A tidbit of advice

So, before I get to the advice part, I almost forgot to tell you I went to a Tyrone Wells concert last Friday! Now, I'm not one to go to many concerts, but I really enjoyed this one. Both Tyrone as a person and his music were really enjoyable. (If you are a Grey's Anatomy fan, or have seen commercials for it, you've heard at least part of one of his songs.) He is a Christian, but doesn't sing "Christian" songs. However, he does sing about Jesus, but he just never says Jesus' name. After the concert, there was a little meet and greet and signing session, which was pretty neat. I went with my roommate, Shirin, but we went because our classmate, Kristina, told us about the concert. Kristina and her boyfriend, Jonathan, were supposed to go too, but they didn't buy their tickets beforehand and the concert was sold out so they couldn't buy the tickets at the door. :( So, after the concert, Shirin and I were talking to Tyrone and we told him the story and then had him sign a picture of himself, addressed to Kristina and Jonathan. He is such a quality guy with some quality music. Needless to say, it was a really enjoyable night! :)

Now....advice about the T, if you are ever to ride it (or any other mode of public transportation). Pay attention to what stop you need to get off at and get off there! It's really annoying to be on the T full of people and doing something and then look up to see the station you are supposed to get off at going by the windows, after the doors have already closed. Not only did that happen to me this morning, but then it almost happened to me again tonight when I was on my way home. Usually, the little announcer man will come on the speaker and announce which stop we are at. This morning, that announcer voice never came on and this evening, it did, and I quickly gathered my things and ran off the T. Two stops before I'm supposed to get off I was aware and thought, 'oh, I have two stops left and then I get off.' Then, I got to reading the little metro newspaper and apparently it was really interesting. I think I was reading about some movie, Whig It or something, or about the Red Sox and Angel rivalry and what's to come this weekend during their series. Regardless, I was not paying attention at my stop and the doors opened and I just sat there. Then, I heard the announcer voice say, "Dean Road" and I threw the newspaper on the seat next to me, picked up my backpack (which was not small), grabbed my jacket, grabbed the vacuum I had just bought (without a box because it was the display), and grabbed another little bag that I had as well and ran off the T, before the doors closed. Then, I proceeded to walk home with all my belongings hanging from me in some way. People probably thought I was a crazy mess and that I was a space cadet. It may be true, especially since I almost missed my stop TWICE today (I actually did miss it completely this morning). Oh dear....maybe I'll be more aware tomorrow and get to school and home without any glitches. We shall see.

Cari comes on FRIDAY!!! :)

A Little Update...

I've been wanting to update you all for the past week or so, but have not made the time to do so. But, now, it's a bit late and I need to go to bed, so it'll be a quick one. Honestly, this last week has been a rough one. I had a couple tests and a practical last week and they were difficult. But, what was I expecting? Them to be easy?! Studying is not as enticing now as it was this summer. Being in seven classes is very different than being in two. Time management has been such a struggle and so often I have so much to do and I don't even know where to start, so I just don't start! But now, things are beginning to pick up more, making it more crucial that I stay on top of my studies and learn the information, since it will become my career someday, I hope. :) So, studying is going slowly and not as productive as this summer, but I intend for that to change drastically in the coming days and weeks.

With that said, haha, Cari's coming to visit this weekend!!! And, I will definitely take the time to go around Boston with her and do some crazy fun things. I'm really excited for her to come and I think it's a great time--with regards to my state of mind as well as the weather and my class schedule. :) Living in/near to the city, especially Boston, allows for so many things to do when one comes to visit! It's so different from living in Clayton or San Luis Obispo. As much as I love those two places and consider them both home, living in Boston makes it much easier to answer the question "What are we going to do when someone comes to visit?" :) There is much more than the beach, the farm, Farmer's Market, bowling, going to a park, and watching a movie or playing games. As we do have a few of those previously mentioned entertaining activities, there are plenty more that I can easily come up with. I don't want to spoil any surprises I may have for Cari, so you'll just have to wait until after she comes until I share some exciting Boston activities. Then, maybe you'll all get to come experience it for yourself with me someday as well!

I have decided to make Hope Fellowship Church home for me in Boston. It's actually in Cambridge and pretty close to where I lived this summer. It's a smaller church that's pretty new, as it has been around for about six years. I really enjoy the pastor and the fact that it is a smaller church and being able to feel more known there. I have joined a community group (Bible study) that meets on Monday nights, which I enjoy greatly. The attendees of the church are about my age...some a bit older and some a few years younger, and I found that to be true of most churches in the Boston area. There are some young families, but even so, I'd guess that the oldest person I've seen at church is maybe in their early, maybe mid-, forties. I couldn't tell you why, but that's what I have experienced. So, I enjoy the church and there are many opportunities to get to know people in smaller settings, which has been great so far, and I've only gone to two weeks of community group. Well, they did have lunch after church for three weeks that I went to as well and met some people. One week was a potluck (which I didn't know about so I didn't bring any food). The next week was a newcomer's lunch. And, then the week after that was a college student lunch. So, going to the lunches three weeks in a row gave me opportunities to meet people and talk with them as well. I've been able to meet and talk with one of the pastors on a number of occasions and meeting other people...so great! Oh yes...and, one of the women in my community group is a physical therapist, so I have someone to encourage me and be able to personally relate to what I'm going through right now too, which is comforting. And, I could potentially ask her PT questions too, if I need to. So, that's fun.

I think that's about all for now. Hmmm....oh! I got a crock-pot last week. So, that will be exciting to cook something in there. Just need some good crock-pot worthy recipes now! Anyone??? My mom said she would give me some if I got a crock-pot. So, I got a crock-pot, now it's her turn to act, but I would gladly take recipes from anyone as I know some phenomenal cooks do read my blog every once in a while. :)

Oh, yes...I have decided to research Gabapentin for my pharmacology project. So, thank you for that suggestion. :)

It's beginning to look like fall, which is really exciting! The leaves are beginning to change colors, which is fantastic! Every morning as we're walking to the T, or are just outside, and we see a tree with fall-colored leaves, we gaze up at the beauty of it and I imagine all the trees looking like that. Hard to imagine right now. I've seen leaves change color, but it's only a few that do...I'm used to seeing a number of trees that stay green. I've been told that if we have some more cold days, the leaves will change faster. I suppose it's the coldness that enhances the color change, and I'm embracing and enjoying the crisp and cool air along with the beautiful colors. I think I'm adapting to colder weather and still wearing jeans with a light jacket and sandals when it's 50, maybe 60, degrees outside. I don't anticipate that happening when it gets much colder than that though. I'll keep you posted.

Alright, I think that has to be all for now as I do need to get some rest tonight. Thanks for reading and we'll be in touch!!!