RETROACTIVE
Note: this entry was written retroactively (2021).
I spent the summer between my fourth and fifth years co-oping at GE, taking way too many credit hours, and packing up from an apartment that had truly become home. The co-op was not a fun one, being more mundane than educational, the credits were only necessary for graduation, and the packing was a mountain that could never be summited. However, perseverance always pays off. The classes were completed, lightening my senior course load, and at the end of the summer, I got an official offer from GE to be a part of their Summer 2021 DTLP class! Knowing that was a huge relief, and I'd be lying if I said that I worked especially hard during my final school year... Oops.
Troy and I moved into a 5 bedroom house with 4 of his closest mates. At first, I was kind of mad at him for talking me into that decision, especially since I loved our home the way it was. We previously lived in the quaint Gaslight District of Clifton, surrounded by green trees, local shops, Graeter's and Skyline just a walk away. It was idyllic to me, but it also entailed a 20 minute uphill walk to campus. It was either walk, or take an unreliable shuttle. I can see why he wanted to move, in retrospect. Anyways, the house was closer to school, had free laundry, and an en-suite bathroom. I could learn to look fondly on the past and embrace the future, right? I was quickly learning that that was going to be the theme of the rest of the year. Ultimately, the house was filled with bright energy and lots of love. Admittedly, it was always lovely to come home to one or two people sitting in the living room laughing about a joke on TV or playing a game or just doing homework together.
Shortly into August, we acquired another roommate with four legs and a shiny coat of black fur. Froggy the 4 Paws Doggy would quickly become the mascot for 208 Lyon Street, and another lesson in patience. He was the first dog that Troy and I were full-time fostering from 4 Paws For Ability. Looking back, he was super well-behaved, highly food-motivated, and very quiet. Overall, a great companion to the little family we'd built at the house. Troy was able to take him to his classes; naturally, everyone liked him there too. I don't remember taking him to any of my classes; most of them were online. My schedule was pretty open to take care of him, so he and I spent a lot of time together in the bedroom at the Lyon house. The only time we didn't really hang out was in the morning for a few hours. MWF I would work at the UHP office, TR I took yoga with the whole household. Oh, and Wednesday evenings, when I took Intro to Beer. That was a weird course, but Troy wanted us to take it together, so I indulged him.
The rest of fall semester settled into a routine, until we learned that Troy's parents were going to be visiting Vietnam for three months starting in January. They asked if we could housesit for them in spring semester, as well as look after the dogs. We agreed, so that meant we had to move out again. It was extra difficult because it meant we needed to give back Froggy so soon after we got to meet him. Family duty comes first, so we did what we needed to do. I was having trouble with the adjustment, but was able to pivot quicker than before, which felt like an indicator of progress!
Spring semester was even lighter than fall, and I got the "glazed" look quickly from bein unstimulated... The "glazed look" is what I call the feeling in your eyes when you doomscroll all day and keep your eyes glued to the computer for no reason. I had no reason to be on the computer, save for some bits and bobs of leftover capstone work, or my one course (Human-Computer Interaction, a 2000 level course that I saved for last and took online). I still accompanied Troy to campus quite often, since he had to be there for his capstone, but I spent most of my time in Langsam or at the Rec Center. Other than that and finding new places to live after graduation, nothing was new. Honestly, it felt good to go glazed for that semester, since I knew it was my last chance to really do so. Work would be starting in a few months, and it would never end, so why not just turn off the ol' brain for a hot minute?
I missed living on campus and seeing our friends, and being at all the parties, but at least we had each other. In fact, we had each other for the rest of our lives -- Troy proposed on March 16, and I said yes! I knew it was coming, but it was still so nice. The proposal itself was quiet and personal. We went to our favorite Airbnb in Flushing, Queens for our last spring break, and spent it eating food and shopping and sleeping. Additionally, I got a text from a landlord saying that they were looking for someone to move in starting in April... It ended up working perfectly, since that's when Troy's parents were going to return! The house was about 10 minutes away from campus and was brightly lit, with tons of space and high ceilings. I couldn't wait to move into "Dream Home," as I deemed it. The horizon was very bright: Dream House, graduation, and Japan were all around the corner.
As always, finishing spring break feels like a rocket boost towards the end of the school year. The last few weeks of school flew by. Troy and I quickly moved into our new house and broke it in by having a graduation party and hosting my family there as well. I only ended up attending my Honors graduation; I didn't want to sit in a giant pool of black poly-satin caps and gowns, so I ended up spending the day with my family. We got a really delicious brunch at National Exemplar and vegged out on the couch at the new place the rest of the day. It was the perfect day.
I spent the summer between my fourth and fifth years co-oping at GE, taking way too many credit hours, and packing up from an apartment that had truly become home. The co-op was not a fun one, being more mundane than educational, the credits were only necessary for graduation, and the packing was a mountain that could never be summited. However, perseverance always pays off. The classes were completed, lightening my senior course load, and at the end of the summer, I got an official offer from GE to be a part of their Summer 2021 DTLP class! Knowing that was a huge relief, and I'd be lying if I said that I worked especially hard during my final school year... Oops.
Troy and I moved into a 5 bedroom house with 4 of his closest mates. At first, I was kind of mad at him for talking me into that decision, especially since I loved our home the way it was. We previously lived in the quaint Gaslight District of Clifton, surrounded by green trees, local shops, Graeter's and Skyline just a walk away. It was idyllic to me, but it also entailed a 20 minute uphill walk to campus. It was either walk, or take an unreliable shuttle. I can see why he wanted to move, in retrospect. Anyways, the house was closer to school, had free laundry, and an en-suite bathroom. I could learn to look fondly on the past and embrace the future, right? I was quickly learning that that was going to be the theme of the rest of the year. Ultimately, the house was filled with bright energy and lots of love. Admittedly, it was always lovely to come home to one or two people sitting in the living room laughing about a joke on TV or playing a game or just doing homework together.
Shortly into August, we acquired another roommate with four legs and a shiny coat of black fur. Froggy the 4 Paws Doggy would quickly become the mascot for 208 Lyon Street, and another lesson in patience. He was the first dog that Troy and I were full-time fostering from 4 Paws For Ability. Looking back, he was super well-behaved, highly food-motivated, and very quiet. Overall, a great companion to the little family we'd built at the house. Troy was able to take him to his classes; naturally, everyone liked him there too. I don't remember taking him to any of my classes; most of them were online. My schedule was pretty open to take care of him, so he and I spent a lot of time together in the bedroom at the Lyon house. The only time we didn't really hang out was in the morning for a few hours. MWF I would work at the UHP office, TR I took yoga with the whole household. Oh, and Wednesday evenings, when I took Intro to Beer. That was a weird course, but Troy wanted us to take it together, so I indulged him.
The rest of fall semester settled into a routine, until we learned that Troy's parents were going to be visiting Vietnam for three months starting in January. They asked if we could housesit for them in spring semester, as well as look after the dogs. We agreed, so that meant we had to move out again. It was extra difficult because it meant we needed to give back Froggy so soon after we got to meet him. Family duty comes first, so we did what we needed to do. I was having trouble with the adjustment, but was able to pivot quicker than before, which felt like an indicator of progress!
Spring semester was even lighter than fall, and I got the "glazed" look quickly from bein unstimulated... The "glazed look" is what I call the feeling in your eyes when you doomscroll all day and keep your eyes glued to the computer for no reason. I had no reason to be on the computer, save for some bits and bobs of leftover capstone work, or my one course (Human-Computer Interaction, a 2000 level course that I saved for last and took online). I still accompanied Troy to campus quite often, since he had to be there for his capstone, but I spent most of my time in Langsam or at the Rec Center. Other than that and finding new places to live after graduation, nothing was new. Honestly, it felt good to go glazed for that semester, since I knew it was my last chance to really do so. Work would be starting in a few months, and it would never end, so why not just turn off the ol' brain for a hot minute?
I missed living on campus and seeing our friends, and being at all the parties, but at least we had each other. In fact, we had each other for the rest of our lives -- Troy proposed on March 16, and I said yes! I knew it was coming, but it was still so nice. The proposal itself was quiet and personal. We went to our favorite Airbnb in Flushing, Queens for our last spring break, and spent it eating food and shopping and sleeping. Additionally, I got a text from a landlord saying that they were looking for someone to move in starting in April... It ended up working perfectly, since that's when Troy's parents were going to return! The house was about 10 minutes away from campus and was brightly lit, with tons of space and high ceilings. I couldn't wait to move into "Dream Home," as I deemed it. The horizon was very bright: Dream House, graduation, and Japan were all around the corner.
As always, finishing spring break feels like a rocket boost towards the end of the school year. The last few weeks of school flew by. Troy and I quickly moved into our new house and broke it in by having a graduation party and hosting my family there as well. I only ended up attending my Honors graduation; I didn't want to sit in a giant pool of black poly-satin caps and gowns, so I ended up spending the day with my family. We got a really delicious brunch at National Exemplar and vegged out on the couch at the new place the rest of the day. It was the perfect day.