so this is the new year

I could write something long and redundant about 2010 in this space, but I won't. I think if you've been keeping up with my blog, you know that 2010 has been a big year for me. A new chapter at the dawn of a new decade, etc. I think it's been a good one, but I also think it's too early to say that.

The one thing I will say about 2010 is that it taught me a lot about myself. I've grown up a lot this year. I am happy with the person I am (becoming).

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Usually, I'm not one for new year's resolutions. I always forget them after a day or two. I do have a new year's resolution for the blog though- I want to make it more interesting, rather than talking about being cold all the time. Unfortunately, my day-to-day life is rather boring - I sit in an office and read/write all day. But in my free time I'm doing some cool things, so I'll try to write about that. Deal?

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2011. It feels weird in my mouth, like every new year does.

You said, "I'll see you in September"

it's weird to not be at unh today.

Congratulations, You Did It!

Graduating feels a lot like juggling joy and fear and anxiety and pride and excitement and terror and worry and giddiness and loneliness and regret and satisfaction and frustration and hope and need and want and confusion and love and bafflement and sadness and happiness. It's certainly very comforting to know that this isn't my last graduation, which definitely diffused the shock of I AM DONE WITH COLLEGE FOREVER. In 5-7 years I get to do this again... and it will be more surreal then, I'm sure.


HIGHLIGHTS:

• UNH running out of chairs for the graduating class, meaning a 58-minute version of Pomp & Circumstance and a lot of people just standing around while hilarity ensued
• Collopy and I deciding that we probably could have just gone to a store that sold curtains and bought a gold cord... screw you, Honors Convocation, we'll have your 3.2 GPA if you factor in this semester
• The man who was too short for the microphone stand and as a result looked like the microphones were his eyeballs
• The lady who was convinced that the world was going to end tomorrow and it is ALL OUR FAULTS so do something about it! Or be terrorists!!! or something to that effect
• Bert Jacobs, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Optimist, Life is Good Company, throwing frisbees and being awesome (read his commencement speech)
• Not being told that campus runs on a giant fart (see also: Commencement 2009 & the "CE-Yo" of Stonyfield Yogurt)
  
• When COLA was announced, the entire back row of professors in full doctoral robes threw beach balls at us
• UNH Graduation slowly becomes the UNH Folk Festival

I have a bachelor's degree from the University of New Hampshire in English and Linguistics.
That's strange to say. I have a bachelor's degree. Who let that happen?

we're half-awake in our fake empire

moving out for the last time. i loved this room.



(graduation updates coming soon)

i can't bring myself to publish this on facebook yet

which sounds so stupid, but it's true. i have been trying for a little over a week now.

at the end of days

I haven't been doing much as of late. It's nice, actually; now that (nearly) everything is done, I can take a weeklong vacation from doing things. I am mostly spending this time attending assorted Recognitions. Next week I am attending a Senior Celebration for my minor and a reception for people who did undergraduate research. I was also invited to an Affirmative Action reception before graduation to get a stole from the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. Please note that my actual majors - my actual academic concentrations - are not doing anything.

I essentially was awarded for being gay the other day through OMSA's graduation reception- really though. I understand what the motivation behind this was, and I appreciate it, but in reality I was awarded for being gay. I don't do anything, so this is overwhelmingly unnecessary. (Really. Mostly I just sit around and write papers.)

But, at the same time I can't resist anything free... which might make me an immoral person, but to be honest we are inching dangerously close to All-Chicken-Meals at the dining hall, and that is not cool, UNH dining. And many of these receptions are catered.

Q: Heather, what have you been up to, now that you have finished your thesis?

A: My post-thesis life has been rather uneventful.

1. From Tuesday at 12:45 PM until approximately 11 AM on Thursday I put a pause on my life to merely exist without any responsibilities or paper-writing (or, arguably, any thinking).

2. I started applying for jobs. I didn't have a resume until Thursday because there wasn't really a need for one, but now I do! Because I will have a BA, I have decided I was going to avoid working at Wal-mart or whatever, and instead try to get a job that will make me feel like a real person for a while... so I'm applying to be a receptionist/administrative assistant. This process mostly involves re-addressing my cover letter and occasionally mixing up what website I got their job posting from, only to realize AFTER having made a pdf and sending it. That's not especially professional!

3. I saw Girl Talk again. Gregg Gillis puts on one hell of a dance party!


Today is mother's day ... but Mom is currently in London with Dad at a stamp convention. Since I can't really say happy mother's day (my family, as a whole, is very bad at communication sometimes) to her at the moment, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM. you rock.

As we inch closer to graduation, groups are coming out of the woodwork to Celebrate! The other day I got an invitation to a Commencement reception from the Affirmative Action and Equity Office, celebrating me... how do you know about me, Affirmative Action and Equity Office? Apparently tomorrow I am being honored by the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, too; I would like to point out that I don't do anything worthy of merit.