First Full Week
At some point along the way i picked up some sort of snobbish aversion to blogging about my real life, as if a day to day journal of my activities had no place in a Real Blog. This is, I am perfectly aware, absurd. Particularly as it is the personal events and journalling I like so much in the blogs I choose to read. I have some strange ideas, don’t ask.
Anyway, life’s been such that I haven’t really sat down to blog, really. I’ve been Doing Stuff, and when I haven’t been Doing Stuff I’ve been staring into space under the exhaustion of having Done Stuff. So not enough time to sit and write. Plenty of time to think and reflect, though. I’m undergoing a bit of a heavy thinky phase in terms of the things I usually blog about, and I think I like where I’m going. In the meantime, have a list of stuff I’ve been up to:
So, this week, I have:
Registered for classes - I am now, as we say over here, ‘matriculated’. It’s a 36 credit degree and I have to take a minimum of 9 credits a semester; luckily this doens’t include the two short summer semesters because it’d be impossible to fill up exactly 9 credits (four semesters), and an average of 12 credits over three semesters would be daft. so I have 11 credits this semester, which includes three days a week as a student teacher at a high school in Brooklyn, which I also visited this week. It has a dedicated palaeontology course, that’s how awesome it is.
Secured an internship - sadly, not a paid job, but the Science and Nature Program at the American Museum of Natural History was just too good to pass up. It combines aeverything I love about museum education not just object based learning, but the presence of a parent or other adult responsible for behavious - with the things I envy formal educators for; such as seeing the same kids every week and watching them develop. I really can’t wait.
Opened a bank account - which is exciting. It’d be even more exciting if Nationwide back in the Uk got its act together and posted me the replacement for the card I reported lost two weeks ago, so my parents can forward it on so I can actually transfer money to my US bank account, and avoid the fees levied on using my NatWest cash card and credit cards over here. Any time you’re ready, guys.
Got a new cellphone - contact details on locked posts on LJ and DW, and on my Facebook. If you’re not my roommate or my girlfriend, I don’t have your cell number saved. If you’d like me to have it, let me know.
Navigated the New York Subway system - um, for the most part. i can get trains to college and to the AMNH and train/bus to school (haven’t figured out the bus to take him yet…) but I’m still susceptible to taking the wrong train on occasion, thanks to New York’s interchangeabilty of express and local trains. You know when you get on any old westbound train at Euston Square, only to discover it’s a Metropolitan train and doesn’t, in fact, stop at Paddington? You’re at risk of doing that all the time in New York, only with the same coloured lines and with no easy way of telling until you end up at the stop beyond your stop. You just have to acquire the knowledge. Still, I have acuiring the knowledge, so it’s not that bad.
Shopped - I live really near lots of West Indian grocers, so won’t lack for fresh veg. I know how to find vegetarian cheese (find the kosher cheese), and what to expect at a Target. I also found a couple of ‘real’ supermarkets within easy walking distance or on my way home from the high school, so that’s awesome.
Proclaimed myself allergic to New York - which fortunately turned out to be prematiure. The headache I’ve had the last few days turned out to be part pressure headache (the heavily oppressive claimte broke last night and it’s very pleasant today) and part monthly. I have not, however, managed to secure hypoallergenic rubber gloves so my hands are beginning to disintegrate under stress and soap. I’d reallylike help with this, my US dwelling friends - if drugstores don’t stock latex-free washing up gloves, where can I obtain them? My hands are rapdily turning reptilian.
Learned to hydrate - I mean, learned that I need to hydrate, not the best way of doing so. I’ve got myself one of those metal drinking bottle things and I’m drinking as mcuh water as I can get into myself. If there are other ways of avoiding feeling absolutely miserable in New York, I’ll find them. As I said above, the weather broken so right now I’m doing fine. And productively.
And these are my goals for this long labor day weekend:
Clean all the things - this is parly ’cause roomie Ana is away this weekend and I still have anxiety over flatmates returning to a suitably clean apartment, but mostly it’s ’cause I want to dop a photo-tour post at somepoint in the near future, and that means I want a presentable apartment.
Make a curry - actually this is done and it’s delicious, but I wanted to mention it. The two of us are sharing a massive fridge freezer and I’ve been introduced to the concept of putting portions of food in Zip-Locs, so I’m free to indulge in my love of cookery without the stress of having to cook every evening or not having anyone to cook for but myself. I can freeze things!
Read a paper - that’s right, I’m a student again. Of the taught-course variety, so I’d better make a start. As of now, I only have one thing on my reading list, so that’s OK.
And that’ll be the weekend! There are things I want to get done in the next week, but I’ll deal with them on Tuesday.
This post can also be found at Thagomizer.net. Feel free to join in the conversation wherever you feel most comfortable.