Friday, October 28, 2005
The list has been finalized- the list of grad schools I'm applying to, that is. Only three: UPenn, Virginia Inst1tute of Mar1ne Sc1ence (run by W1ll1am & Mary), and SUNY St0ny Br00k. I've emailed back and forth with the Penn and Virginia profs, and talked on the phone with the SB (hehe, not Strong Bad) one. Although the email ones told me that my application would be "very competitive" etc, it was great to hear the one on the phone basically tell me that I was a shoo-in and there was a good chance that I'd win a fellowship for incoming students. It's nice to have that sort of compliment, because I sure don't get much recognition at my current job. And since it would probably be possible to train a monkey to do most of what I do now, it's good to know that all the hard work I put in at Cornell isn't for naught. Penn is my top choice right now because of financial security and proximity to a L0ckheed, but I will visit before I make my final decision.
I am getting over a cold. I took a sick day from work yesterday and was only awake for 8 hours total. It's not too terrible, but it is annoying- mostly sore throat, stuffy nose, and sinus headache.
Last week I made more money working 25 hours at RL than I did in my 39 hours at the station. I guess I can rationalize it that I do get full benefits from the station, but really, shouldn't a Cornell degree be worth a lot more than the ability to put up with jerks and repeat, "For a side dish you can have a baked potato, mashed potatoes, French fries, rice, or vegetables"? My spending habits haven't changed at all, so all my extra money is going toward one of my loans. If I keep earning at this rate, I'll have it paid off in March. 'Course there will still be another, twice as big loan, but it's at a low fixed rate so after March I will probably keep paying the minimum, maybe a little more, and save up a little for a laptop and an emergency fund. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to have taken matters into my own hands and gotten a second job...I'm just trying to focus on the progress I'm making instead of the enormous balance that looms.
They post rankings of all the servers every week to show how everyone's doing with "add-ons": appetizers, drinks (especially alcohol), and desserts. Last week I was 5th out of about 30! :) That's awesome because it must mean that my act as a people person must be working. I am not a natural salesperson, but I am good at pretending to be something that I'm not. My tips have gone up since I started, now that I've got enough practice. In fact, I'm making as much now with 4 shifts a week as I did before with 5.
So, what are everyone's big weekend plans? I'm working. Not dressing up for Halloween this year :( Here, a quick list of all my costumes I can remember, in as good of chronological order as I can give:
Ladybug
Spider
Princess (hee, can you believe it?)
Sylvester the Cat (2 years in a row, maybe 3?)
Jolly Green Giant (I was the tallest kid in my class)
Queen of Hearts
Headless Horseman (Horsewoman? I actually wore a hollowed-out pumpkin)
Farmer (last minute- overalls, plaid shirt, straw hat)
Ghost of Ceasar
11th/12th grade- I forget. Did I dress up? Tess, do you remember?
Spider (again)
Cat (meow)
Bad Fairy (mee-yow!)
Chiquita Banana Lady
I am getting over a cold. I took a sick day from work yesterday and was only awake for 8 hours total. It's not too terrible, but it is annoying- mostly sore throat, stuffy nose, and sinus headache.
Last week I made more money working 25 hours at RL than I did in my 39 hours at the station. I guess I can rationalize it that I do get full benefits from the station, but really, shouldn't a Cornell degree be worth a lot more than the ability to put up with jerks and repeat, "For a side dish you can have a baked potato, mashed potatoes, French fries, rice, or vegetables"? My spending habits haven't changed at all, so all my extra money is going toward one of my loans. If I keep earning at this rate, I'll have it paid off in March. 'Course there will still be another, twice as big loan, but it's at a low fixed rate so after March I will probably keep paying the minimum, maybe a little more, and save up a little for a laptop and an emergency fund. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to have taken matters into my own hands and gotten a second job...I'm just trying to focus on the progress I'm making instead of the enormous balance that looms.
They post rankings of all the servers every week to show how everyone's doing with "add-ons": appetizers, drinks (especially alcohol), and desserts. Last week I was 5th out of about 30! :) That's awesome because it must mean that my act as a people person must be working. I am not a natural salesperson, but I am good at pretending to be something that I'm not. My tips have gone up since I started, now that I've got enough practice. In fact, I'm making as much now with 4 shifts a week as I did before with 5.
So, what are everyone's big weekend plans? I'm working. Not dressing up for Halloween this year :( Here, a quick list of all my costumes I can remember, in as good of chronological order as I can give:
Ladybug
Spider
Princess (hee, can you believe it?)
Sylvester the Cat (2 years in a row, maybe 3?)
Jolly Green Giant (I was the tallest kid in my class)
Queen of Hearts
Headless Horseman (Horsewoman? I actually wore a hollowed-out pumpkin)
Farmer (last minute- overalls, plaid shirt, straw hat)
Ghost of Ceasar
11th/12th grade- I forget. Did I dress up? Tess, do you remember?
Spider (again)
Cat (meow)
Bad Fairy (mee-yow!)
Chiquita Banana Lady
