In a month

is when I'm going to move. I have finally found a great apartment complex (albeit not one I've previously mentioned), set up internet and electricity, and now all I have to do is finish up this semester (which is fast approaching).

I have also started working at Macy's, a seasonal job which will end RIGHT before I move. My first day of work was yesterday and it went pretty okay. And since I haven't posted anything for so long, I will just say I was in a freak car wreck in August which is why I am only taking one class this semester.

I am so excited for next semester. It will be something like turning over a new leaf. I think I'll finally get the real "going off to college" feeling. I'll have my own super cute place, get to see Josh all the time, be in more classes and probably have a job. I am also excited because I've signed up for two anthropology classes! I'll be taking Race and Ethnic Relations and Global Health. I'm sure they will be super interesting.

I feel bad that I neglect posting on here all the time. Everything's been pretty weird lately and I've forgotten a lot of things (concussion). But then Josh FINALLY posted to his own blog and I remembered my own! No one even reads this anyway, so I'm sure it doesn't matter.

Time sure flies.

A few notes

1. To continue with the thoughts of my previous posts, I've been online-shopping for possible places (non profits) I could volunteer, or maybe even intern, with in Kansas City. If I want to have a career with non profits, I better have experience with them — especially ones I care about. I've bookmarked them, but I might as well keep them here, too.

First, due to my obvious love for animals, I think I would really enjoy volunteering with the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City (http://www.hsgkc.org/volunteers.html). They even have a possible internship opportunity, but I'm not so sure about that. But I'm sure I would enjoy volunteering with them. There is also Wayside Waifs, a no kill shelter in Kansas City, where I could volunteer or even work.

Something else I came across, which would be even more relevant to my degree, is the Kansas City Indian Center. The center is "Kansas City's only multi-purpose social service agency for Native Americans," according to their website. I've always felt a strong pull towards my own, wimpy Native American blood (1/16th Arapaho! Woop woop!), and since many anthropologists study Native American culture, this would be a great volunteer opportunity.

I really think both of these places would be great to work with, as I'm fully supportive of them. Plus, at the moment, the Indian Center is close to an apartment I've been looking into — more on that later. However, I've also come across Bridging the Gap — which helps the environment — and Reach Out and Read. I've always loved reading and wouldn't mind helping others fall in love with it as well, nor would I complain about helping the environment. Obviously, I feel the most passionate about the first two, but they are all great organizations.

2. The matter of apartments has been a tough one. Long ago (it seems) I blogged about possible apartments I could move into (probably assuming with Josh and Beau). After changing of (Beau's) plans and a talk with my mom, it seems the (best) option that I will pursue is this: I live in my own apartment while (probably) Josh, and now Brian, live in their own. Hopefully, both apartments being in the same complex.

Speaking of the complex, my mom and I recently went up to Kansas City to check some out. I think I finally figured out a nice/decent area of KC without being too far away from the school. We looked at a few like The Roanoke, Roanoke West, Plaza House and Roanoke Court. Roanoke Court, as far as I could see, had some definite advantages over the others. For one, it has in unit washer/dryers in all of their apartments. It also had more room than the others. My mom also liked the management. The only thing is, I have to check back in November to see what will be available in January. So it's kind of up in the air, but I really hope it works out. In unit laundry! Awesome!

Well, that's really all the news I had for now. I can't wait till everything is worked out and I'm finally in my new pad. :)

Majors/Career

So I just finished Eating Animals and I've been thinking even more heavily about what I honestly want to do with my life. I'm less than a month away from turning twenty, and it seems like one should really have more time to figure out what they want to do with their life, but not really. Anyway, not too long ago I decided to switch my major and minor to anthropology for the major and creative writing as the minor. But as I was looking over course descriptions again, I really couldn't think of what that combination would even mean. I mean, I could obviously write on my own and just as easily take whatever random English classes I wanted (like Arthurian Legends and Myth as Literature.) So my mind has changed again.

I decided I would definitely major in anthropology and minor instead in "communication studies." Why? Well, communication is really what I'm doing now and if T.R. is right, I'm apparently good at it. The minor only has two required classes and then four electives. So it's really only going to be a 12 hour minor for me once I transfer. (I'll have taken a required and an elective.) Another reason I decided to change is, frankly, I think it's more useful. I think I'll be able to figure out ways, in things like interviews, to combine elements of the two to show how good I'd be at such and such job.

One career I think I could probably go into is public relations. But I don't want to be a media person for any old company, corporation, organization or what have you. I think it'd be really awesome to work for some non profit organization that I really believe in. For fun, I was shopping around for places to intern or whatever and I found Farm Sanctuary and the Animal Welfare Institute. These are both places that I do/could feel passionate about working for/with. Especially Farm Sanctuary. And their message is something I would love to spread, including as a public relations "specialist" or whatever its called.

While interning with the Joplin Globe and writing quite a few Health & Family stories, I ended up working with the public relations ladies at the local hospitals. I kind of got a view of their job from a journalist's perspective, and it actually seemed a lot better. At MSSU, you can basically major in public relations, but that does not sound fun to me at all. Anthropology, on the other hand, (as well as sociology) are very interesting and fun to learn about it. Obviously, studying anthropology is studying people and public relations deals with appealing to people. By studying anthropology, I believe I will have learned enough about people to know what appeals to who. Plus, with the communications minor, I'll take actual public relations classes.

So, considering what I'm interested in and jobs I could be passionate about and relatively good at, I think this new plan is a pretty solid one. Hopefully I don't change my mind again!

Anthropology

Besides being a really cool word, the discipline is very interesting to me. I've been thinking heavily about what I want to do with my life, including my old passion for writing and new interests. I think I would like anthropology to have a place in my future. But where? My passions and interests have become dimmed and confused as of late.

I've been thinking about moving to Kansas City and all that brings with it. At UMKC, I want to major in English, creative writing, but I also want to minor in anthropology, mainly cultural. I've also been thinking about jobs I would like to have while in school. Ideally, I would like to work on campus, or in a bookstore. I also think it would be kind of awesome to work at the zoo, even if that just means working in the gift store. Lately I've also considered volunteering at the humane society, but not sure if I will. Obviously these two things come from my love of books, writing and animals. But the question remains, what am I going to do with my life?

I would really like to combine all of these things, if at all possible. I'm really not very argumentative, so any position in politics that comes to mine just doesn't feel like me. While I was reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, I thought of the idea of the anthropology of food. Why some animals "are" food in some cultures, while others escape that fate, why others are deserving of compassion, meanings associated with food, importance of certain foods, etc. I'm not really a big food-lover myself, but we all eat and food sharing is a big concept in anthropology. Appealing to my academic side, maybe I should pursue a master's and come up with some kind of thesis for this?

It's all really so interesting. Some people have such an intense passion for animals while others don't see them in any good light. I really hope all of this works out.

Today in class

we were talking about logic. Our teacher wanted a controversial issue, so of course someone shouted out abortion. I just had a few extra thoughts about the issue, but not really about the "morality" of it.
I think the real issue is a woman's right to abort. If we argue back and forth about whether it is moral and such, you don't really get anywhere. People mostly don't want to change ideas about such an issue. For example, I could argue all day with an adamant meat-eater, but always feel very strong that the killing of animals is wrong. (Although not humans, animals steal feel as much pain as humans when electrocuted or shot.)

But anyway, actually... I forgot my other intelligent thought. I blame Josh.

Lucky

is my wonderful pooch.

I can't believe its already been over a week since he was lost (again) and hit by a car. He just breaks my heart wearing the cone and not being able to stand. Many of his sores are beginning to heal, though. He amazes me. I love him so much. It's hard to go to school and work when you just want to stay home and take care of your pup.

Procrastinating

That's what I'm doing.

Josh auditioned last weekend for UMKC with his cello. He is so attached to UMKC now, Truman — or any other schools — aren't really a consideration now. :) So, now we're all just kind of waiting for summer. Apartment/job searching and what not. Josh might get a small loan for a dorm... That's kinda poop, but I understand; less pressure.
I'm glad I don't stream this blog to Facebook anymore. I don't even know what the point of putting your thoughts on the internet is. At least I'm pretty sure no one reads this.
Anywho, I am basically just counting down the days to summer. Wizarding World of Harry Potter. NO MORE INTERNSHIP. Oh gawd. That is killing me. I mean, some days are better than others, but overall I am overly stressed out and don't know how to tell them how worn out I am. I mean, it's supposed to be my job, but at the same time I am still only a freshman in college who has never had a job before and have no idea what I'm doing, really. I dunno. Everything just feels kinda poopy. Also, so far there have been red-spell-check-lines under "Facebook," "Wizarding," "gawd," "Anywho" and "poopy" but not "dunno." I don't know how I feel about that. (Or most things really.)
I wish I had a really good idea. I feel like I am just going through the motions, looking forward to the next thing and the next thing... Kind of depressing. But I try really hard not to be depressed because I really don't have anything to be depressed about at all when you think about it. But last week I think I was the most depressed I've ever been since, maybe, freshman year in high school.
I took a nap today for the first time in forever, it was nice but it made me put off my homework even more. Poop. I wish I liked my American Lit class more. When I'm in the class it's fine, but I hate the homework.
I am so tired all the time. I can't believe Wednesday is already over. Wednesdays just aren't long enough. Neither are Saturdays or Sundays.

I think that's enough procrastination for now.