this year is going to be awesome, I can already tell because the start I've gotten has been amazing.

This summer has been pretty sub-par. I didn't have a job all summer besides undergraduate research and I barely did any of that because my professor was gone so I've been lost most of the time. I liked having just one job during the summer, working 40+ hours a week and a high-end retail store like Coach and basically making bank. I got to see all my old friends from high school. And I thought that's what summer was all about. I stayed in Blacksburg this summer to be with Henry and to do undergraduate research. Well Henry and I have basically been living together and research kind of comes and goes. I also found out I suck at programming. I couldn't write a stupid program on carbon nanotubes. I was about to give up, drop out, and go to culinary school. I've been watching ABC Family and the Food Network a lot. I don't usually watch a lot of television. The mess at my place just kept getting worse. I slowly got more and more broke as time went on... I desperately needed a job.

So I got one. I had applied to several places before but no one called me back, it was depressing. And then I went to go get donuts for the Physics Department's Coffee and Donuts.. and there was a sign. It was in the window saying "Help Wanted". So I went back later that day, got an application and the rest is history. I was even about to apply to the new Charlotte Russe, which would have been an easy job to get since I have a lot of retail experience, but I don't like the store all that much. I mean, I have a few clothes from there, just I didn't fit in. And at a doughnut shop, I fit in so well it's not even funny. I mean.. I love baking. I started yesterday, and let me tell you, it is the best job ever. I am up front the whole time, so I don't make donuts or anything, but I start at 6:30am. It couldn't be a better work schedule for the school year because I love getting up at the crack of dawn and getting to school early and finishing my day early. This way I'll be done with work by 12 and can do homework the rest of the day. I don't go to football games and they get super busy on football weekends. The register doesn't tell you how much change you owe, and I can do math. The girl whose grandfather owns the shop is a double major in physics and math at Radford, I'm a double major in physics and math. Coffee is really easy to make, and I get to drink some. They have trouble keeping people, I need a job until I graduate from college. Not only do I get free donuts, but I also get to give people free donuts. Donuts are the best. These, are the best donuts. They are fluffy and not too greasy or too sweet.. simply perfect.

Donuts then lead us into the fact that I'm the Public Relations Officer of the Society of Physics Students. Why? Well, it's simple. I host a Coffee and Donuts session every two weeks during the school year. I am going to smell like coffee and donuts so often, you would think I invented the idea for SPS. I think I make a great PR, I am actively involved in the physics department here, I've met almost all the new freshmen and hopefully gotten them acquainted, I am always in the lounge, I can keep us stocked on sodas, I have set up every issue of the Naked Singularity (newsletter) and have started working on the first 3... I am a pretty decent writer and have been asking for student articles early on so I can assure that there is an issue every two weeks. I go to almost all the events so I can provide articles on the exciting things that go on with us physicists. I even updated the SPS cork board with more recent pictures (the others were really old, most weren't at Tech anymore) and left a section for the most recent NS. Plus, I work at the doughnut shop we buy the donuts from. I am the most qualified and enthusiastic person that ever got elected for this position ever.

Yesterday I brought donuts to Jackie, the person most qualified to be my roommate. Luckily, I will be living with her until I graduate. We lived together freshmen year, in a really nice dorm. Overall, our experience of dorm life was awesome. We have a lot in common and hung out a lot too, so we will be able to do that again. Ashley will be living with us too, which is kind of funny because we both got terrible impressions of the other early on and are now realizing we are very alike and will be good living together. I started moving my stuff in this weekend and so far my room looks pretty sweet. The closet is big and I really needed that. Plus, I can get a fresh start with a clean room, because mine currently has been a disaster. The walls and door were kind of gross, so I went out and bought a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, which is the best thing ever. I love cleaning things with it and apparently so does Jackie, she went around cleaning everything. It was funny. So Jackie has been collecting random items people try to get rid of. You wouldn't believe some of the free stuff you can find around move out time. Which is now. She got some spiffy couches and other random items. She was going to just get rid of the other couches, but I got to give them to Henry. And she also gave him a mini-fridge in exchange for dinner. We went "dumpster diving" yesterday. Basically we saw some stuff outside a dumpster and it was all in pretty good condition so we called Paul, took a love seat and two desks. So I have a free desk, we gave Paul the loveseat and got a new microwave. Free stuff is awesome. I wonder what Jackie will find before I'm fully moved in. My living situation will be so much better because it'll be less awkward.

Also, my one year with the boy toy is coming up. Had I not realized engineering was a bunch of busy work and that I really enjoyed physics, I never would have transferred and never would have met him. Which would have been sad. I don't think the year would have been quite as great. Of course, I wanted to go to Tech because it's a good engineering school and UVA is filled with snobs and those were my only two real choices since I would have had to taken out student loans and gotten scholarships at an out-of-state school. So maybe we would have anyway. We're getting married some day, and I figure as much because we can live together and not kill each other.

It's a good thing I didn't give up on anything, because had I done that, this coming year or so wouldn't be amazing. Never give up, never surrender? That's a moral right? I think I've been watching too much ABC Family.