The Magic of Taking it Slow // Student Life

This semester, for the first time in my college career, I'm not taking the max number of credit hours I'm allowed to. I'm really enjoying this chance to slow down and figure out what I really want in life. 

Here's the Magic:

1. Time to plan.
   With my smaller course load, I've been able to dedicate real time to planning a strategy for each class I'm enrolled in and I can spend more time on the assignments.
2. Freedom to enjoy life.
   Not having to be in class all the time or studying for classes when not in them, I have more time to go to the library for leisure, take a walk with my partner, and volunteer.
3. Time to dabble.
   I've always been a dabbler, a kind of jack-of-all-trades. I love to pick up hobbies and crafts to find the ones I want to stick with. Now, for the first (non-summer) time since high school, I can pick up watercolors and fashion curating, just for the hell of it.
4. Time to intern.
   This year begins my first full school year with my internship at the Pet Education Project (PEP!) With my smaller workload, I can now really dedicate the time to sit down and work on my intern projects as well as get in the field with my fellow PEPpy People and my buns to make a difference.
5. Freedom to develop.
   Being in classes has always been restricting to me. More so in my own personal and social development than in any other way. Having more time outside of classes to discover new loves, move out of my parent's home, work, etc. is giving me the opportunity to grow in myself and develop a clear sense of what I really want. To me, college is the time to dabble and figure out what you want in life, but how can you do that if you are nailed to six classes fulfilling just one major and/or core curriculum? 

I'm so glad that I've chosen learning and growth over my formal education. I'd never dropout/not get my degree, but I feel, for myself at least, that graduating then growing is defeating the purpose of college. I could have my French or English degree by now but neither would have made me happy. I don't know what my bachelor's degree will be in, but I feel certain I will love the time I have remaining to get it.

Are/were you that "max-out" student or did you enroll in minimum hours? Would you do it differently now if you could?

This Semester in English

As an English major, I read a lot of books for classes each semester. Since I'll be taking two traditional English classes this semester and I'm attending my first in a few hours, I thought I'd share what I'll be reading.

For Intro. to Literature:

1. The Stories of Richard Bausch

   

   I have no opinion on this one. 

   
   
   
2. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
   

   

   This one's been on the my reading list for a while,
   so I'm happy to have incentive to read it.

3. Lyric poems by Keats

   

   Keats and I aren't friends, nor are poetry and I,
   so I am actually dreading this one.

   
   
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

   

   I love studying recently published books in classes,
   so this one should be fun!

   
   
5. The Goblin Market by Christina Rosetti

   

   I know nothing about this, but the titles is legit.

   
   
6. The Tempest by Shakespeare

   

   I love love love Shakespeare, and my professor
   is a scholar, so I cannot wait!

   
   
7. The Importance of being Ernest by Oscar Wilde

   

   Loved the movie, so lets do this!

   
   

For Literary Theory and Criticism:

1. The Stories of Richard Bausch

   

   Still no opinion. 

2. The Awakening by Kate Chopin

   

   I'm kind of excited for this one. I saw this list awhile
   ago and planned to start it on my 20th birthday,
   but I don't mind starting early.

3. Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism

   

   This looks like a text book. Meh.

4. Cane by Jean Toomer

   

   American Southern lit, not my fave,
   but I have decently high hopes.

What are you most excited to read in class this semester? What classes are you taking? What do your next 5 months look like?

Coming Home

As finals week wound down last week, I started moving my things home. I only live thirty minutes from campus, so it wasn't much of a move. Sometime before Friday (Tuesday I think, but maybe not), My mother and I discussed and I finally decided that this move home would be my last for a while. I'll be living at home with my mother and the bunnies this coming semester. I'm almost sad to leave the dorms, but I'm glad to be saving money now.

Moving home also means moving back into my old room. Thankfully, my "old" room isn't actually that old, so there's no Barney or butterflies to paint over on the walls. The big problem is that this room is much smaller than my dorm room and, obviously, a lot smaller than the two rooms I used to live in, so everything is so cluttered and I'm a bit overwhelmed at the moment.

What, over the summer, was my desk is now cluttered with odds and ends and things I'm not really sure what yo do with. My shoes are piled, horribly, in a box. Clothes on hangers lay all over, mostly draped over boxes and such as I try to sort out what to keep and what to put in storage to donate. I'm really a clothes hoarder. I'm the worst with tee shirts. I really should make a tee shirt blanket, but I can't bear to cut the shirts anymore than I can get rid of them! Maybe I'll take a walk down memory lane and show you all some of my favorite "memory tees."

I did want to show this though. No, not my mismatched bedding, though the actual sheets are too cute and I'm really happy with them. Even the random comforter I found isn't as bad. My dorm bedding matched the purple pillow there. It looked horrible with my princess-style day bed and pretty pink everything else. Anyway, I'm currently reading Mockingjay and I'm so happy to be home for this part, specifically. Anytime I'm home, I seem to find or make time to read a lot more than I do in Arkansas with family/friends or at the dorms. I'm much less prone to lay, well, prone (ah good old Rifle Team terms leaking into my life again). I don't spend as much time laying around dreading doing anything. Instead I find I read a lot more, write a lot more, and blog a lot more.

I think this move will be good for my grades and mental health. It also puts me spending more time with my mom, which i a big deal to me if I'm hoping to study abroad soon. ;)

How did your finals go? Any big changes set for your December? What are you reading?

Organization: Calendar DIY

This month has been so crazy, and it's not over yet! If you haven't been keeping up with the blog, I've been participating in NaNoWriMo which I explained here. It's a crazy difficult feat, but so far so good! But I haven't gotten this far without a lot of planning and time management! Part of my planning/time management is the same I do every month and I really do love it. It's odd and takes too much effort for some, but It really works for me. This idea came about to me over the summer when I really started working here at Life Ducks. I needed to keep up with the blog posts for each month as well as the YouTube videos (remember when I used to actually do those a lot?). When I got to school this system became so much more useful to keep up with my assignments, papers, reading, sorority events, deadlines, and the blog!

I can't make myself use calendars. They're also so nice that I don't want to write on them and spoil them! They're also kinda expensive to just be thrown away at the end of the year. I mean, look at that calendar!

Yes, those are index cards taped to my wall. Yes, it seems a little crazy when a bought calendar would seem to do, but there is method to my madness! Since I can't spoil my beautiful calendars, I usually just print out a little calendar from the internet, but those never have enough space to write everything I need to on each day, much less colour code everything! That's another problem I have with bought calendars as well, hence, index cards! The day I can't fit a day's worth of tasks/projects on an index card is the day I need to downsize my project or course load!

The flaw, for some, to this plan is that each month, about the last week of the month, I have to rip down the index cards and number and re-tape new ones to the wall with my schedule. This isn't really a problem for me because it gives me the perfect time to sit down and figure out what I have to do for the next month. I love having it put in my mind that I have 3 papers and two tests the next month. It makes so much sense to me that the time it takes to put up each month is worth it.

How do you organize your month? Do you like to use conventional calendars?

Dorm Yum: A Must Haves List

This week seems to be the week of lists! Monday I posted the list of weekly shows I'm watching this fall and today I thought I'd post about the food I like to keep in constant supply in my dorm room. These are, by far, not the only foods I keep in my room and certainly cannot make up an entire diet (most private universities I know have a cafeteria for that), but these certainly make my life easier and my blood glucose level happier.

1. Bread & Butter : This is an absolute must for me. I love to keep "French" bread or at least wheat rolls in my room at all times with a tub of Land-o-Lakes in the fridge. I'll eat a piece of buttered bread before a morning class, or after, or before bed, or as a midnight snack, or as a study break snack, or as all of the above. They say "[one] can not live on bread alone," and indeed you shouldn't, but I challenge that and say I could live on bread and butter for at least a few months.
2. Decaf Coffee : My kidneys may damper my caffeine intake, but they will not take coffee from me! I love to get up every morning, turn on the coffee pot, and wake up fully with the smell of brewing coffee. Not to mention it tastes good (I also like to keep herbal teas for late, cold nights)!
3. Water : I'm not one to drink tap water, and I've noticed a large number of my friends who forget to or simply don't keep water in their rooms. This leads to either: 1) they buy expensive purified water from the bookstore or b) drink the sodas from the cafe and nothing else. This isn't very healthy, so I like to keep a case of 24 bottles of spring water in my room at all times.
4. Crackers/Nuts : Right now I have several kinds of crackers in my food drawer and a can of cashews. I love the option of having crackers or nuts to just munch on when I'm studying or louging back reading. Wheat Thins are a great option and come in several flavors, as are the Ritz brand toasted chips.
5. Chocolate : I am a firm believer that a controlled amount of chocolate is good for your mental (and possibly physical) health. When I can find them, I love to have the After Eight chocolate mints or when I can't I usually go for the dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips from the baking section. Chocolate chips are great because you can eat a handful without eating all of them.

As I said this isn't all I keep in my dorm, but these are really my must-haves.

What are your dorm/kitchen must haves?

Letters and Solitude

I do now, and always have, adored written communication. In school we wrote notes and now notes have turned to letters. Sadly, my old penpals and I have lost touch, so I look for new penpals! That's what I've been doing recently, searching and messaging new potential penpals! I am so excited to get back into letter writing with lovely people from around the globe!
I've always thought there was something wonderful about handwritten letters. I love knowing that someone spent the time and energy to find a pen and paper, sit down, and write out their thoughts specifically to send to me, and that I've done the same in return.
I really hope I find some amazing penpals again and that we can keep in touch for several years to come!

Interested in writing me? email me at lifeducks (at) gmail (dot) com and maybe we can work out something out!

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On an entirely separate note, I'm moving into my own room! Yes, I'm still living in the dorms, but soon I'll be moving into a single room, meaning I will have two beds and so much more room! I'm extremely excited! I think having a room to myself and more room to spread out will help me study and do better in my classes. 

Above is the outside of the beautiful dormitory in which I live. The rooms in this dorm are huge for dorm rooms! I certainly hope everything will be better when I don't have a roommate. Not that I don't love my roommate, I just can't handle the stress of my heavier course schedule and sharing space anymore. I still love my roommate, she's one of my good friends and one of my sorority sisters, but I need my own space. 

You all should certainly be looking forward to a tour of my room when I get settled in!

Have you ever lived in a dorm? Did you like it? What are some of your best study tips for hard course work? 

August In Review

With school and craziness, I never actually did my August in review post! So only about 15 days late... lets go!

In August I...

• Did 3 books reviews!
  Cinder : A positive review of a book about cyborgs
  French Lessons : A very positive review of a book about life and Paris.
  Coexist : An average review of a book about elves, were-things, and a war.
• I did an Author Interview with Jody Gehrman, the author of Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft. She was lovely to work with and her answers in the interview were amazing!
• I featured August releases and accepted the Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge.
• I talked about my lovely sorority sisters in a post titled, For the Love of Sisters, showed of my pretty Maxi Dress, and gave advice about Dorm Style.

Off-line I...

• Started my sophomore year of university.
• Rushed some amazing girls, some of which joined my fabulous sorority!
• Welcomed some amazing new sisters into my life.
• Got back into studying French.
• Moved into the dorms again.
• Reconnected with amazing friends.

August was a pretty great month for me, despite the steep decline in posting and the sudden stop in my Youtube channel. I'm glad to be back at school and to have amazing friends and sisters. I'm also blessed to have this blog and a place to share my thoughts and opinions.

How was your month of August? 

A Catch-Up Post

Goodness it's been so long! School started and everything went crazy! I haven't been here in weeks and I haven't been on Twitter for about as long! It's crazy! Here on campus I don't have a computer in my room and I certainly don't have a private computer, so it makes anything I can't do from my phone rather difficult. Here we go now, I'm going to try to catch y'all up on this thing that is my life.

1. Classes are.... classes. There is a lot of reading in my classes this year. We just finished one novel in my English class, The American by Henry James, and we've started another, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. I probably won't review the first, I was unimpressed. I adore Henry James and I felt that novel was such a let down from the short stories I love.
   My french class is insanely difficult. We have a student who is fluent and from Togo, a French speaking country, and he gets as many things wrong as the American students do!
   History is not what I hoped it would be. I really need to read the course descriptions better! I hoped to study the great Kings and Queens of England (ie. Henry VIII, Elizabeth, William & Mary, etc.), but instead we're studying more about the uniting of the United Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Empire! Such a let down!
   Script writing is amazing! It's a seminar style and I really love that. Each week about 4 people have 4-5 pages of a script they wrote read. Mine is being read today! I'm so excited! I've also got almost 20 pages of my script written. Perhaps I'll turn it into a short-ish film some day!
2. Joined the fencing team. This is actually a really new thing. I joined last Tuesday and had private training that day, then went to bouts on Thursday, and have private training again tomorrow! I really love fencing so I'm excite to learn more and compete for the first time in December!
3. Roommate is awesome! She's one of my sorority sisters and our room is amazing! We took away the whole dividing-the-room-between-rommies thing and made it one big room of sharedness. It's also covered in my photography and her art!
4. My sorority is great! We just got a new pledge class of really lovely, awesome girls! I'm extremely happy to see my sisterhood grow and I can't wait to get to know my new sisters more!
5. Grad school is in the works. I've picked out my top two Grad Schools (SOAS, University of London, or University of Hawaii, Manoa).
6. Doctor Who is.... GAH! I adore this show so much! I'm currently on the two part special that is the last with the Tenth Doctor and it's so sad! I don't want to see Ten go, but I'm interested to meet this Amy Pond that everyone is obsesed with!

I think that about sums up my life since we last spoke: Dorm, Class, Sorority, Fencing, Doctor Who. Yep, that's my life. I hope to be able to get back to posting regularly, but please excuse any college kid slacking I do.

How have you all been?

For the Love of Sisters

I featured this photo back a few weeks in my first Pinning Sweetly post and I've mentioned my sorority a time or two on here, but I've never gone into detail about the things I love about my greek life experience and adventure. Since yesterday was the start of work week, I thought I'd do just that and share some of the great things about my sisters.

CREDIT

1. Support - While I was debating moving schools, my sisters were nothing but supportive. They told me they'd hate to lose me as a chapter member, but were excited for me to make my dreams come true.
2. Friendship - Most of my friends at school are also my sisters. It's not because they're my sisters that they're my friend, but because they're my friends that I chose them as sisters. I love my girls and I know if I ever truly needed them they'd be there for me. I also made one of my very best friends through my recruitment/New Member education. 
3. Connections - Some of my new friends recently graduated and are now alums of my sorority. One, specifically, is moving to New York to be her amazing self and chase her dreams, but had trouble finding an apartment. At one point, she contacted a woman about an apartment and she happened to me an Alum as well. Needless to say, my friend now has an apartment and will be chasing her dreams with our New York City sisters!
4. Parties - I'm not the usual college kid party-er. I don't drink or act crazy, but I love my sorority's parties. We have 4 every year just us and our dates, then 3 or 4 more partnering with the fraternities on campus. Then again, it could be argued that every time we get together it's a party! We always have so much fun laughing and singing. We don't need to drink or go out, anytime we spend together is tons of fun.
5. Charity - My sorority's philanthropy is the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Every year we grant or help grant at least one child's wish. I love getting to meet the kids we're helping and seeing how happy they are. Last year, we grant a little boy's dream of a play house that he could really play in. After buying it, a bunch of us went out to help build it! We had some much fun playing with the little boy and his younger sister (while the men/boys built the house). I love knowing that not only am I helping myself and bettering my left, but that by being a part of my sorority I'm helping ill children get their dreams.
6. Family - I've mentioned my grand big before, even showed the picture below in my "Of Sisters, Food and Explosives" post. I love the close knit families we develop in my sorority. It's so great to know that, while I have a huge group of sisters, I also have a very close, loving, accepting family to turn to. My grand-big and I have bonded so much this summer and I can't wait to help our family grow in the coming months with my own Little sister!

Those are, obviously, just a few of the things I love so much about my sorority. I love the greek system in general and I love what it does for universities.

Are you a part of Greek Life? What are some of your favorite aspects of your experience?

Dorm Style

I'm going to be really original for a moment and do a kind of "Back to school," university edition. I'm starting my second year at university, living on-campus, so I thought I'd share some of the things I think are needed in a dorm setting, plus some things I think would just be awesome.

Must Haves:

At very least, a calender is important. I think the bigger the better. They come in all kinds of designs so make a big calender a decoration in your room and keep up with all your school assignments and social events!
I like this one from Pottery Barn Teen

If you're allowed a mini-fridge, coordinate with your roommate and try to get one. I have the one pictured above and I really love it. It's so handy for left overs and the separate freezer means ice cream is easy to keep. I got this one at Target last year and it's still in stock online.

Life in a dorm is a life of little space. I got a storage thing similar  to this and ended up dedicating most of the drawers to food items that needed to be in the fridge. These can be found at most any super store. The above is from Target.

A desk lamp is absolutely essential. Some dorms may come with them, mine did not. I got one to clip to the side of my bed or desk and I hate it. I'm getting one similar to the picture this year. These lovely things are the easiest way to make life comfortable for both roommates. This one's from Target.

I've purposely left out the things no one forgets (ie: pillows, blankets, laptop/computer, etc.) These are the things I pick up after moving in and realizing I needed them.


Killer Personalization:

Most dorm rooms come with a bed, a desk, mirror, desk chair, and dresser. That doesn't leave much room for guests, so a fold-up lounger would be perfect for friends and easy to store. I really want to get this one from Pottery Barn Teen.

I only have posters in my room that I put up with command strips, but I think these wall decals would make an amazing touch to a dorm room. The above is from Target and they have them in all shapes and sizes and for all genders!

I really really want one of these in my room. Not only does it leave another surface to be customized, but it also has the inside to hold books, and as we know, I love books. This is one from Target

These loungers are absolutely priceless! It's so easy to lean back on one of these in bed to watch a movie or read a book for a class. I'm sure you can get these at most stores with bedding departments, but the one pictured above is from Target.

Area rugs are great and functional. They are easy quick personalization to make your room look more cozy while they also protect your feet from the cold tile of the dorm floor! I don't have one for my room, but I plan to get one. This one is from Pottery Barn Teen.

And that's all the tips I've got for you. If you're going into your first, or any other, university year, I hope it goes great and good luck!

What are/were your dorm must-haves?

Life? When did that happen?

When I concluded people, my friends and sister, may actually want to be around me! It's been really great recently! I've spent a lot of time with friends/sister. I've never been more thankful for my sisters and my sorority than I am right now, but I'll get back to that in a bit.

The other night I went to hang out with my grandbig for one of the first few times. It was so great to see her and just to chat about stuff. We also watched the above movie, Sydney White, which I may review sometime soon.

Then last night, I house sat for my grandmother and invited one of my high school friends over. We hadn't spoken since Freshman year, so about 4 years apart, but she is transferring into my current university, so we got reconnected. Here's the awesome part, though: At her old university, she joined a sorority, my sorority. Now that she's transferring she's meeting the sisters here and I'm so grateful! We may have never been reconnected if it weren't for our sorority. I'm so so grateful. We were good friends in high school, and having spent over 24 hours together, nothing has changed. We're still awesome friends and I love this girl so much!

How has the start of your weekend been?

A Change of Pace

Thankfully, this time I don't mean a new blog! This time my change of pace is a redirection of my entire life! At the current, I am enrolled at a small, private university in my hometown of Shreveport, LA. I'm registered as a French and English major, which I had been very happy with. But things have changed, and I'm a bit frightened about it.

 

[photocredit]

In August, I will be applying for transfer to a large, public university in Colorado! I'll be applying to enter their College of Science and Arts to study Linguistics and Anthropology, with a possible minor in Classics (Greek and Roman Studies)! It's ridiculously exciting, but equally frightening. 

When this posts, I'll be riding in a car to Colorado. My Grandfather and I left today at 6 am and are going to be back home Tuesday (just in time to write my post for Wednesday). On this trip I'll get to not only see family I've missed, but see the campus to which I'm applying and where I am hoping to spend my next three - four years of study. I'll have a full write up on the trip (with pictures!) on next Wednesday, but today I wanted to discuss my reasons for transferring. I'm sorry this is a long, mostly photo-less post! Just bare with me.

[photocredit]

Early June or late May, I discovered that my current university had cut thie Latin program and would no longer be offering any Latin courses. This was the factor that made me first debate transferring schools, but it's certainly not my only reason. When I chose my school, I chose it because it was close to home and the website promised me the ability to attain a Masters in the Art of Teaching in 5-years (beginning as an undergraduate). In my research and visits to the school, no one felt the need to correct me and tell me that the undergraduate Education program had been cut. Strike 1.

As I get into school and begin classes, I learn that my undergraduate MAT is not possible anymore, and settle for a double major of French and English with a possible minor (definite classes) in German. Little did I know, or anyone tell me until a German major friend, that the German department was closing down and would not be offering beginning courses anymore. Strike 2.

The general atmosphere of the school is very much like a small-town. It's a very close knit community with the cliques (granted not a bad as high school). There are the choir kids, the athletes, the science majors, and everyone else. I don't like the atmosphere or the community. Strike 3.

Tuition went up. A lot. Strike 4.

Finally, I learn that Latin isn't simply not being offered the upcoming fall semester (I had been led to believe that I could register for beginning Latin in the Spring) but that is will not be offering any more beginning courses and will be phased completely out in the next year or so. Strike 5.

There are other, much more minor, strikes against the university, as well, but I won't list them here; this post is already long enough and I still have a bit more to say.

I feel that in attending the school a full to year, I've given it a chance and given myself ample time to develop opinions of what is best for me. As much as I'd love to say I'd like to stay at my school, I wouldn't. Granted I've made some great friend and I have a fantastic chapter of my sorority here, the education is not one I'm happy with. I love languages and want to study them above all else, but I cannot do that at my current university. The new university, should I be accepted, offers at least 15 languages, as well as Linguistics and Anthropology departments (two professions I've always hoped to go into later in life). It seems that, for me, this transfer is the best option, despite the 2 days it takes to get home. Despite the hours and the miles, my family is supportive, most of my friends are supportive, and, thankfully, my partner is entirely supportive and hopes the best for me. With his, and my family's, support I'm fully ready to take the step and apply the moment the application goes live online!

What did/do/will you study in school (if you choose/chose that path)? Have you ever made the choice to transfer universities? What went into your decision?

*Disclaimer: Both photos were pulled from DeviantART. Both have credit to the photo page under the photo. If the link appears broken, please notify me and I will correctly credit the photo. Neither photo is mine or was take by me. All rights remain with the original photographer.*

My life: Majors/Books/Sorority/Social Media

As I'm sur you all know by now, I love books. And reading, and writing, and literature in general. Well, today it became official. I am no longer a French Major, but instead a French/English Double Major!! I'm so excited and happy! They also will have a path open for me to focus or specialize in creative writing! I'm so very very happy.

On that same subject, I finished The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. The written review is on my book blog Irrational Reader and my video review is on a new collab channel at BookishBelles. It was really good. <3

I'm also now in a sorority! I'm a Chi Omega, and I love it! I just met my big sister last week and spent a bunch of time with my pledge class over the weekend. I really think sororities are amazing things, especially mine!

I've also created a master list of my social media sites, so that'll linked in the navigation. You should totally get me out elsewhere!

I suppose that's all I got for you tonight. I hope all is well with you.

Do you do book blogging? vlogging? What are you studying? What do you think of the whole greek system on university campuses? Do you like cross over followers from various social networking sites?
I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of the topics!