The Longest Weekend Ever

This weekend has felt like an entire month, even though it was only three days.
I spent the whole thing in my apartment laying on my couch watching movie after movie after movie. And the SAG awards.

For the first time since childhood, I have the stomach flu. College is such a cesspool.
It is just as awful as I remember it, except this time I had to go it alone.
No parents at my disposal to get me things. I had to get off my sick butt to get ginger ale and saltine crackers and gatorade and pepto.
Being an adult sucks haha, but I'm glad I don't have roommates because it would have just grossed them the heck out all weekend. Better off no one had to share in it.

Had solid food for the first time yesterday, rather unsuccessfully, but tried again today. Seems to be going well so far. Yay for small accomplishments. Unfortunately, though, this means I haven't gotten any real work done this weekend and that is a huge problem. I have so much work to do , especially for my GD studio it is unbelievable. Three projects going at once, no work done because I was too sick to deal with it. When we did portfolio reviews this week, mine did not go well at all. It makes me very nervous to graduate. I'm going to need to do a lot of extra work to even be at par on graduation. More than most other people in my class, it seems.

I'm going to do it, I have to, especially if I want a job at some point. I don't even know what I want to do yet. I know I'm not doing grad school right away, I'm going to get a job and work for a couple of years and then I might go on for a masters in art education, get certified to teach and all that. I know I can do that at NIU, so I could commute there and it wouldn't be too bad. But that's a ways off to think about. Its the immediate future I'm more worried about. What do I want to do? So much to think about... and not much time to think about it anymore! Eek! I'm a firm believer in whatever happens happens and that it will work out so... well, I'm sure it will work out!

For now, the more immediate concern is feeling better.. but damn do I hate Gatorade. Ugh.

Raccoons are Terrifying

I have to say, not much has been going on in my life as of late.

The internship search has hit a sort of dead end. I got a call back from a company I had a phone interview with and its sounding good but I'm not holding my breath. It doesn't help that my mother bugs me about it every. single. day. I mean, I know she's just trying to be helpful but it gets annoying after so long, haha. I really am trying my hardest to find one. I sure as heck don't want to work at Walgreen's again.

I will if I have to, but I'd rather not. I actually started sewing again and am thinking of starting up an Etsy shop to avoid having to work at Walgreen's if all my internships fall through. I've been making little zipper bags, like make-up bags and pencil pouches. They're really cute. I've started attempting to make dog toys too and next on my list is baby bibs. I've also been making magnets out of old buttons, they're super cute. So I'm hoping that maybe I can make some money off of that instead of working at the good ol' Wal. Hey, I could put going into business for myself on my resume, right? Ha.

I'm currently down in Champaign for the weekend, initiating another group of pledges for APX. Its been fun, actually. Theres like no one else in the area since all the students have left and I went out to the bars last night with Sean and Kyle and they were totally deserted. It was so cool, I wish they were always like that. Its also super weird to not be in my apartment anymore. I'm staying there while I'm down here, but I'm sleeping on the couch which is weird when what used to be my bedroom is like twenty feet away haha.

Anyway, interesting story: Yesterday, I was attacked by a raccoon. No joke. I was outside with a big group of people, just minding my own business. It was still light out at the time so it was weird to see a raccoon anyway. I saw it prowling around on the roof of the house next door and didn't think anything of it until it came bounding around the corner and charged into the crowd. They scared it off for a second and then it came right back and right at me. I screamed louder than I've screamed in a long, long time. It ran right between my legs and around me and I kinda-sorta kicked it (to get it away from my legs!) and it ran off again.

I wasn't bitten and it seems now that I wasn't scratched either (I thought I was but looking at it today, theres no evidence of a scratch). I was seriously scared that I was going to have to get rabies shots! Looks like I won't though, luckily. I'm thinking it had a nest nearby so it was probably defending its babies, but we had no idea there was a nest anywhere. I still don't see one but I'm not about to go and investigate. I might call animal control, though, and see about relocating them. Its kinda dangerous when you think about it. Wish I'd brought the dog with me to initiation! He would have scared that thing off before it even got to us!

Figuring it Out

I think I've got my plans figured out.
And boy does it feel good.

I think I'm saving Italy for next summer. I'll either be studying abroad in Verona for 6 weeks or taking the country by storm with my cousin for 6 weeks. I'm going to keep my options open. If my cousin has her plans like... super duper concrete, then I'll go with her and just have fun. If not, then I'll be going anyway. I like the sound of this.

So this summer... I'll be internship hunting whether its paid or not. I still have Walgreens for money if I need it an if I can't find an internship I'll find a second job. I'll start applying for internships immediately and second jobs if need be sometime in April. Right now I'm looking at a design internship in Chicago with Motorola that is looking promising. Cross your fingers! I need to write a resume. Guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend!

Ahhh....


Right now I'm sitting and waiting on the return of the professor from hell. Blah. Hopefully he won't use up all 3 hours of class time on the first day like he did last time. I want to get today over with asap so I can go home and cuddle up in my blankets since its FREEZING and icy outside. Ugh.

Summer Plans

Its only January but I already need to start planning for the summer.
I have no idea what to do. I have a few options and to make any of them happen I need to start working on it now.

Situation #1 - Study Abroad
This summer I could study abroad in Italy. If I do, I need to renew my passport like now, set up a meeting at the study abroad office to pick a program (Verona or Florence), apply for scholarships and a loan, and probably try to get a job for the spring. Once I got back it'd be work at Walgreens after that until school starts back up in the Fall.

Situation #2 - Internship
Internships are really difficult to get, especially for graphic design. They're either unpaid... and I need money or they require experience in things I haven't learned yet or they're in New York or California. I wouldn't mind going to one of those places to work, but that also requires money because most of them don't set up housing for you. I know I could get an internship not related to my major, but at the same time those are hard to come by these days too and a lot of them want people who are interested in their fields.

Situation #3 - Be a Lazy Bum
This involves... working at Walgreens and picking up a second job, probably a waitressing job and just spending my entire summer working so I can save up more to study abroad in the summer of 2011. This would suck, but if its what I need to do I suppose I can deal with it.


Either way, I'm hoping that all of these 3 situations involve a trip to Mexico in May before they start. A couple of girl friends and I are planning on going, hitting up an all-inclusive resort in Cancun or Playa del Carmen and laying on the beach drinking Margaritas for a week. I need this or rather I will definitely be needing this after the spring semester is over. Ughh, this is stressful for sure. I hope I can have things figured out by sometime in February or early March.