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lucy988
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Name: Abigail
Country: United States
State: Ohio
Metro: Marion
Gender: Female
Interests: Knitting, SWE, Alpha Phi Omega and all of my amazing brothers, school, hanging out with friends, etc.
Expertise: "To be Great is to be Misunderstood."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Occupation: Student
Message: message meEmail: email me
AIM:  abbysname34
Member Since:
10/18/2004
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| Life as it is.Everything has changed so much this year. And not just sophomore year in general either, 2008 has been full of huge changes for me and for the first time in a long time, I'm completely happy with where I am in life.
One of the biggest changes this year was getting accepted into graduate school in January. As a sophomore. I'm so freakin' excited about it there are barely words. Not only for being accepted as a sophomore, but because it's in Saudi Arabia, and they're paying for the rest of my undergraduate degree. This is huge for me. Being able to know that I have some plan for life after Rose makes everything here just a little bit easier, and just a little less stressful. On the other hand, it means I have absolutely no room to mess up my schedule at all, which means I have no room to have a 'bad quarter' so there is a bit more stress and anxiety in that regards, but overall I think it balances out.
Winter quarter ended well, and quickly too. Another quarter on Dean's List, my best quarter so far in fact, and another quarter wishing I'd worked harder last year so my GPA didn't suck quite so much. (It doesn't actually suck, I just wish it were higher)
Spring quarter has just started, but I can tell already it's going to be super busy, both with classes and other activities.
That's life right now.
BTW, Across the Universe is an amazing movie with an even more amazing soundtrack.
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| A Change is Gonna Come (Iowa Caucus) Thursday night was the Iowa caucus and to be honest before then I'd never watched it, never thought too much about it, and didn't even know how a caucus works. Aside from the fact that the democratic caucus is completely public, I think it may actually be better than regular polling, at least for smaller population states like Iowa. It would be very difficult I think to try and pull of something like that in any larger city especially NYC or LA simply due to the abundance of people. Nevertheless, what I did see I was very impressed with. The only thing I really have a problem with deals with CNN and other major news media. After 15% of the Republican precincts had reported, CNN was ready to declare Mike Huckabee the winner. 15%! I wouldn't bet my pocket change only knowing 15% of the information, and even though, in the end Huckabee did win for the Republicans and the percentages changed very little from when only 15% were reporting, it's still shocking that the news media was ready to call it so early. It definitely brings up the feeling of -if you've already decided how does what I say matter-. Even more impressive than the actual process itself, was hearing the candidates speak after/before the results were announced.
The only candidates CNN showed speaking were Clinton, Edwards, Obama, and Huckabee.
Huckabee was overall gave a good speech, but I agree with very little -if any- of the Republican platform so I wasn't really a fan. I am impressed, however, with his ability to win over Romney who spent so much more time and money in Iowa. Makes me feel good that every now and then America can't be bought.
Clinton’s speech was my least favorite of the three democratic candidates, and mainly for the reasons I haven't been drawn to her in the past. I would say the most used word in her speech tonight was 'I'. In past years, this hasn't bothered me much with other candidates, but this year is so different what with Edwards and Obama. Clinton's focus on 'I' just isn't appealing to me, and she really came off tongiht as a bit high and mighty, like somehow she's entitled to the nomination. I'm really glad she's running, I whole heartedly believe it is time for a woman to show what she can do as President, but I don't think Clinton is that woman. In her favor, she did hit on three of the issues I find most important: education, college funding, and the environment. Despite this, I don't believe this makes up for her lack of ability to relate on a deeper level with the people.
John Edwards' speech was the first one CNN showed, and he certainly knows how to speak in front of a crowd. I was thoroughly impressed with almost everything I heard from him. He was energetic, enthusiastic, and really believes, I think, that we can be better than we are. Healthcare was the big issue he talked about this evening, and even though some of the personal stories he talked about were probably chosen to play on the emotions of America, I'm ready to say that for me it worked. But then again, I didn't need to hear terrible stories about how health insurance companies have screwed the people and how people can work their entire lives and still live in or near poverty to be convinced that healthcare should be universal and free, and that poverty is a preventable travesty in America. My favorite part of his speech was his emphasis on leaving America a little better than it was for your generation. He mentioned this in regards to healthcare, education, and the environment to name a few, and again, it's something I didn't need convinced to believe.
After hearing Edwards' speech, I wasn't sure how Obama could really match my expectations, but alas, he did beyond what I thought capable. A campaign of hope, change, and issues. I haven't been following the election campaigns as much when I'm at school, so Thursday was the first time I heard Obama speak publically since about October, but what difference that time has made. He has really developed into a great public speaker, all be it a very different kind of speaker than Edwards. His way and manner of speaking is not only impressive but is refreshing. I actually wanted to keep listening. He in so many ways seems to be the antithesis to Clinton. He doesn't some across as high fluting, just humble, and genuinely interested in bringing about a long overdue change not only in the Presidency, but in the government in general. He has passion that politics hasn't seen, in I don't know how long, and it's genuine. His whole speech literally gave me goose bumps. He actually makes me believe that hoping for a better future isn't silly or childish, but truly and realistically possible. As an idealist at heart, this makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Probably my favorite quotation from Obama’s speech:
“in the face of impossible odds people who love their country can change it.”
Which I've learned from browsing Google, that Obama's said this in the past. It's on a coffee cup.
Another quotation from Obama's speech, which you can read in full here:
"Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have the courage to remake the world as it should be."
I'm looking forward to the New Hampshire debates on later tonight, to see how Iowa has shaken things up in the world of politics.
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| How Far We've ComeIt's now the start of a new year, and with a new year comes so much potential. A clean slate, a chance to start over, or even a chance to keep things as they are. For me it will be a little bit of a clean slate and a little bit of continuance.
I've spent some time looking back at all of the entries I've written since I started college a year and a half ago and I've changed in so many ways, and even grown up a bit (gasp)! One of the comments I made during the summer before my freshman year is one I'd forgotten about. After spending about 4 hours of the early, early morning doing homework that was due when I arrived at school, I mentioned that if Rose was like that all the time, I was going to love spending 4 years at Rose. Looking back on that comment, I either didn't understand anything or I was afflicted with a touch of the crazies. These days I long for the days when everything can be finished by 11 or 12 at night, and when I do actually achieve this, it's a great accomplishment in my book. I love staying up late as much, if not more than most, but staying up for the sake of staying up late, or because I've procrastinated honestly sucks.
I also believe that over the last year and a half, all of the bad whatever between my parents and myself has subsided a bit, but is still heavily present. A lot of this has I believe to do with the fact that they can't accept that I'm becoming an adult, whether they like it or not. Part of it also comes from a sincere lack of understanding about what life at Rose is. Mom thinks I complain about how hard life is and how terrible school is, but I don't think she really comprehends what it means to be at Rose. And I know this sounds awful, but I don't think it's something you can understand unless you've been here at Rose. I know I didn't understand it when I first came, and am starting to understand it more and more, but not completely. Not yet anyway.
Since it's the new year and all, I've been thinking about a few resolutions or goals for this upcoming 365 days.
1. I want to learn more about investing and work towards setting aside more of my earnings for investment. This probably seems like an unusual goal for a college student, but investing is something I've been doing for awhile now with some really great advice from my parents financial manager, but I really think it's time that I start understanding more about where I'm putting the money I'm saving for down the road. I already know that I'm planning on adding whatever money I get back from taxes into my Roth IRA, but soon I've got to decide how to invest this money, and I want to be able to make an educated decision.
2. Going along with resolution/goal 1, I want to take a serious look at my current finances, what I'm earning, what I'm spending, and what's left over. I want to know if I'm spending too much in some specific category, like late night trips to Wal-Mart, or if I'm on track with where I want to be.
3. This one might be a bit harder, but absolutely no more yarn buying until I've seriously depleted my stash. It's currently occupying an American Eagle shopping bag, a cloth hamper, and a red plastic crate. Way too much for someone trying to live in a dorm room! And way too expensive to buy more when I've got so much already. I really don't want to end up being the person who collects yarn for the sake of collecting yarn, so yarn fasting will be a good thing I think.
4. Do some brainstorming/planning/researching and find some more ways to make myself more green in 2008. I've really only started learning about what it means to be green since September, but it fits so perfectly into the core of who I am and what I believe that I can't believe I didn't find it sooner. I already know one way I'm going to be more green this year; take all of mom's old electronics to the electronic recycling that Indiana University is having when we get back to school. Good for the environment and it clears some stuff out of the basement. | | |
| HalfwayWell, I'm just over halfway through Christmas break, and honestly I
cannot wait for it to be over. I've watched so much TV and movies that
there's not much left in the house to watch. I've knitted three hats
and two scarves as well as started a sock. I've even created a Roth IRA
so that in a million years (40 or so) I can retire. Not bad for just
over a week I'd say, but the only problem is I've still got six more
days to entertain myself until I go back to school. Last night facebook
wasn't working for some reason or another, and I thought I was going to
die just a little.
I know its pretty unusual to find a college
student who would rather be at school doing homework and studying than
be at home doing nothing, but I cannot stand doing nothing. It drives
me mad.
Christmas turned out pretty well; I got some knitting
needles, yarn, knitting books, Grey's Anatomy apparel and new clothes.
All in all probably my best year as far as stuff I will actually end up
using.
Here are a few mostly unboring things about me!
I study Chemical Engineering and Math at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
I am an environmentalist at heart.
I'm turning 20 soon, and can barely believe it.
I've been investing money since I was 11.
Grey's Anatomy is my most favorite show ever.
I lack a bit of self-confidence most of the time.
Happy reading. | | |
| One dayIs how long it took for the tears and misery to begin once again.
Sometimes I seriously hate Rose and being here.
But it's not like I have anywhere else to go.
So I tolerate and survive.
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