smartgrlbecca

01:56 pm: Hey ya'll
Hey!

Another Monday. I can't really complain though - reading my messages from you guys this morning, it sounds like tons and tons of you had lots of homework this past week and over the weekend. Youch.

This past week, I started reading the book "The Kite Runner." Has anyone read it? I'd be interested to hear what you think. I'm not too far in yet, but thought I'd ask. It's about a boy growing up in Afghanistan during the 1970s and then about his life in California after he and his father are forced to leave Afghanistan.

Anyway, so I had another fun weekend. On Friday, a bunch of my friends and I had a dance party at one of their apartments. I know that probably sounds silly, but it was a ton of fun. We just turned on good dance music and moved all the furniture out of the middle of her living room and we all danced around. Yeah, writing that I realized how ridiculous it sounds but it was tons of fun. It's nice to just let loose and be silly sometimes. It was a good stress reliever. :) Then on Saturday, I got together with some other friends and we had a really low-key night just hanging out. Two of them brought their guitars over to my place and played for us for awhile, so that was pretty cool.

And Valentine's Day is this week.... I'm never quite sure how I feel about Valentine's Day. What do you guys think? Commercial holiday or a good opportunity to tell the people you love you love them? At any rate, I'm making cards for some of my friends. Seemed like fun, and it's a good excuse to bust out the markers and construction paper and let them know I love them.

Oops, I have to get going. Ciao!

<3,

Becca

03:44 pm: Greetings!
Well, it's Monday. I have to say, usually I'm not one of those people who minds the beginning of the week so much, but man, am I dragging today. Oh well. I bet I'm not the only one. :)

I guess it is harder to buckle back down to work when you had such a good weekend, so maybe that's it. I wound up spending most of my weekend in Detroit, and it was so much fun! It's a nice change of pace to hang out somewhere different than here in Ann Arbor sometimes, and I was so antsy last week (probably spring fever...it's finally February!!) that getting out of the city probably did me a lot of good. Anyway, on Friday I went to see the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and it was amaaaazing. For those of you who like classical music, this was a show you wouldn't have wanted to miss. They brought in this famous French pianist to perform and it was an incredible show. It made me miss having the time to play the piano like I used to!

Then on Saturday, I actually finally went to see Persepolis, the movie I wrote about before. I didn't make it last weekend because some stuff came up so I was excited to see it (and because one of you guys left me a comment saying it was awesome, which made me want to see it even more!). It was even better than I thought it was going to be. It was both funny and very sad, but the style of the film was pretty sweet. It's based on a graphic novel (I think I mentioned that before), so the whole film is done as though it's a comic, essentially. It was really cool, and I hope that more films are made in this kind of style.

Anyway, I should probably get going but I wanted to update. Talk to you soon!

Love,
Becca

02:51 pm: I can't believe it's Thursday already. Pretty crazy. Where did the week go?

I got to spend a lot of quality time with my friends this week, so I am really happy about that. I went to go see the movie "Juno" with two of my friends... has anyone seen it? It's about a girl in high school who gets pregnant and decides to give the baby up for adoption. That's obviously a really basic synopsis of the plot, but I thought it was really well done. It was both really sad and really happy and completely sweet. All three of us liked it a lot. Also, the music in it was phenomenal! I'm definitely going to have to pick up the soundtrack.

This weekend, I'm going to go see the movie "Persepolis" in Detroit. It's a movie based on Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel of the same name, and it's about her childhood in Iran after the revolution. I can't wait to see it. It's supposed to be amazing. So my friend Alison and I are heading over to Detroit to check it out, and I think we're going to visit the Detroit Institute of Arts too. They just remodeled it, and I haven't seen it since, so I'm excited about that too. All in all, it should be a good weekend. Now, if only it would stay sunny out....

:)

01:08 pm: The weekend
Even though I felt like this week went by really really fast, I am still so happy that it's the weekend. For some reason I'm just really tired and I can't wait to just veg and hang out. Plus, it's going to be freeeeeezing here this weekend, which gives me a fantastic reason to stay inside and hibernate. Sometimes, with all my inclinations to just crawl right back into bed during winter, I wonder if I should have been a bear.

Anyway, so tonight I am hanging out with my amazing friend Amanda after work. She is so cool - I'm sure you guys would all love her. We both really love the actor Colin Firth, so we're having a Colin Firth movie watching night tonight. Though we're interrupting it for a dinner break with some of our friends. One of my best friends in the whole entire world is coming to visit this weekend, and I'm so excited that I'll get to see her tonight. She moved in August to start attending Seminary. She's studying to be a minister!

Tomorrow, I have to bundle up and run nine miles. Wish me luck! The wind is supposed to be brutal. With all the layers of clothes I'm going to have to wear, I'll probably look like a big polar bear jogging along. Oh well. Then I plans with a couple friends who are about to head out on a cross-country train trip adventure. They bought month-long passes to ride the Amtrak around the US and so they're setting out on that soon.

Sunday should be pretty relaxing. I have a book to review for SmartGirl, so I'll probably just read that and chill. It looks like it's going to be a good one though.

Talk to you soon!

Love,
Becca

02:33 pm: New Year's Resolutions!
Hey ladies,

I can't believe it's 2008 already. Like...I really can't believe it. Will I sound really old if I say I can vividly remember New Year's 2000?

This year, for New Year's, I went down to Chicago to celebrate with my friends, and it was a lot of fun. We made dinner at my friend Emily's apartment and then we went downtown to watch the fireworks at midnight. We kind of wound up going to the wrong place (whoops!) but it was snowing out and it was really beautiful anyway.

And now that it's the new year, some New Year's resolutions are in order, I think! I think mine seem a little more like goals than resolutions, but I guess in the long run they are pretty much the same thing. So my first resolution/goal is to run a 25K (15 mile) race in May. It's a charity race and I've always wanted to run it, and I decided that this year I finally have enough time to train for it properly. It's going well so far - I'm at mile 10 in my training, and I still have four months to go. If this one goes well, maybe I'll try for a marathon. I mean, if I get to 15 miles, why stop?

My other big resolution is to figure out a life plan. I know that sounds kind of silly, but I need to make some decisions about when I'm going to grad school, where I want to move, etc. It's a really exciting position to be in, but it makes me nervous too. So that's a big goal, and one that will take a lot of thinking.

And my last one (which is a little easier) is to learn how to cook! I am a horrible cook. I mean, I can make grilled cheese and scrambled eggs, and that's it (and honestly, even those are a little questionable). So I'm going to try to learn. That should be pretty fun.

So have you guys made any resolutions for this year? Feel free to post a comment and share. I'd love to hear about them.

Talk to you soon!

Love,
Becca

04:52 pm: It's snowing!!
Sometimes, when I'm in a very holiday spirit, I really like snow. And I think today might one of those days. There have been big, fat snowflakes falling all afternoon and I can't wait to get outside to see them. I know I can complain an awful lot about the cold up here in Michigan, but I think every now and then my Michigan heritage kicks in and reminds me that I really am a Michigan girl at heart. Meaning, as much as I whine about it, if I didn't have winter every year, I'd definitely miss it. There's just something lovely about fresh snow.

I hope everyone here in the US had a good Thanksgiving. I did! Like I wrote last week, I was able to spend lots of quality time with my family and I can definitely be thankful for that. What did you guys do? If you want, you can always leave comments and I'll respond to them!

This week is looking up to be a pretty good one. I have plans with lots of my friends to hang out after work, and my mom and sister are coming to visit on Saturday to go Christmas shopping. Everything feels so festive.

Well, I have to get going so I guess this is a short post. I'll write more soon.

Love,
Becca

04:44 pm: It's almost Thanksgiving!
I don't know about you guys, but I love holidays. Probably because I grew up in a family that loves holidays - but nonetheless, because of this, I really enjoy November and December because they just feel so festive!

So it should come as no surprise that I'm counting down the days to Thanksgiving (though I should add that my sister is probably counting down the days to Christmas already - I'm not quite that bad!). It's less than a week! I am really excited because I get to see lots and lots of people I love and care about. Starting on Wednesday - my two best friends (both of who are living in other places now) are back and the three of us are getting together to catch up. I can't wait! I miss them so much. And then Thursday I'll head down to Illinois to spend time with my mom's side of the family...all my aunts and uncles, my cousins, their kids. There will be lots of people and lots of food and it should be lots of fun. What are you guys doing for Thanksgiving (for those of you celebrating)?

I have to admit - one of the reasons I like Thanksgiving is because the day after Thanksgiving, I can start listening to Christmas music. This is a funny rule my sister instituted when we were younger, but she wouldn't let anyone listen to Christmas music at home until after Thanksgiving, and even though I don't live with her anymore, I still follow it. It's funny how you get stuck on traditions, isn't it?

That's all for now. Happy almost Turkey Day! :)

Becca

10:03 am: Happy Tuesday
I have to admit, I'm a little sad about the weather today. It's been absolutely beautiful here. I mean, absolutely beautiful. It has been warm and sunny and just perfect outside. And when I woke up this morning, it was cold and rainy. Yuck. My mood definitely took a downward turn when I saw that.

However, there are lots of wonderful, wonderful things going on in my life so I can't really complain at all! I just found out this week that the guy I have been best friends with since we were five (so we've been best friends for about 17 years now) proposed to his girlfriend and they're getting married! I'm going to see them tonight to hear about all the details but I'm very excited for them. It does seem strange that I'm at a point in my life where my friends are starting to get married, though! I guess I never really feel old enough, you know? I shouldn't be too surprised. My own sister got married a few years ago, and she and I are pretty close in age.

Otherwise, this week hasn't been too eventful. Does anyone watch Lost? I have seen the first two seasons but stopped watching because I felt like the show wasn't that great anymore. But since then, I have been informed that the fourth season is awesome and that I have to catch up and see it. So I'm going back with my boyfriend and watching the whole show from the beginning. Kind of a large undertaking, but it's fun and I'm catching all those little plot details I missed the first time. If you don't know the premise of the show, it's about the survivors of a plane crash who are stranded on an island and all this weird, crazy stuff happens to them. Any other Lost fans out there? If you are, don't tell me what happens in seasons three and four yet!

I have to get going. Talk to you soon!

Love,
Becca

04:13 pm: Contrary to popular belief...
I am still alive! I haven't been the best at updating my journal (as I'm sure you can tell), but I promise promise promise I'll be much better.

To update you on what's been going on in my life, I graduated from U of M back in April and while it's a great feeling to be done, it's also been a strange adjustment. You get used to going to school full time and always being in classes or doing homework, and then suddenly, you're just done! It's a pretty crazy feeling. But I had a great summer with my friends, and it helped me transition to what I suppose is my new post-college life (though I have to admit, I don't feel that grown-up at all!). It's been a bit hard though - so many of my friends (including my two best friends) moved away and have started grad school. It's weird having to make new friends when you're still in the same place!

But anyway, as you can see, I've decided to stay here at SmartGirl! I'm excited to be here for at least another year. I'm not quite sure what my future plans are, but I'd miss you girls too much if I left!

In SmartGirl news, we have three new mentors - Anita, Paige and Alyssa - who just started with us, so check out their journals to get to know them, too!

Love,
Becca

04:52 pm: Thanks for your help!
You guys are awesome. Thanks to those of you who have helped out with book club suggestions. We're working hard to get that up soon, and I'm excited. Hope you are too!

I have another question for you. I'm a firm believer that you guys should have as much say about the content on the site as possible, so I was wondering if there are any specific themes you'd like us to use for our monthly themes or any specific topics you'd like us to make surveys about. I'd love to get your input.

Okay, that's all for today because I have to get going, but I just wanted to ask! Thanks for your help, girls. :)

Love,
Becca

03:48 pm: Beautiful beautiful summer
Okay, so that heat wave post I wrote before....I take it back. It wasn't nearly as hot then as it is now. And some people think global warming is a joke. Yeeeeesh.

This week there is a huge art fair going on in Ann Arbor. And I mean huge, like miles and miles of art. It's pretty cool, and I'm so excited about going to walk around. My mom and sister are coming to Ann Arbor on Friday to walk around with me, so that will be lots of fun. There's just so much to see. Tons of people come in from all over the country to sell their art, and tons of people come in from out of town to buy it. It's kind of funny because the rest of the summer, Ann Arbor is pretty quiet and chill. Because it's a college town, half the population clears out come May and doesn't come back again until September, so the summer months here are lots of fun and so much more calm than during the school year. But then the art fair strikes and people pour in. Seriously, I had a hard time walking in to SmartGirl this morning. That's crazy.

I can't believe it's almost the end of July already. Where has the summer gone???? This month has been pretty busy. I just got back from spending awhile in Washington D.C. I've always liked DC a lot - it's just a fun city to be in and there's lots to see and do. I went down for a conference put on by the Center for American Progress. The conference itself was pretty cool. It was two days and the first day, 1,000 college students from around the country attended. The focus was political in nature - progressive politics - and I got to see lots of Senators and Representatives speak (including Barack Obama), and lots of other amazing speakers. The conference covered lots of topics, from immigration, to attacks on science, to journalism, to blogging, to hip-hop, to just about anything you could think of. The second day was totally focused on journalism. I'm the editor of a political magazine here on U of M's campus, so I found that day particularly interesting and useful. I got tons of awesome ideas to use in our magazine this coming year, and I'm so excited to get started on them! Beyond going to the conference, I got to see some of my wonderful friends who are living and working in DC for the summer, so that was awesome. We had such a good time catching up and hanging out.

We've also been working on getting a book club up and running on SmartGirl, so I'm excited about that too. If you have ideas of books we should read, just stick a comment on this message. Thanks for your help!!

~ Becca

04:23 pm: Heat wave!
Oof, it's hot outside. It's pretty funny, I spend all winter waiting for summer, and now that summer is here I can't wait for it to get cool again. I should move somewhere that has perfect spring weather all year round. There was an absolutely wonderful thunderstorm yesterday afternoon, and it cut the heat a little bit but it was pretty scary. I was out for a run, and before I left I noticed some dark clouds but didn't think much about them since it wasn't raining yet. And then right in the middle of my run, it was like the sky just opened right up and it poured for about 10 minutes. It got really windy, and it started thundering and lightning and it felt like it was right above me! I don't think I've ever booked it home so fast in my entire life.

I'm also pretty happy because the Pistons beat the Heat last night, and so they didn't lose the Eastern Conference like I thought they might. It was pretty decent game. Did anyone watch? I love watching basketball, even though I'm awful at actually playing it. I don't quite have the coordination to play sports like that.

So my mom and I went and bought the new Dixie Chick's CD this past weekend, and whether or not you're a country fan, the CD is amazing. It wasn't doing so well on the charts this past week after its release because the lead singer spoke out againt the war in Iraq about 3 years ago and they lost a lot of support after that. Some of the songs on the CD are a response to they way they've been treated since they spoke their mind about the war, and they're really interesting to listen to. I think it's cool how music is used as a form of resistance, especially when it comes to politics. Some other really popular artists have done the same thing, and I always think it's awesome to hear songs that aren't all about love or dating or something like (not that I don't like love songs). So if you're looking for some new music to check out, check it out. Even if you don't agree with what they say, it'll make you think.

Okay, I'm off! Hope you're all enjoying the week.

12:23 pm: I'm a LiveJournal delinquent
I know I always say I'm going to keep my LiveJournal updated, but I honestly honestly mean it this time. The past month has been pretty busy, and we've had so many people write into SmartGirl that I've spent most of my time writing you guys back - and not so much time writing in my journal.

School is officially done for the school year (we wrapped up near the end of April) and so SmartGirl has switched into summer mode. You might have noticed that the Mentor Journals page looks a little bare now (we switched lots of the other mentor journals into the "Former mentors" category), but I'm not the only one still here. The other mentors just haven't started their journals yet, but I'm sure they will soon. It gets much more quiet here during the summer - both at SmartGirl and in Ann Arbor. It's really interesting to spend time in a college town. During the year, the town is packed with students but when summer comes, the town gets pretty lazy and relaxed. I'm really glad I'm staying here for the summer. I like it a lot more here in the summer than during the school year, and this summer, most of my friends are staying too. And lots of cool stuff goes on here during the summer - there are tons of great movies playing, you can eat at outdoor patios at the restaurants, and there's a huge art fair in July!

I think the most exciting part of my summer is done already. I took a trip out to California to visit my ex-boyfriend (who might not be so much of an ex-boyfriend anymore!), and that was so much fun! I am so jealous of anyone who gets to live out there. We had a great time wandering around San Francisco together, and we ate lots of good food (he wants to be a food critic some day, so I swear we spent most of our time eating!). It was a really great time, and I'm so glad I went.

I have to get going, but I'll write again soon! :)

02:20 pm: It's spring!
So my continual waiting and hoping paid off. It's finally spring! It's been nice and warm all week (even though it's been a little rainy), and I'm so glad. I used to love winter when I was little because it was so much fun to play in the snow. But now, it's too dark and dreary. I think I'm going to have to move somewhere a little more sunny when I start looking at grad schools.

Speaking of grad schools, I'm flying out to California to visit two schools the week after next. I'll be looking at Berkeley and Stanford. I can't believe I'm at that age where I have to start thinking about what I'll do after college. I feel like I was just in high school. I never used to believe my mom when she said that time starts moving really really quickly the older you get, but I think I'm starting to believe her now. I can't believe we're almost done with this school year! Only two more days of class, and I only have two things due. I have to turn in a paper and a portfolio next Friday, and that's it. Most other semesters I've had lots of exams and papers, but I guess I picked good classes this time around!

I can't wait to go to California. I'm going to visit my ex-boyfriend while I'm out there...he just moved to San Francisco and he's going to graduate school at Berkeley. We're going to go to a two-day music festival, and some of my absolute favorite artists will be there - Madonna, Daft Punk, Massive Attack, Tool, Sigur Ros, Imogen Heap, Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, Sleater-Kinney, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Scissor Sisters, Bloc Party...the list goes on. It's going to be amazing. :)

I'll write more soon, I promise.

03:04 pm: Hmm...time for an update
It is so close to being spring, and I am so excited. Michigan weather is awesome - it was snowing yesterday and it's supposed to be almost 60 degrees tomorrow. So we all just got back from Spring Break, but I don't think mine was nearly as exciting as some of the other mentors. Lots of people get out of Michigan and head to warmer weather (like Florida or some sunny island), but I stuck around Ann Arbor this year to try to catch up on my school work and hang out with my friends and family. It was actually surprisingly fun and relaxing. I didn't do half as much homework as I should have, but that's okay. :) I was in Ann Arbor for most of the week, and then I headed to East Lansing and the Michigan State University campus to visit my friends from home. I saw one of my best friends in the entire world. Her name is Lydia and I miss her so much when I'm at school. We went to high school together, and now we go to college at schools that are about an hour's drive from each other, but we don't get to see each other that often. We're both really busy. :(
After that, I went and spent a couple of days at my parents' house. I got to see my sister and her husband, my parents and my grandparents. This sometimes sounds strange to people, but as a hobby, my parents make maple syrup. They started doing this 15 years ago when I was 5. One of my parents' friends gave them a book about how to make maple syrup because they have a ton of maple trees around them, and we've been doing it every year ever since. It's a really fun time of year - it lasts for all of March, and we get to spend a lot of time with our friends and family. So when I was at home, I helped my parents and some of our family friends tap all the maple trees (you have to put in these funny metal spiles so that the sap can run out and be collected and boiled down into syrup). I'll be heading back in a few weeks to visit with more family because my aunt and uncle and all of my cousins are coming out to visit (they live in Illinois and New York). I'm the baby in my whole family - my cousin who is the closest in age to me is 31 (I'm 20). It's kind of funny but I love my family. Another weird thing is that I can't stand homemade, all natural maple syrup like my family makes. I think that maybe I've had a bit too much of it.
I don't think I'm quite ready to be back in class this week. I keep wanting to sleep in. :) And I am waiting waiting waiting waiting anxiously for spring.

That's all for now....I hope you're all having great weeks.
~ Becca

01:50 pm: This Week
Sorry I haven't written much this week. Life has been so busy! I am the editor of a newspaper/magazine on campus called The Michigan Independent that focuses on politics and social justice issues, and we have been working really hard all week to put out an issue. We finished everything last night at 4am, so I'm really tired today. I think I spent about 10 to 12 hours every day this week working on it. I'm not sure I've ever been so ready for the weekend. :)

Tonight, I'm going out for dinner with a bunch of my friends, and that should be really fun. And my mom is coming to visit me tomorrow! We're going to go out for lunch and go shopping and just spend time together. I'm really glad she's coming. My dad is coming to visit me on Tuesday, so I'll get to see lots of family this week. My parents live about 2 and a half hours away from Ann Arbor (where I live), so I don't get to see them all that often. My mom is the person I look up to the most in the entire world. She is just an incredible woman - she is very strong and firm in her beliefs. She is a middle school teacher and makes such a difference in the lives of her students and the other people around her. She taught me that everyone can make a difference in the world and that we all have to work together to change things. My older sister Julia is also going to be a middle school teacher - she's in her last semester of college and is doing her student teaching right now. She got married back in July to a really awesome guy named Nick, so now I kind of have a brother too!

One of you asked me what I did for Valentine's Day this year, and I didn't really do anything. My ex-boyfriend just moved to California, and it's very strange not having him around anymore. He and I dated for about two and half years, and even though we broke up back in July, we still spent a lot of time with each other. So I guess I'm a bit lonely now! But the guy who has been my best friend since I was five gave me chocolate and chocolate-covered strawberries, so it was a good Valentine's Day. Who doesn't love chocolate-covered strawberries??

That's all for today! What have you all been up to?

12:19 pm: Happy Valentine's Day!
Hey ladies,

Thanks for all your comments on my previous posts! I'm really glad you've been giving me feedback on what I've written. I love to hear from you guys, so feel free to comment and let me know about you or anything you'd like me to write about.

Hmmm...so I've been told by some of my friends in the SmartCenter that I should write about some of my favorite things. I have no idea where to start, but I guess I'll do the basic categories, and if you want to know other things, just ask.

I absolutely love to read - I grew up not watching much TV (my mom would only let me watch Sesame Street and Mr. Roger's Neighborhood and Reading Rainbow when I was little - did I just make myself sound really really old??), so I did a ton of reading as a kid and I still love it. It's really hard for me to pick a favorite book, or even a few of my favorites. But I love "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, "The World According to Garp" by John Irving and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. And I am a huge fan of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books. I haven't read the third one yet though. I'm waiting until it comes out on paperback.

I like watching good movies too. I enjoy your typical chick flick now and then, and "Love Actually" is my absolute favorite movie of all time. I love Disney movies ("The Lion King" is amazing), and I like old musicals too. "The Sound of Music" is an old favorite (when I was younger, I used to watch the movie alllll the time, and my best friend and I would dress up as nuns and perform the show for our mothers). And I love "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy. Last year, my roommate and I sat down and watched the extended editions of all three movies in a row. It took forever!

And music would probably be the other big category, right? I love all kinds of music. My mom loves classical and I grew up playing the piano and the clarinet, so I really enjoy it a lot. And my sister and my father are both huge fans of jazz, so I've been listening to that since I was a kid too. I loooove electronica - Orbital, Massive Attack, some of Nine Inch Nails. My favorite bands are probably Sister Hazel (not many of my friends know of them, but they're awesome), Ben Folds (Five) and Garbage, and my favorite singers are Tori Amos, Imogen Heap, and Rufus Wainwright. Oh! And I like some country too (especially the Dixie Chicks). I definitely came from a country area - my senior class song was "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy." :)

Hmmmm....I have to get going so I think that'll be all for today. I'll try to update again tomorrow. :)

02:16 pm: A Day at College
A few of you wrote wondering what a typical day at college is like for me, so I thought that might be a good place to start today. One great thing about college is that your schedule isn't usually the same for every day of the week. When I was in high school, I used to head to school at 7:30 every morning and get done with my day at school by 2:30 every afternoon. The routine can be really nice, but I also think it's fun to mix things up a bit. That's one of the reasons I like my days at college so much. For example, this semester I have two days of the week where I have a lot of classes and work. But I also have three other days during the school week where I have a bit of free time to work on homework and run errands. It definitely keeps things interesting!
This semester, I don't have any classes before 10 in the morning, so I can usually catch some decent sleep before I head out for my day. On Mondays and Fridays, I don't have class until noon, and on Thursdays I don't have anywhere to be until 1pm (which seems crazy to me, since when I was in high school, at 1pm I would be almost done with my school day!). I know that I should get up and work on my homework on these mornings, but I usually sleep in and just feel guilty for the rest of the day. On a day where I have a lot to do, I'm usually out the door by 9:30 or 10 in the morning, and if I have time, I like to make or grab tea on my way to class. Then I'm usually in class or at work here at SmartGirl until 5 or 5:30pm. Sometimes I have a free hour here and there, and so I'll head somewhere, grab lunch and do some studying or meet up with a friend. After class, I try to go for a run and grab dinner before I head back to campus for student group meetings. One of the reasons I really love college and especially U of M is that there are tons of opportunities to get involved with other students to really make some change on campus and in the community. I work with some different groups on campus for lots of different causes. I'm a member of the student assmebly (it's kind of like the college version of Student Council) and I also work on a campus magazine, along with some other groups. Meeting with different groups can take awhile everyday, but I've found that it's a great way to get involved and a great way to meet new people. Most of my best friends I've met through extracurriculars! I usually get home around 10 or 11 every night, then I try to relax for a bit. I talk to my friends online, grab a snack and then work on my homework a bit more. I always say I'm going to try to get to bed early, but it never really works out that way. Oh well. :)
So that's a typical day for me. For those of you who asked about it, if there's anything else you want to know, just post a comment and I'll respond. I hope you're all having a great week. Keep checking the Mentor Journals - other mentors will get theirs up there this week hopefully!

01:50 pm: Catching up!
Hi girls! :) I know a lot of the other mentors have written a lot already, so my journal page probably looks really sparse compared to theirs. But I will make sure that I update regularly now. I promise.

Hmmmm...so a little bit about me. I always think it's hard to write about that. I'm 20 years old and I'm a junior at the University of Michigan. I can't believe that I only have another year of college to go, and then I'll graduate. I feel like I was just finishing up with high school! I'm majoring in Women's Studies and Spanish, and after college I want to go to law school and work at a non-profit organization. I like to read really good books (so if you know of any, let me know!), hang out with my wonderful friends, go running, visit my family and travel. If you want to know anything else about me, just ask! :)

05:07 pm: My first post!!
I just wanted to say hi to all the SmartGirls out there. :)