Warsaw, Poland
Trip good.
Bus.
Shows.
Hotels.
Veggie-food.
Parks.
Dogs.
History.
Accepted Chatham College.
Bus.
Shows.
Hotels.
Veggie-food.
Parks.
Dogs.
History.
Accepted Chatham College.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Monday, June 20, 2005
Someone Doesn't Like Me
Two weekends in a row, I fly.
Two weekends in a row, my flight is cancelled.
The person who magically controls all the airlines is against me.
But this time, at least I got a call from Delta before I went to the airport.
(Holly, now I fly south like you'll have to do.)
But it's cool, I like Atlanta.
And I arrive in Germany 15 minutes earlier. So this works to my advantage But, please, let this be the last of the cancelling craziness.
Two weekends in a row, my flight is cancelled.
The person who magically controls all the airlines is against me.
But this time, at least I got a call from Delta before I went to the airport.
(Holly, now I fly south like you'll have to do.)
But it's cool, I like Atlanta.
And I arrive in Germany 15 minutes earlier. So this works to my advantage But, please, let this be the last of the cancelling craziness.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Shel Go Bye-Bye
I leave tomorrow at noon-ish...and I'm still changing my class schedule...let's hope I don't screw up that whole plan to graduate.
FYI-I'm bringing my cell phone...but that doesn't mean you should try to call me too often.
I'll try to blog whenever possible, but the idea of paying so many cents/minute at a internet cafe doesn't make my heart beat fast with joy, if you know what I mean.
I love you guys and I'll miss you all!
FYI-I'm bringing my cell phone...but that doesn't mean you should try to call me too often.
I'll try to blog whenever possible, but the idea of paying so many cents/minute at a internet cafe doesn't make my heart beat fast with joy, if you know what I mean.
I love you guys and I'll miss you all!
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Shel vs. The Office of Study Abroad: A Cautionary Tale of Frustration and Irony
Over a week ago I got an e-mail from an official at the MSU Study Abroad Office. We shall call her Instigator.
Instigator informed me that I was not taking enough credits on my trip to meet the number necessary for my study abroad program.
I thought to myself…“Self, this is not possible.” So I e-mailed Instigator and told her as much, ever so politely of course.
Instigator replied saying. “No…the independent study section number is not the correct number…it should be 751 not 001.
Ahh. Clarity…although indy study is with the right professor and in the right country…a mistyping of two numbers was leading to my untimely demise.
I e-mailed English Department advisor next. She told me to e-mail another official lady. I did. Official lady doesn’t respond for two days. There are no changes to two mistaken numbers. (I heart bureaucracy *said with sarcasm in heart and mind*)
After two days of waiting and nothingness, I e-mailed Instigator. Although I was mainly feeling frustration and annoyance, I channeled panic into the e-mail. (It’s nice to be able to properly portray emotion with words) I explained that I was leaving the country in less than a week and didn’t want to arrive in London to discover I’d been magically dis-enrolled from my classes by the demons of bureaucracy and studying abroad.
As expected, the only way to communicate with Instigator was through panic. The next e-mail informed me that she'd used her magical powers for good and had called my English advisor and had convinced her to change the two stupid numbers. All was well.
I sent an e-mail to Instigator (this time channeling joy) saying thanks and informing her that she had “saved the day” while silently mumbling to myself that it was all her fault. I’d also been silently laughing…because during uncertain period, when I wasn’t sure this would all be worked out, I’d registered for another class…a class in which the course description is, more or less, pick five contemporary British novels and read them. (What could be more fun than that????!!!!!!!!!!)
So, yesterday, after seeing that my indy study course section now read 751, I promptly deleted it from my schedule…I then checked my MSU e-mail. To my horror…there was another message from Instigator.
While silently thinking “What on Earth could she have to say now?” I clicked on the e-mail.
Instigator now thinks that I’m “taking an awful lot of credits” and that maybe I should rethink my schedule so that it will have fewer credits.
Irony. Irony. Irony.
I grumbled as I deleted her e-mail. She won’t be getting another reply from me.
In other news, began making goodbye calls yesterday…that’s the thing that’s really made me realize I’m leaving.
I spoke to Elizabeth for over an hour…I don’t think any of you know her. She lived less than a mile away from me all through high school and we never met. We both went 75 miles away to college where we met through Riverview. And we were best friends during the year I roomed with Jas for several months. Then she left me for Iowa. Bloody Iowa.
Any-hoo, we’ve probably spoken three or four times since then…but each time we do, it’s a SUPER good conversation that leaves me in a good mood afterwards. To me, that’s a sign of a true friend…someone you don’t necessarily talk to often, but when you do, the conversation flows easily and you feel like you could say anything. I’d say there are 3 people (excluding parents) that I feel I could say anything to…I give all three of them the title of best friend.
Instigator informed me that I was not taking enough credits on my trip to meet the number necessary for my study abroad program.
I thought to myself…“Self, this is not possible.” So I e-mailed Instigator and told her as much, ever so politely of course.
Instigator replied saying. “No…the independent study section number is not the correct number…it should be 751 not 001.
Ahh. Clarity…although indy study is with the right professor and in the right country…a mistyping of two numbers was leading to my untimely demise.
I e-mailed English Department advisor next. She told me to e-mail another official lady. I did. Official lady doesn’t respond for two days. There are no changes to two mistaken numbers. (I heart bureaucracy *said with sarcasm in heart and mind*)
After two days of waiting and nothingness, I e-mailed Instigator. Although I was mainly feeling frustration and annoyance, I channeled panic into the e-mail. (It’s nice to be able to properly portray emotion with words) I explained that I was leaving the country in less than a week and didn’t want to arrive in London to discover I’d been magically dis-enrolled from my classes by the demons of bureaucracy and studying abroad.
As expected, the only way to communicate with Instigator was through panic. The next e-mail informed me that she'd used her magical powers for good and had called my English advisor and had convinced her to change the two stupid numbers. All was well.
I sent an e-mail to Instigator (this time channeling joy) saying thanks and informing her that she had “saved the day” while silently mumbling to myself that it was all her fault. I’d also been silently laughing…because during uncertain period, when I wasn’t sure this would all be worked out, I’d registered for another class…a class in which the course description is, more or less, pick five contemporary British novels and read them. (What could be more fun than that????!!!!!!!!!!)
So, yesterday, after seeing that my indy study course section now read 751, I promptly deleted it from my schedule…I then checked my MSU e-mail. To my horror…there was another message from Instigator.
While silently thinking “What on Earth could she have to say now?” I clicked on the e-mail.
Instigator now thinks that I’m “taking an awful lot of credits” and that maybe I should rethink my schedule so that it will have fewer credits.
Irony. Irony. Irony.
I grumbled as I deleted her e-mail. She won’t be getting another reply from me.
In other news, began making goodbye calls yesterday…that’s the thing that’s really made me realize I’m leaving.
I spoke to Elizabeth for over an hour…I don’t think any of you know her. She lived less than a mile away from me all through high school and we never met. We both went 75 miles away to college where we met through Riverview. And we were best friends during the year I roomed with Jas for several months. Then she left me for Iowa. Bloody Iowa.
Any-hoo, we’ve probably spoken three or four times since then…but each time we do, it’s a SUPER good conversation that leaves me in a good mood afterwards. To me, that’s a sign of a true friend…someone you don’t necessarily talk to often, but when you do, the conversation flows easily and you feel like you could say anything. I’d say there are 3 people (excluding parents) that I feel I could say anything to…I give all three of them the title of best friend.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Amusement
Dad's new compy arrived today. I get to plaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Hee hee hee.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Different States
Pain. Pain. Pain.
Flight home was cancelled. No announcement made. Sat in only bloody airport that is smaller than the GR airport for four hours for nothing.
Have to spend another night in same hotel room as father. The man has three distinct snores...he is constantly doing one of the three while he sleeps.
1. Normal snoring
2. A fast snort that causes him to momentarilly wake up
3. Weird Darth Vader breathing, but it doesn't sound nearly as cool. (I know, I know, this is not an actual snore...but it still keeps me awake)
Suffer. Suffer. Suffer.
Flight home was cancelled. No announcement made. Sat in only bloody airport that is smaller than the GR airport for four hours for nothing.
Have to spend another night in same hotel room as father. The man has three distinct snores...he is constantly doing one of the three while he sleeps.
1. Normal snoring
2. A fast snort that causes him to momentarilly wake up
3. Weird Darth Vader breathing, but it doesn't sound nearly as cool. (I know, I know, this is not an actual snore...but it still keeps me awake)
Suffer. Suffer. Suffer.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Up up up up daaaaaaaaaaaaaate
Not much going on.
Before I forget: For whom it may concern...Holly will be home early July and she wants to see ALL OF YOU before she leaves for London.
Have been VERY productive the last couple of days...lots of reading. I actually wrote another page or two in my story. I'm very happy about that, considering I hadn't touched it for over three weeks.
Have also been getting into yoga again. I've found it's good for my prayer life. I pray at random intervals during the class.
Am visiting Vermont this weekend with dad...have an interview on Monday.
It's sad, but much of my life revolves around waiting for the mail to arrive each day.
Really need to get it through my head that I'm leaving the country in 11 days. All-ya-alls should expect bye-bye calls in the next week or so. Oh and if you want a post card, e-mail me your address.
Before I forget: For whom it may concern...Holly will be home early July and she wants to see ALL OF YOU before she leaves for London.
Have been VERY productive the last couple of days...lots of reading. I actually wrote another page or two in my story. I'm very happy about that, considering I hadn't touched it for over three weeks.
Have also been getting into yoga again. I've found it's good for my prayer life. I pray at random intervals during the class.
Am visiting Vermont this weekend with dad...have an interview on Monday.
It's sad, but much of my life revolves around waiting for the mail to arrive each day.
Really need to get it through my head that I'm leaving the country in 11 days. All-ya-alls should expect bye-bye calls in the next week or so. Oh and if you want a post card, e-mail me your address.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Pick a number, 1 through 3
After less than a perfect night's sleep, my dad wakes me up an hour before I would normally get up.
He has a sad look on his face when he says "Your mom called."
My mind immediately flies to him telling me that mom's collapsed at work or something.
Luckily, the next words out of his mouth ended that vision.
"She spoke to Nancy."
Nancy is the woman who is supposed to write my NEW letter of recommendation to Chatham...by TODAY. In my head, I see my dad saying she's the one that collapsed...she's going to the hospital....
Luckily, health-wise, everyone is okay.
But my dad's next words still confirm a little nightmare of my own:
"Nancy lost the forms she had to fill out and send to Chatham."
Bugger.
So I got up and as I waited the TEN minutes necessary to TURN ON the house computer so I could get online, find the necessary forms, re-print them, fill out my half, sign it, scan the papers back into the computer and send them to Nancy (an hour long process with this compy) I begin to contemplate life and stuff.
I come to one of three conclusions about my life and God:
1. He doesn't want me to go to grad school.
2. He wants me to go, but He really wants me to work for it.
3. I'm God's little joke. He's a fan of pointing and laughing.
I asked my dad to pick a number between one and three. He chose two...probably the best of the three options.
He has a sad look on his face when he says "Your mom called."
My mind immediately flies to him telling me that mom's collapsed at work or something.
Luckily, the next words out of his mouth ended that vision.
"She spoke to Nancy."
Nancy is the woman who is supposed to write my NEW letter of recommendation to Chatham...by TODAY. In my head, I see my dad saying she's the one that collapsed...she's going to the hospital....
Luckily, health-wise, everyone is okay.
But my dad's next words still confirm a little nightmare of my own:
"Nancy lost the forms she had to fill out and send to Chatham."
Bugger.
So I got up and as I waited the TEN minutes necessary to TURN ON the house computer so I could get online, find the necessary forms, re-print them, fill out my half, sign it, scan the papers back into the computer and send them to Nancy (an hour long process with this compy) I begin to contemplate life and stuff.
I come to one of three conclusions about my life and God:
1. He doesn't want me to go to grad school.
2. He wants me to go, but He really wants me to work for it.
3. I'm God's little joke. He's a fan of pointing and laughing.
I asked my dad to pick a number between one and three. He chose two...probably the best of the three options.
