Less Than Two Weeks Away!!!!!!!!!

It's August 6, 2011 already! Unbelievable! That means that there are only a few days left of my summer. On the seventeenth I will take one of the largest steps that I've ever taken in my life! It'll be one small step for me and one giant leap for mankind! (cue dramatic music) 

In all actuality, whenever I think about the big picture of my life and the lives of those of whom it will impact, it makes me happy... beyond happy! Unfortunately, for every action there is a reaction and for every good thing, there's usually something that's not so good.

Briefing hundreds of cases? Not so good. Sleeping an average of five hours a day? Probably even worse. Reading for about seventy-five hours a week? Heartbreaking! Changing the world like my best friend and many of us other Oberlin alums plan to do? Priceless! (Feel free to view my best friend's blog "Operation Change The World.")

I know that many of you wondering whether I am really ready for law school? The short answer to that question would be yes. The long answer would be, "Well, it seems like I have so much to do before classes begin. I have already been assigned readings not only for the first day of classes, but also for the first day of orientation! I feel so unprepared. Time has become my greatest enemy! I have yet to go grocery shopping! I barely read one-fourth of the books on my summer reading list because I was working fifty hours each week. I haven't bought a new dress for orientation day, which is a must-have! Plus, I've been sleep deprived for a good portion of the summer. Despite all of these things, I wouldn't have it any other way! I've had a surprisingly enjoyable summer. More importantly, I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with several amazing individuals. I know what receiving this law degree means to me, my family, my future, and all of those who are connected to me, whether they are living here on Earth or looking down on me from heaven. Classes don't begin tomorrow, which means I have time. The little time that I do have will be well spent. I may not necessarily feel ready for law school at this present moment, but once the curtains are drawn, the show will begin and I will be ready for my closeup!"

P.S. I was rather sleepy while writing this post. I may think twice before doing that again. I have a tendency to become really silly when I need rest. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

My birthday was earlier this week! That's right! My birthday! Not to mention, it was my first birthday in Illinois. I initially expected to spend my celebration of birth alone in my apartment watching movies and being bored, but my new friends here saw to it that I enjoyed every moment of my big day! By the end of the night, I was crying tears of joy simply because they all cared so much about this new stranger from Virginia. (There aren't many Virginians around  here.) 

If you're curious, here's how my birthday turned out. I woke up bright and early after getting a birthday phone call from one of my sisters. After talking with her for a little while, I decided to stay awake and get dressed for the day. It came as such a surprise that one of my cherished Oberlin friends contacted me from Europe only a few moments later. He wished me a happy birthday and told me that I'd be receiving a postcard in the mail really soon. Since I hadn't spoken to him since mid-January, the simple gesture helped me to be a bit more optimistic about my birthday. 

It just so happened that a new friend of mine joined me for lunch. I ate a tasty stir-fry meal with rice, broccoli, carrots, pineapples, green beans, a dozen other yummy foods. Shortly after lunch, I went to work, which was also surprisingly fun. Every since the summer of my ninth grade year in high school, I have been so blessed to work at the most wonderful places with the most fun-loving people. Spending the day at work on my birthday wasn't any different. Actually, being with my co-workers ended up being one of the highlights of my day. Once our work was complete, many of us went to sing karaoke as a way of celebrating my birthday and bonding outside of the office. I can proudly say that I have no voice today after performing, encouraging others, and singing for nearly three hours. Three songs were dedicated to me - the birthday girl - even from complete strangers. I ended up singing Respect by Aretha Franklin and Ain't No Mountain High Enough. All in all, we had so much fun that we may make karaoke night a summertime tradition, but only time will tell. 

It Feels Like Christmas!!!!!!!

Don't let the title fool you‼ It is about 93℉ outdoors right now. So how else could it possibly feel like Christmas? Well, the answer is simple. I'm unpacking‼‼‼

I've gone about one full week without many of my belongings. The only thing that I brought with me when I came to Illinois was one suitcase and a small carry-on bag. Yup, that's it‼ I haven't cooked in over a week because I didn't have any cookware. I didn't have any of my hair supplies, so my hair has been pretty dull and dry. I haven't been able to wear a different pair of shoes, because there was no space for extra shoes in my one piece of luggage. So, today feels like Christmas‼ Every time I open a box another surprise is lurking behind the walls of tape. 

MY BUSINESS CARDS‼ Oh, how I've missed these‼ Job hunting without a small stack of business cards was not the most pleasant. MY BACHELOR'S DEGREE‼ I only got to see my degree for about an hour before placing it in an old, stuffy box. Surely, such an expensive and meaningful document didn't deserve such negligence. It's finally able to breath. THE BOOK THAT I WAS READING‼ I wondered what happened to that Debbie Macomber book that I was reading. I love her books‼ All of them‼ Of course I haven't read them all, but I have read at least two dozens of her novels. It almost unbelievable that I went without her books this long. They're usually the only thing that keep me company when I go out on dinner dates... by myself. Tonight when I get a bite to eat, I don't have to sit at a table alone sending text messages to fill the void. I can read‼‼‼ It's great to be able to have almost everything that I need right at my fingertips now. 

A big, heart-filled thank you to everyone that helped me move‼ It was definitely a team effort‼ From the people that helped me pack, to the lovely, wonderful, amazing people that shipped me everything, to the two new friends of mine who helped me pick up my packages - THANK YOU‼‼‼‼ Your help will not go unnoticed and your kindness will not be taken for granted‼

So Exactly What Are You Doing Right Now?

That seems to be the magic question for me now-a-days‼ Graduating from one college and immediately moving to another college twelve hours later isn't exactly something that students do regularly; so I can understand why some of my friends and family members may be a bit perplexed. Hopefully, this post will shed a bit of light into those gray areas.

I am pretty sure that surviving my first year of law school will be no easy task‼ Completing my first year of law school while balancing grades, a part-time job, and participation in a few organizations will prove to be even more difficult. That being said, when I was trying to decide what to do this summer, I knew that I didn't want to do something that would be strenuous or stressful in any respect. I am pleased to announce that my plan is working‼ I've been fairly relaxed for the past week.

I have two jobs here on campus doing things that I love to do - meeting new people and communicating with constituents via the telephone. When I'm not at work, I'm able to continue to do things that I love - explore the neighboring cities, watch films on Netflix, and sleep‼ Being able to take unexpected naps in the middle of the day is one of many blessing that this summer has offered me‼

In a way, I'm kind of hibernating right now. For the remainder of the summer I hope to conserve my energy and brain power as I recuperate from the past four years of intense essay writing, sleepless nights, and final exams. By orientation I should be refreshed, well-rested, and ready to take another step closer to the real world.

My Inner Alarm Clock

Friday . . . 7:25a.m.

Saturday . . . 6:54a.m.

Sunday . . . 7:57a.m.

Monday . . . 7:38a.m.

Tuesday . . . 7:14a.m.

Every since I moved last week, I have not been able to sleep past eight o' clock in the morning, and it's not for lack of trying. Last night I went to sleep at about 3:30a.m. in hopes of waking up a little later this morning. That didn't work either‼

I have yet to figure out what has caused the appearance of my new inner alarm clock. At first I thought that it may be as a result of moving to a new time zone. However, I only moved one time zone over, and before relocating I most certainly was not waking up before 9:00a.m. every morning. An older friend of mine said that at a certain age, the body creates it's own "work clock." So, although I don't have a job that requires me to wake up this early, one day I will and my body knows that all on it's own. Consequently, it will become habit for my body to wake up without an alarm. I guess I could believe that. My mother has never used an alarm clock for as long as I can remember, and she's always on time for work.

Does the body simply revert to it's own sleep schedule at a certain age? Could it be the change in time zone? What do you think?

What's In A Subtitle?

Next City? Next Goal? Next Step?

Does such a subtitle have the potential to accurately describe the current road upon which I traverse? In simplest terms, yes, it does‼

To begin with, I am in a brand new city‼‼ Coming to Illinois has been a wonderful, yet occasionally difficult experience, e.g., my constant inability to make phone calls in my apartment. Luckily, I've already encountered some equally wonderful people here who have been able to help me with my transition. I haven't even been here a week, and I know that I'll be able to comfortably call this place home soon enough.

So about that next goal. I actually did have a goal in mind when I added those words to the subtitle of my blog. Generally speaking, my next goal is to obtain a Juris Doctor degree within the next three years. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, maybe not, but when considering other extremely arduous circumstances through which I preserved; this next goal seems much more feasible to say the least. 

Now how could I possibly explain that next step? I guess that next step can be best described as more of a series of small steps. Matter of fact, it may even correspond more closely to a dance, seeing as many of those steps will not continue along a linear path. They will be more like a dance or a performance. Just like in every performance, once the final steps have been made and the curtain has been pulled, life still goes on, but something has changed. That performance is over. Once it is over, a new focus with new steps and a new routine will emerge. You could say that now I'm taking my own steps, creating my own dance and getting ready to give my curtain call in only a few short years. Once the crowd stops applauding for me at my next commencement ceremony, I'll be One Step Closer... to the Real World.