Jaded and Juicy Campus

So, I will first apologize for my long post. (Side note: I found a Facebook bumper sticker the other day that said “I’m the kind of girl who walks into chairs and apologizes.”) The last couple of days have been particularly trying for me. I have just not been in a good mood at all and am very lethargic and jaded. Stress has piled up, and as a result, I have taken a few statements too seriously and overanalyzed things to the point where they just exacerbated the stress. Hopefully my two days of rest and social time will help my lackluster emotional state right now.

After my rude awakening on Wednesday, I must sadly report that my schedule did not allow for a nap, and I opted instead to go to sleep at 10:45. This additional lapse in REM sleep time probably didn't help my current mood. Also, my rant regarding Glee was inaccurate – the show actually airs on Wednesday, not Tuesday nights, and thus, it was not aired the night before. Unfortunately, Glee skipped a week, so Wednesday evening did not showcase an episode, either. Wrong night, still a disappointment.

Late on Wednesday, I found out it was National Chocolate Day, I must say it was bittersweet ... for real. I was tempted to go buy a supersize extra dark chocolate bar and ravenously consume it. I fortunately resisted an entire bar of cocoa temptation and settled for a few smaller piece, or else my pants will begin resist my hips.

Speaking of sugar, my high fructose corn syrup addiction has not been aided by the surplus of Halloween candy and baked goods in my face. Of course, this equated to yet another sugar binge, with way too many cookies, bars chocolates and candy corn for one girl’s diet. These spurts should stop or be minimized soon (see above comment re: National Chocolate Day and pants).

A side note here: while typing this, I definitely just swallowed part of my apple core, including a seed. I hope a tree doesn’t grow in my stomach like some version of “the old lady who swallowed a fly.” Then again, I’d constantly be satiated with apples, which I eat at least one of every day. That is today’s attempt at glass half empty/half full optimism/pessimism for today. (Side note: interesting optimism/pessimism application of biopsychology.)

Wednesday night, I also had a group meeting for a PR presentation that will occur Monday. One of my classmates told me that she never talked to me really before we started working on our publicity plan because she didn’t want to “piss me off.” She told me I seemed high-strung and anxious. Funny, considering Juicy Campus, in its heyday last year, said I was “too nice” of a person. But I suppose my high-strung nature is certainly true. Apparently, my personality doesn’t need a Myers-Briggs to show that I live under pressure and often on a mental tightrope.

On a positive note, I received a notification that I had contingent IRB approved, save for a few changes that needed to be made and resent for final full approval. I completed that last night and sent it in, so hopefully I hear back soon. I also redid my resume for my law school applications, and I think it’s very ascetically-pleasing and well-composed.

A rude awakening and Rent

At 4:15 a.m., my body decided it no longer wanted to sleep. I growled, partly because the sun wasn’t even up yet but mostly because I didn’t go to sleep until 11:30 last night (which isn’t that late), leaving me with less than five hours of shut eye. A nap may have to be in order this afternoon if I am going to be productive past my PR class today.

On a positive note, I am going to see Rent when it comes to the Des Moines Civic Center on November 12! It’s quite possibly my all-time favorite musical, and two of the original Broadway cast members are actually in this production, so that should be awesome! The tickets are pretty much nosebleed, but that was about all that was left without paying three times as much for tickets. I am going with Erin, Caitlyn, Randi and my best friend from high school, Kerianne. She actually introduced me to Rent and its amazing soundtrack six or seven years ago. This should be exciting :)

Speaking of music, I was very sad to see that my new guilty pleasure show, Glee, did not have a new episode this week. It’s a show based on a glee club and reminds me an awful lot of a much smaller version of my middle school and high school show choir days. (There’s also a lot less glitter, eyeliner, sequins and Aquanet in this show, but that’s not of interest here.)

I no longer have cable TV (or any TV reception at all) due to poor customer service and faulty advertising by Mediacom, and so I am only able to watch my shows at least one day after they air online. When you’re already showered up at 4:40 a.m. and are aware that your show normally airs the night before, a little happiness helps your early morning thinking that you can watch the 22-odd minutes of video while eating a bagel and letting your hair dry. Such was not the case this morning, and I resulted to actually being productive by going through e-mails.

On the e-mail note, I had to e-mail the Institutional Review Board for the second time, since it’s been nearly three and a half weeks since I submitted my proposal. I received an e-mail that they were reviewing it and would send me a letter regarding the waiting process, but that was never received by neither my inbox nor my mailbox.

I would really like to see that coming along soon so that I can start my research, which will require a minimum of ten hours in interview rooms at Olin Hall and another ten hours to transcribe the interviews. I then have to evaluate the results and include them in my honors thesis presentation, due approximately two weeks before finals (basically the week after Thanksgiving).

Retreat and Rock Band

Oy, vey. Migraines that go on for longer than 24 hours are unwanted and overstay their welcome by around 24 hours. I battled one all day yesterday and was feeling better shortly before bed. However, my 5:00 a.m. alarm woke me into a half-strength migraine recurrence, which I am currently fighting off with more Ibuprofen and caffeine.

Saturday evening, I went to a Corporate Communications and Marketing team retreat at a coworker’s home in Granger, a 30-minute drive in dark rain. The evening was actually really enjoyable. I ate more snack food than was reasonable, had my first pina colada, conversed for a few hours and played Beatles Rock Band, which, I must say, is awesome! (Can I convince my family to buy one for when I come home for Christmas to play?) I played all three parts throughout the night, and did fairly well in all three. Of course, singing I did best in, then the drums (which made my thigh hurt from a semi-awkward bass drum pedal) and then the guitar (I got a B-grade performance on “easy”). It reminded me of the Beatles honors course I took my sophomore year at Drake, which was by far one of my most enjoyable in my undergrad. We also watched scary movies in the background when we weren’t playing Rock Band.

Prior to the retreat, I spoke on Skype with Derrick, which was nice since I hadn’t “seen” him in a week or so. Hard to believe it’s only 57 days until I board a plane.

This coming Saturday should be enjoyable as well. Why? It’s Halloween, one of my favorite holidays!! I suppose I love Halloween because I love dressing up or even taking on a new persona for a time. This must have been one reason I loved show choir, speech and theatre so much when I was in high school – you were someone else for 10 minutes, 25 minutes, or even two hours at a time. It was great. In any case, I look forward to getting all dressed up, which will happen both Friday and Saturday night, since I have two costumes and can’t pick between the two.

Now for the week before Halloween – copious amounts of work needs to get done in the next five days. I need to go buy some caffeine and carbonation today so that I am able to be productive and alive in what will be even shorter-than-normal Danielle sleep nights.

Super-multitask and social media

Alright, after reading my last post, I realized that I have ADD-esque typing today. I had already spilled coffee on myself twice before 8 a.m. – nice job, Danielle. Thinking about it, even my coffee choice is ADD, as in not your normal latte or black roast: ¾ coffee, ¼ hot chocolate, three sweeteners, ¼ packet of powdered creamer and stir. Instead of my Disney princess and showgirl costumes for Halloween in a week and a half, maybe I should change them to “sexy girl in straight jacket” (yes, it is a legit costume).

One good thing about being a spaz sometimes is the ability to super-multitask. I can be doing 20 things at once. When I’m on the Internet, I never have just one tab or screen open. Usually two or three windows are minimized and the current open window has five or more tabs that I’m actively using. To some people, the word “tangent” is a mathematical term; for me, it means “any conversation with Danielle.” Maybe I should add that into Urban Dictionary. Honestly, multitasking is really useful when you can be on IM, Twitter, Facebook, TFLN, PeopleofWalmart and e-mail while also eating leftovers and doing your homework. A drawback: sometimes you go total space cadet on real life and don’t focus on it. That’s a word to the wise who don’t want to accidentally not listen to people; I know from experience.

Speaking of Twitter, I have currently been assigned to create the new Twitter background for GuideOne, who is launching their social media applications in the next couple months (I believe). It’s really cool to see your work in real life; whether it’s on Twitter, in a newsletter, on a bulletin board or even as a sticker on trash cans. Seeing it in practical use makes the work more real and more rewarding, even if an article is, in the end, bylined by someone else. Plus, I like Adobe Photoshop and InDesign; they let me add creativity into sometimes routine work. Probably why I decided to volunteer for the design work of a brochure, media kit, sponsor packet and letterhead for out PR Publicity client, the Des Moines Derby Dames (D3). (tangent alert: Derby names are hilarious – check out the Name Generator).

Fall Break and Freudian slips

Fall Break came and went … way too fast. The extra two days seemed to not make a dent in my schedule. I wish Fall Break were longer, or at least extended by another two days. Like I’ve said before, 36 hour days would not be a downfall for me, so long as my circadian rhythm was set to those hours, too.

While I was unable to go home for the weekend because I had work all day Friday and Monday morning, I did still allow myself some time to relax a little. I caught up on a couple of shows and even started watching the first season of a show I’d never watched before, Arrested Development. I think it’s pretty hilarious. I much refer it to reality TV, which is just too out there for me anymore. Old reality TV was entertaining in that you could say, “yeah, I might do that,” or that it was one of those things where you were legitimately happy it was the cast suffering these situations compared to you sitting on your couch with a sack of potato chips. Now, OctoMom and Bubble Boy and other superhero names are attributed to less-than-superhero-esque people (yes, I make up words, deal with it). It’s sad, and I’d prefer a little more reality and a little less crazy.

It is now officially slightly less than nine weeks before I am in Ulsan. It’s crazy to think about that. I am so excited that I can hardly wait. In fact, since the second half of a semester is usually more scrambled and hurried than the first, I would like to fast forward through finals until I can go home and see my family and then head to the airport.

Last night, Erin, Diane and I went to the comedy night at House of Bricks again. I may actually get up there and do something next time; it may not be funny, but I’m a girl, I can get away with it ;) The comedians were really pretty good this time. One guy had a joke about being in a dollar store and looking at the dollar pregnancy tests. Believe me people, they’re real; I’ve seen them. Honestly!? (side note: “!?” is an interrobang, which I found out last night; the grammar freak in me didn’t know that one) When the real deal costs you a good $8 or so (or at least they did when I worked at pharmacies), you might want to be a skeptic. This isn’t choosing between Charmin and generic; sure one may chafe and one doesn’t, but I think knowing if your eggo is preggo or not is a little more important. It’s like selling $1 Plan B, it’s just not a good idea. I don’t think I’d ever trust one of those, should I ever need to use one in the distant future. If people need a cheap pregnancy test, go to Planned Parenthood. Don’t play roulette with your uterus. … and that’s my public service announcement for today (another side note: I first typed “pubic service announcement” – Freudian slip, anyone?).

Settling with the score and seasonal sugar

One score and 27 hours ago, I was informed via e-mail of my LSAT score from the test I took three weeks ago. The score was within my range, and it places me in the 75th percentile of those who took the test. While, of course, I would love a higher score, this puts me in a good position for law school applications. Hello, SLU :) I honestly don't think I could've handled having to take that thing again in December, especially with finals, my honors thesis presentation and Korea all around the same time. So, that's good.

Since Wednesday, I have been on sugar consumption overload. That night, I attended the Delta Theta Phi Pre-law Professional Evening I planned as academic chair of the organization. Sodexo knows how to make rice krispies, and they are my downfall. I had a couple ... er, three ... of those suckers. The last couple of days have been also occupied with a halloween candy trail mix I made. And my dinner tonight had plenty, too.

Tonight, Emily Krueger was in town, and she invited me to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner with some family members. Eating so much sugar, I really wanted some leafy greens, so I decided to order a salad. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to the Luau Salad ... I about freaked out when I saw the size of this thing. Now I know why everything in the U.S. is jumbo-sized, even our "healthy" options. It was soooo good, with wonton strips, mango, chicken, veggies ... yum. And of course, no trip to the Cheesecake Factory is complete without a piece of cheesecake! My selection was the seasonal favorite - pumpkin cheesecake. It was amazing; the aftertaste was almost better than the actual taste ... Goodbye, skinny day jeans.

In sickness and in sweats

This weekend, to say the least, was exhausting (which is sad because I didn’t get a lot done).

After work Friday, I went to the doctor. I received a prescription to help with my respiratory infection, and was sternly instructed by the nurse, the doctor and the pharmacist to refrain from alcoholic consumption for the next 10 days. The reason: it would basically make me get violently ill after one sip. Okay, guys, you convinced me.

They always say you always want what you can’t have. I’m here to tell you it’s true. Though I am 21, I rarely feel in the mood to consume alcohol just randomly. However, with my stress and sickly feeling, I really wanted a glass of wine with my dinner Saturday night. No dice. Also, I always, always crave Tasty Tacos on Sundays, at which time they are closed. Without fail, my stomach told me a late dinner of Tasty Tacos sounded amazing even earlier than normal at 10:10 p.m. on Saturday (they close at 10). Again, no dice.

However, I got an amazing, god-sent gift from Claire Celsi, who brought me both my letters of recommendation for law school and homemade chicken noodle soup (delicious, especially with the unsalted saltines I bought Friday – and yes, I bought unsalted ones, I know I’m weird).

Overall, my weekend was shot. I spent about 80 percent of my time in my bed, either sleeping, trying to sleep, resting, trying to focus or working on the computer. In addition, I used up an entire box of Kleenex – I should buy stock in that. Like healthcare lawyers, tissues will always be in demand, so long as the human condition remains mortal.

I took an online exam yesterday for my medical terminology course, and halfway through, I completely had a random surge of nervous adrenaline, which made it very hard to get through the remaining half hour of the exam. To illustrate my condition, I felt like George of the Jungle when he consumed an entire can of non-brewed generic coffee grounds. But I completed it and am fairly confident in an “A” grade.

After dozens of Sudafed tablets, ibuprofen tablets and tissues, I feel quite a bit better today. Hopefully this all clears up soon.

P.S. - nothing is more comfortable than men's sweatshirts. (And yes, I'm wearing one now).

A Mayan experience and meat

Wednesday was a good night. Erin and I went to go hear Maya Angelou speak at the Bucksbaum Lecture. She was able to project humor and seriousness at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed her frail yet fiesty demeanor, especially when she read this poem:

The Health-Food Diner

No sprouted wheat and soya shoots
And
Brussels in a cake,
Carrot straw and spinach raw,
(Today, I need a steak).

Not thick brown rice and rice pilaw
Or mushrooms creamed
on toast,
Turnips mashed and parsnips hashed,
(I'm dreaming of a roast).

Health-food folks around the world
Are thinned by
anxious zeal,
They look for help in seafood kelp
(I count on breaded veal).

No smoking signs, raw mustard greens,
Zucchini by the
ton,
Uncooked kale and bodies frail
Are sure to make me
run

to

Loins of pork and chicken thighs
And
standing rib, so prime,
Pork chops brown and fresh ground round
(I crave them all the time).

Irish stews and boiled corned beef
and hot
dogs by the scores,
or any place that saves a space
For smoking carnivores.


-- Maya Angelou

Oh, what a woman, and a St. Louis woman at that!

A bad day and a better day

A healthy dose of optimism. That’s what I need. Is what the doctor ordered half-empty or half-full in my medicine cup?

Needless to say, Monday was a less-than-ideal day. One might even call it “crappy.” I discovered that my last boss at Costco Pharmacy, who was going to write me a law school letter of recommendation, contracted H1N1 and was unable to write me a letter. With my hope of submitting applications before November 1, this posed a great challenge to find another person willing and able to write a letter in the next two weeks.

I also received an e-mail from Travelocity telling me that my flight in December would be altered to cause me to have a nearly-16-hour layover in New York, during which time I would also have to transfer from LaGuardia to JFK (or the reverse, I can’t recall). Now this is ridiculous. Thus, I called up Travelocity, and in a two hour three-way call between myself, the agent and a Delta Airlines agent, my flight was cancelled and I was rerouted to a schedule that would require I spend the night in an airport for 14+ hour layovers and/or spend the night in Seoul alone. Not exactly what I wanted to hear.

Fortunately, my Tuesday proved to be a better day and helped partially negate the problems from the day before. One of my favorite professors, whom I have taken four classes with, agreed to complete my letter of recommendation within two weeks. So grateful! Additionally, after an hour of searching on the Delta Web site, I called up the agent from Delta again and was able, after another hour and a half on the phone, a flight that had only two layovers, which were each less than three hours long, and I would land closer to Ulsan, where Derrick is staying.

Alas, a tension/sinus migraine flared up last night and almost immobilized me before work this morning. After some fountain Sierra Mist and caffeinated coffee TLC, I was able to ward most of it away. However, I began to have a dry (though not sore) throat last evening and into today. Let’s hope that’s nothing to worry about, considering that the entire Polk County only has 1,000 vaccinations to go around, and I am not one of the target publics (baby/child, sickly, elderly or pregnant) to receive one. I am also wary of flu shots because the last one I got in high school caused me to sit in a chair covered in Vicks Vaporub just to breathe and living on Pedialyte and Jell-O, a.k.a walking pneumonia (though I was stationary for a week). Well, now it’s time to down my Vitamin C tablets and drink OJ – and stress less since that weakens your immune system, too.

P.S. – My post title reminds me of the Animaniacs short “Good Idea/Bad Idea” with the mime. Loved that.

Lande and law school

In dealing with those who are undergoing suffering, if you feel burnout setting in, if you feel demoralized and exhausted, it is best, for the sake of everyone, for you to restore yourself. The point is to have a long-term perspective.

I always knew the Dalai Lama was wise.

That is why, despite a hearty serving of business in my life, I took a day and a half off of work, homework, blogging, email, Facebook, Twitter and anything else technology related. Instead, I went home Thursday evening to surprise my dad on his birthday and go out to dinner with the family. I think he was pleasantly surprised, and it was nice to be home, even if only for about 10 hours, since I had not been home since the end of spring semester.

The next morning, I got up at 5 a.m., got ready and drove to Iowa City to visit the University of Iowa Law School. John Lande, or just "Lande", was kind enough to take me in for the day and let me sit in on a class. Upon parking, I accidentally missed the law school and walked all the way past the U of I Hospital and medical research buildings, clear on the other side of the graduate campus. It was cold and rainy, and sans-umbrella and high heels made for an interesting trek to the law school.

After Lande's Crim Pro (criminal procedures) class, we then went out for lunch at The Vine and a meeting for AA (Appellate Advocacy) and then to see four 3L students argue a case in front of the Iowa Supreme Court justices. It was a really good learning experience, and I give props to those four students who were able to brave what one of the justices later joked as "questioning almost to near law student abuse."

Later on in the evening, we went to a reception dinner at one of the law professor's homes. The food was obviously great (catered), and I took my plate and sat down at a table. Who would sit down next to me other than Iowa Supreme Court Justice Hecht. Wow! He made small talk with me for a good chunk of the dinner; you certainly don't talk about living in a small town in Northern Iowa with a supreme court justice every day, so this was a good experience. Afterward, Lande showed me some of Iowa City's night life, which I enjoyed (I also liked that we went to a graduate bar, not one densely populated with undergrads with fake IDs). Following a couple drinks, we grabbed some delicious walking tacos and a cab ride home to sleep.

It was a full day, but I really enjoyed it. Now, I am back in Des Moines and have to face the reality of work and school and homework again. I think it finally hit me how hard law school is going to be. Certainly, I didn't think it would be a cake walk by any means, but it will be intense. This is why I need to find ways to relax and destress in times of burnout and overload before next fall begins. "The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. -Aristotle"