My Week in Review

I’ve had this most recent week on my radar for a while, knowing it was going to be challenging.  It was the last week of the current term at school (“exam week” which is a misnomer since it’s mostly papers and presentations that are due) and work has been picking up lately.  So let me recap for you what I accomplished this week, and what’s on tap for the weekend which is keeping me going this early Friday evening.

·         This week I completed the following for school:

o   3 group papers for a total of 45 pages that were compiled in coordination with 13 other group members.  Refer to my entry on September 8^th (here for my feelings on the group work in my program.

o   2 presentations consisting of 40 minutes of presenting and 20 minutes of Q&A with the audience.

o   1 final exam consisting of 10 1-page essay answers (hand-written because my professor is a dinosaur and wouldn’t let us type and submit electronically).

·         At work I completed 2 presentation slide decks for the CEO consisting of 28 power-point slides.  I wonder why she finds what I have to say so interesting :P

·         I attended 2 social functions – a group dinner with former colleagues from The Limited and a “spouse” happy hour with work peeps which Anissa attended.  I think this was the first time Anissa was back in Reynoldsburg since her short stint at McGraw Hill.  It took her about an hour to get from her work to mine, but it was still a lot of fun J

·         Drove enough the last 5 days to go through the 16-ish gallons of gas in my car.  Not cool.

So what’s on tap for the weekend?  While new classes do start back next week, I don’t have anything to complete for them (yet).  So I have big plans to relax and catch up on sleep.  My family knows I am a sleeper, so if any of you are reading this you know how painful it is for me to be consistently running on 5-6 hours of sleep.  Also, tomorrow Anissa and I are going to the OSU-Rutgers game with her Aunt and Uncle who came in from New Jersey.  I am very excited and have been looking forward to this for months!  To cap off this entry, I am predicting a Buckeye victory with a score of 41-24!  O-H!

 

5 Things I Take for Granted

The last several weeks have been very hectic for me.  I have been struggling to get everything done without rushing through or forgetting things; at the same time, I know I need to allow myself the luxury of slowing down and relaxing once in a while.  In an effort to shift my mindset, this week I tried to think through a few things I take for granted, and to recognize some positive things I often look past.

1.       Recently my cruise control button in my car broke.  I didn’t realize how much I relied on it until it was gone.  Now that it’s back, I am so thankful to have that feature in my car.  Given that I spend 2+ hours in my car on school days, it’s nice to be able to take the foot off the gas once in a while.  I also forgot how hard it can be to maintain a consistent speed without that feature.

2.       Until this weekend, we haven’t really had much rain for a while.  And that means the grass isn’t growing and therefore doesn’t need mowed.  With lots of weekend commitments in September and October, this is a real blessing.  Thanks for the extra 45 minutes every Saturday Mother Nature!

3.       I had a few appointments this month that made me so thankful for early or late hours.  I was able to get to the dentist, car shop (twice), and get a consultation on my gutters without shortening my work day.  Thank goodness for flexibility in scheduling and extended service hours!

4.       One of my classes this week let out about 30 minutes early.  I was able to get home earlier than expected and actually made it to the gym that night.  This NEVER happens on school days when I usually leave the house at 7am for work and get home from class at 10pm.  I am definitely grateful for any chance to sneak in even a 20 minute workout.

5.       Sometimes I fail to appreciate how great it is to have a job that accommodates a demanding class schedule.  In hindsight, I am pretty lucky to have a team that supports me and understands why this degree is worth pursuing.  I see what other students go through and I have it pretty good J