Grad School

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So I have all my due dates in my planner (usually a huge stress reducer) and it just made it worse. I know that it's ultimately worth the effort and the work and the stress, but I'm not dealing with it well right now.

The PAT grad. school discussion stuff is happening a week from today, so we'll see how it goes with my stress level. I really just need to sit down and figure out who I want to write my recommendation letters and let them know...and figure out which schools need 2 and which need 3 and whose letters go to what school. And then I need to do the applications and statements of purpose and update my resume and fill out funding applications. Gross.

Busy, Busy, Busy

So, it's been a while...but that's mostly because life just hasn't stopped since school started. It's a lovely whirlwind of schoolwork, family obligations, and various responsibilities for extra-curriculars. But it's good stuff. The kind of stuff I thrive on. I missed it this summer.

The only problem is not reading as much fun stuff...and being treated like I'm in high school in my Children's Lit class. But other than that, life's a peach (especially since I haven't even started thinking about grad school apps).

Game One - Giants v. Skins

So, I'm beginning to realize just how much people doubt the New York Giants. The spread for the game tonight was something like 3 1/2 points, which is ridiculous considering the game was the defending national champs against a team that got all but obliterated in every pre-season game this year. Seriously, only 3 1/2 points? In a way, I guess I'm pleased. The G-Men do a fantastic job as the "underdogs." We were discounted from play one last season, and each playoff game of 07 was just another one that we were going to lost. 11 straight on the road is certainly not something to laugh at.

All in all, I thought they did a fairly good job. It would have been nice to see another touchdown or two; the iffy red zone offense has me a little concerned for when we face teams like the Cowboys. Our defense looked fantastic, especially considering our key personnel losses in the off-season and during the preseason games (the former: Wilson, Strahan; the latter: Osi). I have some concerns about the secondary, but I think that should open up a little as everyone gets used to the job shifting that happened since we played the Jets (crossing my fingers here). More pressing to me right now is to see exactly what happened to Kiwi in the last play of the game...it looked like he twisted his ankle underneath a very large Redskin player (don't even get me started on that...) and I'm hoping it wasn't anything too, too serious (but then again the tape from Osi's injury didn't look all that bad either). The biggest concern is the special teams. R.W., at least to me, isn't the best choice on the team to be returning punts and kickoffs. Wasn't it Hixon who ran one back for a td in the preseason? Maybe I'm a little partial, but I really think he should have seen some more return work. Just like Kenny Philips should have been on the field more too (especially during those last few plays where it was almost certain we were going to win).

I'm definitely excited to see what the G-Men pull out of their hats as the season goes on (hopefully, I'll see quite a few games down here -- ESPN Gamecast just doesn't cut it). I'm hoping for a successful, injury-less (or as close as possible) regular season and a long jaunt through the playoffs. Oh, and beating the Cowboys a few times might be lovely too.

Call Me Crazy

I fully recognize that I'm too nice to most people, even those I don't know. I tend to be polite to a fault and, more and more recently, I've been more than willing to give people the benefit of the doubt with a lot of things. But is it really too much to ask to expect common courtesy in return. Just the basic rules of etiquette people...I mean really isn't this supposed to be a school full of southern hospitality and charm. Y'all are getting beat by a crazy northern Yankee.

Dealing

One of my best friends ever will be leaving in about 2 months for a year in Korea with the army, and even though I've known this was happening since May, I'm still very much not okay with it. Greg is honestly like the big brother that I never had. He can call me out when I'm being stupid and can be one of the greatest supporters in the world. With his training and stuff, we haven't seen a whole lot of each other since Fall semester of '07, but I've always known that he was a phone call away...or at the very least, I'd be seeing him within a few months. But this is totally different.

I don't know...I feel selfish. I'm tired of people telling me that it could be worse (which it can be in the future...something I can't even get my mind around right now), but really, I know they're right. But I still know that I'm going to suck at this. I'm trying to get myself ready for this...I know it's coming, and there's no guarantees that he'll be back stateside for very long at all before he gets orders to go someplace else. I know that he is happier where he is than where he'd be if he hadn't gone active duty. But, damn, couldn't he have been stationed someplace closer...someplace where I can afford to visit him. I know I'm whining...he's the one that needs to go and leave his family, and his gf and family will probably be more affected by this... But I also know for sure that I am not ready...and may never be.