thank you, skype

That handsome fellow is Geoffrey, my fiance! We skyped tonight for the second time ever, and we were long distance for 2 years. That tells you how much I miss him. Look at those big brown eyes. I teared up a couple of times. I got to see Watson, too! It was so nice! (he's not going to be excited about me posting that picture.)

I also got to talk with Sherese, my TTL (Transition Team Leader from TFA) today, and I swear I teared up when I hung up. She is so encouraging and sweet and just all around amazing. I miss her smiling face, I took for granted how easy it made Induction.

I wasn't as productive today as I thought I would be. There's so much to learn here, and it's all presented very quickly. I feel like I spend most of my time re-learning and synthesizing and internalizing (buzz words!) things before I do them.  That's also a me-thing though. I learn better when I'm one on one with the material and I can read it all and THEN ask questions. Also, I like clear, concise lists. With due dates. Anyway, I went to Walmart and Dollar Tree with some girls, then I went to Kroger by myself. I got classroom stuff, a new water bottle and coffee tumbler, some individual sized almond joy creamer...it made me feel more prepared for the upcoming week. I got some stuff done on my Academic Intervention sheet, after I spent about 3 hours synthesizing and moving from place to place to find the perfect place to work. I'm not giving my place away, though. It's perfect. Comfy chair, access to an outlet, quiet. The only thing is it's really warm. Yuck. I cleaned up my room and skyped, helped Amanda with her printer, and now I'm blogging. I know I promised a TFA explanation, but that's just not possible right now. grr. I hope I can get it typed up this weekend.

I leave you with a gem...

Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now. Happily, some of them kept records of their troubles. You'll learn from them—if you want to. Just as someday, if you have something to offer, someone will learn something from you. It's a beautiful reciprocal arrangement. And it isn't education. It's history. It's poetry.

 J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye