Round 2...

Here I am, once again, getting ready for a new school year. Round 2. I think I'm ready for it. Now that I have had several mishaps that have cost me my GPA, credibility, and pride, I feel that I know what to prepare and ask for. It does ease my pain a bit to know that most of this was not my fault. A miscommunication with the director of the biology department and my counselor added an extra year at UCSB to my schedule. Not to mention my extremely condescending and painful meeting with a counselor I had been avoiding. Well, now, I am ready to go back to him and tell him how rude he was, tell him about the mistakes that were made by employees of the school, not by me, and show him the good grades that I received last quarter that he doubted were going to happen.

Sorry for the vengeful speech. Note, I am not unhappy or upset. I just have a mess to clean up. I am actually ecstatic at the moment. I am currently getting settled in my new studio apartment that I am living all on my own in. I moved in on Sunday thanks to my loving uncle Marty, aunt Anita, and cousin Tiny Marty. They moved me in and set up my bed, which does not take up nearly as much room as I thought...which is dangerous because it puts more decorating ideas in this little brain of mine. Though, I do not have a desk, bookcases, tables or anywhere to sit yet it's starting to come together. I have been working so hard the last few days and, let me tell you, washing all of my clothes and getting my tiny closet set up has been a two day adventure. I have far too many clothes and far too little closet space for them. Fortunately, I have amazing friends who surprised me with a cute, vintage dresser for my birthday. Here are some pictures of my laundry/closet adventure over the last few days:

This was my attempt at drying my delicate clothes, it went perfectly at first and I was very proud of my self for it. Alas, after some odd hours, it failed. So....

I moved it to my shower haha. That too eventually failed, so I ended up draping them over my shower doors.

Tiny closet. Photo #1 is the right side and photo #2 is the left.













Apparently, all UC's are providing health care (including dental) for all full time students now. When I got an email regarding the activation date and realizing I no longer have a roommate that knows Goleta/ Santa Barbara better than I do, I thought it would be best to start looking for local doctors, hospitals, dentists and urgent care just in case. Well, nothing like a good case of conjunctivitis on your first day back to force you to the closest Med Center. Needless to say, I have been using this time to stay in my apartment and work while avoiding friends and eye contact with strangers. It looks like the left half of me is a sweet, innocent 16 year old, while the right side is a stoned, evil 60 year old about to morph into a green muscular monster with torn purple shorts. It's not pretty:

eewwwwww.











On a less disgusting note... I am beyond excited about cooking once again. I can easily say that I did not cook at all this summer except for a few fried eggs, quesadillas and top ramen, which I do not constitute as cooking. I have cooked every meal since I've been back and I love it. The other night I was looking up recipes for a tofu stir fry but decided I can do it my self. I did. It turned out fantastic. My delicious stir fry consisted of tofu, broccoli, white onion, garlic, red bell peppers, snow peas, mushrooms, bok choy, low-sodium soy sauce and a splash of low-sodium teriyaki sauce. Bomb! So happy I have found this love for cooking. Here is my cute little kitchen. Of course, it is not yet complete but it's getting cuter everyday:

:)













Anywho, I must get back to work on my humble abode. I am so excited to watch my place come together and am also excited to share it with all of you as it happens. Surprisingly, I am happy to start school again. This quarter is going to be slow and steady. I have a physics class and lab and two languages on my plate this quarter.... so, being me, I am taking more on. I am going to start looking for a job once my eye clears up and I will be taking guitar lessons. I am trying not to be too stubborn about it. If I can see that I am struggling, then I will quit my job or drop the lessons... no big deal. School comes first. Although I am thrilled to start school again, I am sad to say goodbye to my summer. Most of you know it is my favorite time of year not just because of the weather, but because of the friends and family I get to spend time with. This summer in particular was a memorable one. I went to South Africa and lived a dream I have had since I was very young, I went to the beach and Joshua Tree with loved ones, went out with friends, was lazy with friends, swam a lot, went to Maui with a couple of the most important people to me, got to play with my nieces and nephews, got to watch my pregnant bestie grow, and enjoyed every second of it. Want to see pictures? If you haven't seen the pictures on my facebook already, check it out: Summer Breeeeze

Thanks to all my friends and family for amazing times and all the encouragement you give me! It does not go unnoticed. Hopefully, I will write again soon. Much love.