evitae

This semester has been very weird. Even though I’m just taking my senior thesis and spending a few hours to work and occasionally meet with my adviser on campus, I still seem to lack time enough for myself and my hobbies. I’m not saying the time is not there, but I have literally been all business lately. When I’m not at work or in the library or at my desk working on my thesis (let’s not forget gorging or sleeping), I am busy surfing various networks for employment opportunities. Oh, and in spite of the fact that I have yet to have anyone contact me, it’s actually kind of fun.

That’s weird, right? I guess when you pit it against hours of research and note-taking and writing (a.k.a. my thesis), it’s a bit more logical. But then again, that’s kind of exactly the same thing I’ve been doing with job searching… hours of research and note-taking and… writing. In the spirit of this invigorated sense of competition in light of this economy, this is an absolute necessity. That is, I have to do this. The similarities between my thesis and job hunting are growing right before my eyes!

So what is it about job hunting that I find so much more appealing that in the breaks I take from my thesis, I find myself torn away for more time than I had originally allotted to compose another cover letter, or scouring my résumé for errors and ways to improve the structure for the umpteenth time? Why does it keep me up at night, to the point where I want to tear myself from the bed and start searching again right away (were it not so freakin’ cold)? Honestly, I think you’re staring at the answer right now.

Much as I hate to admit it, I’m just like everybody else: I love finding an excuse to talk about myself.

I cannot believe there is actually a Wikipedia entry on super seniors. It saddens me a little to look at it, because most of the reasons someone claims (or is given) this title are negative. Well, I’m tired of looking at things that way. This time last year, I was in a terrible state because of the circumstances that forced me to take a leave of absence from school. Now, I see it as a blessing in disguise. I just wish I had taken the time to recognize it at a period in my life when it might have been slightly more fruitful. Still, I am a firm believer in the idea that everything happens precisely the way it does for a reason, some obvious, and others we cannot even begin to fathom.

But that’s enough talk of such ethereal philosophy. I have taken on my Super Seniority as a positive for a number of reasons. The first is that it was obvious that I needed a serious break from school. School had been my escape since ninth grade, and after all those years of running, I was beginning to miss home and losing my ability to ask for help when I needed it. I still struggle with it a little, but I am doing much better. My senior thesis has also changed for the better. I have a topic that has kept me engaged over an entire semester and the remainder of this one. Speaking of which… not counting what little time we actually spend studying in May, I will be graduating in two months! That in itself is a major accomplishment.

When I’m not working on my thesis, I continue my job at the Civic Engagement Office, and another at the School of Social Work. I have also managed to pick up a freelance project thanks to a friend I would not have known if not for my boyfriend. It’s been challenging, but I know I can finish this and be proud of it. I’ve also been drawing much more often than I was previously. I even started painting one drawing in Photoshop. Everything is looking up. Now all I need is a job for when I get out of here! But if this year has proven anything, it’s that everything will be just fine. Why? Because I am a Super Senior!

The sign language for “refresh” is a gesture that suggests the individual is simultaneously cooling themselves and beckoning for their audience to come closer. Take this as your invitation, because trust me, this place is only going to get cooler from here on out!

I’ve neglected my website for quite some time, and it has cost me quite a bit in regards to my familiarity with WordPress. It has improved by leaps and bounds since I last sat down and developed my own theme. However, rather than let this deter me from writing everyday as I have done so frequently in the past, I decided to use this temporary theme, Manifest, by Jim Barraud, and develop one behind the scenes. Keep an eye out!

I thought a lot about whether to keep my older posts, but they were beginning to feel more like baggage than cherished memories, so I backed them up and resolved to revisit that question another day. It sure is saving me a heck of a lot of space on the server!

Looking to the future, I have a lot of concepts for my website, and some conflicting ideas about where I want to take it. Do I want to be more public about it and associate my real name with the site? Should it function more as a portfolio, or should I pursue a name-based domain?

For now, I think I’m going to keep it personal just to get things going again, but this site is on to bigger and better things. That much is certain.