school...work...and more school...

My posts have been pretty boring lately. No more travel and dessert! But a post is a reflection of my life, and so if I have to sit through an IS class from 12:25-1:45pm, struggling to stay awake, well then you get to read about it.

Last semester I started a new classroom philosophy. Brett and I took a meditation class and I'd been doing yoga for some time, so I decided to put my practice into practice. (hee hee) We talked a lot last semester about being mindful--being aware of what you are doing in the moment you are doing it. No more of this hoping for the future or dwelling in the past.

So, I decided that I was going to work on being mindful during classroom lectures. My typical classroom mindset is all over the place. I'm planning my to do list, I'm doing the homework for my next class, I'm texting friends and family, I'm eating, I'm taking notes, and if I'm lucky, I'm listening to the lecture. I decided that I was going to cut out all the other stuff, even the note taking, since all my professors post Power Point slides for each lecture. All I would do during a lecture is sit there with nothing on my desk, listening.

This was extremely difficult for me to do. I felt unproductive; I felt like I should be doing so many other things. But, I payed attention and I retained some information. I believe that I had to study less at the end of the semester because I had listened during class lectures. I was able to pay attention to discussions other students were initiating. If the teacher called on me, I wasn't caught off guard, I was paying attention and could contribute something intelligent.

I am still trying to work on being mindful during class this semester. Although, when I start to dose off in the middle of class, right after lunch, in a Power Point darkened room...I pull out the laptop and post a blog.

certification test...(insert dramatic music)

So next weekend I am taking my interpreting certification test, the one I blogged about a few times back. I'm excited to take it. I had a dream the other night that my close friends and family came to the test with me, to support me. And when it was my turn to go in and film my test, everyone came in with me. It was very heart-warming, but people kept standing in front of the camera and getting in my way and being too noisy. So I had to ask if I could start the test again, because I was having problems with all the people in the room. Once I finally got everyone out of the way and started testing again, I had totally lost my energy and I completely botched the test.

Very interesting. Aside from the foreboding dream, I'm very confident about my scheduled test and looking forward to getting it taken care of. I've been working as an interpreter for some time now and I have gained a lot of experience and knowledge. I'm sending my positive affirmations out into the cosmos: I am so happy that I passed all 5 parts of my test and that I am now a permanently certified interpreter!

one problem with business school...

I am allergic to smells, I swear I am. I can't wear smelly lotion or perfume, and any strong smells in my environment make me sneeze and cough and my eyes puff up. So generally in my classes, I know who the smelly people are. By smelly I mean cologne mongers, not boys-that-don't-shower. I avoid sitting near these people (I avoid the boys-that-don't-shower, too, but surprisingly there aren't very many of those in my classes).

Unfortunately, I had 7:30 class this morning and double unfortunately, I was late. Because I was late, I had few seats to choose from in the classroom, and so ended up sitting by a smelly man. It's very annoying, and I feel it is so inconsiderate, because I am going to be sneezing and sniffing and paying for this for the rest of the day. Down with smelly boys!