Rolling with the Punches

So this past weekend was an interesting one for sure. Friday night I went to work at five, and as the night progressed my back became a little sore, but nothing too unusual. About nine that night I got a horrible back spasm. Basically my back tightened up in one spot and what felt like electric shocks shot up and down my back. I couldn't move for about two minutes. I ended up having to leave work early. Although I was able to move after a few minutes, I was in pain for about an hour. I got home, got in the shower to let the heat relax my back.

When I got out, I checked my email, and I had received my LSAT score while I was at work. I didn't think I was going to get it until Monday. So I tentatively opened my email, and my jaw dropped. To top off my most "wonderful" night it turns out I had bombed the LSAT back in September, a 149. The LSAT is based on a score between 120 and 180. The first time I took the LSAT I got a 158 and was in the 75 percentile. My 149 this time had put me in the 40 percentile. For the top schools I really wanted to get into, a 158 was a stretch, most of the students they let in have scores between 161 on the low end. Needless to say I was devastated.

Over the past year I've adopted a new philosophy. Everything happens for a reason, and there's no use in worrying over things in the past that you can't change. So anytime something bad happens, I give myself about 24 hours to fret and be sad about it, but then I have to move on. Obviously, there is something better out there than what I was expecting. So Saturday I went to work and worked from three til midnight, with nothing big happening. I came home and talked to dad about my options, and started coming up with a new plan. Ok, so Cornell is probably out. I'm still going to apply and they'll either accept me or they won't. I'm going to look at some regional schools not only around here, but also out east where I think I want to end up. I'll keep you updated, but for now I'm just rolling with the punches.

sunrises and migrations

So the past couple weeks I've been getting up at 5:45 twice a week to go lift weights with SBA's swim team. It is always dark when I get up and when I get to the school, but it is light when I leave at 7:15. There's a window in the weight room, and it is nice to look out the window and see light slowly creep across the grounds of SBA. I can see the sky turn pinkish-purpley before it turns blue. I don't know that I've ever seen the sun rise before this past year, and if I have it has never been so often. It is a beautiful sight that's for sure. Of course, after day light savings time goes away in November, that sight will no longer be witnessed by me. However, I will still be able to witness another site that was amused me quite a bit these past few weeks... The great migration.

Everyone else knows it as rush hour, but imagine if someone from 100 years ago saw our rush hour. I think they would think it was a strange migration of metal beasts. :) When I drive home from the school in the mornings, I get off at Canada Rd. and cross the bridge over the highway. If I look to the east I see masses of cars heading towards me, and if I look to the west, there are masses of cars heading away from me. Most of us are in these cars, so the site is not one of awe, but annoyance. If you ever get the chance though, stand somewhere where you can see the highway, and just take in the site. It's one of "wow, look at how many people there are" and "man, I glad I'm not in that migration". I heard someone on the radio the other day say that the only reason there are so many traffic jams is because everyone has to be the same place at the same time. And of course they were right, but I'd never actually thought it out like that.

Anyways. Not much is going on here. I'm working a lot... 5 to 6 days a week usually. I am earning a lot of money though, which is nice. Most of it is being saved, because i don't really have anything to spend it on, which my dad tends to remind me of every once and a while. I am sending out my first five law school applications on Monday: Boston College, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Virginia. I've spent the last week revising and revising and revising my essays for these applications, and looking over the applications making sure everything is filled out and filled out correctly. Monday I get my LSAT score by email, and I am crossing my fingers about that. That day I'll push the send button on the applications and wait six weeks to hear something. Next weekend I am heading to Atlanta for a Law School forum. I'll be able to meet with admissions officers and/or students from over 100 law schools. I also get to see my good friend Stephanie!!! I am pretty excited about it! Anyways. That's all from me. Keep your fingers crossed for my apps please!

To be or not to be... Single

In today's society, it seems to me that it is not "ok" to be single. If you are, then surely you are not happy. College students and Young adults, especially women, are always on the prowl for the love of their life. Those friends who are in a relationship are always trying to set you up, or see is there are any prospects on the horizon. They do mean well, but it is very annoying most of the time.

I have officially been single for the longest amount of time, since I started dating in high school. One year. I don't know if that is an accomplishment or not, but I don't care. Last year I didn't "want" a boyfriend because I wanted to figure out what I was doing after graduation, with as little outside influences as possible. I say "want" because that was the reason I gave myself for not having a boyfriend. And now? I guess I wouldn't mind having a boyfriend, but most of the time I don't notice that I don't. Except when I go out with my friend, her boyfriend, and all of her couple friends. Then I feel left out. I am always being asked what my prospects are. "Oh you met some cute guy at work? Do you think anything will happen?" "Ummm... He lives in Germany." "Yeah, so... do you think anything will happen?" or "So how's substituting?" "It's good." "Are there any cute guys?" "Umm... I work with high schoolers." "You know what I mean.Like other teachers?" Ugh... I know they mean well, but really. Come on now!

When did our society become all about who we're with? In the 60s didn't women march for the right to be independent? Where did that go? Why do we have to be with someone to be valid? I can't say that I've always felt this way, but I think I've been seeing things differently the longer I'm single. I still want a boyfriend, I want to fall in love, get married, and have a family, but I guess what I'm saying is... why do I have to do that right now? Maybe I'm totally off on my observations, but maybe I'm not. Just something to think about.

The Lost Symbol and De-stressing

So last night I finished reading "The Lost Symbol" Dan Brown's new novel. This is the third book in the DaVinci Code Trilogy. Angels and Demons was first, then DaVinci Code, and lastly The Lost Symbol. The first two caused major controversies around very religious people. Many found the things discussed, absolutely appalling. Especially in the second book. This book, is less about religion and more about science. I love the science it discusses though. I'm not entirely sure how much of it has been proven, but the stuff "proven" in the book answers a lot of questions that man has about himself and the environment around him. I think a lot of the religious people who objected to the DaVinci code will enjoy many of the things discussed. I don't want to give too much away about the book because I know my mom reads my blog, and she is just now starting it. :) I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone!

On another note... I decided to take the LSAT again. I will take it on Saturday morning. Yay for 6 more hours of mental torture. :-D Last time I got a 158 (the score is between 120 and 180) which is in the 75%. That's really good, but the schools I really want to get into have really good scores... even the lowest scores at these schools are in the 160s. I have taken three practice tests this week, in preparation I got a 163 on the first one, 157 on the second one, and 153 on the third one... EEEEEKKK!!! So I spent this afternoon working at mom's vball games, and tomorrow I am substitute teaching. So hopefully between those I'll be able to chill, relax, and de-stress. After all it's not like I NEED to take the test again. I'm doing it more to see if I can score better. I don't need to score better. I'm a communications major... I can market myself amazingly! :) Nerves... please melt away now.

5:45????

So I decided that I really need to get in shape. I went jean shopping the other day and it was one of the most awful experience ever. Trying on pair after pair that don't fit! Ugh! I've already been trying to eat better, and I've done pretty good... except the occasion that I decide to eat at work (or snack as is usually what i do. What can I say... cheese and bacon roll sandwiches are amazing!)

Anyways... So I decided that in addition to walking and such... I would go to weights with mom in the morning. Although I didn't enjoy swimming too much, I do have to admit I have never been more in shape than when I was swimming 5 days a week and lifting twice a week. I'm helping mom with the swim team this winter, and right now I'm only going to practice once a week, until they start swimming full time. But the team has also started lifting, Tuesday and Thursday mornings form 6:15 - 7:15 am. This is easier for me to do, b/c my mom can come upstairs and bug me if I don't get up. :) I'm not very good at self-motivation.

So today was the first day I went. We had to leave at 6 am. Which means I got to get up at 5:45 am. And as my Facebook status says... "since when is there a 5:45 in the AM???" But I remember from when I swam, it got easier as the weeks went on, and I'm actually looking forward to it.

Complications

So my week has been full of complications, and it only started 3 days ago! Go figure! And here I thought exercise was supposed to be good for you. For those of you who don't know, I ran a 5k on Monday morning with no training what so ever. And I kept up with mom pretty well (who has been training for almost a year now I think) until about the last half mile when we had to run uphill... yeah that didn't agree with me. I was a tad sore on Tuesday when I woke up. Lol.

So Tuesday I worked Kids' Night. Now in general... I love kid's. I mean, I used to work at a day care while I was in college. You don't do that if you don't love kids. Kids' Night though, is a something totally separate. No server likes Kids' night, and if it were possible, everyone would ask off for Tuesdays. All kids eat free on Tuesday nights... great ploy to get repeat business. Unfortunately parents only get the minimal when their kids eat free. For example: 2 parent and 3 kids come to eat. The 3 kids get 3 kids drinks (free) and 3 kids meals (free). The parents get 2 waters (free) and 2 6oz sirloins, baked potatoes with butter and sour cream and two salads with ranch (about $20 after taxes). So we have a $20 meal for 5 people who sit their for an hour and a half because in order to get their meals free their kids have to do an arts and crafts project, and then the kids are getting their face painted, waiting for Andy the Armadillo to come around and see them, or waiting for the balloon man to come and make them something. After all is said and done, the parents leave you $3, maybe $4 if you're lucky. Now $4 is 20%, but if you only have 10 tables all night, and each one gives you $4... that's only $40, and then you have to pay tipshare and silver... and for that we're tlaking another $10 off your final walk out amount. $30 after 6 hours of work? That's not even minimum wage. Anyways... That's just a taste of Kids Night, you also have to imagine a Chucky Cheese type atmosphere with all the kids every where.

This particular night I went in and got my schedule, and my manager had put me working 6 days in a row (including that night) and he had me expoing on Sunday, when I had specifically told him,when he first asked if I would expo regularly, that I would expo any two days M-Th, but Fri, Sat, and Sun I wanted to serve, because that's when I made bank, and I was hired to Serve anyways, and he had agreed. This was the second time in a row. So after a night of fuming, and getting a $0.50 on a $50, I went to talk to him, and got it sorted out. So I felt better about that.

Yesterday, Wednesday, when I got up in the morning and checked my e-mail, I found that one of my letters of recommendation had been received as well as my Southwest Transcript. They had been received my the Law School Data Assembly Service, which is a service all law schools use. You send transcripts and recommendations to this service, they compile a report and send it to all the schools you're applying too. It's really quite nifty. Well somehow a transcript form the University of Tennessee - Knoxville had been received as well. So I called Knoxville to find out what happened. I talked to 4 different people, and they finally said, no, we have no record of you attending here, we don't know why this was sent here. So I called the LSDAS and they told me that Southwest had sent it, and I needed to call them to get it fixed. So, I called Southwest, and talked to 5 separate people up there before the situation resolved itself. It was obviously a mistake, but I was so confused as to how it happened.

So that's my complicated week... hopefully, the rest of the week is less complicated. Now... back to studying for the LSAT (which I'm taking again at the end of this month).

2 months of news

So I kind of suck at this whole posting thing. Maybe it is because not much is going on. July was spent finishing up the swim season (we did awesome btw) and finishing the whole relaxing summer. :) For my Birthday I went gambling, which I decided I wasn't very good at, but it was still fun. Then I went out to dinner with my parents to Olive Garden, we even got dessert. :) The next day my parents left for Maine, and since my sister was in Florida, I had a huge blow out party! :-D OK... maybe I didn't, but I sure did enjoy having the house to myself for 5 days.

August has been spent looking for jobs and getting ready for law school applications... researching schools, studying for the LSAT (I'm taking it again at the end of September). The more I look into law schools, the more it sounds interesting, and like something I could do, would enjoy doing, and would be good at. I've looked at a bunch of schools... my safety schools, so far, are around here, but my goal is to get into one of the top schools on the east coast... Cornell, Duke, Virginia, Boston University, George Washington, etc...

I'm leaving to head up to Evansville in a little while. I want to see some friends, and it gives me an opportunity to ask my professors for reccomendations in person, as well as get the registrar to send my transcript without too much hassle. I'll be back early Saturday afternoon, I am lifeguarding a pool party in a neighbor's back yard. As far as September goes... my plan is study for the LSAT and work on applications/personal statements for universities. That's all form Memphis for me. :)