Trudging Through

So it's the beginning of October, and I have a basic progress report on my life with school and such:

Grades are ok so far. My languages are clearly going to be my crutch, as I have 100% in German right now and over 100% in Greek. I actually think that piano is going to possibly be an A too, as my technique has much improved and I've gotten A's on all the quizzes so far.

History of Medicine is looking up; after a horrendous start to the semester, I have finally broken through the glass ceiling and gotten an A. Since the prof turned the second essay of the class into an extra credit assignment, I have the potential to seal my A with work on it.

Thesis is ok, my research is NOT progressing as hoped, but I've gotten so far ahead in all of my other classes sufficiently to let me get ahead this week in my research.

Finances are finally improving, as I now have no credit card debt and over $1300 to my name. Frankly, I should have $3300, but my guess right now is that my methods class has turned into a volunteer position. My boss has the occasional tendency to forget things and I don't ahve enough balls to insist on payment.

Ugh, I'm reading this book called Arrowsmith right now, and I hate it. I have to read it for his of medicine, but it has the worst plotline of any book I've read since The DaVinci Code. I just don't do well with fictional books. Despite its awfulness, I have about 150 pages left to go, and I intend on finishing it within the next 12 hours. Ten pages an hour? Doable.

Que mas? Hmm, oh yeah, I suppose that I should spill the beans on my current plans as I am really close to finishing everything for it:

1. I'm not going to grad school for immunology right away. My current goal is to do a 2 and a half year combined Master's-Peace Corps stint, and then come back and get my Ph.D. in immunology/microbio/something like that.

2. After getting my Ph.D., I don't want to do academia, because I've seen what it looks like, and I can't stand the overwhelming selfishness that is tenure track style all mine research. I'm hoping to get a position with the navy as a civilian and work in naval labs (the navy handles all the bioterror/epidemic stuff for some reason). Maybe on top of it, I can teach immuno/micro at the Naval Academy.

So yeah, that's life plan right now. Exciting, isn't it?