Perverts

I should probably resign myself to the fact that I don't update my blog very frequently because I feel the need to apologize to my readers at the beginning of every post I write for my long spurts of inactivity, and that's just becoming silly. So, as a note for the future, I may not be updating this very frequently, but I will update nonetheless. So stay tuned if you're so inclined. (After saying this, I will probably start posting multiple times a day only to find that I no longer have an audience.)

In any case, a lot has happened since the last time I posted on here. (Duh!) I started graduate school, which is sort of a big deal, and the good news is that I absolutely love my professors and the classes I'm taking. The program at CSUF is so fitting for me, and the faculty are truly outstanding. All of my classes include texts written by my professors, and what's especially great is that each professor is a part of a "helping profession" - they are all counseling psychologists, actually - so they have realistic expectations of their students and genuinely care about them as individuals. The program is very experiential, so there is a whole lot of sharing going on, and that will become much more emotionally taxing as I get further into the semester and the program, but it would be virtually impossible to be a successful counselor without first being highly self-reflective, and fortunately I'm excited about continuing that process. The inherently caring and thoughtful nature of the students attracted to such a program is really a lovely bonus because we are quickly becoming friends. In fact, I was warned at our orientation that I might find my other friendships less fulfilling after being surrounded by such mutually supportive individuals. Thankfully, I think most of my friends already fit that bill, so hopefully there won't be too much rearranging in that department. All in all, I am so happy where I am right now in terms of my academic and professional growth, and I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead. How's that for optimistic?

In other news, I also went to San Francisco a couple weeks ago to visit my dazzling redheaded partner-in-crime, Lauryn. We had such a great time with one another - doing nothing and everything - and felt as if we hadn't been separated for over a year. It's so nice when friendships work out that way, picking up right where they left off. We went into the city from San Jose, where Lauryn lives, and stayed with Justin. He was a gracious host per usual, and it was nice to see him for the third time this year. We also met up with a few other Smithies - Ayla, Katie Rose, Molly, and Jen - at Katie Rose's performance! It was a great weekend and a lot of fun getting to kick back with some of my closest friends as a final wind-down before the school year.

Now, onto the topic of LOLcats. They are so funny, are they not? This phenomenon cracks me up so much. I naturally have a "Cat of the Day" picture that pops up on my Google homepage, and nearly half of them are LOLcat pictures. This one was today's, and it's kind of hilarious:

Also, this one is good:

On a final note, I have decided that, some day, I want to open up a no kill/no harm shelter for cats whose owners can no longer care for them (because they don't want to or because they die) and for any other cats. This way, I can have as many cats as I want (legally), but more importantly, I can provide a permanent home for cats who would not otherwise have one. Also, I just found out that there are several vets who will spay feral cats for free and that one simply has to bring the cat to the vet in a special cage that you can pick up for a refundable deposit at many shelters and agree to care for the animal for a couple days after the procedure before dropping the cat back off exactly where you picked him/her up. Of course, there are lots of risks associated with taking on a feral cat, even for a day or two, but it's an option that most people probably don't know about, and think of all the kittens that wouldn't be born, lowering the cat population and resulting in fewer kitty deaths each year. And, by the way, the numbers are staggering on that. So depressing. When I consider how much I feel for kittens, I question why I don't also feel the same way about cows and chickens, and then I begin to wonder if I should become a vegetarian. But meat is one of my main sources of protein, and being a picky eater it might be hard to ween myself off of it. I actually spent a couple hours the other night reading up on becoming a vegetarian.

Anyway, I'm out fo' real this time. Thanks for reading to the end.