For the second year in a row I skipped out on taking the MTELs (the teaching examination to get initial licensure in Massachusetts). I did it last fall and I did it again last weekend. Each time cost me $100. What a waste.

But in good news, I have been nominated to a position in the Peace Corps. As long as I pass my health exam and dental exam, then I would go on to be "invited" to this position (if it doesn't fill and I'm still qualified). The postion at this step is still vague, but I found out it's in Asia (and the only countires they have there are China, Mongolia, Cambodia, and about two others), it's an English teaching assistantship, and I would have to travel by bike 3-10 miles a day (???). I'm not sure if I'd take it if I went all the way to the end, because of the two year committment and all...but I'm keeping my options open.

I finish school in December and all I've decided so far is that I desperatly want to go abroad again. Therefore come December I'm going to apply and search out any schools and ESL programs in China, South Korea, and some of Europe.

Thankfully my courses this semester are not too bad and quite enjoyable. I'm taking French pass/fail and I love that class, and my thesis is slowly but surely coming along as well. To anyone on my f-list who still reads this, did any of you work on an independent thesis with a professor? Did you do anything/buy anything special for them when it was all over? I'm not sure what the protocol for that is...

"I Vincent Robert Capone do hereby swear to myself, that from this moment on (October 04, 2009), I will resist the urge to spend any and all of my money. I will try my best to freeze my credit and saving accounts. I will tuck away my credit card, put all my pay checks into savings, and resist the desperate need to buy things (especially alcohol). I will continue on this path so that I can save up for the real world once I FINALLY graduate in December."

Electronically Signed,
Vincent R. Capone

PS. I will also stop drinking beer and buying forties (because they're so cheap!) because they're giving me a belly and that is one of my worst nightmares.

Life seems so topsy turvy sometimes. I was thinking about how I've been back from China now for a whole year, and how since then, my life has actually gone backwards instead of forwards. Take for instance the fact that in China I had a semi-professional job (granted I wasn't very qualified for it - but regardless), I lived on my own in an apartment with one other person and had to shop for myself, clean for myself, etc. (everything except pay for rent because the program covered that), and I was living a fully independent life - waking up everyday to go to work, doing whatever I felt like, and basically starting this new life in a sense.

HIATUS

I'm going on a hiatus here for the rest of the semester. I don't get on here at all anymore (the internet in general most times), I never comment (sorry everyone), and I don't really like to post much about what goes on here at college. But yeah, I'll check in every once in a while but for now I'm gonna give it a rest for a bit and enjoy college for a bit.

I NEED ADVICE!!! I just talked to my RA who did the orientation thing last summer, and she gave me some good reasons why to do and it also said that if I think I would be really depressed doing it, to just quit now then. She was really nice and said that it's not too late to withdraw and that some people actually get fired during the summer, so they do have people for back-ups.

And I know I'm making this sound like it's the end of the world and a LIFE or DEATH choice, and of course it's not, but you know me...this is what I do.

What do you think I should do?

Summer Orientation:
THE GOOD:
- good money
- not have to work in August
- would be fun to do, meeting new freshmen
- can go home/have friends up Fri-Suns, July 1-4th
- gain experience in the school's work force
- will have all of August home and will appreciate home more if I'm away
- people can stay in my room Fri-Suns

THE BAD:
- I could miss out on fun times with friends
- miss my home and family

Stay Home:
THE GOOD:
- see friends whenever
- won't miss out on any plans, adventures, fun nights, relaxing nights
- see family and go to beach and enjoy Winthrop
- I can enjoy home cause I'm never there
- might be moving this summer so I can spend a last summer in my house

THE BAD:
- have to get job
- what if the summer isn't THAT eventful and I end up wishing I had taken the job because I didn't really miss out on that much in the end?

PLUS: WHO KNOWS what the future has in store for me or my friends; where we might end up. Therefore shouldn't I try my best to spend as much time as I can now with them???