I've been very bad!

Hi everyone!
Every day, while at work, I tell myself that I really need to update my blog, but when push comes to shove (aka I come home from work, make/eat dinner, pack my lunch for the next day), I feel incredibly lazy and haven't written in over two weeks. After getting an e-mail from my Shanghai loving, ex-roomie (Daphne), I was reminded that some people do care what I am up to. While I would like to start from my birthday and try to do a thorough recap, I know I don't have the energy to do that right now. (I'm in the process of changing my schedule to a 6AM wakeup, which means I'll be heading to bed after I write this.)

Since the last time I wrote was my birthday I just want to give a couple of shout outs to a couple of friends who gave me such fitting presents. Blair mailed me this amazing chapstick that smells like a cupcake! (I put it on every night before I go to bed.) She also got me this scrapbook cardmaking set- so cute. :) Tonight I finally had the opportunity to meet up with Lauren tonight for dinner at The Chicago Diner (her suggestion). It was my first time there, and I ordered one of the weekly specials: Shephard's Pie (lentil base casserole blended with seitan, onions, celery and mushrooms, topped with mashed sweet potatoes and Diner gravy, served with steamed greens) It was good, but I wasn't crazy about it. It was a little cold when I first got it, so I asked our server to heat it up. He was very apologetic and offered to buy us a dessert. Lauren and I shared a peanut butter cookie dough shake (I had heard that they are awesome there.), and let me tell you that I basically licked my cup clean!! Lauren knows how much I love sweets, so she bought me a vegan baking cookbook- so very thoughtful. :)

So about my job, my apartment, my roommates, etc.

My job is going well. There are definitely better days than others, and that mostly depends on the moods of the kids. Even certain parts of the day go better than others. I definitely have my moments when I want to throw my hands up in the air because I do not know what to do, but then there are other times when the work is so rewarding. That being said... I am considering going back to school next year for a Masters in Education. Working in a classroom has made me better understand just how important it is for children to gain a positive sense of themselves, a strong work ethic, etc at a young age. I see how being a teacher would allow me to be creative with the setup of the classroom, the lesson planning; yet I would be thorough and incredibly organized when it comes to tracking the progress of each student, trying to teach using all modalities, etc. The downsides to teaching (that I've thought of so far) are dealing with behavioral issues and the pay, sadly. I feel like each day I go back and forth between wanting to go back to school for teaching or nursing. I definitely plan to do some nurse shadowing and also volunteer in a hospital before I make any decisions. And yes, I know I do not need to decide right now, but I'm a person who likes to have a plan.

While I like my job, I know that I need to pick up something else on the side to make some extra money. There are just too many good restaurants, cafes shops and things to do in the city to try and be living paycheck to paycheck. I've been searching for serving jobs, but I've realized that's going to be pretty impossible when I don't get out of work until 6. I thought it would be fun to work in a bar/restaurant to meet new people and switch up my days, but now I am looking into babysitting and tutoring jobs for the flexibility. Hopefully I'll figure out something soon.

On to my apartment: I love it! I definitely need to personalize my room more, but I fit everything into a small space quite nicely (in my opinion). The location lends me to be less than five minutes away from the Belmont, Lincoln and Ashland buses. I take the Ashland bus to work, which is a quick commute for me. It just needs to be a little more reliable. Yesterday I waited for 30 mins for the bus, making me late to work, even though I was ready for the day earlier than necessary. Back to the positive: My roommates are also fabulous. There is Tessa, Kaitlin and Melissa. All three graduated from Notre Dame in '07 and have great about introducing me to their friends and such.

On the Cubs victory I think I'll finish here and get to bed. I promise to try and be better! More to come on things I've done in the city.

(PS My parents were at Z's no hitter Sunday night- not fair!)