Getting Organized

I love back to school fever. I just love it. It makes me about ten million kinds of excited - I love buying textbooks, new notebooks, new pens, and going back to school to see friends I haven't seen in months. I love every second of the days leading up to school, having gotten rid of my "I just need summer right now" jitters of the last semester.

One of the things I did last semester was write down a list of needs and wants pertaining to the semester. This semester I want to make a similar list, but I want to make it more of a goal-oriented list. I worked a lot last semester on balancing work and play and failed rather miserably. I went from all play and no work to all work and no play, and that didn't do me any favors. This semester, I would like to be mostly work and some play. A good 3-1 ratio, I think.

So without further ado, here is my list:

• Make at least a B+ in every class
• Be less of a control freak - let it go sometimes!
• Find time to read at least one book a month - for FUN.
• Put away at least $100 into the Oxford Program Fund a month (see below)
• Make a study schedule and treat school as full time
• Go to every APO event you can - just do it!
• Find ways to get into publishing (see below) - talk to people! Network! Graduate in 2 more years for it!
• Be honest with friends and roommate when unhappy or uncomfortable - be open!
• Write when there is time, but don't let it interfere with those B+'s!
• Become more efficient with time - especially with school work.

So that's my list so far. It's going up on my bulletin board for me to look at every day.

About the Oxford Program: I'm not in yet, and I'm not guaranteed a spot, but it is an opportunity for me to study abroad (at, well, Oxford) next summer, in July and August. I desperately want to go, and this requires me to save up some money. With my current level of employment (regular twice-a-week Emma time and occasional date nights for other families) $100 is a pretty reasonable amount for me to put away. I'm hoping that I'll be able to find ways to add more than $100 to it, but $100 will be my goal.

About the publishing thing: I've decided (after months of deliberation, to be honest) to drop my education minor and work toward what I actually am interested in pursuing - a career in publishing. I've always been fond of editing and you ALL know how much I love to read. I know that the profession is a lot less glamorous in real life than it is in my mind, but it's always been the thing that I've gotten excited about. I want to make it happen, so it WILL happen!

And that's that! At the moment, I'm off to go cuddle with the school supplies at Office Depot.