A quick update

Spring semester is here!  Today marks the official start of classes, although I've been engaged in my fieldwork since last week.  I expect this to be my busiest semester, as I'm juggling three regular classes, 100 hours of not for credit fieldwork, regular work and a variety of other activities.

In spite of that, I'm hoping for this to be a more balanced semester.  I have a better idea this time of what I'm capable of, and how hard I'll have to work.  I can also look back on last semester and see what I did right and what mistakes I made.

On the plus side: Coming to Syracuse was a great decision.  Putting in the time to cultivate friendships with my classmates was well worth it.  I've discovered a new passion for trivia.  I love my job and don't regret taking on as many hours as I have.

On the other hand, I can see now that I was so excited by the buffet of library-related projects and information that I spread myself too thin.  I'll accomplish more if I allow myself to focus on the things that are most important to me personally.  I also let some things slip in my personal life, losing sight of interests that I consider central to who I am.  I recognize that graduate school is not life, but it will shape my life, and I don't want to give up things that matter to me.  With that in mind, I'm making a point of staying active, and I've signed up for the Iron Girl in order to have a goal.

All in all, I think I'm closer to my ideal self than I was at the beginning of summer.  I'm discovering more things that I need to work on - my fieldwork experience has shown me that my shyness is a huge problem that I need to make a point of overcoming - but it's fair to say that I am more confident and self-directed than I've been in the past.  So onward....