This is when my philosophy class went to the Museum of Contemporary Art together. These are the doctoral and masters students in Music Education, and a music theory masters' student who is taking the philosophy class with us, plus our professor. We are missing one doctoral student because she just had a baby a few weeks ago, and one masters student because he couldn't make it to the museum that day. It's a very small group of students.
I've been getting into more of a routine as I've figured out my schedule a little bit more. I usually get up around 6:00 A.M. each school day. This gives me time to read my scriptures and eat breakfast before I head to school by 7:15 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Mondays and Wednesdays I use a treadmill, bike, or elliptical machine in the gym on the first floor our our building while reading. I leave for school on Mondays and Wednesdays around 9:00. In every spare minute I have, I am constantly reading. The time I take commuting to Evanston on the "L" is always homework time, reading for one of my classes. My assignments for all of my classes makes it so that I'm reading anywhere from 150-200 pages a night. I try to skim where I can, but it's harder to get the gist of scholarly journals if you aren't paying close attention. I'm figuring out the balance though.
I have class until 6:00 P.M. Monday night, 5:30 P.M. Tuesday and Thursday, and depending on which Institute class I go to either 6:30 or 9:00 P.M. on Wednesdays. Fridays are my homework days. I love it! I don't have to go to Evanston, so I have time to write papers and get things done here. I've also been trying to go to the temple Friday during the day sometime because it is much easier to drive when most people are at work, and it actually means I can find a parking spot on the street somewhere when I get back. Going to the temple during the day also makes me feel really needed. Every time I've been when it isn't Friday night or Saturday, I am one of the only patrons in the temple. It's so different from going to Provo, where there were several people there no matter what time I went.
Parking here is crazy. If I don't find a spot sometime between 10 A.M. and 3 P.M., it takes me 30-45 minutes to find a spot anywhere to park, and it's usually four or five blocks away from my apartment. I have been impressed with my ability to parallel park though. I didn't know I would be able to get into spots that only had a few inches in front of me and a few inches in back of me, but I've done it several times. It makes me thankful that my car is small.
Saturdays I also get caught up on homework, and I have a class at the downtown Northwestern campus from 1-4 P.M. This is nice because I can take a bus and be there in 15 minutes. I also love that my Saturday class is interesting, but not quite as heavy a course load as all of my other classes. It's a huge blessing.
I'm trying to get to know people in the branch here, but it is a lot harder because everyone is so spread out. It's good for me though to have to make an extra effort. The closest girls to me are about a ten minute walk away. I've been putting together weekly lunches for anyone who is in Evanston (whether in school or working there) so that we can have a little more social time. It's just a small group of us, but it does give me a sense of connection to a few people.
I'm trying to take time while it's still warm to see a little bit more of Chicago. This week that didn't happen because I was swamped with school, but it's one of my goals before it turns frigid.
