End of the semester fun...

It is so crazy to be working and going to school. I know this is how I got my master's degree also, so I should be used to it, but it is just 2 totally different worlds. Work goes by weeks, Monday thru Friday. The weekend comes and it is supposed to be bliss. But, school goes by semesters and the weekends are full of studying. People at work talk about all the fun they will have on their vacations or at the end of the day when they are off work. In school, classmates talk about how much fun they will have during summer break or when they are not in class. It is such a unique mix of perspectives.

Anyway, life is good, busy, but good. Major news here is the Bon Jovi concert on Monday night. So, Bon Jovi is my all time favorite musician, singer, rockstar, well, basically, a legend is what he is. :) anyway, michael, my friend (jen), and I are going to see bon jovi monday night and I cannot wait!! I have already decided which outfit I am going to wear. i can not wait to rock out. All you Bon Jovi fans out there who are not going to be able to make the concert, I will be sending rocking vibes your way.

The Ipod shuffles have come in very handy. It is quite nice to be able to run without the big ipod strapped to my arm. They are so small and compact that it has really been helpful when working out. Thanks, dad, for getting us started with the first one.

Michael and I went to the Take Back the Night rally at the university yesterday. Take Back the Night is a rally that happens on college campuses every year in April (April is national sexual assault awareness month). The Take Back the Night rally is a rally that is meant for people to come together and stand up against sexual violence. This is the 2nd rally that has been put on at UTA. It wasn't as well organized as the ones in Austin (I am sure I am partial since i helped organize those :), but it is definitely a great start for UTA. I think that along with the new Sexual Assault Response Team on campus, UTA is well on its way to providing the necessary services for survivors of sexual violence. I am really looking forward to working with these new programs and possibly even collecting data from them to use in my dissertation.

I met with a professor at school who has very similar research interests as myself last week and asked her if i could work with her this summer on some research. I said I would volunteer to help out just to get my feet wet. She actually said that she has some funds available and would be willing to pay me a little. So, i get to work with her, get paid, and do research in an area of social work that is very near and dear to my heart. This might even lead to a publishable article. Good times.

Well, michael returned from amarillo safe and sound. Him and his brother had a great time backpacking. they got some great pictures. He also really enjoyed spending his last day there with his family. We are planning a trip in august to go visit everyone before michael starts his classes. I cant wait. i really miss everyone in amarillo.

Well, the next couple of weeks are basically full of a lot of studying. The end of the semester is always a very busy time of year. I am looking forward to finishing this semester. The summer will be very busy, but it will be different since i will be doing research and a teaching practicum. it wont be just regular class work.

Well, that is all i have right now.