NightinGail

Labor Day Festivities

2009-09-08T09:21:00.004-04:00

Five day weekends are definitely my favorite. Left DC on Friday morning and am not returning until tonight (Tuesday), oh wonderful life.

The weekend was busy but great. Spent Friday night with my mom and two of her friends (Jules and Deb) eating, eating, eating. It's what we do best! Hamburgers and hotdogs -- mini-indoor-picnic. We even ate chips! That never happens, mostly because of the guilt involved with the digestion of said chips. But they were glorious, just the same. Then Saturday we made a jaunt up to good ole Schoolcraft, MI to visit my Aunt Rita and Uncle Steve -- and Allison and Ben and Brennan and Micah and Kenzie and Sydney and Emma....woot! Finally got to see the little one. I wish we lived closer, they are growing up too quickly.

It was a great trip though. I know my mom was thrilled to see her sister and family, and it was great to be able to come into town for it. We stayed they night and then spent 3.5 hours playing mexican train. 3.5!! It was a crazy long game, but I believe I will be looking to get that game in the near future.

After getting back to Indy, I spent the day with my dad on Monday and saw the movie Gamers. Actually was really good. All action, not terribly gory at all, definitely violent though. Unique concept and minimal plot holes. Way to go! Was fun at the very least.

Monday night ate pizza and watched ANOTHER movie Sunshine Cleaning with my mom, brother, and his girlfriend Vanessa. Absolutely great. Funny, sad, family, small love interest, and a happy ending. What more can you ask for?

Then got to spend a couple hours with my good friends Keith and Laura who are leaving for the Peace Corps in Ukraine at the end of the month. I'm so excited for them but at the same time can't believe I won't see them for two and a half years. They will do needed work though.

Winding down a busy but fruitful weekend, back to the grind tomorrow!

Moving...in more than one way

2009-08-13T19:38:00.003-04:00

So I have officially moved into my new apartment. Now, officially does not mean I have finished unpacking, but it is on it's way. My dad and brother came out to help with the move last Wednesday and stayed till Sunday. Along with Erin's boyfriend Brian and another friend Haseeb, we were able to move three girls' worth of stuff. (Erin was in California for a wedding; Laura in Oxford, England for a summer program) The place is even more than I expected it would be. So many closets, I'm sad I'll only be here for a year! Soon as I have pictures, I'll post them.

Also! I officially have a new advisor. As some of you know, my previous year was spent working in a laboratory, but it was not fruitful in the thesis track. So I went outside the department to develop a new thesis in a completely new area. WOOT WOOT. Of course, I still had to have an advisor at school, so I met with a couple different ones recently. Finally, Dr. Haaga has agreed to take me on!! That's another woot woot! Timeline will be interesting....one year thesis here we gooooo.

Also will be putting out a publication on verbal fluency in the near future and the one on urban adolescent girls as well. TWO!! It's exciting, I'm excited, life is good!

Update to come soon with pictures, no worries...

Summer...wheewwww

2009-07-29T19:28:00.003-04:00

So I know, as always, I've been missing for a while. But, I have good reasons, I promise!

In June I went back to Indy for my best friend Samara's wedding. It was absolutely beautiful and I'm so lucky to have been a part of it. I love them as a couple, they are perfect for each other; you can see the love in the following pics. It's just splendid to say the least.

When I came back I had an interview set-up for a potential new advisor for my thesis. It hasn't been working how I'd like it to in that department, so I decided to take it into my own hands. Now I'll be working on a somewhat secretive project (at least until she publishes the first paper she wants to). But it's with kids!! So I'm thrilled. Now all I have to do is find an "administrative" senior advisor at school. The new person I'm working with has had bad experiences with my current advisor...so I need to find a new one. Send good vibes in that direction please!

And finally...I'm moving...again.

Yup, my old roommate and I....as well as an addition of my friend Erin will be moving into an apartment complex directly over the Bethesda Metro station! This is exciting for my commute and basic functionality. It's thrilling!

The only bad part is packing all the current apartment stuff and the actual moving. On top of that both Erin and Laura will not be here for the move. Erin is in California for a wedding of her best friend and Laura is in England for the summer for school. So I have recruited my brother, dad, Erin's boyfriend, and a friend of mine Haseeb. It will be fun next Wednesday!

OH oh oh...and Laura got engaged...in England!!! Woot Woot. She and Brandon have been dating for over 6 years so this is huge (at least in the minds of her closest friends) We were all wondering when Brandon would decide to pop the question.

hmmm more news more news......

*still thinking*

OH! I'm now dating a guy named Doug....haha...news I suppose for some of you. I met him at Samara's wedding...we hit it off....so we're having a go at it. Unfortunately I live here in DC...and he lives in Texas. But we're working at it..maybe long-distance isn't so bad if it starts off that way? We'll see, I'm sure you'll here more as it progresses. Slightly unfair. He has met my mom and brother....yet, I haven't met any of his family. He even had martini's with my mom! I think he's skipping necessary steps, but whatever, my mom loves him. That's all that matters on that front....lol

Okay...info on Mr. Doug....he's a Med student at Texas A&M.....he's a year older than I am....he's definitely smart....and good looking....witty too....sarcastic (which I like)....and basically amazing....something else you want to know...just ask....

And the job search continues....

2009-05-12T16:39:00.001-04:00

Unfortunately I lost the job to someone with years of experience....blast! Onward with the job search. Just applied for a position at the Ivymount School -- working with children with Autism, we'll see how that goes. Job searching is so frustrating!

Interview

2009-05-08T00:11:00.003-04:00

Had an interview with the Cancer Survivorship Lab at the Uniformed Services University yesterday....hopefully the news I hear in under a week will be good!

Grades In.... (mostly for my mom)

2009-04-28T21:51:00.004-04:00

Update on the finals:

Neuropsychology :: "A" (woot)
Psychotherapy :: "A" (double woot)
Sex Similarities and Differences :: "A" (triple woot)

These are a pleasant ending to the semester-of-craziness

I'm Back!! errrrr.....here....at least

2009-04-27T13:00:00.003-04:00

So I know it's been months, things have just been crazy (as they usually are) around here. I'm about to finish the semester and my first year in grad school. I can't believe I'm signing on for at least 4 more years of this. This post is my procrastination technique for today. I have two papers, an exam, and two finals I should actually be doing work for, but you just have to take a break to stay sane.The paper I'm currently working on is supposed to be my credo as a psychotherapist. Issues with this:
1. It has been at least 8 or 9 years since I wrote a paper for a class in which "I", "mine", "my", and "opinion" were allowed and encouraged for placement in a paper.
2. I keep wanting to cite my beliefs..... (Robertson, 2009) perhaps?
3. While I can talk for hours about my values, goals, and beliefs -- I cannot seem to write more than 4 pages about them for this class
4. It's 90 degrees outside!! I am inside with my diet coke and computer....typing away

Last test in Neuropsychology is tomorrow, woot! Then it's just the final and I'm done!!! I love Neuropsych but this class has gone very slowly this semester. Plus I'm in the laboratory for human neuropsychology sooooo, double duty!!

Currently three different projects going right now. Erin and I are running analysis for the HOPE study on depression in adolescent girls currently with the hope that we will be submitting it for publication in the next month or so. Also in my lab I have taken over the mood and memory study on depression and the hippocampus using a simulation of a rat maze and rat water maze on the computers for humans. Yes, it's odd.(that's all the info you get on that till it's completed)
I am researching researching researching ideas for my thesis -- current theme is something on perception of heinousness in child murder cases (child as perpetrator). That's been pleasant (sarcasm)

Job front....I've applied to a total of 31 and ten more tonight is the goal, pleaseeeee allow me to get something soon, this is beginning to be ridiculous.

Happy fun stuff:

I've been on eharmony for a bit now (mostly because it's the easiest getting to know you site, I'm not a huge fan of meeting guys at bars) and am talking to a couple guys on there. Date updates soon to come -- paddle boating the Potomac anyone?

My mom and brother came to visit recently. We did a meditation seminar thing run by my mom! It was a blast. Unfortunately she got a cold the day after she got there, but we still had fun watching movies and hanging out.

Once I finisht this paper I'll update some more!

OH...here's some pics I never uploaded....from ice skating and whatever else I could find.

From Left: Brian (Erin's boyfriend), Erin, Vera, Amy, me, and Haseeb

My friend Sam came up from Virginia while he was stationed there for a while (he's in the army) to visit. We were great friends in high school so it was wonderful to reconnect and show him around town. Now he's back down in Texas hopefully getting his lasik eye surgery and then passing his exams to be a helicoptor pilot.

Pictures from the Swearing In Ceremony!!

2009-01-20T20:42:00.007-05:00

Captions to come later due to my lack of sleep....haven't slept more than 1 hour in the past 42 hours...ewww

Finally snow!

2009-01-07T12:39:00.002-05:00

So we finally got some snow here in Indiana. I wanted to have at least 2 feet of snow before the end of my break, but alas I'll have to do with under an inch. But it was pretty.
Haven't kept up this winter with the blog, mostly because I've been so busy running around with family and friends to be on the computer for longer than a couple minutes, if that some days. But with the new semester and a clean plan as to what needs to happen I think I'll have plenty to tell everyone in the coming months.
Schedule for next semester has me going to class on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays....and done by 2 everyday. Hopefully this will allow me to get a good paying job doing something that makes at least 400 to 500 dollars a month working 15 to 20 hours a week...but we'll see. I'll be taking Advanced Human Neuropsychology, Psychology of Sex Similarities and Differences, and Psychotherapy theory, res, and practice....woot woot. I'm so excited to be taking these classes, they were all first choices. I will also begin studying for the comprehensive exam around February ish.....with the plan being to take it during the summer for the first (and hopefully also last time) DSM IV here I come!!
Went to the dentist this morning. Go me, no cavities!
Now on to doing early spring cleaning...aka clearing out anything that is unneeded in this house.

Nuts are for squirrels

2008-11-13T21:05:00.002-05:00

This week and last week has been insane. Past weekend I had the women in my research pyshology class over for a good old fashioned pajama party, only about 8 of us total. We ate awesome guacamole, salsa, chocolate fondu with lots of fruit, pot stickers, veggies, pretzels, hummus and pita chips (which if you haven't tried the parmesan and herb ones, they are amazing!!), apple pie (hehe) with ice cream, and then of course some champagne and margaritas!! oh oh and mozzarella sticks! lol

We had an awesome time eating and watching Labyrinth...you know that movie with a young sarah connelly and david bowie......AHHHH

During all this time I've also been just getting work done for school. I need to decided a project idea for my thesis (still not completely sure) and start implementing it. In the next week and a half before Thanksgiving I have two presentations to give, a 12 paper to write, another presentation on statistics to develop, and an introduction to begin for the HOPE publication (5-6 pages)...just the intro! lol....

Have had a cold most of this time, but I'm pretty sure it's the stress and weather. I'm really excited to go home for Thanksgiving and "relax" a bit shopping and eating! I'll probably still be working on things for classes but it will be worth it.

Good times! I'll post some pictures in the near future. Tomorrow, I am excited beyond all excitement to be getting a massage from at a massage school, 37 dollars for a whole hour!! I need it so badly and am thrilled. Then tomorrow night taking Laura out for dinner because it's her birthday!!! WOOT WOOT

Movie Season

2008-10-26T14:38:00.005-04:00

All the new movie trailers have me really excited for free time. Here is my "want-to-see" list for this season....so far:

OCTOBER:

Blindness

http://www.blindness-themovie.com/

The Secret Life of Bees

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thesecretlifeofbees/

http://wthefilm.com/

Changeling

http://www.changelingmovie.net/

Splinter

http://www.thesplintermovie.com/

NOVEMBER:

Twilight

http://twilightthemovie.com/

DECEMBER:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

http://www.benjaminbutton.com/

FEBRUARY:

Push

http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/push/

Sick

2008-10-21T23:15:00.002-04:00

I am sick with a cold/throat thing; really hoping it's not anything like strep throat. Unfortunately, it's going around the psychology department, and in particular the people in my classes. And since those are the people I spend my time with, of course my immune system couldn't keep up (stupid immune system). Anyway I'm loading up on vitamin C and vitamins in general and trying to stay away from anything too heavy or dairy...bleh.

On Monday Erin and I had a meeting with Dr. Mance about our joint publication (she is advising us) and the timeline for getting it finished. Because of how busy we are we only planned it out about half way and decided to review it later if necessary. Currently concept paper due monday -- including what we're studying, what analyses we're using, how we're using them, what implications does it hold for the future, what gap in literature are we filling, and why why why....lol.

I'll post the hypothesis we're analysing as soon as we narrow it down some, currently it's a bit vague/general.

Now sleep, sleep is a good thing.

Murder Mystery and Mayhem !!!

2008-10-20T08:49:00.005-04:00

It's been very hectic this week, just with classes and trying to get everything situated. All was good until about Thursday when I realized I still needed an outfit for Saturday night's birthday party. Murder Mystery and Mayhem parties are themed and you spend a good portion of the night talking to others trying to figure out who the murderer is, like in Clue.

Well, my character was Veronica Lake from the 40s and 50s. First issue, I didn't know what people in the 40s and 50s wore....second issue, where to find an outfit in DC for under 4o bucks from that era....and thirdly which shoes??!! Which of course was the main part, because shoes are amazing.....yes yes I have a shoe problem, but on the upside I always have the right shoes (until I don't and have to go shopping!!!)

Ok so back on topic...I had to be Veronica Lake, she was the one that coined the peekaboo hair style. I ended up doing a non-curled version because hot rollers are not my thing, and were not cooperating in the least. Plus my hair is short so I was out of luck.

As far as the outfit goes...Erin, Katie, and I went shopping on Friday in Georgetown but totally failed to find a single thing. Ended up eating Johnny Rockets and going home empty handed. But it was okay!! Because I had a little black dress (yes, every woman should have one) and a green shrug I received from my friend Courtney in Chicago. I had no clue where I was going to wear it when I got it for my birthday, and now I know! It was great, the perfect outfit. Anyway pics...

And now on to class *WOOT WOOT* and a meeting....wait, scratch that and reverse it. hehe

October....already?

2008-10-07T13:29:00.005-04:00

Picture!! (Erin on the left, me middle, and Sarah right)

Erin and I are working together to get a publication out; we have very similar interests and are becoming fast friends. It's awesome meeting new people!

I suddenly realized yesterday that it's October!! How crazy is that, time goes by wayyy too fast. I'm sorry it's taken a bit to update this time; I was studying for an exam that I had yesterday and making sure I was completely caught up in reading. Now I just have the grant reading to do for Dr. Mance and I'll be officially on the right time frame; I am not allowed to fall behind ever! Which reminds me...I'm officially working on two publications as the second author for Dr. Mance andddddd!!!!!! she's allowing this girl Erin and I to work together on a publication of

OUR OWN!! I'm so excited.

Still debating whether I'll have the time to work with Dr. Kearns on a study he's trying to reproduce with pigeons and short term memory. And I'm definitely working under Dr. Fantie on my thesis. BUSY BUSY...

Anyway here are some pictures I've been promising you all for a while:

Our Apartment building from the back (which is actually the front). It's eleven stories, and we're on the second....but our windows are on the other side, sorry.

Our kitchen! It looks small, and well, it is small, but it works just fine for two people. That's Laura at the stove.

Our apartment living room from a corner. The tv and Laura's door is on the right, and my room's door is on the left where you can't see. The doors you can see go to the front door and the laundry..hehe

This is a picture of part of the campus, including one of the buildings I have class in.

This is Hurst Hall, I have research psychology methods in this building...in the basement. But they are all beautiful buildings.

Pictures from James' graduation!! I ran across when unloading my camera..hehe

Improv Everywhere

2008-09-25T10:54:00.004-04:00

So I heard about this through a friend. Thinking about being in one of them, they do improv events all the time. Check out the website by clicking on the title...this is my favorite.

Weekend Getaway

2008-09-22T16:04:00.006-04:00

Sooo picture from that Meet and Greet night at Rumors with my 2010 Psychology MA class (we are so tiny) It's kinda blurry, I'm working on getting a better picture up soon. From the left -- Adrienne, Ali, Erin, Darcy, Amy, Jill, Katie, Sarah, Saundra, Patrick, Brandis, Vera, and ME!

There are about 3 missing from that picture, I believe.

Anyway, this weekend I was in Indy doing an impromptu birthday visit to my mom. Came in on Friday at about 5pm and went straight to dinner at La Hacienda (with live music from middle-age rockers, it was kick-butt wicked) then on to see the movie "The Women" - the third remake!!

First was in 1939, then one named 'The Opposite Sex' in 1956, now this one with an awesome female cast. It proved to be a great remake. My mom and I laughed to the point of almost peeing multiple times, eww gross. It had sad moments but for the most part was great and truly showed the ups and downs of life and dealing.

Then on Saturday my mom, James, and I hit the DSW shoe sale for her birthday gift. She got these snazzy ballet flats and a pair of soft spot clogs; they are so awesome I also got a pair. If you've never worn a softspots shoe you are seriously missing out. They feel like you're wearing just socks when you're actually wearing heels!!

Then on to cheesecake factory for delicious-can-only-eat-half-a-piece cheesecake which gave us the energy to go to Kohl's and shop some more. I got a new purse and earrings there and replaced my wallet that has seen it's last dollar.

Oh, and I also got a pair of strappy white heels. Did I mention I have a shoe problem?? I do, there it's admitted now. hehe

Finally finished off the night with dinner at MacCalister's with Samara and Leila mostly talking about wedding stuff (Samara is getting married for anyone who doesn't know) She has picked a date, which is helpful for Leila and I to plan the bachelorette party and wedding shower, whoohoo for fun times. We are wearing fern colored dresses, although the guys are being stubborn about wearing champagne so I think Samara is trying to get them to agree on something besides blue...lol.

And now I should study for the Stats exam that's on Wednesday so I'll update soon with more pics, promise.

Daily Craziness

2008-09-18T16:56:00.004-04:00

So today was nuts. Started it off with waking up to Laura in the kitchen making coffee...AT 4:30am!!!! She was up because she needed to complete a memo for her boss, or something. Didn't really fall asleep after that, so read for fun instead woot woot. Then at 8am had to drive Laura to Georgetown for a class that was rescheduled at that very inconvenient time. She would have driven herself, but I had a dentist appt. at 9:30 and needed to car to get to it.

Anyway...then I proceeded to get lost going back to the apartment because from 7am to 9am you can't make any left turns off of the road I was on. Of course, that was the direction I needed to go, and when I finally turned and got going the right direction I was in the middle of nowhere. Took me an hour and a half to figure out how to get back the direction I needed to go, and I managed to walk into the dentist appt. only 2 minutes late.

Dentist was an emergency of course; I needed a filling replaced that had fallen out on Sunday. He was awesome though, and only charged me half the actual price he usual charges because I paid with cash. Again, greatness!

THEN.....Went to class; that was calm. Had a meeting afterwards with Dr. Bryan Fantie. This is the professor I may be working on my thesis with (now) because the person I originally wanted is not available. He is great though; he is willing to work with me and make sure I am working on a research project I find interesting and have the opportunity to work on numerous other projects to get experience. After my meeting with Dr. Fantie I had a meeting with Dr. Kearns about SA (Self-administration) techniques. He is going to show me how to perform brain surgery on rats, and apparatus connection techniques. It's invaluable experience, so I'm thrilled he's willing to teach me.(That's Dr. Fantie in the red shirt, in the picture)

And now I'm craving pizza so we're going to Ledo's Pizza down the street. It's slowly working it's way to becoming one of my top pizza places. Yum Yum they're white pizza is delicious.

PICS!!! But not of DC, sorry....

2008-09-14T12:57:00.007-04:00

So when trying to load my camera's pictures, I happened onto graduation pictures. I thought I'd share them just for the heck of it.

~~~~~

This is Laura and I right before the graduation ceremony out on our back porch, at the old apartment. (We kinda miss our pseudo backyard)

This is my dad and I at Panera Bread (the second best sandwich place next to MacCalister's due to their greek salads) Notice my nicely straightened hair...hehe....took me wayyyy too long to do, and yet somehow I do it almost 3 times a week now.

Gram and I during the Religious Studies Honors Ceremony; my parents, gram, and James got to meet my teachers and other Honors Students. They gave us our stoles for GPA and such, and presented papers that were well-marked or published. I got one in the Religious Studies annual competition -- 3rd place, woot woot. It was on the divergence of Medicine and Religion. (Probably only fascinating to me...hehe)

My family standing in the dedication chapel after the Religious Studies Ceremony, we had a great time; I'm so glad they all were there.

My family and I after the Big LONGGGGG Graduation Ceremony. I was so windy we were having trouble holding our hair and clothes long enough for a picture. I lost my cap at least 4 times and had to take off my shoes to stay balanced in the wind.

My mom and dad, and I braving the wind in the parking lot for a graduation picture. I had the realization from this picture that both my parents have grey hair, and I love it. I absolutely love the fact that my parents are older and wiser and still looking good!!

And finally a pic, also in the wind although trying to hide behind a tree, with my dad and gram. I"m holding onto my clothes...lol

Red Underwear

2008-09-14T12:42:00.002-04:00

Yes, that's right. After years and years of doing my own laundry I managed to finally turn a whole load of white into pinks. The culprit....a red pair of underwear. The greatest part of this story is that I have washed the same red pair many many times before and never had that happen; who knows what I did wrong this time. But lucky for me, and Laura my roommate, I now have a bunch of pink underwear and she now has two pairs of pink socks. Woohoo! Did I mention neither one of us likes pink?

Beyond that, I have taken some pictures and will post them as soon as possible. Some of my apartment, school, and a meet and greet thing I went to on Friday night. All the people in my program, minus one who couldn't make it, went out for a happy hour get together at a place called "Rumors." It's in Dupont. (Yes, by Dupont Circle, which even walking I managed to get lost on for 45 minutes) Our numbers have dropped since orientation, we now only have two guys...and about 15 women. We originally had 20 in the program. It's an intense program so I hope the rest of us stick it out. So far getting close to everyone is really helping that possibility. We all feel like we can depend on each other somewhat to keep each other on track.

I am still looking for a thesis advisor; it's a lot harder than you'd think when your interests are specialized. But I have time, and I am seriously talking to a woman named Caroline Weissbrod -- she works in child clinical psychology, so it would be a perfect match as an advisor. I am doing research currently under Dr. Mance, but currently she is not allowed by the university to take on thesis students because of funding. Hopefully if Dr. Weissbrod doesn't take me, Dr. Mance will get the okay in the future. Both work in stress and coping with a focus on children and adolescents, which is exactly where I want to be to prepare for child advocacy and child psychology.

And I just realized it is almost ONE in the afternoon and I still haven't showered and got moving. Must do that and get some more laundry done.

Pictures to come, I promise!!

Q and A

2008-08-31T10:09:00.002-04:00

So Aunt Rita wanted to know what it's like living in DC with elections looming. Basically, it's the same as everywhere else. Except!! When you're eating in an everyday restaurant and see a heavy politician! It's like seeing a celebrity...lol....you have to call the people you know and then ponder what/who they may have been talking about. My school has speeches and conferences going on pretty constantly right now because it's one of the biggest academic arenas in the area. I plan on getting into one or two of those; I'm sure it will get crazier the closer it comes to election.

Not sure on who's republican, democratic, or independent in my readers, but I'm an Obama gal right now. And I can't believe that McCain picked the governor from Alaska. I believe it was a poor choice, that he was hoping would bring Clinton supporters over to the republican ticket. Unfortunately for him, I think it just insults those democratic Clinton supporters, and confuses those Republican supporters who wanted experience (as she's 2 years Obama's junior, and not nearly as many years in service).

First Week Done

2008-08-29T18:23:00.003-04:00

WOOHOO (screaming football game yell) It was awesome; the first week that is. I'm taking Psychological Research, Behavioral Neuroscience of Addiction, and Statistics. Already tons of reading, but it's wicked awesome reading (only things I'm fascinated by which always makes things more interesting). First day was mostly a debate about the ethical or unethical nature of using animals such as rats for research. Not the happy go lucky research, but rather the inject them with cocaine type research. Was interesting, and great to get in a class with people who are all different with different interests, yet all very similar in passion. Second day followed the theme with a debate about the definition of addiction (aka is it a brain disease, does it exist at all, a purely mental existence, etc, etc). That same day was also statistics, which I've had two classes in already so it was quite boring...but at least it's only once a week and I'm done with it after this semester. (silly required for all classes)

ANDDDD....I got the position!!!! The position with Dr. Gishawn Mance. I'll be working on a study/publication based out of Baltimore and Chicago that looks at the effects of low-income, low-education, and low-healthcare availability to inner city drop-outs (between the ages of 14 and 20. Mostly this work will concentrate on determining if psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, etc) prevalent with these groups is mediated by hopelessness, and whether a lack of education and medical attention or awareness thereof contributes to this. I'm also interested in whether longitudinally this increases or decreases with second generation children of parents in programs of intervention.

I'm totally EXCITED!!

I'm also working on getting some pics up for you all. As soon as I do, they'll be up I promise.

Oh and the money thing worked out, after pulling "a Resa Mom thing." Which is basically when I refuse to back down and walk away when no one is giving me an answer that I really need. Generally the front desk staff in the offices get scared and defensive, but hey it's my money not theirs so it's important that I don't give up.

Hmm more to come...for now the pot roast is beeping at me!

Money

2008-08-22T20:21:00.002-04:00

This is ridiculous!! I absolutely hate the system that colleges seem to have set up for student accounts. They lose money, they can't find money, they have no idea who their lenders are, and then they expect you to be okay with them saying it's just a fluke in the system. Well sorry, but the kind of money it takes to go to school out of state should not be subject to flukes!!

Ok, rant over. Basically the loans I have/need are not showing up in my account. I talked to the financial aid people; they said it's there and will show up next week when the IT problem is taken care of. The problem I have is that I can't apply for a loan refund until they fix that problem even though my money is there. Point being it's MINE! lol....anyway second rant over. I'm alone for the weekend because Laura went home for her mom's birthday and her anniversay. She and Brandon have been together 5.5 years! Crazy huh. And no they're not getting married for at least 2 years, but he's supposed to be asking her this spring (per the plan that I am a part of -- woot woot) She doesn't read this so it's ok!

I am still talking to one of the professors about working with her this year. She is leaving after a year but I love the work she is doing, so I'm excited just the same. I will give more info on that if it progresses. If it does I have the very real possibility of working and contributing to at least 3 different publications. AKA WOO HOO.

Finally, in this crazy time. The silly toilet clogged. Not a normal clog fixed with a plunger. Oh NO it is a crazy clog caused by our neighbors toilet! Pleasant. At least it doesn't smell..just can't use the toilet in my room for a bit. It's ok though because we have two! Yup two. It's awesome.

Ok loves ciao

Second....or maybe Third Try

2008-08-19T18:47:00.002-04:00

OK guys. I know I basically fail at the blogging thing. But I'm doing a lot of changing right now and blogging is a goal.

So to start off. As some of you know I am attending American University in Washington, DC this fall. I am "officially" a general Pschology graduate student, but what that really means is I'm a psychology graduate with a focus in whatever I want. As those who know me well know I loveeee working with kids, so my focus is Child and Adolescent clinical psychology. I'll be working with a couple different professors and still waiting to find out if I got a position with a professor Dr. Mance who works with inner-city adolescents and cultural image and identity. I would be totally PSYCHED!!! if I got that position (hehe..pun). Three classes, which is a huge change from what I've been doing in undergrad, but the classes are significantly more involved (aka 3.5+ hours per class just for the actual class time) I have five books I'm supposed to basically memorize before next summer for the cumulative exam that allows the psych grad students to graduate. I am so excited!! It's still a bit daunting sometimes.

Last week I had orientation with the other students in my program...20 total students this year out of the total 400+ applicants, so I'm basically very very thankful for the opportunity to be at this school. The director of the program said quote: "no crying in my office at the end of this semester about not having a thesis topic picked yet......at the end of the second semester you may cry, but not until then!!" He cracked me up, he thinks he's going to be on estrogen overload with this year's class (there are only 3 guys out of the 20 of us). He also said quote: "You aren't allowed to get C's, but if you do get one C don't flip out just work on it, but you may NOT NOT NOT get two C's; if you do I have to fight to keep you in the program and two C's doesn't convince me you should be here.....three and God help you if you come to my office"

He is truly a nice guy, so hopefully I won't have to go to office about bad things.

Laura (my roommate I've had already for a year) is going to Georgetown, which is just a few blocks from my school, so we decided we should live together again. We already know how we function with each other, and have a system down and similar budget. So we moved here at the beginning at August; technically we live in Bethesda, MD but it's the south side of Bethesda right on the border of DC (literally I can walk two blocks and be in DC) It's a nice area, safe and easy to commute from. We have a grocery store across the street so shopping is easy and a great pizza place about a 8 minute walk. Biggest change...lol....they don't sell liquor in grocery stores. Neither Laura or I drink very much, but they don't even sell Mike's hard lemonade!! I mean geez o pete. I won't even tell you guys how much rent is, it still shocks me. We got furniture when we got out here, it's super comfortable and way worth the money we spent.

Hmm, I will try to get some pictures up soon of the apartment and the area around here.

And I will try very hard to actually keep this updated at least every few days (3-4) I promise!!!!

Loves
Gail

Falls on the floor with dust rising up

2007-11-14T08:59:00.001-05:00

Ok so I realize I have been MIA for a good long time now, please forgive me. But just so you know, it was for good causes I swear. First news, after a couple weeks of anxiety and all the joys that come with that word, I finally took the GRE and....GOT a 1300! Yay... So that stress out of the way I looked back at school and realized that yes, I still had to complete this semester with good grades and not lose my cool in the process. Where is that cool anyway?
Working my way through classes, funny enough the classes I anticipated loving I actually truly dislike and the classes I thought were going to be boring have actually been fascinating. Funny how that works sometimes. Rundown of classes for this semester:

Evangelical America: This is by my all-time favorite professor and I absolutely adore it!!

Friendship, Benevolence, and Love: This has been interesting, not what I expected but definitely not a waste. We concentrate on different philosophical views of love and benevolence throughout the ages, with a strong focus on how religion plays a role in it.

Human Memory: hmmm....also not what I thought. I anticipated loving this class, but have come to find it dull. The material is interesting, I suppose, but the professor is crazy and not in the good way. I am beginning to believe you have to be crazy to teach in the Psych department.

Media and Religion:BAD BAD and Good.....yes there is a good in it. The material, the material is interesting, if you are taking a social anthropology class on south-central Africa, otherwise not so much. The class description implied an interesting look into the way religion has been turned into a commodity in current day. We just NOW, in November, got into that. Until now it's been completely out of the realm of the students taking the class (as we are all either religious studies or journalism majore) The professor has a very thick accent and teaches like we already understand, frustrating to say the least. Funny though, somehow I'm doing well in that class which after the first lecture I was not anticipating.

Social Psychology: I LOVE this class and I don't think it's necessarily the material, but the professor makes it so much better. He is very unique and fun to listen to. Just goes to show, a good Professor makes all the difference in the world.

SO that's all my classes...going on. I am now thinking, as in the last month that I may go into Speech and Hearing Pathology for grad school. Works with kids everyday, all kinds of kids, plenty of jobs, and interesting. So there ya go. But now the issue is actually getting into a school. Because of premed awfulness my GPA is not as high as I'd like it to be, may end up taking a year of working and classes working toward that grad degree before actually getting into a school, but we'll see. Right now, I still need a third recommendation for applications.

WOW...okay, my apologies for my lack of appearance in the past 6 months

2007-09-19T08:43:00.001-04:00

So as I'm sure you all assume, I've been ridiculously busy, but also just forgot I even had a blog. It is now time to catch you all up.
I am finally in the last year of school, at least for undergrad work. I still have barely an inkling as to what i wish to do for the rest of my life; the only thing I 100% do know is that i want to work with kids, meaning the whole under 18 population. Right now i'm thinking that will include me getting my masters and then either working or getting an education certificate and teaching; I think I would love either.
Besides that, this semester I am taking 3 religion classes and 2 psych classes and next semester will be basically the same. I have the opportunity to see the Dalai Lama in October and I am beyond excited!!
homework calls my name....

Today I've made 3 blogs....wierd, I know

2007-02-08T17:38:00.000-05:00

So everyone I know on this blog tagged me, therefore I must answer. I have to list six weird things about myself. The me tagging six others won't work because they all tagged me, but I hope you all enjoy this.

1. I must be able to see out both a window and a door from my desk and bed...i won't sit there very long otherwise.
2. I would rather sit in a towel for over an hour than get dressed.
3. I have a group of moles on my right arm that look like the big dipper...imagine how bored i was to figure that one out..
4. I like adrenaline rushes....bungee jumping, sky-diving, roller coasters, you name it i'll do it
5. I'm terrified of injections...but don't mind needles...
6. I can put a foot behind my neck and hold my breath for almost 2 minutes....probably not at the same time though....*giggles*

and if my mom ever reads this she is tagged!
and 7. my mom doesn't have a belly-button but i do *grins*

hehe

2007-02-08T14:15:00.000-05:00

Okay...my mom now has a blog....she probably hasn't looked at it yet, but she has one....*giggles*

Here's the address: http://resarobertson.blogspot.com/

School, work, school, work.....wait, is that all i do?

2007-02-08T13:14:00.000-05:00

Apparently, yes, that is my life. The highlight to my weekend.....wait for it....wait for it.....WORK! That's right, I spent Saturday night and Sunday night at work with a computer that made us stay 3 extra hours just to input the money collected and food shortages and such that usually takes 15 minutes. So bleeeeeh.

But Friday was good. Went into work like I normally do on Fridays, because I've been scheduled every Friday night since I started...but about five minutes into work my manager comes over and says: "Gail, you're not on the schedule tonight, i checked twice, you can go home." Strange...i know, she was as surprised as I. SOO, i called Ashley, one of my amazing friends who sometimes drives me to and from work and asked if she was busy cause i was feeling generous. We decided to eat Chipotle and go see "Because I said so"....great movie by the way, i recommend it to everyone...

My room is a disgusting mess, we're not sure what happened, but it has...maybe a tornado or hurricane, look to be updated on this situation.

I know this is the most random blog entry, please bare with me. My brother's birthday was yesterday and I'm going home this coming weekend to see him and hang. He wants to go iceskating, which is cool and i'm looking forward to it. WOOT WOOT

NOTE: I plan to get pictures where my brother is smiling, in the near future....look for updates on this quest for the smile.

Catch up of Christmas and other such greatness...

2007-01-30T16:57:00.000-05:00

SOOO....I have failed in blogging my life. Yes, I know, it is a horrible tragedy. But, on the upside, you all get pictures now. First of all, over Christmas I and my family went to visit all my greatest cousins, Aunt, and Uncle and all those little-uns that seem to be attached. WHO I LOVE AND ADORE!! They are all getting so big and cute and developing great personalities...kudos to the cuz's for making this happen. Anyway...here they are: we have Sydney, Mackenzie, Brennan, and Micah...woot woot for being such awesome youngins!!

And of course there was my BIRTHDAY!! I believe that deserves another woot woot....especially to my friends that came up/down/sideways to spend it with me. I love you guys! My mom in her awesomeness also went with us to PF Changs for one of the nights, bought me my first cosmopolitan *winks to mommy*. We found out that pictures taken while the camera is upside down are actually better! I'm dead serious, try it...something about the flash not hitting all the grooves of your features or something (thank you Samara for enlightening us) I will post those before and after pictures later due to my computer being a butt-monkey.

Then there was the HAIRCUT!! That's right...12 inches gone....all gone. Although going to a great cause, i do miss it, and it's ease to fix in the morning. But alas, showering everyday sometimes twice is great fun....*smiles sarcastically*

I'm not dead, I promise...

2007-01-29T00:17:00.000-05:00

Life has been crazy these past few weeks. If I thought taking only 14 hours this semester would decrease my stress and workload, I was wrong. I have basically been able to go to class, work, and sleep...(although that last one not so much as the other two) Had a wierd case of insomnia the past few weeks coupled with a bad sinus infection and cold for the past week. Finally caught up on some sleep a few days ago and am now almost back to normal.
I also, as some of you know, got a new roomie (due to the fact that my old one is in Chile!!) She is nice, sorority-like (not necessarily in a bad way), and a freshman. All in all, we're good as roomie's, although neither one of us is here that often.
NEW UPDATE: I am looking at the final apartment on our search next weekend!! It is between this one and one other that Laura and I will be living in next year...wish us luck on a good choice. By the way, if I haven't mentioned Laura, she is one of my best friends down here...currently she is in DC on an internship, so it's up to me to make the final decision on the living.....AHHH! Although I will have another friend and her boyfriend with me when looking at them, just to make sure I stay unbiased...lol
I'll post pictures of the one we pick later.

MCAT studying is going hard, still haven't decided if I actually want to be a doctor yet, though....but I will be deciding soon.

I've also been volunteering at the boys and girls club here in Bloomington, makes me soo happy to play and tutor the kids....I swear they think of new non-words everyday to describe things....for instance: mathradical...
sooo not a word but it works for math that's cool....
Anyway, I'll post again soon I promise, with pictures from Christmas time and all *smiles*

Sooo...it's been a crazy week...

2007-01-25T20:43:00.000-05:00

It's been three weeks in school now, and craziness has ensued. And tomorrow i'll fill you guys in on why that is....loves all

Ben Folds!!

2006-11-09T17:15:00.000-05:00

Tonight at the IU Auditorium, Ben Folds in concert!!!! Crazy-excited is me right now. I am excited to sing, dance, jump, and cheer!! It should prove to be a good break from the burnt-out feeling I'm gettting due to school work.

I also thought I'd post some random pictures of friends and such ... don't really know why but do I really need a reason?

This is a photo taken of my friend Priya and Liz when we were just being normal....if you can believe that!! The picture captures each of our personalities perfectly. Liz is my roommate by the way, she's going to Chile next semester; I will miss her, but YAY for her. That deserves a WOOT WOOT!

Then the other pictures are pictures of the kids that went with me to Brazil this past summer. That's me and Keith down below, Laura (Lowda) and Heather on the right....it was such a good time.

2006-11-08T11:42:00.000-05:00

Finally decided to post about Halloween weekend and such... That weekend I went to Chicago to visit one of my best friends, Courtney, who's up there studying musical theatre at Columbia College..I love her to pieces!! Anyway, while up there we saw a musical put on by her school called The Appletree which is a parody about temptation in Eden, Rome, and in modern life...it was freakin' awesome!! and hillarious. Such a great idea Court!! Kudos to you. Then we went to eat at this great place that for some reason I can't remember the name of but it had the best malts. Then walking around Chicago we decided to go see Marie Antoinette. Absolutely fabulous, definitely one of my top 5 currently in recent movies.

Anyway, crazy story of the weekend was that on the train ride back to Indy, the car in front filled with smoke for no apparent reason, so we were stopped for 3 hours in the middle of night not sure if we were on fire or what. Great story short, I got into Indy at approximately 5AM!! My poor mother, I LOVE YOU for everything but especially for being there (James is also awesome, but I'm pretty sure he was asleep in the car). Got home, all was good, and now I'm here two weeks from Halloween and talking about it.

Oh!! and I have 3 uncarved pumpkins sitting by my dorm room because my roommate and I wanted to carve them but suddenly ran out of time, but we refuse to waste perfectly good carving pumpkins!!!!!

2006-11-07T20:45:00.000-05:00

I've been sick since yesterday with some sort of bug...not sure quite yet exactly. But I did sleep 13 hours last night, lucky for me my Portuguese professor understood. My mom says Zycam is the way to go but I can't find it in the stores in any other form but the nasal spray, which I hate and won't take....so any recommendations?

Anyway...I was just sitting hear trying this "new" idea of mind over matter, imagining myself well and completely happy when I suddenly thought of my Aunt Carroll. The reason I thought of her is because she has been ill for a while yet whenever I see her she is trying her best to be happy and seem carefree. She has always been this way, regardless of pains or annoyances she is always making the best of life. Good Job Auntie!!!!

And well...while going through pictures to find one I liked of Aunt Carroll I also found this one of Brennan. I'm not sure if you have it or not, Allison, but I thought you'd like it. I think it's adorable and makes me think how much I can't wait to see the boys. I hope I see you guys soon!!

Ohhhh! And awesomeness! My Religion, Illness, and Healing professor nominated me for the Religious Studies Essay contest in the Spring, entering in an essay I wrote for her class; I am sooo excited and honored!!!

AND I think I've convinced my mom to start a blog...which means it will be up during Thanksgiving because she needs my help to start one. But YAY!! More connections are good.

Randomness

2006-11-06T13:43:00.000-05:00

Great weekend!! Doesn't the face convey excitement? And by that I mean I did absolutely nothing I didn't want to do...yay! Let me detail it for you. On Friday I worked till 11pm, great fun let me tell you (for anyone who doesn't know, I work at Fazoli's while I'm in Bloomington); then on Saturday I slept in - first time in quite a while, then went to BW3s for lunch, got caught up on homework, and then went to dinner with Liz and her boyfriend at Laughing Planet (Liz is my roommate, by the way). Later that night I went out with friends from Fazoli's and had a great time with a cute little boxer puppy. Sunday I slept in AGAIN!! and then went to work till 9pm and afterwards went and saw "The Guardian" which was ohhh so good but very sad. So now after this amazing weekend I am back to routine. Portuguese class today was supposed to have a quiz so I got up super early to study, however when I got to class she had moved it to Thursday, "yay" but slightly annoyed. My Ancient Hebrew Texts class got cancelled because the professor was ill so all I have left is Abnormal Psych at 3:30pm.

Now for the exciting stuff.

I just realized I get all of Thanksgiving week off instead of just 3 days due to the fact that my professors all cancelled classes, woot woot! This means I'll be coming home on Monday night of Thanksgiving, I am extremely super duper excited to see the fam and friends in Indy.

I just got a message saying my time on the internet is almost up so I'll post more later....

I love Technology

2006-11-03T11:46:00.000-05:00

I just got done installing my new external harddrive which will allow me to backup my computer so that I can reformat it without losing everything. Considering I have almost 10 Gb of music alone, I am thrilled!

This also means that GUST is finally able to start the film editing process. In the past we had to save everything to discs, which are only about 7 Gb (keep in mind that 15min. of footage is about 5 Gb). I am soooo happy. Talking about the film...GUST had it's first official film footage selection meeting on Wednesday - very productive. We got through almost 8 tapes or 8 hours of footage. It took us about 3 and half hours but it was fun. I love watching everything again and talking about the kids and their antics. There's this one clip where we're all sitting around the first night after getting into town telling what our first thoughts were when we arrived. I said, " I'm walking down a dirt street with luggage....I'm incredibly white." it was very funny....maybe you had to be there...not sure.

I also just finished scheduling my classes for next semester. During this process I realized 3 things: that I could graduate this year with a major in Bio and two minors (by the way this is not what I'm doing), that IU's program for scheduling is obnoxious, and that trying to sign up for labs is crazy when they're at the 400 level because there are only 40 spots that fill up quickly. Oh well...life is life and it involves crazy computer programs.

Random Thought of the Day: "I want to go skydiving!"

Brazil: Summer 2006

2006-11-01T15:34:00.000-05:00

I have received many emails regarding the trip I took with three other students to Brazil this past summer so I have decided to post the website of the blog we kept while there, enjoy!!

http://gust-brazil.livejournal.com/

This journal stopped when we returned to the States, but it is full of great and not so great times. Enjoy
I am trying to post pictures currently but it's not completely working....more to come.

After a long time

2006-11-01T12:16:00.000-05:00

So, after many problems with my last blog site I have decided to switch. This first week might seem a bit scattered do to this, please be patient.