(no subject)

I think it's time for another what's-going-on-in-my-life update. Hello!

I'm graduating from UMBC in December, if all goes according to plan. If all goes brilliantly according to plan, I will then begin in the spring getting my master's in Nursing from the University of Baltimore, downtown. This will be shiny, and make me employable. Also, medicine is fun.

Unfortunately, it means I'm stuck in Summer School Hell right now. Taking microbiology and its associated lab at an ultra-compressed schedule is pretty draining. I'm doing well on the lecture, but less sure of my lab status...and I really, really, need good grades for this stuff because the program I want to get into is pretty competitive. And I haven't actually scouted out any back-up schools yet. I need to do that. (The other part of the back-up plan is get my CNA (certified nurse assisant) certification and work a bit while I try to find a program I like/that will accept me.)

Oh. And I need to write The World's Best Application Essay. And figure out how to shove one more class into my fall semester. And get a new pair of glasses. And get my teeth cleaned. And do my laundry. And stop going to bed at 3am. Getting better at that last one.

So when I stop to think about things too much, I get run a bit ragged. I haven't created the time to visit my grove since the summer semester started and I've been seriously slacking off at work in the library.

I've had a lot of fun gaming with Greg and Angie and Jeremy and Jose, though. Spent half the weekend at Jeremy's place last weekend, which was fun but seriously threw off my productivity equilibrium. And I'm going to visit Chris this weekend which shall be much appreciated by both of us. We haven't gotten to see eachother as often as we'd like lately, because I got caught up with finals and family stuff and my brother's graduation. A visit when I got to his house rather than vice versa usually has less time and privacy for cuddling and intimate fun time, but I'd like to be polite to his mom, I haven't been to their house in a while.

I think I'm going to get some outside air and leaf through my textbooks under the big white beech tree outside, but first, I need to respond to a meme. It was originally from moonvoice/Pia:

Reply to this meme by yelling "Words!" and I will give you five words that remind me of you. Then post them in your LJ and explain what they mean to you.

From Pia, I got:

art -- Heh, I probably got this once because I most frequently posted commenting and critiquing hers when she posted it. (Pia is an awesome artist by the way, and you should give her your money like I did.) But on a personal level....hm. Art is something I wish I made more of--I've got a few pieces on the walls of my bedroom that I like, but they're all from projects in high school that I really liked. I can create if I want to, I know I'm a creative-ideas sort-of-person, but I don't have the practice and I've never put in the focus or dedication to really get good at any particular art. I'm also....well, not always that discriminatory in what I like. Zuki is not elitist about this, no sir. But I like art, the act of creation, being around it, having it....etc. Hm.

inspiration -- Hah! Now this is something I've got a surfeit of! I'm one of those idea generating people. I love brainstorming and plotting out concepts. I've spent afternoons designing theoretical stories, video games, rpgs, etc. Maybe the project didn't last longer than a month, but it was fun while it lasted. And who knows when it might be useful again? The creative spark, the fire that gets people going, that first 36-hours-or-so of enthusiasm, that's something really special. I like hearing about my friend's creative endeavors, and I like helping them along the way as a sounding board, a beta reader, a critic, etc. (It's probably compensation for the fact that I don't create as much). I think I've been dubbed 'muse' at least once for this sort of thing, but I might be tooting my own horn a bit here. :D

the present -- And this is where I live. Sometimes I'm impulsive, or I make short-sighted decisions, but it's what works for me, I think. Veering off the planned path tends to result in unexpectedly delightful experiences. Taking one day at a time keeps things manageable, so the Terrible Horrible Weight of Potential Future Failure doesn't eat me, and it's better to learn from my past and figure out how I'll fix things for the next time than let the guilt of past mistake or wrong doing eat at me. I hate the feeling of guilt. Being too much in 'the present' has its disadvantages from the perspectives of memory and planning, but it can keep me grounded too, I think.

otters-- Heh, the icon, right? Otters are one of my favorite animals. I'm fond of the whole mustelid family--weasels, ferrets, skunks, badgers, wolverines, etc.--but otters are loved for their playful-ness, the graceful sinuous lines they trace in the water, curiosity, so on. I'd watch them in the zoo for what seemed like forever when I was a kid. So what if they're not as nimble on land with short legs and a long body? Otter romps and bounces along, lives his or her own life, unconcerned. Otter is a persona that matches good chunks of my own.

water-- An element I relate well with, from the magical/symbological perspective. My brother and I get into debates and discussions all the time, and they frequently start because his tendency towards objectivity or black-and-white will irk me. It's all subjective, it's always subjective! Take the context into consideration! I love the rain and I've deliberately soaked myself in a summer shower more than once. I'm good at dealing with my own emotions and analyzing how I feel. For those of you that hold by astrology, I'm a Cancer, born on July 1st. I 'get' water.

Might edit this later to LJ-cut it for space, but I need to get back to studying for now.