Candidate #0000 - Post 29

54 days until I start my new job

Song I’m singing right now (yes, I can sing and write at the same time…I’m a woman…women are good at multitasking!): “Anywhere But Here” – Hilary Duff

Student Affairs book I’m currently reading:“Beginning Your Journey: A Guide for New Professionals in Student Affairs” by M. J. Amy and L. M. Reesor (Eds.)


“You’re not a grad student anymore. You’re a professional now.”
This has become my supervisor’s favorite new saying.

I’m definitely not used to thinking of myself as a professional yet. But I have made some progress in regards to “having a life” again. At least, I’ve come up with some goals for the summer. Here they are:

1. Doing some “leisure” Student Affairs reading. I’ve started with “Beginning Your Journey.” I also, just last night, purchased $100-worth of Student Affairs books, mainly ones for working in residence halls and working with student groups. I figured it never hurts to expand my Student Affairs library a little. And now, that it’s the summer, I may actually find some time to read.

2. Getting in shape. I’m not into working out or going to the gym and all that stuff. I used to be in pretty good shape when I was younger because my parents would take me on hiking tours on the weekend or we’d go skiing in the winter, swimming in the summer, etc. But in these past few years, workaholic me hasn’t really done much. So the goal for the summer is to actually utilize some of these Dance Aerobics tapes I bought months ago or go running once in a while.

3. Saying my goodbyes. I’ll be moving 13 hours away from most of my friends in just a few weeks. After undergraduate, I only moved 2 1/2 hours away, but I still lost touch with many of my friends…and rarely saw any of them. I don’t even want to think about what it’ll be like with 13 hours. And besides, I don’t really want to spend my weekends sitting in my apartment doing nothing, so it’s definitely time for some roadtrips and visits.

4. Treating myself to some fun things. I think tomorrow night, I’ll take myself out on a date. Just to explain: I’ve been single for a VERY long time, so a few years ago, I decided that just because I’m not seeing anyone, doesn’t mean that I have to miss out on fun dating activities. So once in a while, I take myself out to dinner (yes, it takes some getting used to, but if you go to a low-key restaurant and bring a good book, eating by yourself can actually be very nice) and a movie (again, it just takes some practice and soon you’ll stop feeling weird about going by yourself). And if I really want to spoil myself, I’ll stop for some ice cream on the way back.