SO BORED AT WORK.
I do so much every day - I run around nonstop from 7:30 am to 11 pm - but I still can't accomplish all that I need to accomplish. Example? I remembered yesterday that I really wanted to practice (clarinet) every day this summer so that I could be ready to audition for the orchestra when we get back to school. I really miss playing, I hate the wind ensemble, and *if* I practiced enough this summer, I think I might have half a shot of making it in to the orchestra. This is a huge if, though. I guess I could cut down on my hours at work - maybe work 6 hour days instead of 8 - but the thing is that I REALLY need the money. So, that's pretty much out. The barn is not negotiable - aside from needing to be there every day that I can be, I simply always WANT to be there. It keeps me sane - which is ironic, because this retention of my sanity depends mostly on me sitting in Calypso's stall every night after I ride telling him about my day while he munches away on his hay (even if he knew what I was saying, I'm positive that he wouldn't care). Anyway, the simple truth remains that, in general, I am happiest when I'm at the barn, and especially when I'm with Calypso, so I'm not willing to compromise this. (Um, especially because this happiness is costing me like $700 a month - but that is beside the point entirely.)
Then there's the gym. I suppose I don't have to go every single day, 5 days a week would probably be more than enough, but to my utter surprise, I REALLY enjoy going. I only wish I had gotten into this routine at Vassar, where it's free and I actually have people to go with. But it's such an amazing stress relief, and I feel really really great after I've been to the gym. I find that, when I go home every night, all I want to do is eat all the fruit and nuts in the house, which is... weird for me, but obviously good. I drink over a gallon of water every day, and I don't ever want anything else anymore (whereas I used to crave a diet soda every once in awhile, which isn't awful, but it's worse than water). Plus, I'm determined to lose 20 pounds this summer, and that's probably not going to happen without this. It's only been about a week, but so far I've lost 4-5 pounds - I know that that was definitely almost entirely water weight, and I know it will definitely be much slower from here on out, but it's an encouraging start. It hasn't made a difference noticable to anyone else, but my clothes are starting to sit a little bit better on my body (more like the way they used to back in September). So, the moral of the story is that the gym is here to stay.
Then there's GRE studying. True, Jess and I are being a little crazy with this (25 vocab words every night, then about an hour of practice problems), but I WILL NOT DO THIS ON MY OWN. I know it, because I didn't prepare for the SATs on my own, and I haven't really changed much since then. The SATs worked out okay, obviously, partly because I took the prep course through the high school. Even though my SAT scores weren't amazing or even above average (by Vassar's standards), had I NOT gotten into Vassar, I still would have gotten in somewhere else. With undergrad, everyone's favorite saying is "Everyone gets in SOMEWHERE," which I think is pretty much true. Grad school is not the same, and I feel like I have so many fewer chances to get it right this time. I know I can't mess around with this, and with the GREs specifically, so this is what I feel I need to do - at least to achieve some peace of mind while this is still largely out of my control.
On a completely different note, I am so so so excited for my birthday, not because I want to go bar hopping in the city all night (which I actually really don't) or anything like that, but because it will mean seeing and spending the entire day with Ian, Kathryn, maybe Alyssa, Alison, etc., etc. I have absolutely no idea what we're going to do in the city all day, nor do I have any real desire to do anything specific, and the truth is that I don't really care what we do. We could sit in a Starbucks and talk all day for all I care (which we won't do, I'm just saying), because they feel so much like home to me, and I've been feeling empty without that for the past month. I don't even really want anything for my birthday, from anyone (although that new saddle will be nice, if it ever comes), just being with them will be enough of a present. I only wish that more of my friends could be here next weekend, especially other Vassar people whom I haven't seen in way too long (but also Jason, g, Laura, etc.), but everyone is off in their own place doing their own thing, and that is completely and totally fine. But back to what to do in the city - this is going to require some definite research. I would really really love to get TKTS tickets and see a show, but that can get expensive and I don't want to ask everyone to spend a lot of money. We'll definitely go somewhere for dinner - I'm thinking of maybe trying that Turkish restaurant up near Columbia because it's supposed to be incredible (and, I admit it, I not-so-secretly want to go back to Turkey). Maybe we'll go to a bar or club after dinner, but nothing too crazy because you know me, I'm an old lady. I don't really enjoy getting REALLY drunk, mostly because I usually end up crying (haha), and after a whole day of running around the city, we're going to be exhausted as it is.
But, whatever we do, as long as I'm with these kids, I know it will be fantastic. :)