Now that the winter quarter of school is in full swing, I have fallen into more of a groove and have a normal routine that I'm pretty happy with. If you know me, you know I have to have it all planned out.
A day for me starts around 7:45. Then again at 8. Then again at 8:15. 8:15 a.m is my final "go time." The other times are just my alarm clock reminding me that, yes, I do have school and responsibilities. And that as much as I would love to, I cannot sleep my life away, and just watch Netflix all day. I also want to punch it each time it goes off.
I groan, then push my cat out of the way, turn on my heater and make my way to the bathroom. I brush my teeth, take a few minutes to wake up and adjust to the light, then put on my makeup. I'm very simple when it comes to getting ready, so it doesn't take me long at all. Just a primer, foundation, blush, powder, eyeliner, eyeshadow and mascara. Okay, it sounds like a lot, but I just dab here and there. I'm no makeup wizard. Then, I straighten or curl my hair, depending on the time I have.
Usually, I still have a little extra time before I go to school. So, I'll get on my phone and respond to texts and tweets if there are any and finish getting my things together. I used to be so on top of having everything set to go the night before, but now I just go with the flow. I'm also not a huge breakfast eater, so I just grab a healthy breakfast bar or something quick that I can eat on the go.
My first class is at 10 a.m, which isn't that early...Actually, it's not early at all. But, I'm not used to getting up before 11 most of the time. I normally leave the house around 9:30, but I can sometimes leave later, because traffic doesn't seem to be as bad around the school as it was around the campus last quarter. I don't have a car at the moment, and I don't feel comfortable with driving my parents' SUV, so my mom drops me off and picks me up.
My first class is feature writing, which is probably my favorite, even though there is a lot of work and it's starting to get a bit more challenging. Features are my very favorite thing about magazine and newspaper writing. This class is giving me a chance to learn a lot about the style and technique, as well as letting my creative juices flow a little more for AP style writing. There are a lot of fun and exciting assignments, and is really giving us a chance to stretch outside of our comfort zones. I'm a little intimidated at times and still getting used to the interviewing process, but I'm getting there. Rome wasn't built in a day, you know?
After that class, I have a break for about an hour. I bring my lunch from home, typically a salad, but when I get tired of those, I'll switch to something else. Every once in awhile, I'll still meet up with friends because we have the same breaks, but due to schedules and our busy lives, that doesn't always happen. I don't mind eating alone, though. What a jump from Jr. hi that is. I've always been a wallflower, so I like just observing everyone around me. It inspires me. I used to watch Netflix or catch up on reading for my classes, but I just haven't taken to that this time around. I'm certainly keeping it in mind, though.
My next class is news production. I usually try to get there a few minutes early, since the class tends to pack out and I like to get settled in before everyone else comes in. It really is like an actual newspaper. Last quarter, I was a staff writer and we were turning in a story every week. Sometimes, you have really close deadlines and you have to talk to people within a certain amount of time. You learn to be flexible. This time, I'm an assistant editor for the features section, and wow...It's a lot. There are stories to be assigned, which means you always have to be in the know of what's going on around town or on campus, there are edits to be made, meetings on Fridays to discuss everything, pitch sessions, layout/design on Mondays and we have to write a few stories ourselves. This was our first full week of production, so it was definitely overwhelming trying to learn the system and get used to how they do it all, but I think I'll get used to it the more I do it. Things can be a little crazy on Monday with edits being made from the writers and assigning stories, while starting layout (at least this week anyway), but it was good. And it's cool to see the finished product come out on Wednesday, as people walk around campus reading it. It's giving me experience for the real world, and right now, that's what I need most.
Most of the time, I have about an hour to kill before my next class, but it depends on if there's a lot to discuss and take care of in the paper. If I have time, I'll get an iced tea from the coffee shop on campus and I'll eat a snack I brought from home in the little garden/quad area. There's a pond, several trees and it's very nice and cool. It's one of my favorite places to go. Last week, I read some blogs on my ipad and responded back to a few texts. The usual.
At 3:00, my next class starts and it's two hours long. It's about Mass Media and Society, so we talk about how the media affects us and all that jazz. We basically just write notes down from a powerpoint, while our professor talks for two hours straight. He's a super nice guy, but that class goes on forever. Yesterday, I was having a rough day and feeling SO tired, so I was reading blogs and checking tweets most of the time, while also being a good girl and taking notes. But, I was seriously about to fall asleep. On the plus side, it's a pretty easy class. If you do the work and do what he asks, you're going to do just fine.
That class ends at 5:05, and I have a few minutes to wake up and get ready for the next class, which starts at 5:15. Luckily, it's in the same building, so I just have to walk down the hall. It's my Theories in Communication class, and I'm actually really enjoying it so far. Half of the students from the Intro to Mass Comm. that I took last quarter are in this class, so it's like a little family of us. We all sit in one section basically, and talking to them seriously makes my day. We laugh at one another and it just really lightens the mood. We usually just take notes and have a little discussion here and there or we have to view a film. It's interesting, and surprisingly, it goes very quickly.
After that class ends at 7:20, my day is officially over and I get to go home. I usually just take a few minutes to let everything from the day soak in, or I'll vent to my mom about what happened in a class or how I wish something would have gone differently. Those are some of my favorite moments. I'm raw and real, and you never know what's going to happen...HAHA! JK (kind of), but I usually do come up with some great and witty lines. After I've calmed down and relaxed or had a few minutes to just sit and be, I'll take a quick shower and get all cozy in a sweatshirt and yoga pants. Yesterday was so exhausting and draining, I was just D-O-N-E by the time I got home. When I got out of the shower, I flopped down on the couch all cozy to watch American Idol.
Usually, when my dad gets home, we'll eat dinner...But, if it's going to be really late before he gets home from work, my mom and I will eat before. Then, we'll spend the rest of the evening watching TV, like American Idol, Parenthood, Parks and Rec, etc. It just depends on what day it is and what's on. Sometimes I'll try to get some homework done, but it's very rare when that happens. I usually just blog or read blogs, chat with friends, work on stories...Whatever.
I never go to bed before 11. It's usually closer to 1 a.m, because I watch the news and The Tonight Show, then head back to my room. I wash my face and brush my teeth, turn on a few episodes of Parks and Rec, then I am out for the night.
Tuesdays and Thursdays, I don't have classes, which is nice. I'm usually just home all day, in my pi's, working on assignments or watching marathons of my favorite shows. Fridays, I only have my feature writing class, which isn't too bad, but I dread Fridays a lot more than I thought it would. After having that little break on Thursday, it doesn't exactly motivate me to go back for just one class. But, I go and it's fine. I have lunch with my mom after that, then have to go back to school a meeting, discussing newspaper stuff and planning for the next issue.
It's not a bad schedule, it's just making sure that I'm keeping up with it all. I'm sure I'll have my moments where I just want to breakdown, but so far so good. I only have 7 weeks of this quarter to go after tomorrow, so WOO…It'll be over before I know it.
