Man oh man where has the time gone? I feel terribly negligent for going so long without sending you all shoutouts. I had foolishly thought that once midterms were over I'd have some smooth sailing and be able to kick my feet up and relax.Yeah, not so much. I had two big papers due this week, both of which involved some serious procrastination and involved quite a bit of time when I finally got around to doing them. The good news: it's only Wednesday and they're both now done. More good news: I did very well on my midterms....all praise goes to the mighty flashcards. They really do work!! I was flipping through them on the train, before classes started, my friends and I were quizzing each other with them. I won't go as far as to say that it was "fun", but it certainly helped!

I was thinking last night of a few things that I wanted to share with you all on today's blog, and what I would say if I had to offer up any advice to you at this point. Here's what I came up with: get involved! I've made deliberate efforts to involve myself with school-related activities, and I find it really helps connect me to Baltimore, to the school, to friends, etc. It all has such an interesting ripple effect, too. Take, for example, the International Social Work Organization, of which I am part of its Leadership committee. (don't ask what that means, not quite sure yet!!) This past Monday, ISWO had a guest speaker come in from a local organization that deals with international social service issues. It was a fascinating discussion and I have already contacted the director of the organization and will be meeting with her this Friday to discuss possible ways in which I can become involved in what they're doing. To say that I'm excited about all of this would be an understatement. (For those of you who might not be interested in international social work, there are other student group orgs as well: one that promotes peace and equality, one that focuses on Latin America, one on GLBT, etc. My point: you can find your niche!)

Alright friends, I have to cut this short...need to meet with my professor. Have I explained that yet? I'm a research assistant for a professor here--it was a scholarship of sorts that UMB offered, and provides some tuition assistance. I work with my professor weekly, on a variety of tasks. More on that soon. We're just now getting into some really interesting work.

And oh, if any of you ever have questions about something that I've written or want additional info, just let me know. You can comment on my blog, and I'll get back to you with the quickness.

Take care, everyone. Happy Halloween!