Beginnings and Endings

Life is good.

     I’m a really terrible blogger. I always think I’ll get better and actually keep things up to date, but then I get swamped at work or overwhelmed with life and it gets moved to the back burner.
     The psych GRE went really well; I ended up doing much better than I deserved to do. I have the regular GRE in September (which I just registered for today) and I’m much more concerned about it. I am going to be taking it right before I leave for NC, which will hopefully allow me to be a bit more relaxed than I would be otherwise.
     Not that my trip to NC is going to be particularly relaxing anyway, given that the purpose of the trip is the 5-year high school reunion that I’ve been helping to put together. I’m flying into Charlotte for the first time because it was so much cheaper than either Atlanta or Asheville. Generally when I go to NC it costs me close to $400, but for the first time ever my round trip cost was less than $200. I’m sure my father would rather I flew somewhere closer, but applying to grad school is going to cost me well over $2000 so I need to really watch my expenses.
     The bright side is that my prospects for grad school are appearing to improve. I was officially made Project Coordinator of BASIC during my annual review, so that’s something that I’m certain will help with my applications. I have also made the decision to stay in Boston if it is at all possible. I’ve known for a while that M.N. (at H) is my top choice for a mentor, but I wasn’t sure if I would stay in Boston otherwise. The possibility that this might be my last year in Boston really made me start thinking about what I want. The idea of walking away and spending the next 6 years somewhere else was frightening. I’ve really come to love Boston, despite my initial hatred of the city when I moved here 5 years ago, and I can’t imagine leaving just yet (or maybe ever). I’ll always be a Southern girl at heart, but I’ve found my niche in New England and I can’t turn my back on it now.
     I recently started dating a really great guy. It’s early on, so I don’t want to put myself too far out there by being overly optimistic, but I have high hopes. We’re on the same page about most things, including where we stand, so that’s hugely helpful. This is also the first time I’ve gone into a relationship being truly happy with myself. I can already tell that it’s made a huge difference in the development of the relationship and how I interact with him.
     I know that things are about to become overwhelmingly busy, but life is good.

No longer just the old maid

I sometimes feel like the old maid when it comes to all my friends back home. Most of them are either married, have kids, or both. I feel a certain pressure to find someone and settle down. In the last year or so though, that’s become much less of a factor for me. Throughout college I had a different take on things. If I had seen a facebook group like “All my friends are getting married and having kids, but I’m just getting drunk” I would have thought it was in poor taste, maybe even offensive. Now, I find it hilarious!

I’m not ready to get married. I’m not ready to settle down and play the part of a “real” grown-up. Don’t get me wrong, I take my job very seriously. I am very much looking forward to the next step in my career, but I need to make sure I’ve done that before I get too serious with anyone.

What has me thinking about all this right now? One of my best friends growing up recently got divorced. Another, who just finished building her house with her fiancée and was set to get married next Saturday, just announced that the wedding is off.

The pressure to get married is just too much. There are some people who really luck up and find the person they’ll be happy with for the rest of their life while they’re still young. My parents, for example, got married when my father was 17 and my mother was 19. This June will make 32 years that they’ve been married. My brother and his wife got married just a couple of years out of high school and they’ve been married for more than 6 years. That, I’ve come to realize, is rare. I have to keep that in mind the next time I’m feeling mopey about not being married, or in a serious relationship that will lead to such.

The pressure to get married is just too much…

I was hesitant to call this insomnia

Unfortunately, that is officially what it is.

It’s been a long time since you were here insomnia; I wasn’t quite ready for a week-long stay. Please feel free to leave anytime now. No really, you’ve overstayed your welcome. GET OUT!

Point taken.

A girl I used to work with just friended me on facebook. Literally, just now. Her status says, “Never make someone your priority when to them you’re only an option.” Wow, perfect day for her to facebook friend me.

Point taken.

Really?

This is awful.

Dow makes its biggest jump ever

“Stocks rallied today, with the Dow up more than 900 points as investors bet that the worst of the credit crisis is over, following a series of global initiatives announced over the last few days.”

It’s up and down by record numbers. This can’t be a result of anything real. It must simply be overspeculation, a stock market based 95% on faith. Our economy is so tenuous.

I wish I knew more about economics.

Something new, again.

So I gave in to the Twitter phenomenon and thought I was finished. Then, so it happens, I realized I was still out of the loop so I gave in to tumblr.

It’s going to take a while for me to get the hang of this, I think.