First things first. Laura, excellent questions you sent in- thanks. I'll be sending you an email soon and attempt to answer all of them. And Chuck, I appreciate the empathy. Grad school is a lot of work, and it's always nice to know that there are others out there in the same boat. :)

Okay, so despite the fact that my last entry was only six days ago, I feel as though there's so much that I want to share with you all. I am remaining with only one final and one paper, and actually already received my grade from the Social Work Research final I took this past Monday. (Gotta love that turn-around time). I did very well, and once again owe my success entirely to the good ol' flash cards....well, the flash cards AND a phenomenal professor by the name of Bethany Lee.

Dr. Lee realizes that many social work students aren't exactly thrilled about the research requirement. She sees that a number of us (including yours truly) aren't very math-minded, and she made very deliberate, thoughtful attempts to keep the class interesting, digestable, and believe it or not, guys--she even made the class fun. Her power points and lectures were consistently organized, well- prepared, and clear, and the in-class activities were instrumental in presenting the information in a context that we could both appreciate and understand. I can't rave about her enough, and definitely recommend that she be a professor you look into taking for the research requirement (SOWK 670)- or any other class she teaches for that matter. You'll learn a lot, and equally as important- you'll enjoy the process. Truth be told- social work research is now an area in which I'm highly interested...it's much more approachable now, and seeing all of the gaps that currently exist in it, I'm thinking there might be a way for me to fill some of them....

Don't mind the missing segue, folks...

So last night I had the pleasure of attending a fundraising reception for UMB. Being that I am a scholarship recipient, I was nominated by two professors to speak at the event, which then resulted in an invitation from Dean Barth himself. (Though I'm in the thick of finals right now and should have been studying last night, I never even considered saying no). It was quite an honor actually. I was also quite nervous. Public speaking is a skill that one must hone, and I haven't done it in a loooooong time. Most of my public speaking actually took place in Zambia, with a much less formal venue. I'd ride my bike to the meetings and throw a wrap on over my cargo pants, if that gives you any clearer idea of how informal they were. Oh, and they were almost always outside under a tree somewhere. :) Ah, the good old days...:)

Alright friends, I'd love to stay and chat but my studies call. I'll be in touch soon.

Take care, everyone.