is your name caitlin?
For the first time, this summer, I felt that my words couldn't do justice to something special (special to me) that I wanted (want?) to write about. So I know we've got some catching up to do. I think. Soon. I promise. For now, I either remain silent, or talk about everyday stuff.
xo.
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i always have a hard time letting go of summer. i'm like a little kid who lingers longingly on the playground after everyone else has gone indoors, refusing to admit there's a chill in the air.
well truthfully, there is no chill in the air. the weather is still warm. this past month's 90 - 100 degree heat and humidity have settled over me like a wet blanket, zapping all my energy. ironically, that makes it all the more difficult to return to school. it's like the new semester crept up on me. my body is telling me it's summer, my brain knows i'm back at school.
and so classes started on tuesday. despite my difficulty transitioning out of summer, i have also always liked the excitement of a new school year. new supplies, new books. a new start. everything is new. the beginning of an academic year does fill me with expectations and hope, just the way new year's and january is a time of renewal and new things.
this fall will be intense, especially considering that i'm taking statistics III (advanced linear regressions and correlations). how i went from being an undergraduate english major many moons ago, to having to take advanced graduate-level math classes now, i'm not sure. or maybe i am. i have more to say about this, but not today. not for a while.
i'm also TA-ing an undergraduate-level class again this fall. the class i'm teaching has two sections--one with 80 students, and one with 60 students! can you guess which one i'm teaching? and can you guess how many girls named "caitlin" (or "katelynn") are in that class? within today's college-age demographic, it looks like caitlins, emilys, brookes, and lindseys have replaced jennifers (jen), elizabeths (liz), kellys, and michelles. *sigh*.
being a graduate teaching assistant is simultaneously easy and hard. no, i didn't come running back out of that classroom with my tail between my legs. and no, i don't think i'll get eaten alive by the 18-22's. yes, i let the class out early today, so they probably liked me for that. the class is normally three hours long, but since today was the first class, we finished after about two hours. why hold them captive when their attention spans are turning towards dinner? right? in all seriousness, the class seems like a good group of students, so i'm looking forward to spending the term with them.
be sure to ask me again in december. ;-)
*PS, did you know that there is a brand of birth control pill that costs $138? (that's WITH insurance coverage). now go pick your jaw up off the floor.
