Reflections on an Old Year and a New Year

Well, here we are: December 31, 2009. The final day of the first decade of the new millennium. And here is my cliche` "reflections on the past year" piece.

I rang in 2009 amongst the company of iepoch and zcrescendo and spent most of January working and taking a class. I spent a lot of time hanging out with friends, too, and preparing for a horrific semester which was as horrific as I thought it would be. In fact, schoolwork consumed most of my life from February through May unfortunately. I played the usual round of concerts as a member of the U's Performance Music and was accepted into Pennsylvania's Intercollegiate Band for their festival in the middle of March. I was also accepted into the National Education Honor Society, Kappa Delta Pi. I also had my first field placement, with a sixth grade class at North Pocono Middle School, an experience that I will never forget. It was FANTASTIC!

The summer months were very entertaining. I decided to take a class with some extra money I came across in the form of loans and it was a fantastic experience. My summer was full of interesting and random day trips, such as to Philadelphia with zcrescendo for the sole purpose of picking up iepoch from the airport down there. I took many a trip into New York City to hang out with friends at home for the summer or to attend some sports stuff. I also worked a lot, but not nearly as much as I planned. OH, and there was Colorado, which ranked by far as the best weekend of the year. zcrescendo and I travelled out to visit iepoch at his summer internship with NOAA in Boulder, CO. Highlights, which are viewable in a facebook photo album on my page, included a trip to Cheyenne, WY and a severe-weather laden game at Coors Field between the Rockies and the Braves. This trip really revived my love of travelling and I'm hoping to have some money to take a trip like that again this summer.

The fall months were also busy, as I began the independent study portion of my academic career. I also had a field placement with a preschool class at the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit (NEIU), a class whose students were developmentally delayed in one, or more commonly multiple areas. It was an eye-opening experience and I enjoyed it a lot, however it showed me that I am just not cut out for preschool. I'm on the fence about my ability to work with very low functioning individuals, but will figure that out during my special education student teaching. It was full of fantastic Oktoberfests, which will be even better next year when I am legal, and also fantastic randomness with friends. The year wrapped up with me finding out that I was accepted into the graduate program of my choice (beginning work toward my Master's Degree this spring!), Alpha Sigma Nu (the national Jesuit honor society), and Intercollegiate Band 2010.

Romantically...

(Author's Note: I leave this section blank on purpose. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.)

As I prepare to enter 2010, here are some resolutions that I hope to keep:

1. Lose some damned weight. Seriously, I've been telling myself this since the summer. Every time I attempt to lose weight, some obstacle stands in my way. It will not happen. I must fine-tune my diet and get exercising. Now.

2. Keep on keeping on in school.

We shall see what happens, but I do have a feeling that 2010 will be better than 2009. This is almost possible by default, minus Colorado. I guess we'll see. Knowing that I'm going to be in school for an extra year has my "leaving college" anxiety down, and its not a case of arrested undergraduatism. But, to all my friends and readers: Happy New Year!