read or learn, and I'm hoping to be a more active blogger this semester than I have been in the past.  Until next time, Happy New Year!

The Night Before Grad School

I officially start classes tomorrow, and not gonna lie, I feel a bit disorganized.  I'm nervous, too, since I've basically spent the last seven or so months doing what I want to do when work is over, and now, I'll have to learn to budget my time a bit better in order to fit in classwork, essays, and other assignments.  At the same time, though, I'm looking forward to having that back in my life.  I've missed classes.  A lot.  So, that's going to be pretty cool.  Iunno.  I guess I'm just pretty ambivalent about the whole thing.

I'll let y'all know how things go.

Final Finals

This week is my last official finals week as an undergrad.  And I'll be honest, I'm not sure if it just hasn't hit me yet, or perhaps I'm finally starting to become comfortable with the fact I'm graduating, but honestly, it doesn't look like things are going to be too bad.

 

I completed my Detective Fiction final this afternoon, after a coffee date with a friend.  I have a paper due on Wednesday and a collection of creative writing due on Friday.  Other than that, I have another coffee date tomorrow, dinner with a couple of my professors on Wednesday, and I'm helping out a friend with her acting final on Thursday.  Time has finally slowed down just enough, and I'm preparing for summer.  This is really the first time since the semester started that I'm actually looking forward to school being over, for real.  I mean, I wish it would last forever, but at the same time, I need a bit of a break.

 

What will my summer consist of?  Books, mostly.  I'll be working at the local library, and participating in two book discussion groups (on top of my own personal reading schedule).  I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to start with, but I know for sure that Sarah and I were planning on reading Moby Dick together.  I was supposed to read it for class last semester, so I'm looking forward to reading it for real this time around.

 

Going off book recommendations, I've started a few new series that I'm really looking forward to completing.  The first is The Dresden Files.  This is a series about a detective wizard named Harry Dresden, who solves supernatural crimes (like rogue wizards, vampires, werewolves, hell-spawn; you get the idea).  Anyways, I'm on book two, Fool Moon (book one was Storm Front).  As you can probably guess from the title, this is a werewolf book.  Personally, I preferred the first one, but I heard that the series gets better and better, so I'm looking forward to reading onward.

 

Also, I've been reading the Space Odyssey books.  (You know, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, etc.)  And those have been really interesting.  I just finished book two last week (2010: Odyssey Two).  I've been told that the other books aren't really worth reading (I'm guessing like the last two books of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series), but even so, I'd like to read them just to say I did.

 

After I finish Fool Moon, I'm going to attempt to wrestle Cloud Atlas into literary submission....before finals are over.  Or whenever the library closes.  We have a week of senior activities coming up.  I hope that they don't mind if I keep the book during that time....

 

In other news, I've been drinking WAY too much coffee, so I'm super-hyper and my metabolism is racing.  That means I'm jittery and hungry.  And I'm at work.  Not a good combination, people!

An Emmy Update

So....it's been about two weeks since I've last posted on here....and honestly, for me, that's not too bad.  I mean, it hasn't been like those terrible dry stretches where I go months without a single update, or all I post are mediocre book reviews (as opposed to the pretty bitchin' book reviews I also write).  Right now, my issue is that I have a lot going on, but not much that would be fun to read about.

 

For example, I am suffering majorly from the dreaded "senioritis".  And while my grades are doing just fine (no problems here at all), I'm having trouble keeping focused and really committing myself to projects and such.  Not saying I want to graduate and leave everything behind, but at the same time, I don't really want to stay here too much longer.  It is an awkward balance between running to graduation and hiding under the bed (and having to be drawn out from under there by my ankles).

 

All that being said, I have been getting some more leads on jobs, and (fingers crossed, knock on wood, spit in your hat, etc.) I'll (hopefully) be employed by the time I graduate (maybe).  If all goes well, I'll work for a few months, then start up an online grad school program for library science (while I'm still working) in the Spring (ie. January).  I'm afraid of waiting too long before going to grad school...I feel like if I let this pass me by NOW, I will never want to go back.  So, having a definite idea of what I want to do with things should help me keep on track.

 

That being said, not much is going on in my life.  I mean, I'm keeping up with classes, there has been some drama and shit, and I'm preparing to graduate in May.  As excited as I am, I still cannot believe that....I mean, seriously.  So, yeah....reading a bit, but not much, working on classes, looking for jobs...that pretty much sums up my life right now.

 

I wish I had more to say...and I wish that I had more to post about in general.  How is everything with you guys?  Do you have any questions for me?  I would love to hear from y'all!  But, anyways, for now: TTFN and I'll be in touch soon.

Blargh

I can't wait for this week to be over.  Or, more specifically, I can't wait until my Wednesday 5-6:15 class is over, and I don't have to stress about this presentation about Irish author Benedict Kiely anymore.  Going along with that, when class is over, my professor has offered to take us all out to dinner at a local Irish pub, and one of the grad students is buying us all beer.  I can't wait to sit back with a deliciously dark Guinness! 

I try--as a rule--to avoid drinking when I'm stressed out, but I would kill for a nice glass of wine or shot of vodka right now....just something to help me relax.  And I don't even know why I'm so stressed out!

Maybe it's because I just got back from Thanksgiving break, and I already have a ton of work?  Like 3+ papers, a one-act play, and two short story revisions?  Or maybe it's because I had finally decided I was going to take a year off before grad school, and now, on the suggestion of one of my writing buddies, I'm off on a mad scramble to fill out applications for a MA in Creative Writing program?  Or, if that's not what's bothering me, perhaps it's the fact that I'm majorly crushing (against my will!) on a creep who keeps trying to seduce me, even though he has a girlfriend?  I tell him that I just want to be friends, but he keeps coming on to me.  And it's seriously starting to piss me off.  Maybe I'm stressed because I graduate in just over a semester?  Or because I still don't quite know what I want to do with my life?  Do I want to be a writer or a librarian?  What the hell am I doing?

Why do I always attract creeps?  I don't even want a boyfriend....I really don't want to be in a relationship right now, but I certainly wouldn't mind a few pleasant dates with someone who's not a player, a creep, or a weasel (this current guy happens to be all three).

I think I'm going to curl up in bed with To Kill a Mockingbird, and read until I fall asleep.....that is, once I finish all this homework, first.

That was a LOT of rambling and stressing out.  So, here's a cute picture of a hedgehog to make y'all feel better :)

Last College Autumn

Autumn has settled upon my senior year of college.  To be honest, I find it hard to believe that I've been attending this school for nearly four years now.  Where does the time go?  Seriously!  I'm so amazed.

Sometimes, the swiftness of time terrifies me.  And I'll be honest, I'm a bit nervous about graduating in May, and leaving all this behind.  Don't get me wrong, I love being at home....I love my family and all the friends I can only see when I'm there...but I know I'll miss the campus, my college friends, and the freedom I feel here.  Sure, there are classes and such, but it's been nice having a dorm to retreat to, and having friends only a five to ten minute walk away.  I love the feeling of the campus in the fall, and I think that I'm going to miss that more than most things.

I know I have a few more months, but this is my last autumn here, and I want to enjoy as much of it as I possibly can.  Ever since I was a child, fall has always been my favorite season.  I love the weather, the crispness in the air....the start of school, my birthday, and Halloween were all in the fall (and in that order).  It was and is a magical time.

There are so many things I still want to do here, but at the same time, I feel as though my time to move on has come.  I guess what I'm looking for right now is a chance to stay attached to this campus forever, but as a student.  I want to continue to learn, and to wander the campus, taking in every delicious detail so that nothing is forgotten...Like a ghost, but alive, and well, and happy.  I want to freeze time for just a little bit longer.

And sometimes, I wish I could go back to freshman year, when I was just a naive kid wandering around to God-knows where with a frog-faced philosopher who made me feel like I could fly, even if only for a short time.  True, things fell apart, but I still think of him fondly when I see our cherry blossom tree bloom in the spring, or when I walk past the bench and lampposts where we used to meet up every night.  I guess, all in all, you could say I'm feeling somewhat nostalgic....and I guess that would be right.

My First Reading Assignment (Spring 2012)

Hey, guys!  I just received my first syllabus, and finally know what my first reading assignment of the semester is going to be!  Now, I won't need to have anything read until Thursday...but I thought I'd give you guys a heads up in case anyone wants to read along with me.  (I know Steven suggested doing this, but I wasn't sure if anyone else was interested).

Now, I have three classes, so that means I'll be balancing three books at a time.  You guys don't have to read all of them if that's too much, or one doesn't really interest you.  But, just in case, my first book is The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles.  I'm not sure if I'll start reading now, or wait until Tuesday, but I'll see what I can do.

Looking forward to this!

My Spring 2012 Booklist....

This is for Robby, who asked what books I was reading for classes this semester.  For some freak reason, Blogger is not letting me comment on my own blog, even though everyone else can....So, instead of posting in the comments, I decided to just make this its own blog post :)

• The History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters (Barnes)
• Midnight's Children (Rushdie)
• Wise Children (Carter)
• French Lieutenant's Woman (Fowles)
• Oranges are Not the Only Fruit (Winterson)
• Farewell to Arms (Hemingway)
• Tender is the Night (Fitzgerald)
• The Sound and the Fury (Faulkner)
• A Good Man is Hard to Find (O'Connor)
• Lolita (Nabokov)
• Beloved (Morrison)
• Age of Innocence (Wharton)
• Moll Flanders (Defoe)
• The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling (Fielding)
• Pride and Prejudice (Austen)
• The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (Sterne)
• Humphry Clinker (Smollett)

Looks like I'm in for an exciting semester :)

Spring Semester 2012....Almost

I return to campus in less than a week....and I'm so excited.  It's bittersweet, of course, because I've been having such a great time at home with my family and friends, but I can't help but look forward to a whole new semester of exciting classes, work, and my new internship.  And of course, the Roomie is returning from France and will be living right next door to me and Italia :)

I'm totally drooling over my book list for this semester; there has to be about 20 books, and out of all of them, there's ONE that I was SUPPOSED to read in high school, but totally didn't. (yikes!)  That means I'm going to be hit with thousands of pages of untold stories over the course of the next fourteen weeks.  I can't wait! :)

This semester is--without a doubt--going to be the busiest I've had yet.  I'm really looking forward to it, though.  I see it as an exciting challenge.

Sick???

I think I might be coming down with something.  It's only just the beginning of September....How can I possibly be sick???  And yet, here I am....sore throat, draining sinuses, and the miserable foreboding that there is still more to come.  I HATE getting sick! :(

On a more positive note, I saw Neo on Friday.  I was super surprised to see him, but catching up was absolutely wonderful!  I've really missed him a lot, and it wasn't exactly easy knowing that I probably was never going to see him again (he had transferred).  I'm happy to be back in touch with him once more.

Classes start up again tomorrow, and it's going to be a super busy week.  But, I'll try to keep posting updates (because I know y'all are just fascinated by what I have to say, haha). 

Oh, and I think I left my computer mouse at home....that really sucks.  I mean, I can use the touch-pad on my laptop, but I love my wireless mouse! :S

One Week Down...

I just finished up my first week of classes.  Being back on campus has been interesting; stressful at times, exciting at others.  AND, I've had plenty of down-time to actually get homework done!  That's been amazing.  Usually, if I can get away with not doing a reading for classes, I'll just skip it.  This semester, I'm hoping to change that.  The only issue I've had so far, is that even when I read the assignments, it feels like I haven't by the time I get back to class.  Like, Thursday, I was totally embarrassed because I had done the readings, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember anything from book.  So, I feel like now I have to write down everything I read (taking notes and all that) so that I don't look stupid when the professors call on me.

Classes this semester have to be the best I've ever had.  I mean, this is the greatest semester overall.  I'm thrilled. :)  I think my Modernist Literature course is my favorite so far.  We're going to be reading The Picture of Dorian Gray to start off the class; that's going to be great!  Today we sampled a bit of Gertrude Stein, who left the class split in half over their opinions of her.  I like her a lot so far.  I'm going to have to check out more of her writing, although, I will admit that she's a bit bizarre.

Some drama, some complications in my social life, but nothing that I can't handle.  And, even though it kinda sucks right now, things are actually starting to look better.

I start working in the Writing Center in a couple of weeks.  Can't wait :)

Oh, and this evening was interesting.  I was chilling out on the campus, when all of a sudden, someone grabs me from behind and shouts, totally freaking me out.  The best bit?  He was incredibly cute and incredibly embarrassed; we don't know each other, and he thought I was someone else!  My heart is still pounding, haha.  Just wish I could meet him again under better circumstances; that would be so much nicer, haha.

More updates to come.

To all my American readers, have a nice Labor Day weekend :)

Back on Campus

Well, here we go!  Another school year is about to start!  Emmy is officially back on campus; a little dazed, a little overwhelmed, but really looking forward to a challenging and fun semester!

I'm not going to be living with the Roomie anymore :(  She's going to be in France this semester, and living with our friend Rachel second semester.  I'm going to be with the NEW roommate: Italia.  As in she LOVES Italy :)  Sadly, I'm going to be alone for a few days until she's able to move in.  I'm a bit lonely, but I do enjoy the time to myself.

Spent most of the day with Rachel, my new next-door neighbor.  We hung out, cleaned and arranged our dorms, and went to see the guys at dinner.  (The dining hall food sucked as always, so I just had a glass of pop.  Later that night, the two of us ordered Chinese food and had a movie party).  The Princess Bride is seriously the greatest film ever :)  Thanks, Matt, for buying it for me :):):)

Matt and Professor Thomas both seemed to be in good moods.  Although, I will say it was a bit frustrating being embarrassed by the Professor in front of a couple of Freshman that Matt was eating with.  I know I should be used to his antics by this point, but it's never fun being embarrassed so badly, and of course, I can't hide my embarrassment, because my face burns bright red every single time!  Oh well......I did miss him over the summer, and I guess when you're friends with this faux Professor, you have to be prepared for this sort of treatment.  After a couple of weeks, I'll build up a tougher skin.

Really excited for classes to start.  I have some good stuff lined up (hopefully, I'll be able to update more about that later).  For now, I'm thinking I'll just take a break and start to wind down for the night.

G'night, y'all! :)  Looking forward to having more news for you!

Returning

I move back onto campus this weekend.....where did my summer go?

As much as I'm looking forward to school and friends, I'm going to miss my family and certain routines and freedoms that I have at home that I won't get at school (such as access to the car).  But, mostly, I think I'm going to miss just spending time with everyone; even if we were doing nothing at all.  There's something so nice about having dinner with the entire family, about sitting around the table and just talking about our day.  Of course, I get to do that at school with my friends (who I've missed TONS), but it's just not quite the same.

Looking forward to this year though.  New classes, a new job, and new friends to be made.  Plus, I have a new roommate (an old friend) which should be interesting to say the least, and I'm looking forward to our time together :)

First Day, Spring 2011 Semester

Its only the first day back, but I'm all out of sorts. Classes were good, but tedious, and I'm going to have sooooo much work to do for my Witches of Salem class that its not even funny. I'm tired and have a headache, but all my complaining aside, I'm still excited about this coming semester's worth of classes. I've gotten a bit of homework, but nothing I can't handle: a 25 page reading assignment from a most tedious writing guide (I'm going to be working in the campus writing center come Fall 2011, and this class is my training), a writing prompt about the importance of tutoring and the benefits for all involved, and a 3-5 page paper about the accusations brought forth during the Salem Witch Trials.

Shrimp-flavored ramen, tropical punch Fuze juice, and Alice Cooper: Super Hits have been keeping me sane.

I think I'm mostly just tired.......the fire alarm went off at 1:30 last night. What the hell is that about??? I stood outside in the freezing cold wearing just my pajamas and a winter coat; I was wearing shorts and my legs were nearly frozen!

Reading Jeannette Walls's The Glass Castle for book club. Its very good, but sad.

School Books

One thing that I just LOVE about starting a new semester of school is getting all my new books. There's something wonderful about all the interesting topics, covers, shapes, and sizes involved. I've started ordering my books this week from Borders. And, already, I've already gotten two of them, with two more on the way. I have SIXTEEN books that I need to buy.

So far (of the four books I've purchased) I've gotten two for my history class on the Salem witch trials, one for my Classical Studies and film class, and one for my writing class. I'm going to have a lot of academic stuff to post about in the coming weeks :)

It's always thrilling to crack open a new textbook; and there is so much suspense....What will the new book be about? Will it be good or bad? What exciting new things will it teach me? *Sigh*...Wouldn't it be wonderful if one could just stay in college forever? And just learn about all kinds of things...that would be amazing.

It's Been a Looooooonnnnnnnnnng Day........

Yeah...A very long day:

Wake up...

Four classes (my busy day)...

Film Club (had to skip...needed a few minutes to myself before service)....

The van to service was late....

Tutor little kids for two hours....

Dinner with my guy friends (one of whom couldn't keep his hands off me--AWKWARD, and I HATE being poked)....

English Club....

A little TV time before starting homework....

Homework....

But, on the flip side, the Wonderful Roomie made me cookies; which totally made my day! :")

Blarg....

Last week, I barely slept at all, so of course, this weekend, I got more than enough sleep and was happy. The issue? I've screwed it up all up again. I couldn't fall asleep last night because I wasn't tired (go figure :P) and as a result, slept through my alarm. I freaked out this morning, because I woke up to the Wonderful Roomie's alarm, which is set to go off an hour after mine. I couldn't believe it when I made it to class on time!

And when I get there, I run into a few of my classmates in the lobby and we start talking....

And one of the Freshman in our class comes from the classroom and walks over to us and is like "Class is canceled?" and they're like "Yeah" and I'm sooo mad that I rushed to get ready on time, because I could have had a nice long shower, and slept for about half an hour longer than I did. And because I rushed, I have a headache. Not a cool way to start a Monday, am I right?

John Steinbeck Reads "Of Mice and Men"

The Last Weekend (Bittersweet)

As I'm sure you've guessed from the title, this is to be my last weekend on campus. After that, the wonderful Roomie and I are to be separated for three whole months, and the chances of seeing any of my other friends are pretty slim as well, seeing as they all live pretty far away. I'm really, really going to miss them.

This weekend is bittersweet. Part of me wants to take advantage of it as much as I can, enjoying life to the fullest and spending all my time with everyone. Unfortunately, its also Mother's Day weekend, and yes, I miss my family a lot. However, as much as I really want to see them today, I just keep on telling myself that in less than a week, we're going to be together again. Less than a week. I won't see my friends for three months. Still...

Okay, okay, I'll just get it out in the open. My parents want me to come home this weekend. I told them that I wanted to stay and see my friends for the last time. My parents were supposed to come up and have lunch to celebrate Mother's Day. Now, they want me to come home and stay home for the weekend, but that means giving up all my plans for time with my friends. I know I'm being selfish, but I liked it better before they started tampering with a game plan that we had established about a month and a half ago, which was that they come in for lunch, and I stay here for the last time.

I hope everything works out in the end. I don't know what to do.