holy crap, check it out!

So what, it's been six months, cry about it :P Ok, in all honesty I've been busy and I'm a procrastinator. Let's see now, shall we?

I still work at the biotech in downtown Seattle. It's still fabulous and I'm coming up on my one-year anniversary on January 25th. Pretty awesome. Regarding other things in my last post: my mother's second surgery went beautifully. She recovered much more quickly the second time around and is doing very well. It is weird to read my last post because I wrote that my grandfather was doing well and was going home soon. Less than one week after I wrote that he passed away. It was very sad and somewhat shocking, yet not exactly unexpected. His service was absolutely wonderful and he will be greatly missed.

And the career clusterf**k continues. A few months ago I decided to scrap the law school plan. After much research, speaking with different attorneys and those who didn't get all the way through law school, I decided against it. To me, the risk is much too big. I'd rather not complete one year, discover that I hate it and get stuck paying down a loan for 20 years (someone I spoke to did this). After making this decision I was convinced that I'd become a complete flake. I was convinced that I would never get out of the house I was living so I made a different type of goal. I decided that I wanted to buy a condo :) I am happy to report that on October 25th I moved into my very own condo! See pictures of my place below. I LOVE it!! It also feels good to have actually followed through with something. Let's hope this starts the ball rolling again on actually doing what I say I'm going to do!

Now that I'm all settled in to my cozy little (uh, very little) apartment, I'm going to start a program at UW. It's called the Editing Certificate Program. It's a one-year program all about how to become a copy editor. It's on Saturdays and online. I figured, I love reading, why not get paid to do it? Even if I don't pursue a direct position as an editor or even a proofreader, it will give me another skill to stick on the old resume and will help me in my work at the biotech. Good times.

a fun trip and a new goal.

This past weekend my dear friend Melissa and I took an overnight trip to Vancouver, BC. It was a lovely drive up in spite of getting ever-so-slightly lost for a short time. This trip was to be her last girls' night out before getting married in August. We had a great time. We went to a blues club which suggested by the taxi driver when we arrived Friday night (may have consumed a few too many) and played some pool until the bar closed. The next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed and drove a bit further north to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. What a spectacular sight it was. Absolutely breathtaking. We traversed the bridge which suspends across the river at quite a length and height (not for the faint of heart). Later we walked among the tree tops and along the cliffs on a plethora of wooden bridges (all more rigid than the former).

On top of it all, the weather was remarkably beautiful. We could not have asked for a better evening and day. The photos do not do it justice.

On anothere note, working at the Biotech has really been and continues to be beyond great. I learn an enormous amount each day and am able to live life in a style other than that of a student. I get to take days off and get paid for them, I get to read whatever books I want and I can drop everything if I want and fly places. I've worked there for just over 6 months, have paid off almost all of my debt, and not a day has gone by where I haven't thought about what my next move will be. I enjoy my position, however I don't intend on being an assistant for the long haul.

It finally dawned on me the other day, what I should do. At first I thought I had sniffed too much sharpie, then the idea has become less crazy as the days go by. I've decided that I would like apply to law school. I'm rather sure I'm writing about it prematurely, however I'm excited because this is the first time I've been ready to really get the show on the road. Every other thing I've thought about doing (besides nursing) has been simply a notion, not a reality. I plan to start an LSAT prep course in August and take the LSAT in October. I hope to do well on the exam (well, who doesn't) considering my less than phenomenal GPA.

An update: My mother is still doing very well. She had her first post-op CT scan last and everything looks great. They've decided to do her next surgery sooner than we thought (for no reason in particular). She will go in for the next on August 18th. I'm not sure what to think. She is glad she's able to get it over and done with sooner, as am I. Also, my grandfather bounced back a bit. He's still in the nursing home however, will be going home soon.

We'll see what happens. I've got a superb support system between work and home with regard to fun, school, and surgery. I'll keep you "posted".