Winter break is speeding along, and I can't say I'm sorry. It's one of the perils of being an obsessive student that I never know what to do with myself when I'm not on school or overworked in some other way, and even if I do know what to do with myself I tend to feel unproductive. This of course is coupled with a strong desire to "have time to breath already!" throughout the semester. Alas.

I've been keeping my mind pretty busy and feeding my academia addiction though. My boyfriend and I have taken to settling on the couch with TED talks or The Great Courses DVDs, which is a great way to learn about topics we don't really get study in school; recently we've been on an education reform binge. And today we drove up to Yale to visit the boyfriend's cousin, a freshman there, and attend a lecture on viral coat proteins there which was pretty interesting.

All my grades are in...finally...

The above picture is me in late October with some lovely pumpkins (both real and painted)! If you have not visited the orchards in upstate NY, I recommend you do so if you get the chance. They are wonderful! Just a side note...

So I have finally found out all my grades for the semester although I was supposed to know by December 27th. It's okay I suppose. I had an inkling what my grades would be. I was really excited to get an A+ in 20th Century Art II! That was a really hard class and finishing off a century of art with a bang was nice. In Classical Sociological Theory I got an A (I really wanted an A+...) which was good and an A in my Thomas Hunter course, Integrating the Irrational. I got an A- in Chinese and Japanese Art, which made me a little sad. But the course was difficult, the professor horrible, and the curriculum left open to anything by Hunter. It was to be expected. I have gotten a total of 4 A-s in college now but I have also gotten 8 A+s and 15 As. What am I complaining about?! I guess obsessing over an A- is to be expected of a Macaulay student. Aiming high is a very good thing but not beating oneself up over mistakes is an important thing to remember. Honors students are human beings like anyone else and have faults. I think recalling one's common humanity with all people is an important action that can help an overachiever and, well, everyone for that matter...I seem to be rambling because it is 2:00 AM. I better go to sleep or risk not getting up early enough to finish and mail in my MoMA volunteer application. Goodnight and Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

I have a feeling 2011 is going to be a great year. I woke up at 7AM (which was surprising because I slept at 5AM due to a New Years Eve party), sipped tea and sat in the warm glow of the sun. Being in that environment made me reflect on what the new year means for me. As a freshman, 2010 was a pretty big year for me. I transitioned from being a senior in high school to being a freshman in college, from top of the food chain to the bottom. Now I'm living away from home, cooking my own meals, and setting my own schedule. It has been really difficult and stressful at times but I'm glad the semester's over and anxious for Monday to arrive so I can find out my grades!

I suppose I could have New Year's Resolutions but they always seem to be the same each year: do better in school, be more social, sleep and exercise more, read something other than a textbook, and travel to some place new. In the beginning, I'm motivated to follow through but as the days pass by and the year progresses, I become swamped with work and lose the drive to complete them. Hopefully 2011 will be different! Judging from the odd time I woke up, this may be the year where the resolutions lists dwindles down for the coming year.