Monday, October 11, 2010

Blacktober

So it's been a month. In the past month, I've pretty much been up to my ears in internship applications, dissertation work, and...well, mostly those. Remember when I thought fourth year was going to be easier? That was hilarious. It reminds me of the little kids who can't wait to be grown-ups because then they can do whatever they want. In some ways, there's a bit of truth in that statement. But in other ways, being a kid is way better.

After typing that, I realize that's debatable and probably not true. But the overall point is that fourth year is hard. And the month of October during the fourth year is the hardest....which is why it has been renamed "Blacktober."

October used to be a great month. When I lived in Ohio, the trees actually changed colors. The weather was cooling off enough for a jacket. I have memories of bonfires, pumpkin patches, and jumping in piles of leaves.  But here in Texas? Well, it still looks like July outside. And it still feels like July as well! Maybe not that bad, but it's been in the high 80s with no signs of dropping. The trees are perfectly green.  I got to wear my jacket for one day but then it warmed right back up. So, not really fall. And all I've been doing is internship stuff.

Well, that's not actually true - there have been some bright spots amidst the constant internship related nervous breakdowns.  So let me share with you some of the fun stuff I've been doing the past month.
1) Leah came to visit! So much fun. We did all the typical Waco things (Spice, Sebas Cocina, Congress Clothing, the bears) and also just spent time hanging out. Seriously, so much fun. We're now trying to scheme and get my internship and her residency in the same location. :)
2) Julie came to visit! Also wonderful. She came during an extremely stressful week so she pretty much took care of me, by cooking, going to the grocery store, and taking Sammie out a bunch. Yeah, probably not what she was hoping for in a vacation.... but oh well. The best part of her visit was when we ran the MudQuest run. It was 7 miles of pure craziness. Actually, I'll put up a separate post for that so I can include all the pictures. But definitely a highlight of her visit and probably a highlight of the year.
3) Dan has been visiting or I've been going up to KC every 2 to 3 weeks. It's made life a little crazy but it's pretty much just non-negotiable for both of us.  But it's already October (Excuse me, Blacktober) so that means there are about two months left of his internship! We are already five months down!

Just as an FYI, my internship applications are all due between October 31st and November 15th. I should start hearing about interviews as soon as I turn in my applications but the latest that I will hear is December 15th. Interviews are in December and January. Based on where I'm applying, next year I (we) could end up in Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Ohio, Tennessee, Minnesota, Colorado, Nebraska, or Oklahoma.

Back to my cover letters....