Goodbye, Weekend.

I’ve made some pretty great finds in the past 24 hours:

-A $6.99 pair of brand name jeans and a $4.99 pair of sexy flats (think, you can wear them to school and look classy, and just as easily wear them when going out on the weekend) at Goodwill. Steal.

-A $5 yoga class in my neighborhood! Apparently a nearby studio has ‘drop-in Wednesdays’ and hosts super cheap classes. I know where I’ll be going in a few days.

-That I had all the ingredients in my fridge to make the most delicious quesadilla: shredded cheese, tortillas, onion, tomato, parsley, spinach, and salsa. Yum!

-The student rec center on campus has free group fitness classes! We had to pay $2 a pop back at Central (admittedly, they were free in the residence halls). They have a great selection, including several yoga classes! 

Thankfully, the cloud I had hanging over me the last 24 hours is starting to lift, with the wonderful occasion of a few great conversations today. 

Something I’m currently thankful for: cookies and cream ice cream. Such comfort food. 

Thanks for following me! I love seeing other people with similar new city/adventure blogs as me. Good luck with school!

Thank you! And thanks for following me. The feelings are definitely mutual. I certainly feel like I can relate to a lot of the things you’re writing about.

Good luck to you, too!

PB&Js

I ran this morning! Not very far, but still, an accomplishment. And that first 10 minutes or so of feeling amazing quickly turned into a feeling of “crap, I need to do this more often *wheezehuff*. 

I also meandered down to Pioneer Courthouse Square (Portland’s living room!) to check out the Festa Italiana. There was some amazing entertainment, but everything else was pretty much just food. Granted, I’m sure it was all delicious, but I didn’t do any sampling. Here’s a picture of the stage, though:

After heading back to my neighborhood, I went on the hunt for this PB&J cart I talked about in an earlier post. I ended up walking several blocks past it, and when I disappointedly turned around to go back to my apartment, I ended up stumbling upon it. I had a ridiculously difficult time deciding on what to get, but finally ended up going with the Pumpkin Pie. Ingredients? Challah bread, pumpkin butter, Two Tarts caramel sauce, homemade pie crust, and homemade peanut butter. And it’s grilled. It was AMAZING. So, so, so tasty. And the woman running the cart, Keena, was so incredibly nice. She chatted with me and the other customers the entire time she was making our sandwiches, and we ended up talking about the neighborhood and how nice everyone was. I will definitely be going back there to try some of their other sandwiches. And of course, here’s a picture. Though it doesn’t do the taste justice:

On a completely different note, I think the homesickness is finally settling in a little bit. For some reason, I’ve been thinking way too much lately, about decisions I’ve already made and can’t exactly reverse now, and where I’m currently at in my life. While some of those reflections have been satisfying, others have been much less so. And though there are certain people I’d love to talk them through with, I can’t really see those conversations ending up anywhere good for me. (Or at least in any place that doesn’t include me crying and questioning everything I’ve done in the last three months.) 

So on that happy note, I think I’m going to enjoy a delicious peach and continue reading “Three Cups of Tea.” (Great book so far!)

Weekend!

Updating this before I’m too tired to think.

Today was pretty awesome. Started off the day with 50 minutes of yoga. I wish I could muster up the motivation to do that everyday. I worked for three hours today, thankfully just reviewing transcriptions, so my hands aren’t killing me from typing.

I met up with a bunch of the grad students for happy hour this evening, and everyone’s pretty amazing. I met two more people in my cohort, along with one of their significant others. They also seem ridiculously cool/nice, so I’m excited about that. I also learned a few things. One, the cable lock I have been securing my bike with is laughable, and I must (I repeat, must) go get myself a U-Lock. I should have been able to figure this out on my own, seeing as how literally every bike I see here is secured with one. Lots of bikes in Portland = lots of bike thefts in Portland. I think I’ve been delusional. Number two, apparently there is a website for meeting new people in the city you’re in. (Not like a dating website, but groups of people meeting for just about any interest you can think of.) I’ve looked into it a bit, and if/when I’m not afraid of being too terribly socially awkward, who knows, maybe I’ll look into it more. Could be interesting. Number three, I don’t really like IPA. Meh.

I need to make a grocery list for weekly shopping tomorrow. And get up in the morning and go for a run. (Maybe if I put it on my blog, I’ll feel obligated to do it?)

I’m exhausted. And in an odd emotional state. I should probably go to bed early. 

Just Another Thursday.

Not too much to report today. I started off with some yoga, which was wonderful, as I’ve been out of practice for quite sometime. I headed into the lab and did about four hours of transcribing. My lab key should be ready tomorrow, woohoo! 

I got to talk to my wonderful brother this evening, and was informed that my TV (that “hasn’t been working” for the past two weeks) should be fine if I just plug in the cable. DUH. But neither me, nor our father, had figured that out. So lo and behold, I’m now sitting in my living room watching TV…because it worked. Bah. I caught an episode of Community, which was hysterical. Love Joel McHale. 

I’m also currently contemplating selling my car to my father. I love my car, so it pains me to think about it, but since it’s currently just sitting in my dad’s garage, and won’t be moving anywhere in the foreseeable future, selling it is looking like a real possibility. We’ll see.

Over the past few days, I’ve gotten a few unexpected messages from old/recent friends that have truly surprised me and warmed my heart. The past week has kind of been an emotional roller coaster for me, and while it’s been more good than bad, it’s still always nice to hear from people back home, to know that I’ve got people cheering for me. 

And since I’m needing a smile right now, and would like for you to share in it, here’s a car that I saw yesterday (I’m completely serious): 

Someone should try this for me, so I can see how it actually works. (With a legitimate question, of course.)

Someone should try this for me, so I can see how it actually works. (With a legitimate question, of course.)

Ha.

I love that awkwardly riding my Schwinn home from campus while painfully lugging my laptop bag while wearing my dorky Goodwill-find helmet does not exclude me from getting a “Hey cutie” from an adorable guy passing by. Even if he was being obnoxious (which I’d like to think he wasn’t), it still put a smile on my face.

Holy adventures!

Today officially kicked my butt. After making myself a delicious and nutritious breakfast, I headed off towards campus on my bike (which I love dearly). I was able to both bump into my second grad class AND turn in my employment paperwork so that I’m able to get paid, as well as sign up for direct deposit. Pretty great.

Now that I’m officially in both of my classes, I’ll finally tell you all what they are:

Advanced Organizational Psychology
Univariate Quantitative Methods

A total of nine credits. I thought putting them in italics would make them look less daunting, but nope. Also, I finally figured out the whole “quarters” business PSU’s got going on. Instead of the typical semesters that I’m used to from undergrad, (fall and spring), PSU has fall, winter, and spring. (And summer, but let’s not go there.) So basically, you’re taking the same amount of classes, but in a shorter amount of time. Think 2.5, 3 months. No big deal, right?

After getting my campus business taken care of, I headed off on an adventure to explore a little bit of the South East area of Portland. I biked over the Hawthorne Bridge and headed up Hawthorne Ave, after checking out the river walk and taking a few pictures. Definitely a different vibe on the other side of the river, which is what pretty much everyone’s told me. I think I need to go back this weekend with more of a sight-seeing plan, as I wasn’t able to actually experience much. So I’d like to reserve my judgment until I’m able to do just that. The river walk (or ‘esplanade,’ as I believe it’s called), is absolutely gorgeous. It runs right along the Willamette, and the views are amazing. 

I turned around and made the trek back to my apartment, which just about wiped me out. I only biked about seven miles in total today, but the hills in this city are killer, especially when I’ve been off of serious riding for a few weeks now. I was pretty much winded for the rest of the evening, though I did take a stroll up 21st street by my apartment, to see if I could find any cool shops. I did stop in a few places, but overall, nothing crazy. There are a lot of amazing looking restaurants and bars that I would love to investigate, though. 

I’m definitely feeling like an adult these days. One of my best friends (Jon, thank you, thank you, thank you!) sent me a spreadsheet so I can keep track of the budget that I’ve made for myself. I’m pretty pumped about it. I started to enter the money I’ve been spending (on bills and groceries and such) and I freaked out a little bit. I know that I’ll be okay, but I can’t believe how tight things are going to be for the next few months. This is the life of a grad student, right? *Deep breaths*

Something else I’m pumped about? All of the grad school related e-mails I got today! Several from one of my advisors, letting me know all about getting situated in her lab, where I’ll be making my home this year. And one e-mail that terrified me, including several assignments I get to work on in the next couple of months. I have to get SPSS on my computer and get familiar with it (which I was fully expecting) but I also have to work with another student on revising a syllabus and slides for an entire class, as well as splitting up the responsibility of reading this class’s textbook. Seriously. There’s another assignment involving literature that I don’t understand in the slightest. *More deep breaths* Several grad students e-mailed me various tidbits of info today as well, including information on two organizations that I need to buy memberships to. Yay, more money! 

I’ve got plans for Friday! The grad students usually do happy hour at a bar on campus on Friday evenings, and apparently they’re starting it back up this Friday. I’m pretty pumped. Should be fun times, and hopefully I’ll be able to meet the rest of my cohort! Also, I might be going to a salsa festival on Sunday. We shall see! 

A sweet picture of the Hawthorne Bridge that I biked over:

Two Weeks!

I realized this afternoon that today marks two weeks since I moved into my apartment. Crazy how the time flies! 

p.s. Brace yourselves, this is probably going to be a long one. 

Today was another long day. But a bit more eventful. I headed to campus early to get my picture taken for my PSU ID. Pretty crazy! Unfortunately, I have to wait to get it in the mail. Plus = I get mail. Minus = I have to wait. Boo. Once that was settled, I headed over to the psychology office to get a add/drop form for one of my classes, then got it initialed. 

And then….first research meeting! I’d already met most of the team, but I got to meet/remeet a few other people as well, as well as one of the girls that’s in my cohort! She seems really nice, and I’m excited to get to know her better over the next, oh, you know, four or five years. There was a lot of stuff going on during the meeting I didn’t quite understand yet, since I’m still getting the hang of the research project. But I am getting more work this week, as well as a key to the lab! Exciting. Our advisor also reminded us that we (myself and the other girl in my cohort) have to take three classes this winter since we’re on fellowship (instead of the usual two), and the older grad students had minor heart attacks. Apparently taking three classes in one term is pretty much a death wish. Woohoo grad school!

After the lovely research meeting, I got to trek over to the HR Department, since in order for me to get any moo-lah this year, I’ve got to fill out some paperwork. Oh, wait. I left my Social Security Card in Michigan. That sucks. So I get to back to campus probably tomorrow, or the next day, to finish that, since I had to walk over to the Social Security office to apply for a replacement. Good thing I have nothing but time on my hands. Seriously.

I made an absolutely delicious dinner for myself tonight. Here is a picture, so you can want some, too:

Um, yeah. That’s right. Spaghetti. But not just any spaghetti. I had Italian sausage leftover from my soup adventure, so I used that. I also added my own onion, garlic, mushrooms, and parsley (that’s the green stuff you see on top!) and, get this—a little bit of salsa! Gave it a nice kick. Good thing I wasn’t planning on kissing anyone tonight. That would have been bad news.

These past few days have tired me out quite a bit. I’m taking tomorrow “off,” shall we say, to relax and do a bit more exploring. Aside from probably turning in my paperwork. I want to be artsy tomorrow. I want to be adventurous again. I also found an amazing food cart that I want to check out, though I don’t know if that will happen tomorrow. They specialize in PB&Js. Not just any kind of PB&Js, though. They have something called the “Good Morning” with “challah bread French toad, blueberry jam, apple wood smoked bacon, 100% maple syrup, PBJ’s peanut butter.” They also have a Thai PB&J, and another one that has jalapenos on it. Shenanigans. So obviously I must investigate. 

I realize that this “one-post-a-day” thing is not cutting it for now. I do it so as not to overwhelm anyone who’s actually following this, but I have too much to say right now. So expect another one tomorrow afternoon, instead of/on top of tomorrow evening. But it might not be as long as this one. Who knows. I am tired/sore/exhausted/still have hand cramps, and I am badly rambling. And I have lots of dishes to do. 

Oh, and I get to live in a city with views like this: 

Long, long day.

I got up early this morning! And went to work, managed to badger one of the lovely office workers into letting me into my professor’s lab, and proceeded to spend the next eight hours staring at the blue glow of a computer screen. I typed about 40 pages worth of transcription today, and also managed to review another 22 pages. I’m going to have carpal tunnel by the end of the summer.

I managed to make an absolutely delicious, totally healthy dinner tonight, too, despite being exhausted. I figure if this whole “Ph.D. thing” doesn’t work out, I can have a successful career as a trophy wife. 

Tomorrow I will be going on an adventure to get my PSU student ID and get a bump card for one of my (two) classes, followed by a research meeting. I’m a bit nervous/excited/anxious. I’m sure it will be fine. And I’ll get this week’s assignment, and see how swamped I’ll be for the next few days. Woohoo! 

P.S. Memento is a totally weird, trippy movie. But also pretty damn good.