Jacquelyn's Space

Yesterday a walking tour of Applewood Estate, today a walking tour of the campus. I met up with my friend Amanda on her lunch hour and we walked a figure eight through campus and talked. It was nice… another lovely day for a walk and it was good to be on campus — I love my school! I will definitely have to go walking more often because I sure do need the exercise. Amanda walks everyday on her lunch hour. I wish I was that disciplined. I am going to have to work on it. I have a couple of new school year resolutions and getting regular exercise is one of them.

Here are the lovely picture I took at Applewood. I cannot believe this beautiful place is in the middle of one of America’s most run down cities. I also can’t believe that I had not visited the place before now.

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It felt good to go walking in the gardens…made me think of Mackinac Island…and Greenfield Village. Made me wish I wasn’t so damn lazy and loved working in the garden. Made me wish I had a nice farm with a brick barn and tons of flowers. Made me want to turn my yard into a paradise like Applewood. But that brings me back to my damn laziness.

Well anyway, a walk in nature was exactly what I needed and what I need to do more often. I ooohed and aaaaahed over my pictures when I got home. Then I checked my message from God on Facebook, haha. This is what it said:

On this day, God wants you to know…

… that nature is the best cure.

Whenever you are stressed or worried or uneasy, take a nice long walk in the nature, touch the ground with your feet, touch the trees with your hands, and the Divine nature of life will flow into you to ease your pain.

See, I knew God was talking to me today!

I have been so excited about school but it hadn’t really sunk in yet that I am a student in graduate school. Yesterday there was a get together for the new M.A. English Language and Literature students — we went on a walking tour of the Applewood Estate in Flint, Michigan and had a reception at school afterwards. There was also a grad student orientation that I didn’t really need to attend but I decided to go because I had a chance to win an iPad. I am so glad I went to both events…the Applewood Estate is gorgeous and I took some fabulous pictures. Of course it gave me a chance to meet up with friends and former professors from school, and to become acquainted with some of my new classmates and faculty I hadn’t met yet. My friend Nancy’s enthusiasm is catching — she kept saying “We are in grad school!” It wasn’t in her plan to go and she couldn’t believe she was attending graduate school. Tired old me just kept saying, “Yep, we are in grad school.” Of course I was and am happy and excited but like I said, it hadn’t hit me yet. Nancy’s wondering statements helped everything kind of sink in…

I went on to the orientation after are departmental event. Unfortunately I did not when the iPad but all incoming graduate students receive a messenger bag. That is awesome because earlier in the week I was thinking about looking for a messenger bad and now I don’t have to buy one. After I signed in and was sitting among my new classmates, I sat my messenger bag on my lap and looked at the UM-Flint logo and “Graduate Programs” embroidered on it…I ran my fingers over the lettering and only then did it really sink in and I got a little emotional. Of course the words “I can’t believe it” ran through my brain. But then there was Nancy to remind me, “We are in grad school!”

And of course the 87+ pages of academic articles I need to read for a class by next Wednesday. Gah!

It is so awesome, too, when you are around people who are into the same things as you. To be around other English scholars — people that like to read and write is nourishment to my soul. Nancy and I didn’t want to leave school last night — having too much fun chatting and laughing with our super nice advising professor, Kazuko ; we were also laughing about how we are such big nerds.

So today I think it would be fair to say it is finally sinking in. I was looking at my messenger bag again today and I got really emotional — I actually hugged my bag. I am just extremely thankful that I am going to graduate school, that I have a plan that encompasses utilizing both my degrees and passions, and that I am going to be able to study writing. I am so happy.

Kind of my philosophy…only some people can’t handle the truth, or often people’s perceptions and version of the truth are a little (or a mile) off. Then there are the dreamers…

There are those that need a daily slap of truth though, for sure.

I worked all night; it was a good night and I was ahead of schedule. That was nice — no stress and proud of a job well done. Have I written about how much I love the people I work with?

I have been up all morning though…I need sleep — tired and have to work again tonight.  I can’t settle down enough to sleep. Like a stubborn kid I want to stay up past my bedtime. I think I am too excited about the Bridge Walk coming up and then there is school. Super excited about that. I signed up for classes – I am taking 2  (7 credits – 8 is considered full-time) and I have my books already. I only had to spend about $40 — well I need one more book but it isn’t that much. I can’t wait to start school yet I could really uses a month to myself to do some reading. I think that is what’s got me going — thinking about all the research and reading I want to do and making plans for the future. For future scholarship and how my English (composition and rhetoric) studies is going to fit into my goal of becoming a counselor and professor. Gah! I am probably just thinking too far ahead, I need to concentrate on the now. I am getting myself all worked up with plans and ideas and then I will be too wore out to act on them.

Sometimes I drive myself crazy…

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Funny Facebook exchange between me and a friend who is also attending grad school at UM-Flint:

Friend:

Me: 

I thought you did…is this really Nancy? LOL (I thought is might have been one of her kids messing with her FB)

Friend:

If I could somehow fart out brilliance, grad school would really be a breeze! (Ha…ha..ha…)

Me:

LMAO 😉

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Love it!

In a couple of days I will be on vacation. This summer has been so jacked up I haven’t really been able to take a vacation before now — doing too much for everyone else. I went up north once for a week-end. Big Deal! I need at least a week up north and would love to take 2. Not likely to happen for me any time soon. But I have this one week I asked for off. My husband and I (and possibly stepson) are going up north to the Upper Peninsula and to the Straits of Mackinac to do the Mackinac Bridge Walk on Labor Day. I wish I could spend the whole week up there but my husband can’t really take the time off work right now. Grrr. Why have the gods conspired against me?

I suppose I need the time to clean and organize my house and get ready for school. Fun…not. I am planning a few trips for September and the fall, lets hope they work out. I also want to go on another cruise and I am seriously contemplating booking one for winter…I’ll have to see if my husband and I can pull it off. We really need to get away.

Oh well, at least I have the Bridge Walk to look forward to.

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Supposedly we have a wedding in Florida to go to in October — I am not too fond of Florida and I am not looking forward to it…it is just going to get in the way of my plans! Grrr. It would probably be smart to book a cruise for that time since we will already be down by all the major cruise ports but I don’t want to take time away from school.

I might just chuck all these plans and stay closer to home this year — save my money for the next year. It would certainly be easier but not quite as fun or adventurous.