A little MORE conversation

I feel as if I have been driving back and forth between college and home a lot lately. Unfortunately, it was only on this most recent return trip that I discovered talk radio.

Sure, I had known of its existence before, but my only recollections of talk radio up to Sunday were of annoying morning shows and boring subject matter. However, Sunday, my cell phone was dead, and my music supply from my iPod and CDs was, believe it or not, all but exhausted. Thus, I turned to my XM - never a bad choice, but after switching between the same five or ten stations for a few hours, you tend to hear the same songs. Finally, I began to spin the dial and scan all the way up into the 100s. Aha: talk radio.

From Cosmo to Oprah to medical shows to NPR to news to sports (probably in that order), I think that XM and its shows were my savior this weekend. I was tired, I was in a funny mood, and I had been driving for hours with absolutely no contact with the outside world. However, when I began to listen to a talk radio segment, the minutes suddenly seemed to fly by and turn into hours that brought me closer to my second home.

No longer do I see talk radio as annoying or boring. Sure, I have my preferences, and some shows are definitely better than others, but I actually found myself wishing that I had a car charger or at least some semblance of battery life in my new cell phone so that I could call in and chat. I disagreed, I laughed, I learned, and I actually look somewhat forward to my next long car ride.

Goodbye, FU...kind of

My friends are all leaving. Finals at FU are coming to an end, and all but about 450 of us are heading home. Well, even we are going home for the weekend, but the point is that, as much rejoicing (LDOC, anyone?) and packing (clothes, mostly) I have done and bittersweetness I have felt, come Monday, I'll be in class again.

I am feeling a number of emotions at the moment: excitement and anticipation for my May X class, sadness to see my friends go, anxiousness of having to make new friends in May, disgust with having two more exams, exhaustion at the prospect of a busy few days at home after a busy few weeks here and then hardly any turnaround...mostly, I'm looking forward to working at Bridges this summer. I also am ridiculously tired from my work-out today: I literally came back in after a walk from the PAC to the dorm in the pouring rain and collapsed on our floor. Before I can let any of this digest, though, I need to actually pass said final exams. I'm off to eat dinner and study.

Late night thoughts

My posts keep getting later and later...

I guess that maybe now would be an appropriate time to explain my sleeping habits: firstly, let it be known that I LIKE SLEEP. I would not go so far as to say that I am in love with sleep, as it sometimes has negative effects on my work habits, but I may be involved in a love affair with it, staying with it as late as possible - I'll give you that. However, over the years and especially the past few months here at college, I've discovered that I really just am a night owl. No matter how hard I try, productivity and concentration are very difficult tasks for me during daylight hours, especially when I am left to my own devices and self-discipline - or lack thereof. So, I figure, why not sleep late, take naps, and stay up until all hours? I am currently testing this hypothesis. Results have been positive and conclusive thus far. I will keep you updated, for sure - we'll have to examine how this theory works with a full-time, paying job in the summer and early morning classes in the fall. =P

I really do not have a lot to say in this post; I have some news and updates, though. Is that even intersting to you? Oh, well. Quickly:

1.) I went home for a funeral last week of a high school friend. Prepare for more, longer, and hopefully better-articulated thoughts to come on this.
2.) As you may have gathered, I found a job for this summer! I will be a Counselor with Bridges to a Brighter Future, a college entrance program at my university for economically disadvantaged youth. I will be employed for one week of training followed by four weeks of service in June and July. Initially, I was a bit hesitant, despite the rave reviews that I had heard from previous participants who now go here, but after a sort of orientation session last week, I am SO EXCITED! Perks include: working with amazing people. Additional perks include: stipend, free housing, sea kayaking, half of the summer off, etc. I assure you that you will hear more about this in the future.

And now, for a little segment that I like to call "Frequently Asked Questions" - known more commonly as "Questions that have probably never been posed to me in my life, but that came to mind; therefore, I felt obliged to answer":

Favorite punctuation mark? This is a tie between the semicolon and the dash; I feel that both have very unique and legitimate uses - I probably use the dash slightly more often, though; it may, in fact, be more versatile, while the semicolon is just the cool, glasses-wearing, Mac-using uncle of the comma, of which I'm also a huge fan.
Can you tie a cherry stem in a knot in your mouth? Why, yes - yes, I can. Thank you for asking.
What does your desk look like? Currently? It's rather messy. In fact, here:











However, I rarely ever let it get this way; I just brought in a lot of stuff today from the DH and UC in between classes and such. Usually, it looks a lot like this:
So, I just cleaned it. bwahaha

Bedtime?

A-mock

Yes, I'll run out of these "a-" words soon. For now, revel in them.

So, why are things amock? Namely, a.) I FORGOT about my China orientation meeting today, thus arriving late and leaving early, and b.) I am now blogging about it instead of studying for my test in less than 12 hours.

The thirty minutes of the meeting that I caught, coupled with the increased chat with friends about my upcoming departure and future plans, made me excited about the trip. The past couple of weeks have consisted of a lot of paperwork, which I understand is necessary, but it's just not fun, you know? Today, one of my favorite professors, with whom we will take our first national tour and kick off our Suzhou classes, presented a slideshow about the campus, logistics, and rules - mundane, perhaps? NAY. Exciting! I was actually able to imagine myself living there.

Have I mentioned that I have stayed on this campus before? At first, I was hesitant and a bit bummed out about this, but now, I feel that it is an asset. I will sort of know where things are, yet things will still be unfamiliar, as I was only there for a week before and I didn't speak Chinese.

In other news, I may actually get a well-paying summer job that I like. We'll see; knock on wood.

What are your summer plans?

Study A-Way

I'll be studying away next term.

Before I came to Furman, I always called it "study abroad." I guess that that is somewhat inaccurate, because our programs are not limited to those in foreign countries, but I will be in China. I think that that qualifies as "abroad." However, "Study A-Broad"..."Study a Broad"...it just doesn't come off quite so nicely, now, does it?

What does this blog even mean? you ask. What is its purpose? Well, I've considered starting a blog for a while now - I have had one off and on that I did not promote publicly, and when I applied and was turned down for a school blogging position last summer, I was bummed. When I was in New York City last week, I flipped through a book on blogging and considered buying it before I realized that I basically knew what to do already - so, I figured, why not?

I came up with the title because I feel as if it represents so much in my life right now. Yes, I'll be blogging primarily from China, but I see it as more than that, hence the dash: study a WAY of life - study people, study language, study society. I people watch; I've done it for years. I photograph, I observe. I study ways of LIVING - study a-way of everyday existence. Study success, study failure. Study growth. This blog is and will be an evolution.