MIA

Well I'm back FINALLY. I thought I'd update all my millions of viewers worldwide with my exciting life.

It's been a busy couple of weeks, as it always turns out to be. My parents were in town for another week this past week and it was really good to see them. I got to admit though, no matter how old I get, I still feel like whenever we're together I'm back in high school. We still get annoyed with each other because of the same things as back then, which I guess will never change haha. I really hope I can swing by this summer to visit, I'm totally out of vacation due to my Eurotrip. I would like to see my family and get a chance to hang out at the cottage again. We'll have to see if it's in the cards...

Speaking of Europe, it's still full steam ahead for September. I'm still a little on the fence about going alone. Me being the bundle of nerves that I am, I hope I can enjoy it without worrying about everything. Everyone says that you meet a lot more people when you're alone since you are kind of forced. That's fine with me! I'm still looking for a travel companion if that's possible, although I know everyone's busy with life. In the meantime, I got my preliminary itinerary set and I'm going to work on finding places to stay, although I still have a lot of time left (What can I say, I'm a planner ;).

Starting in a few weeks I'm going to be a student again! Well, sort of. I'm taking a night class at De Anza once a week. I figured a blow-off class like Popular Culture would be fun. I was so obsessed with school and grades back at Poly I missed out on a lot of fun, so I'm looking forward to not caring about my test scores. I guess I'll still have to try :) Maybe I'll meet some new people too? Being an academic, getting back into the college scene feels nice. I'm still planning on grad school in the next few years, although now I've decided to do a LOT more research on what I want to study. Not to brag, but I'm just good at so many different things that it's hard to figure out my true passion. After doing some research and soul searching maybe I'll be able to figure that out.

Oh yea, Easter's coming up, whoops. That's in...a week? Wow, I totally dropped the ball on that one. I'm used to coloring eggs and having a nice dinner for people, you know, to get together. I can't remember how many times I've done it, but this will probably be the first year off in a while :( I'm hoping maybe I can round up people to still do it, it'd be nice to see everyone again. If you're interested, let me know!

Let's see what else...oh yea, I've decided I really like volunteering. My inclination to help people is finally being put to good use. It's been a great way to meet people from all over the south Bay too. I'd wish I could start a hiking group too, but I still need to amass a bigger encyclopedia of trails before I can do that. Maybe by later this year, I can do that.

Well, I think that's a pretty good update. Work, the book (50 pages at this point), biking, hiking, volunteer work, planning trips (Portland for Memorial Day!), volunteering, taking care of the fish, etc etc etc...as always, I'm way too busy, but that's how I like it!

Feel free to bug me whenever, I'm always looking to chat and stay in touch!

-StM