2nd year of grad school

Not sure how many still follow me here. I'm chronically incapable of posting regularly, so I don't blame deserters :) However, it is the start of a new school year, so I will make a concerted effort to update more frequently.

I spent my second whole day in my new office today. I am now in Lane Hall. It is a much older building than Shanks, one of the original buildings when Tech was first built as a military academy. It used to be a barn apparently...which says nothing about the value of those banished to the office space now inside it. My two office-mates and I actually volunteered to be banished here so that we could have a larger office, our own printer, a window to the actual outdoors, and out own temperature control. Granted, temperature control is limited to opening the window or turning on the window AC unit...but we like the feeling of control regardless.

Classes start officially on the 24th of the month, but orientation events start happening the week prior. I find myself with a full plate even before the semester kicks off, though. I managed to get myself elected both English Graduate Student Organization President and the President of the German Language Club. As a result, I'm organizing much of the English Department's orientation activities, including a social get-together of some kind to welcome all the new students (all 35 of them!).

I'm also continuing to work on my syllabus and schedule of assignments for the two sections of Freshman Composition that I'll be teaching this semester. And my new favorite...my thesis! This is the year of the thesis.

It is also the year of season football tickets! The season kicks off with a Chik-fil-a sponsored game in Atlanta where Tech plays Alabama the first weekend in September. So I shall be traveling to Atlanta to attend the game with friends. After that we gear up to face Marshall the following weekend at home. As soon as I get my first paycheck, I'm going to have to run out and buy a ton of Tech gear to represent :)

So all in all, it's looking like life is about to get pretty crazy. On the horizon though sit a number of possibilities about what I'm doing with my future. At the moment, I'm considering three options. First, I'm applying for a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English at a German high school for next year (Sept.-June). I will also be submitting a small handful of PhD applications. I don't have the schools entirely narrowed down yet, but I'm thinking UNC-Greensboro and UC San Diego are on the list.

Okay well that's it from me for now. Lots of love from Blacksburg!