Subject: “I’m like “they rejected Matt, whose resume is 5 miles long?!” ~ Natalie
Date: Monday 7/24/06 2:24:00 AM
Tags: blog: tag me
Wow, lots going on.
First and foremost I was given a contact the other day and was told I have to email this guy
I looked up his credentials, and they’re beyond impressive (stunning doesn’t even begin to describe it). He’s gay, married for over 10 years, has three kids. He’s Fluent in 13 languages (three of which are Arabic, Hebrew and Ladino) and he works in Applied Linguistics.
The person who wants to put us in touch with each other knows my credentials (which, compared to the guy I’m supposed to email…well, let’s just say he’s the Olympic swimming pool of credentials and I’m the inflatable kiddie pool with duct tape version of credentials). Anyways, the guy who wants to put us in touch with each other told my mother to pass on the contact information and she did; so now I’m writing him an email tonight, trying to not sound like a tool (and perhaps succeeding, we’ll see) and hoping he’ll be kind enough to answer around four or five thousand questions.
Rosetta Stone: Arabic
I’m getting the Rosetta Stone Arabic software for my Birthday; I’m not so much impressed by the fact that the State Department uses it (I have almost no confidence in my Government…I have confidence in (some) of the people of my country, just…not so much in what Washington thinks is a good idea or not. Think I’m crazy? Watch Reefer Madness and realize that they produced that gem to make people NOT want to smoke pot. I rest my case). I am however impressed that NASA uses the software. I’ll be using it to supplement the two hours daily of Arabic Writing Practice and the 4 Hours weekly lessons of Arabic Instruction that I receive. Which means that weekly (my weeks are five days long, I do not, and will not work on weekends – for any reason), I’ll be receiving 19 hours of Arabic Language Instruction at a minimum, not including study group time (which we’re still coordinating).
ASL
ASL this year will also be two hours of practice daily and three hours of instruction a week. Fortunately the class is complete submersion. The instructor is 100% deaf and we’re not allowed to talk from the moment we get into class until we leave for the day. We’re forbidden from moving our lips on the exams in case we should be helping our friends. I have two hours of ASL Practice a day plus three hours a week for 13 hours of Instruction weekly at a minimum, again, not including study group time (which I can’t coordinate, because unlike Arabic I have no idea who’s in my class next semester).
Friendly Warning for Friends (This applies to everyone, no exceptions)
I state this emphatically and beg for your patience over the next 530 some odd days. While not a hard and fast rule, this will certainly be true overall – unless I manage to become a better scheduling wizard than I already am, and manage, somehow, to find free time during the week (again, M-F).
During this next academic year, I will be unable to be ‘reached’ so to speak Mondays through Fridays for hanging out. It’s just not going to happen so please don’t call me and bug me and put me in the position where I have to constantly say no; you already know the answer.
My schedule is such that I’ll be getting up at 8am and getting home at 10:00PM Monday through Friday and after 10 o’clock the only activity other than Hookah (I don’t put reefer in my hookah, I figure this should be mentioned for clarity since I mentioned it above) is sleep.
Friday I take the afternoon to myself and overall I won’t be making plans, I use that evening to destress from the week and to get myself in order.
The only days that I have to hang out will be the weekends since I refuse to do work on Saturday and Sunday’s (and I reserve the right to take some of those to myself as well).
Them’s the breaks until Summer Session. My apologies, I know it sucks, but it is what it is and I ask that you just bear with it. I promise it won’t suck when in six years I’m fluent and pulling in the salary that I require to support the lifestyle I’m accustomed to.
Oh I’ll mention this here too: the first person who leaves a voice mail whining “don’t you love me anymore” or “I never get to see you anymore” is getting their number banned from my cell. I hate that shit, it’s number two on a top ten list of shit that makes my blood boil. Really it shows a serious lack of respect for other people’s time constraints based on where they are in life and the requirements placed on them. People will say “well you don’t have to do that” well that’s true, but I’d like to achieve more than a menial job. Messages like that show a lack of understanding that people will go through phases in their life where they get to be stressed for awhile. I can’t imagine the shit my friends in Pharmacy get when they’re doing rounds.
While I’ll be attempting to limit stress (thank you Yoga Classes, Meditation Room, etc) next semester is it. It’s go time. I haven’t been in a club in many months and I won’t be in one next semester at all. Don’t call, I’m not going out.
I have numerous exams that I have to pass next semester; some for school, some because I’ve set them there to challenge me and anything less than flying colors is unacceptable.
In short: Deal.
Flying Back to Buffalo
I fly back to Buffalo Today, I’ll be landing at 4:25 in the Afternoon and heading straight to campus for class. I’ll see everyone soon =)
moocowinthecity