new year, more blog

I am baaaack!

I have so much to share.

But right now this is just a post to let you know I'm still here.

Here are some things that have been happening:

1. I got a car. My parents paid for it and for a lot of mechanic work, so I'll be owing them back the money. This is on top of all the rest of the money I owe them. But it's so nice to have my own little car, and getting around- to and from work, working out stuff for school- has been really helpful.

2. Speaking of money, I am also looking at another nursing program at Roseman University. The reputation isn't UNLV- in fact, I've been seeing ads for Roseman popping up all over, which made me think it was some kind of diploma mill (although, you can't really do that with Nursing). I think someone in their marketing/recruiting offices just doesn't know how spammy sidebar ads can feel. 

Roseman will be a lot more expensive, but it's not requiring anywhere near as many prereq classes as UNLV is. The amount of extra classes I'd have to take at UNLV kinda evens it out. I could get in to Roseman a lot faster, which is the appeal right now.

3. But let's get over money woes and important career planning (srs bzness). Let's get back to knitting!

yay!

My knitting group started a Sock KAL. It's toe up with the heel flap and going swimmingly for me so far. I've just reached the heel flap, though...

I have a knitting New Years resolution, and that's to knit more for charity. My resolution from last year was to enter things in the county fair (which is in April) and I made that resolution in the fall.

Some of the things I'm thinking of entering in the fair:

- The socks from the Sock KAL

- My Wingspan shawl, even though it has a whole row where I messed up

- My mom's Poitou vest, if I finish it in time

- Maybe some handspun

Some of the things I'm considering knitting for charity:

- Hats for Christmas at Sea I even have some dark green Cascade 220 wool, but it's not superwash.

- Snuggles for pet shelters in the area. These are basically mats to put on the bottoms of cages so they're a little cozier for the wee beasts.

And for charity, while I have a sort of erratic and busy schedule, I still want to volunteer more. There's a community garden that's starting back up after the winter, and William will be playing a show there soon, so I'll be checking it out then. There's also a little rescue farm on the north side of town but I put my info down ages ago and never heard back from them for volunteering. I tried for a group that puts together care packages for new mothers but they didn't meet at times I could make.

I continue to look around!

timewasters

Today I was supposed to be committed to finishing up some assignments, as I might not have time to do them this week. Unfortunately, my usual carpool won't be coming through my area on Wednesday, and if I can't find a ride (which I probably won't, because other people I've tried have been -more- unrealiable- and I also don't want to bother anyone :/ even at a cost to me) I won't be at work that morning and I will have time in the morning.
I am making some progress on one assignment, but I haven't gotten to the other. Other things that have been filling up my day were errands, cleaning house, watching My Little Pony (no reason to lie), and scrolling blogs, mostly on personal finance right now. This is where I found these map tools, to see where you've been:



visited 20 states (40%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or another interesting project
For the US I clicked states I had spent at least a few days in, even if I was just in one area (as for Tennessee, I was mostly only in one hotel for a conference, but that's okay because it was important to me).

When I asked myself if I forgot anywhere, I decided that if I couldn't remember, it didn't count!

Someday I'd like to see Hawaii and Alaska, as well as some of our territories like the Marianas and Guam. I'm hoping to see some friends I've made who live in Idaho and Montana now, and other areas out West like Colorado and New Mexico. I was discussing with a friend how British people (and Europeans, though we have less interaction here) will sometimes assume (not nicely) that Americans never travel. He thinks it may have to with how LARGE our country is, and how you can go to a different state- sometimes even a different area within a state- and it's like you're in a whole different place. The scenery and the pace is all different. Sometimes even the way people look and speak, and their food, will be markedly different than what you are used to, and you don't even have to whip out your passport. That's one thing I like about my "home state" of Maryland: the variety in different regions, even though it's not a large state. There's the edge of the Appalachians to the west and the Chesapeake Bay to the east. DC is cradled right in the middle- and the interstate shoots through that.

But I've been to places around the world, too:


visited 12 states (5.33%)
Create your own visited map of The World or Free ipad travel guide
I think it's funny how much Canada highlights when I've really only been to two cities. I almost wanted to click Japan and South Korea because of how much TIME I've spent in their airports!

Application Fee drama

Drexel app fee: $115 using SOPHAS. For a fee waiver I need to submit a tax return. I didn't last year so this year I have to file. Luckily Drexel's app is rolling. I considered applying to GWU mostly because it's a good school, not far away, and it's only $40 more to file another app with SOPHAS. But now I might cut GWU out- they have eliminated spring entry so I need to file by April 15 or wait until September to apply for fall 2012. I want to be in school before that. I could have gotten a fee waiver if I still lived in Cambodia, but that would not be worth it.
To file a tax return I need a W2 from Arcadia that I never got. I've emailed Arcadia. I might need to pick it up.
By the time I get a tax return I would hope I have a job and a paycheck and be able to afford the application fee.

Temple app fee: $60 online. I've passed the Fall 2011 deadline but I got an email saying they were unofficially rolling. Also they have spring entry: August 15 deadline.


LaSalle: rolling, and free.

USP: Online, free, Fall admission by April 15.

*deep breath* This statement of purpose/personal statement is the hardest. It's difficult to write about how awesome you are when you aren't feeling awesome.