Today marks just 200 days until graduation! It’s exciting, but scary at the same time. Lately, I find myself thinking about life after college more and more. Sometimes I completely panic: “I’m gonna be broke!” “How will I find a job?” “Where do I want to live?” Other times, I’m really optimistic: “There are so many options!” “I know people all over the country I can live with or by!” “So what if I’m a poor young adult for a while, I know it will all work out eventually.” But mostly, I only focus on the future when I have to, because right now, I still have 200 days of being a senior that I get to enjoy, and I plan to make the most of them! 
So, it’s 10th week and that means finals in just a few short days, and for me, my senior capstone presentation in psychology. Of course I’m a little nervous (mostly for the questions professors ask), but I’m actually really excited to give my speech, at least a lot more excited than I expected to be! Quite a few friends have said they’re planning on coming to watch and I’m glad to be able to use my presentation to show them about a topic I’m really fascinated by and I could see using in a career in the future. I think it’s so cool to be able to talk about false confessions knowing that someday I’ll (hopefully) be involved with law enforcement and experiencing the interrogation process myself. As for my other finals, I’m less enthusiastic. For instance, one of them requires be to design a 3-D model for a display case on a computer program, paying attention scale and dimension and so forth. I’ve never been a huge fan of anything remotely arts & crafts related – I’m pretty horrible at it and I have trouble just drawing a stick figure right. This could be a very interesting display…
Someday..
Other than school, my other major commitment is swimming (and it will be for the next 2 months or so). Our most recent meet was this past weekend against Ripon. It wasn’t my strongest showing, but there’s still the last half of season to drop time and have the intense workout that is Winter Training, I know it’s definitely possible. Winter training is when athletes who compete in a winter sport stay on campus for the first 2 or 3 weeks of break to get in some intensive training while classes aren’t in session. For me, the schedule basically goes like this: Wake Up, Swim, Eat, Swim, Eat, Watch some TV or bond with the team, Sleep, Wake Up and Do it all over again – for the next two weeks. It may seem boring, but I always look forward to it.
But before training starts, I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving break. I’ll be staying in Appleton for those few days and eating with a friend’s family, so I won’t get to spend time with mine, but at least I’ll get a nice home-cooked meal and LOTS of pie. Anyone who knows me kind of well can tell you that I practically have a pumpkin pie addiction and it’s really strong come holiday season. And speaking of the holidays, I’m really happy that they’re just around the corner. I can’t wait to listen to Christmas songs, watch some holiday classics, and curl up with a mug of some hot chocolate or apple cider while I watch the snow fall outside. Oh, and the presents also. Yeah, I’m pretty pumped for those…
Me (in the middle) with some friends at our meet