summer time, but the living isn't as easy as i'd hope.

it's been a while since i've shared in this space. let's see what i can sum up from the past … uh … 2 years?

• i survived hidden villa summer camp
• i cooked lots of food for lots of people and even got to teach some of the wee ones at high trails
• i did as much contra dancing as my budget and body would allow which brought me exciting places like san francisco, santa barbara, san luis obipso, hawaii, pasadena, and arizona to name a few
• i traded in my banjo for a ukulele
• i traveled all around the national parks in california: death valley, joshua tree, yosemite, kings canyon, and sequoia
• i drove across the country for the 4th time
• my grandmother passed away
• i spent a month in alaska leading a native alaskan high school trail crew
• i lived in a crazy old victorian house in a slightly sketchy neighborhood (drug deals and ladies of the night regularly crossed my path) in worcester, ma with wonderful housemates who i will miss dearly
• i managed to contra dance almost every weekend (thank you new england!)
• i rediscovered a love for latin dance
• i played music at a cafe!
• although i daily doubt the usefulness of my degree program, i made it through a year of graduate school! yippee!
• i flirted with the dating scene…might have broken some hearts along the way (including my own) and need to just wait for the right opportunity
• i've tried out two internships (both at nonprofits, one doing nothing, one doing some cool research) and two jobs (grading art history exams and working for an energy efficiency company) but still feel far from knowing what direction i want my career to take
• i landed a paid internship in boston with an investment firm (WHAT?!)

right now, i'm in this slightly strange place of being in my current housing situation for another few weeks…not taking classes…not working…not really doing much of anything besides grading some art history exams and riding my bike. strangely, it feels kind of nice. i do have responsibilities and errands to take care of, but those things are pretty basic (get a hair cut, take my car to the shop, start packing up my things, etc), so it'll be easy to manage. i'm (hopefully) moving to a cute apartment outside of boston for the summer and then another cute house for the fall. here's to hoping i can make it through another year of school...

some life lessons i've learned in these years:

• as much as i want to plan everything, i can't. life will undoubtedly throw wrenches into all plans.
• life really is all about the connections you make and keep. on the spectrum of utilitarian to idealist…it is all important.
• music and exercise are automatic portals to happiness. especially when they happen at the same time.
• i really like painting my nails.
• sleep is crucial to staying healthy and sane.
• i am NOT good at lead generation or reading complex journal articles.
• i AM good at plugging things into a spreadsheet and making cookies.
• i NEED to learn a foreign language.
• quitting can feel quite liberating.
• nostalgia stinks, but it means that the experiences i've had have been authentic.
• i am not an east coast person. california. i'm headed to you soon!
• i still have some wanderlust in me and need to find the best ways to channel that energy so that i can be content and present in the moment.

i'm going to try to keep this updated semi-regularly. i'm sure there will be plenty of interesting tales from my foray into the finance world this summer...