At the half-way point (well, sort of)

It's the last week of classes!  I've been reveling in the fact that every time I went to a class this week, it is for the last time!  This first year of graduate school has gone by so quickly and I have learned so much.  So on this last day of the spring semester, I want to pause and reflect on all those lessons and newfound knowledge...that might not be so academic.

Grad school is brutal.  Seriously.  It's a lot harder than I thought it would be.  I'm not exactly sure what I expected, but navigating two different masters programs is a difficult task.  But sometimes, like today, you transported back to the good old days.  I'm talking pre-school here.  Yep, today in my cataloging class we had to draw with crayons.  Graduate school at its finest!

Coffee is the best thing ever.  I honestly don't know what I would do without it.  Die maybe?

Online TV is pretty great too.  I find that I watch more TV now than I ever did.

Perfection is over-rated.  It's better just to be humble, have as much fun as possible, and enjoy life.

Butterfingers can be eaten for breakfast.  On occasion.  Like today.

I must find a husband who will let me name our child after Lyndon Johnson.  Baines, that is.  I definitely don't think this guy is at IU, but he's out there somewhere!  My graduate programs here are an inch away from being an all-girls school.

I don't know if I'll ever read a book for fun again.  My leisure reading list is a mile long.  Currently, Rachel Maddow's Drift is at the top of the list.   I think she's brilliant.  And hilarious.

Looking back on the past year, I have struggled.  I've questioned my merits as an historian/archivist/librarian.  I've wondered if I'm doing the right thing.  I've cried.  I've laughed until I cried.  I've made incredible friends that I couldn't live without.  I've read more books and wrote more papers than ever before.  I've worked some with fascinating Congressional papers.  And now I can say that I made it through my first year (once I get that final paper turned in next week, of course!).  One more year to go!