Updates on Life
As those of you who come across this blog probably already know, last year was pretty tough for me. It just seemed to be one of those years where you just couldn't catch a break (or if you did catch one, you'd catch three that you didn't want). That said, the eternal optimist in me helped me push through it and things have settled down now, but I currently feel like venting a few things.
1) Last year's spring semester was not much fun. It was my first semester in history as a major and I didn't get into any classes that I wanted. I do well in classes that I'm interested in, but my short attention span generally leads me to do poorly in classes that don't. These factors on top of other bad habits that I had caused me to finish the semester back on academic probation. I needed to get at least a 2.0 in the fall semester to stay at my dream school.
2) Fall semester comes along. I was having an average semester overall before I got sick, which nearly killed me (figuratively, not literally). I got very far behind on my school work and after deciding to push on and finish the semester on time (instead of chancing the incomplete-make up the work later route), began a process that had me writing at least one paper every day for the last three weeks of school (including finals week and weekends). I had to focus myself (which mean cutting out a big portion of my social life and cut out some habits), but I prooved to myself that I can do it when I put my mind to it. After having a class-wide investigation of plagiarism hanging over my head for a month, I finally got the clear that I had done sufficient work to stay in school. I had actually pulled out my best semester since my freshman year...amazing as that sounds.
3) Of course there were a myriad of reasons why I struggled to get through the fall semester...
3a) At the beginning of the semester, I had been walking without a cast or crutches for about a week and a half. I was still struggling to even walk (walking with a noticable limp), but that got a little better with each week. Currently, it's been over 9 months since the night where I broke the three bones in my foot and I still cannot run...still in physical therapy. I really do not know when I'm going to be cleared to run again and I'm starting to get very impatient.
3b) The doctors could never quite figure out what was going on, but the biggest problem from my fall semester was this mysterious illness that took over me for the better part of 2 months. I had extreme fatigue, flu-like symptoms, problems with my eyes, etc. I went to three different doctors and had a number of tests run, but nothing was ever found. Whatever it was finally left my body just barely in time to catch up on my school work.
3c) I figured part of this sickness came as lingering effects from my concussion. Just in case you need a refresher on this story...I was at the theatre seeing Saw 3 when I began to feel nauseous. I was on a date and didn't want to get sick in the theatre, so I get up to leave. I had only been standing a few seconds and had only moved far enough to get to the aisle when the room went blurry and before you know it, I feel myself falling...then slamming my head up against the arm rest of a chair. I am told that I came to a few minutes later to mumble a few things and say that "I'm okay" before passing out again. I come to a few minutes later and see a group of people standing above me, the lights on in the theatre, and the movie stopped. When I got up to walk to the lobby, my vision was purple...the best description for this I can think of is if you adjust the tint and things on a tv where everything becomes one color, yet you can still make out some images. By that time, I was really scared because I knew that with my terrible eye-sight (negative 8.5, both eyes), any strong blow to my head could cause serious damage to my retinas. Luckily for me, I escaped the whole ordeal with only a mild concussion and a few days off work.
4) I was priveledged enough to not experience a single death in my family until my 6th grade year, when I lost my grandfather. That said, I only had 4 total grand-parents when I was born. My father's dad died a few months before I was born and his wife died when my father was 6 months old. Their parents were both dead before I was born. I then lost a great-grandparent my 8th grade year and my grandmother my freshman year of college, leaving only one great-grandparent left. As a woman with alzheimers and a general failing of health in her early 90s, she didn't have much time left entering the summer. I was lucky enough to get down in August (in my walking cast) to Dallas to visit her one last time. She past away in October, leaving me with an odd sense of no longer having grand-parents. We all know that it our grand-parents that love to spoil us growing up and I spent a lot of my younger years living with my grandparents. That caused a stronger attachment to them than my own parents and thus the feeling of losing a parent when they were gone. It felt weird to be 22 and with no grandparents.
5) My father had an operation in late summer to remove some things from the prostrate region. He's had high blood pressure and a few other potential problems over the years, so it was good to see him get through that okay.
6) My mother found lumps on her breasts and it was over a month into the whole situation that we got to find out her results. When she had the lumps removed in surgery, we got the results back a few days later saying that all were benign. I will now make sure that my mother never goes three years without a breast exam ever again. A woman of her age should NEVER let that happen when her own mother had (and survived) breast cancer. We got the good news right before Christmas which more than made up for your less-than-average Christmas without grandparents in a room and fewer gifts due to money problems as a result of all the hospital bills that the family had been racking up.
7) Alternatively, my brother also ran through a sickness similar to mine. Doctors also never figured it out, but he seems to be better now.
The other day, I had lunch with a girl that I had not seen in about a year and a half. When asked about my previous year and then recounting all that had happened (wish I could have stopped with 7 things with her...what a rough year), it was then that I finally began to give myself a break for the previous year. A lot of things didn't go the way I would have planned it, but I also do no wish for any kind of pity party. While I do not believe in fate and "all things happen for a reason," I do believe that we learn from each experience and that I'm now a stronger person for having gone through a tough year for a 21 year old who is trying to figure life out.
The broken ankle really turned out to be a blessing in disguise. In my month spent sitting on the couch, I learned how much I had been taking things for granted. I do not need to list the things that I realized I had not been appreciating enough, but I think it speaks volumes how I came out happier after this whole ordeal than I probably would have been had I not broken the ankle. My general attitude towards life needed an adjustment (no more emo JayD) and time on the couch and being restricted from doing things that I really wanted to do was exactly the medicine I needed. I am very happy to say that I'm unbelievably content with life right now and await all future twists and turns to the road.
I am not seeing anyone, but that is fine by me. I'm very content being single and even enjoy being able to do my own thing whenever I want. I do not have to explain why I want to hang out with any of my female friends, as I've found that girls have gotten plenty jealous of my female friends before. Also, I honestly do not think I have time to dedicate to any one girl in a relationship setting and continue to do well in school. School needs to be my focus right now and I think I'm doing a good job in keeping it as such.
I am back to work and healthy, which makes that a much more enjoyable experience.
I am looking for roomates again as all three of mine are moving on next year. I love my room right now, so I'm staying right where I am. Best of luck to those guys in their post-college lives.
I'm currently finalizing spring break plans. It now appears that we are abandoning the idea of going to Mexico and have set out eyes on South Padre Island. I have not had any great college vacation as of yet and am very much looking forward to getting this trip finalized and then counting down the days until takeoff.
I am now introducing all of you to my propensity to have long, rambling entries. You will generally need a few minutes of free time when you stop by and actually plan on taking in what I have to say. That said, I hope that you do take the time and are interested in what I have to say. I'll try to keep things different and interesting as best I can. No promises other than I'll give it my best shot and in the end, that's really all one can expect out of anyone.
fin
1) Last year's spring semester was not much fun. It was my first semester in history as a major and I didn't get into any classes that I wanted. I do well in classes that I'm interested in, but my short attention span generally leads me to do poorly in classes that don't. These factors on top of other bad habits that I had caused me to finish the semester back on academic probation. I needed to get at least a 2.0 in the fall semester to stay at my dream school.
2) Fall semester comes along. I was having an average semester overall before I got sick, which nearly killed me (figuratively, not literally). I got very far behind on my school work and after deciding to push on and finish the semester on time (instead of chancing the incomplete-make up the work later route), began a process that had me writing at least one paper every day for the last three weeks of school (including finals week and weekends). I had to focus myself (which mean cutting out a big portion of my social life and cut out some habits), but I prooved to myself that I can do it when I put my mind to it. After having a class-wide investigation of plagiarism hanging over my head for a month, I finally got the clear that I had done sufficient work to stay in school. I had actually pulled out my best semester since my freshman year...amazing as that sounds.
3) Of course there were a myriad of reasons why I struggled to get through the fall semester...
3a) At the beginning of the semester, I had been walking without a cast or crutches for about a week and a half. I was still struggling to even walk (walking with a noticable limp), but that got a little better with each week. Currently, it's been over 9 months since the night where I broke the three bones in my foot and I still cannot run...still in physical therapy. I really do not know when I'm going to be cleared to run again and I'm starting to get very impatient.
3b) The doctors could never quite figure out what was going on, but the biggest problem from my fall semester was this mysterious illness that took over me for the better part of 2 months. I had extreme fatigue, flu-like symptoms, problems with my eyes, etc. I went to three different doctors and had a number of tests run, but nothing was ever found. Whatever it was finally left my body just barely in time to catch up on my school work.
3c) I figured part of this sickness came as lingering effects from my concussion. Just in case you need a refresher on this story...I was at the theatre seeing Saw 3 when I began to feel nauseous. I was on a date and didn't want to get sick in the theatre, so I get up to leave. I had only been standing a few seconds and had only moved far enough to get to the aisle when the room went blurry and before you know it, I feel myself falling...then slamming my head up against the arm rest of a chair. I am told that I came to a few minutes later to mumble a few things and say that "I'm okay" before passing out again. I come to a few minutes later and see a group of people standing above me, the lights on in the theatre, and the movie stopped. When I got up to walk to the lobby, my vision was purple...the best description for this I can think of is if you adjust the tint and things on a tv where everything becomes one color, yet you can still make out some images. By that time, I was really scared because I knew that with my terrible eye-sight (negative 8.5, both eyes), any strong blow to my head could cause serious damage to my retinas. Luckily for me, I escaped the whole ordeal with only a mild concussion and a few days off work.
4) I was priveledged enough to not experience a single death in my family until my 6th grade year, when I lost my grandfather. That said, I only had 4 total grand-parents when I was born. My father's dad died a few months before I was born and his wife died when my father was 6 months old. Their parents were both dead before I was born. I then lost a great-grandparent my 8th grade year and my grandmother my freshman year of college, leaving only one great-grandparent left. As a woman with alzheimers and a general failing of health in her early 90s, she didn't have much time left entering the summer. I was lucky enough to get down in August (in my walking cast) to Dallas to visit her one last time. She past away in October, leaving me with an odd sense of no longer having grand-parents. We all know that it our grand-parents that love to spoil us growing up and I spent a lot of my younger years living with my grandparents. That caused a stronger attachment to them than my own parents and thus the feeling of losing a parent when they were gone. It felt weird to be 22 and with no grandparents.
5) My father had an operation in late summer to remove some things from the prostrate region. He's had high blood pressure and a few other potential problems over the years, so it was good to see him get through that okay.
6) My mother found lumps on her breasts and it was over a month into the whole situation that we got to find out her results. When she had the lumps removed in surgery, we got the results back a few days later saying that all were benign. I will now make sure that my mother never goes three years without a breast exam ever again. A woman of her age should NEVER let that happen when her own mother had (and survived) breast cancer. We got the good news right before Christmas which more than made up for your less-than-average Christmas without grandparents in a room and fewer gifts due to money problems as a result of all the hospital bills that the family had been racking up.
7) Alternatively, my brother also ran through a sickness similar to mine. Doctors also never figured it out, but he seems to be better now.
The other day, I had lunch with a girl that I had not seen in about a year and a half. When asked about my previous year and then recounting all that had happened (wish I could have stopped with 7 things with her...what a rough year), it was then that I finally began to give myself a break for the previous year. A lot of things didn't go the way I would have planned it, but I also do no wish for any kind of pity party. While I do not believe in fate and "all things happen for a reason," I do believe that we learn from each experience and that I'm now a stronger person for having gone through a tough year for a 21 year old who is trying to figure life out.
The broken ankle really turned out to be a blessing in disguise. In my month spent sitting on the couch, I learned how much I had been taking things for granted. I do not need to list the things that I realized I had not been appreciating enough, but I think it speaks volumes how I came out happier after this whole ordeal than I probably would have been had I not broken the ankle. My general attitude towards life needed an adjustment (no more emo JayD) and time on the couch and being restricted from doing things that I really wanted to do was exactly the medicine I needed. I am very happy to say that I'm unbelievably content with life right now and await all future twists and turns to the road.
I am not seeing anyone, but that is fine by me. I'm very content being single and even enjoy being able to do my own thing whenever I want. I do not have to explain why I want to hang out with any of my female friends, as I've found that girls have gotten plenty jealous of my female friends before. Also, I honestly do not think I have time to dedicate to any one girl in a relationship setting and continue to do well in school. School needs to be my focus right now and I think I'm doing a good job in keeping it as such.
I am back to work and healthy, which makes that a much more enjoyable experience.
I am looking for roomates again as all three of mine are moving on next year. I love my room right now, so I'm staying right where I am. Best of luck to those guys in their post-college lives.
I'm currently finalizing spring break plans. It now appears that we are abandoning the idea of going to Mexico and have set out eyes on South Padre Island. I have not had any great college vacation as of yet and am very much looking forward to getting this trip finalized and then counting down the days until takeoff.
I am now introducing all of you to my propensity to have long, rambling entries. You will generally need a few minutes of free time when you stop by and actually plan on taking in what I have to say. That said, I hope that you do take the time and are interested in what I have to say. I'll try to keep things different and interesting as best I can. No promises other than I'll give it my best shot and in the end, that's really all one can expect out of anyone.
fin
posted by JayD at 2:44 PM
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