Keep Calm and Carry On

Coming back from vacation always leaves me feeling sort of blaaah. I know most of my working friends will say, "But Jamie, your whole life is a vacation, you are still in school!" But this only has some semi-truth to it. School is hard, especially when you procrastinate. But like the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", I have learned to stick with methods that work. And if procrastination gets me a 3.8 GPA in grad school, I'll take it.

After my eventful trip to NYC this past weekend, coming home was surreal. The extended weekend flew by way too fast, and now it's time to get back into the swing of things. Back to school, back to work, back to research. Oh, the little joys in life!

This is where my most recent realization comes into play: I have got to take a break from school. Although dreams of one day getting my PhD are not completely being thrown away, they may be placed on the back burner for a little bit. I am at a stage in my life where I am ready to face the real world and start a career, or at least try a few jobs out.

Being in a city like New York makes me crave a fast-paced lifestyle. While I know I could never permanently live in a city that big (I'm a Southern girl at heart), I know that at this point in my life there is a perfect opportunity to explore a few options. After some careful thought, NYC may be a little too big for this mama's girl. So I guess for now, I will have to suffice with a visit or two (or three, or four....) a year.

Seeing as how NYC may be out of the question, I have been toying with a few other cities to reside in. On the top of my list is DC. Not too far from home, a metropolitan area, many job opportunities, this city seems to have it all. And I know the perfect place for me to live. I'll give you a few hints: it's big and it's white.

Considering some recent job opportunities, I've also contemplated moving to Knoxville, Raleigh, or even Atlanta. I guess when you live in a town like Boone anything seems more fast-paced. Now comes the application process; just another activity to keep me from school work. Speaking of activities keeping me from school work, today I stumbled upon this...

I just have to keep reminding myself to keep my eye on the prize and in no time I will be finished with school, probably wishing I was right back in the position I am currently in. But don't we always want what we don't have?