ridiculous

This is a sign I passed on my way to work in San Marino, a very affluent town just south of Pasadena. What ever happened to the good old days when elementary school carnivals meant hot dogs and popcorn?

mayday

Is it May already? January, February, and March all seemed to fly by in a blur, but not April. I felt every day of April. During all of my other years of school, April was never of much significance. It was just the month you slid through after spring break on your way toward the end of school. This year, with my winter and spring quarters being back to back, April seemed to be more of an uphill climb, with the downslope still a ways off. And now I’m carrying two packs, one for school and one for work.

Things haven’t been all bad, though. The weather here in Pasadena has been great, a good mix of rainy days and sunny days, with the temperature being just right for me. It looks like it is going to start warming up here a little, but definitely nothing to complain about. My tiny corner apartment tends to warm up very quickly, but usually I can cool it off by opening a window or the door to my balcony. I have a feeling here in the next few weeks I’ll have to start turning on my window unit. Can you imagine making it all the way to May without turning on the air conditioner in Texas? Impossible.

In addition, I am very much enjoying Daylight Saving Time. It makes me feel a little better about having night classes when I don’t have to walk both to and from school in the dark. Also, when I get off of work at six on Saturdays and it is still light outside, I don’t feel like my whole day is already spent. The only downside is that the time difference between Ginger and me is now an hour less because Cameroon does not observe DST. We try to talk to each other three days a week when she has access to the internet. She usually gets to her school around 7:45 in the morning, which used to be 10:45 PM out here in California. Now that there is only an eight hour difference, I can’t start talking to her until a quarter to midnight. This puts me going to bed rather late, and as a result my whole sleep schedule has been altered. Luckily I’m generally not expected to be anywhere until the afternoon, which allows me to sleep later most days.

I have a feeling this month is going to be just as hectic and exhausting as the last, but I’m trying to stay positive. My friends and I often daydream about all of the exciting things we will do this summer when school slows down a bit. So for now, I just keep putting one foot in front of the other, knowing that eventually all this climbing will lead to a spectacular view.