Introducing... Master Sam!

I figure since I posted my goals for the year on my blog, I should update them as well. So far, I've fully accomplished one of them and that was to get my Masters!

On May 8, 2011 (yes, Mother's Day) I walked across the stage at Rupp Arena and became a Master of something (that's how it works right?). I have to say, during the months leading up to graduation I wasn't interested in participating in Commencement. I've done it before, twice, and it was at 9 in the morning, and I had to be there at 8 in the morning, and I had to pay $70 for a cap, gown, and hood that I would only wear once. But Luis was keen on me doing it and my brother was walking in his graduation ceremony later that day so we decided to make a day of it! And of course, the fact that I got to wear a hood was a nice addition and it reminded me of this picture:

Because I vaguely remember during this event thinking how cool it would be to have a Masters hood and really pretend I was a Jedi. (Sadly though, I tried this and it didn't look like a Jedi, let's just say Master's hoods have this weird, peak-like thing on the end, and well.....)

Anyway, having a Masters feels like such a huge accomplishment and like these past two years were worth all the work and stress. Seriously, there were times when I questioned why I was going through this stress and work, and times when I debated giving up. Studying for that comprehensive final exam was so incredibly difficult, and I really thought that I had failed. I knew that had I failed, there was no way I would be able to go through that pain and stress again. Luckily I not only passed, but passed with distinction! I'm incredibly happy it's over though. So incredibly happy. Now, if I can find a job that uses my Masters degree.

Hey Masters degree. You can see me modeling my lemon yellow hood which represents Library Science. I seriously felt like I clashed cause the back of the hood was blue and white. So many colors! And the purple and white cord represents membership in Beta Phi Mu, the International Library and Information Science Honor Society. Classy, right?

Also, I'd take a picture of my diploma but it takes 90 days for UK to mail it to you! 90 days! Ridic!

Next goal to complete: going to Boston!

books 2010

In 2010, I read a lot less books than previous years, (last year's list can be found here) but I'm going to blame that on this being the first year I was in school for the entire year (even summer!). Still, I managed 115 books, the majority being young adult books. I had to read a lot of YA books for school, but a lot of them were really good.

Highlights include:

-7 re-reads, most due to grad school

- reading Paper Towns and meeting John Green

- meeting Patrick Rothfuss

- finally reading Ender's Game and discovering it is as awesome as everyone says

- I read 2 Newbery Award winners, When You Reach Me and The Midwife's Apprentice

Favorites:

Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (more Percy Jacksonesque books!)

Fool's Errand and discovering how much I love Robin Hobb's books

Paper Towns and Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Here's the list, as always, starred books are re-reads:

1. Tris’ Book – Tamora Pierce
2. First Lord’s Fury – Jim Butcher
3. A Sacred Landscape – Hugh Thomson
4. Odd and the Frost Giants – Neil Gaiman
5. Splendor – Anna Godberson
6. Hero Type – Barry Lyga
7. Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli
8. Identical – Ellen Hopkins
9. Whale Talk – Chris Crutcher
10. Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
11. Jellicoe Road – Melina Marchetta
12. Living Dead Girl – Elizabeth Scott
13. Paper Towns – John Green
14. Angry Management – Chris Crutcher *
15. The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky *
16. Daja’s Book – Tamora Pierce
17. Parrotfish – Ellen Wittlinger
18. Green Arrow: Year One – Andy Diggle and Jock
19. The Arrival – Shaun Tan
20. Briar’s Book – Tamora Pierce
21. Manhood for Amateurs – Michael Chabon
22. Leviathan – Scott Westerfeld
23. Let It Snow – John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle
24. Feed – MT Anderson
25. The Adoration of Jenna Fox – Mary E. Pearson
26. The Killing Joke – Alan Moore
27. Graceling – Kristin Cashore
28. Nation – Terry Pratchett
29. Never Trust a Dead Man – Vivian Vande Velde
30. Chasing Vermeer – Blue Balliett
31. The Westing Game – Ellen Raskin *
32. Make Lemonade – Virginia Euwer Wolff *
33. A Step from Heaven – An Na
34. Climbing the Stairs – Padma Venkatraman
35. Purple Heart – Patricia McCormick
36. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian – Sherman Alexie *
37. Copper Sun – Sharon Draper
38. Sunrise Over Fallujah – Walter Dean Myers
39. The Boy who Dared – Susan C. Bartoletti
40. Exploding the Myths – Marc Aronson
41. Will Grayson, Will Grayson – John Green & David Levithan
42. Little Brother – Cory Doctorow
43. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
44. The Book of a Thousand Days – Shannon Hale
45. Fairest – Gail Carson Levine
46. Bad Boy – Walter Dean Myers
47. The Doppleganger Chronicles: The First Escape – G.P. Taylor
48. Chasing Harry Winston – Lauren Weisberger
49. The Gardner Heist – Ulrich Boser
50. Lies – Michael Grant
51. Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins
52. The God of the Hive – Laurie R. King
53. Ella Enchanted – Gail Carson Levine
54. Shutter Island – Dennis Lehane
55. The Midwife’s Apprentice – Karen Cushman
56. Tentacles – Roland Smith
57. Fire – Kristen Cashore
58. Changing the World – Mercedes Lackey
59. Riker’s High – Paul Volponi
60. Heist Society – Ally Carter
61. The Red Pyramid – Rick Riordan
62. Marcelo in the Real World – Francisco Stork
63. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – Jane Austin & Seth Grahame-Smith
64. All the Lovely Bad Ones – Mary Downing Hahn
65. Cryptid Hunters – Roland Smith
66. From China with Love – Emily Buchanan
67. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Grace Lin
68. Al Capone Shines my Shoes – Gennifer Choldenko
69. Socks – Beverly Cleary (audio book) * I had to listen to this, it’s read by NPH!
70. Magic Steps – Tamora Pierce
71. Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List – Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
72. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist – Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
73. The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle – Patrick Rothfuss
74. Street Magic – Tamora Pierce
75. Because of Winn-Dixie – Kate DiCamillo
76. When You Reach Me – Rebecca Stead
77. Framed – Frank Cottrell Boyce
78. Sophie Pitt-Turnbull Discovers America – Dyan Sheldon
79. Kentucky Curiosities – Vince Staten & Liz Baldi
80. Airhead – Meg Cabot
81. Going Bovine – Libba Bray
82. Cold Fire – Tamora Pierce
83. Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx – Max McCoy
84. Medium Raw – Anthony Bourdain
85. Shatterglass – Tamora Pierce
86. Uglies – Scott Westerfeld
87. Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins
88. The Day of the Djinn Warriors – PB Kerr
89. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
90. Changes – Jim Butcher
91. Princess Mia – Meg Cabot
92. Behemoth – Scott Westerfeld
93. Pretties – Scott Westerfeld
94. How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy – Orson Scott Card
95. The Man who Loved Books Too Much – Allison Hoover Bartlett
96. Another Faust – Daneil & Dina Nayeri
97. The Lost Hero – Rick Riordan
98. Pet Sematary – Stephen King
99. Forge – Laurie Halse Anderson
100. Doomsday Book – Connie Willis
101. Dr. Horrible and Other Horrible Stories – Zack Whedon
102. The Zookeeper’s Wife – Diane Ackerman
103. Boy Meets Boy – David Levithan
104. The Ring of Solomon – Jonathan Stroud
105. The Eyre Affair – Jasper Fforde
106. Mini Shopaholic – Sophie Kinsella
107. Zombies vs. Unicorns – Holly Black
108. Specials – Scott Westerfeld
109. Extras – Scott Westerfeld
110. Arrows of the Queen – Mercedes Lackey *
111. A Cook’s Tour – Anthony Bourdain
112. First Test – Tamora Pierce
113. Page – Tamora Pierce
114. Squire – Tamora Pierce
115. Fool’s Errand – Robin Hobb

First up for 2011: The Count of Monte Cristo, the unabridged version

What I'm looking forward to in 2011:

- Presenting at the McConnell Conference and meeting Sharon Draper (as well as other authors)

- reading the Newbery/Printz Award winners

- meeting Orson Scott Card in a few weeks and reading more of his books

- finally reading some of the huge stacks of books on my shelf

- Patrick Rothfuss' second book in The Kingkiller Chronicles

- the final Leviathan book

the grad school edition

Grad school is kind of driving me crazy right now. I feel like I'm going insane over the amount of work I'm supposed to be doing this semester. I have to make a Pathfinder and I have yet to start on it. At all. Go me. I just spent the last 2 weeks in the library looking up seemingly impossible reference questions, which really just reiterates the fact that I DO NOT want to be a reference librarian. But then, there was no chance of that anyway. And tomorrow I have to give a Book Talk, which is the "project I have been dreading most this semester," which is funny, cause a book talk won that title last semester as well. *Sigh* Overall, I am just not looking forward to public speaking in general, let alone in front of a bunch of 7th graders. But I like the books I have chosen (The Westing Game, Chasing Vermeer, and Never Trust a Dead Man), so hopefully it will go well and I won't get the death eyes of boredom. Of course, it's the last period of the day for them, so I'm not too hopeful. Anyway, I'll spend more time worrying about it than actually speaking. The good news is, now that I'm taking Young Adult Literature, I'm really enjoying most of the books I've read. The bad news is that I have NO time to read anything else, like I bought this book a few weeks ago and I'm really excited to read it, but I don't have time so I just look at it longingly. So some of my favorites so far:

Paper Towns by John Green (I'm officially in love with him right now and can not wait until Will Grayson Will Grayson comes out, but again, I won't have time to read it). I absolutely love the road trip in this book. It is amazing. And when I got to the end, I was shocked. Shocked. Also, did you know this won an Edgar Award? yeah.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - interesting book about a girl who has a secret and withdraws from everyone around her. Very powerful.

Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger I think when I read this I didn't like it too much, but that was around the time my grandfather passed away. But thinking back, it was a really good book. I really like how it had a positive look at a transgendered teen.

The Arrival - Shaun Tan. This is a graphic novel, and there are no words. But it is amazing and everyone should read it. Go to the library/book store and read it. It won't take long, but the illustrations are awe-some.

The Graceling - Kristin Cashore. I love fantasy and I just got wrapped up in this story. Good characters, good romance. A lot of people don't like the main characters attitude (cause she doesn't want to get married), but really, what's wrong with that? As soon as I have time I plan on reading the companion to this one, and there's a third one coming out soon.

Feed - MT Anderson. Ok, so I didn't love this one mainly cause the dialogue drove me crazy. But it was an interesting concept and really cool. I think it's supposed to drive one crazy.

Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld. Awesome sci-fi book about an alternate WWI with a war between the Clankers and the Darwinists. Second book coming out in Oct. (maybe I'll have time to read it then).

That takes me about halfway through the semester. Right now, I'm listening to the audio book version of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. I enjoyed the book when I read it (doesn't it have a lot of illustrations?) but I'm not digging the audio book. It's read by the author, which is cool, but he has a funny accent that bothers me. I'm also getting ready to start (right now) Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff (hey, she was born in Portland!), which I swear I've read but I can't seem to remember. Darn.

Books I'm excited to read the rest of the semester: Sunrise Over Fallujah- Walter Dean Myers, The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins, The Uglies Series - Scott Westerfeld, Going Solo - Roald Dahl.

Also, I just signed my Learning Contract, so this summer I will be interning at the Lexington Public Library. I'm excited cause I get to hang out with kids and help with Summer Reading.

hello full-time job!

This is kind of long-winded and rambling, but the highlight of it is that I got a full-time job at WTVQ as a Director after waiting for over a year. And I'm discovering that the more I direct, the more I like it.

At long last my dream has come true! Well, my dream for now that is. As of Monday Feb. 8 I will move to a full-time position with WTVQ. I will now be Full-time Director Sam and reap all of the benefits it comes with. Needless to say, I'm stoked. I've been smiling the whole time since it was official and also thinking. When I was in college I became unsure as to whether I would enjoy a career in TV/Video and began pondering if I had made the right choice. But I wanted to finish my degree (I never liked the idea of quitting) and ended up with a Production Tech job at WKYT. I worked there for a year and a half and didn't really like it. It was boring and repetitive and there was a lot of time where I sat around and did nothing. Near the end of my time there I began thinking about a new career path and started thinking about being a librarian (something I had considered long ago). Once I lost my job and had some extra time on my hands I began preparing to get a Masters in Library Science. Somewhere along the line I started working part-time at WTVQ. When the station added a show I was offered the chance to become a director. I knew that it was the only path to a full-time job there so I accepted, not sure if I would really enjoy it. That was in November 2008. I've been directing for a little over a year, and am now almost halfway done with my Masters (it's only a 4 semester program) and am starting to doubt my career choice yet again. There are a lot of things I don't like about my job, but that's not important right now. What is important is that there are a lot of things I DO like about it. I've discovered that I really love directing. I never had any desire to do so, but now that I have done it, I enjoy it. And I'm good at it. I love going into the studio and the talent being like "you were directing that? you did a really great job!" or "that was a really clean show." or even, "way to stay calm when everything went wrong." I like being good at something, it feels good. When I told the weekend talent that I may be moving to weekdays once a new weekend director is trained they were upset and said they'd miss my clean shows. So once again, I wonder if library science is the right career path for me. I know that we'll be in Lexington a little while longer while Luis finishes his degree, so there is no reason for me to not finish my Masters. But sometimes I wonder if I will enjoy the library as much as TV. TV is fast-paced and exciting, and there's so much pressure to get everything right because you don't get to do it again. When I first started directing I always felt like I was going to vomit before every show, that doesn't happen anymore, but when it did, and the show went well, there was always this great feeling of accomplishment. I do know two things, I want to leave Lexington in the future and I plan on sticking with my Masters through the end. What do I have to lose but money? I'm hoping doing an internship this summer will help me decide whether I would enjoy being a librarian or not. And when I graduate, if I get another job in TV instead of a library job, I don't think I'll be upset. Some old man once told me that with my personality he didn't see me enjoying a career in librarianship because it wouldn't challenge me. We shall see, old man.

books 2009

And now the moment everyone has been waiting for....and by everyone I mean me.....my list of books read in 2009! Only 131 books this year, down from last year's 165 (which can be found here), but I blame grad school and the fact of being employed ALL year on that glitch.
Highlights include:
17 Re-reads (most due to grad school)
Favorites:
The Name of the Wind
The Battle of the Labyrinth/The Last Olympian
The Hero of Ages
Tamora Pierce books
Batman: Year One (what can I say, I love Batman)
Gone and Hunger
The Alchemist Trilogy
Discovering that Dumas had a new(ish) book that had been found in the archives in France.

And a whole stack (almost all) of Caldecott winners and honor books which were not included in this list due to the fact that they take all of 5 minutes to read. Also not included, my library school textbooks because they are boring.
Starred books are re-reads, and yes, I'm aware that I read several books twice in one year, blame grad school for that.

Here's the list:
1. The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
2. Moving Targets – Mercedes Lackey
3. The Battle of the Labyrinth – Rick Riordan
4. Holidays on Ice – David Sedaris
5. Kabul Beauty School – Debbie Rodriguez
6. Goodbye, Jimmy Choo – Annie Sanders
7. Tweak – Nic Sheff
8. Winner Take Nothing – Ernest Hemingway
9. Dewey – Vicki Myron
10. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy – Gary D. Schmidt
11. Falling Off the Map – Pico Iyer
12. The Hero of Ages – Brandon Sanderson
13. Locked Rooms – Laurie R. King
14. Coraline – Neil Gaiman
15. Sun in Glory – Mercedes Lackey
16. The Wednesday Wars – Gary D. Schmidt
17. Rifles for Watie – Harold Keith
18. Deep and Dark and Dangerous – Mary Downing Hahn
19. The Time Paradox – Eoin Colfer
20. The Pirate Hunter – Richard Zacks
21. A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
22. Deadline – Chris Crutcher
23. Parzival – Katherine Paterson
24. The Blade Itself – Joe Abercrombie
25. Sword of Ice – Mercedes Lackey
26. King of the Mild Frontier – Chris Crutcher
27. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Trenton Lee Stewart
28. The Gebusi – Bruce Knauft
29. Watchmen – Alan Moore
30. Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer *
31. Here There Be Dragons – James A. Owen
32. Easter Rising – Michael Patrick MacDonald
33. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey – Trenton Lee Stewart
34. Two for the Summit – Geoffrey Norman
35. Forever Lily – Beth Nonte Russell
36. Before They are Hanged – Joe Abercrombie
37. Turn Coat – Jim Butcher
38. Rumors – Anna Godbersen
39. Backup – Jim Butcher
40. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon – Dave Barry
41. Death in the Afternoon – Ernest Hemingway
42. Welcome to the Jungle – Jim Butcher
43. The Sun Over Breda – Arturo Perez-Reverte
44. Last Argument of Kings – Joe Abercrombie
45. breathe – Cliff McNish
46. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion – David Bassom
47. A Home at the End of the World – Michael Cunningham
48. The Last Olympian – Rick Riordan
49. Maps and Legends – Michael Chabon
50. Sailing Alone Around the World – Joshua Slocum
51. Mystic and Rider – Sharon Shinn
52. Song of the Lioness – Tamora Pierce
53. On Royalty – Jeremy Paxman
54. Batman: Year One – Frank Miller
55. The Language of Bees – Laurie R. King
56. Hood – Stephen Lawhead
57. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne
58. Merlin’s Dragon – T.A. Barron
59. Schooled – Gordon Korman
60. Mexico City Blues – Jack Kerouac
61. Three Letters from the Andes – Patrick Leigh Fermor
62. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas *
63. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – JK Rowling *
64. Gone – Michael Grant
65. The Perfect Storm – Sebastian Junger
66. Sarah’s Key – Tatiana de Rosnay
67. The Thirteenth House – Sharon Shinn
68. The Black Book of Secrets – FE Higgins
69. Chinese Handcuffs – Chris Crutcher
70. Dark Moon Defender – Sharon Shinn
71. The Hedge Knight II: Sworn Sword – George R. R. Martin
72. Massachusetts Curiosities – Bruce Gellerman & Erik Sherman
73. Looking for Alaska – John Green
74. Envy – Anna Godbersen
75. Reader and Raelynx – Sharon Shinn
76. X Files: Ruins – Kevin J. Anderson
77. Warbreaker – Brandon Sanderson
78. Nineteen Minutes – Jodi Picoult
79. Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi
80. Persepolis 2 – Marjane Satrapi
81. Airman – Eoin Colfer
82. Hunger – Michael Grant
83. The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Brian Selznick *
84. The Hours – Michael Cunningham
85. Angry Management – Chris Crutcher
86. In the Hand of the Goddess – Tamora Pierce
87. The Woman who Rides like a Man – Tamora Pierce
88. Red Helmet – Homer Hickam
89. Lioness Rampant – Tamora Pierce
90. 3 Willows – Ann Brashares
91. You Don’t Love Me Yet – Jonathan Lethem
92. Where the Sidewalk Ends – Shel Silverstein *
93. Queste – Angie Sage
94. The Alchemist’s Apprentice – Dave Duncan
95. Bridge to Terabithia – Katherine Paterson *
96. Dicey’s Song – Cynthia Voigt *
97. Hatchet – Gary Paulsen *
98. The Higher Power of Lucky – Susan Patron *
99. Foundation – Mercedes Lackey
100. School of Fear – Gitty Daneshvari
101. Leaves of Grass – Walt Whitman
102. Best Served Cold – Joe Abercrombie
103. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne *
104. The Wednesday Wars – Gary D. Schmidt *
105. Batman and the Monstermen – Matt Wagner
106. Chains – Laurie H. Anderson
107. Beauty – Robin McKinley
108. A Wrinkle in Time – Madeline L’Engle *
109. The Secret of Platform 13 – Eva Ibbotson
110. Coraline – Neil Gaiman *
111. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis *
112. The Alchemist’s Code – Dave Duncan
113. The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
114. The Giver – Lois Lowry *
115. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling *
116. The School Skeleton – Ron Roy
117. Did You Carry the Flag Today, Charley? – Rebecca Caudill
118. Eagle Strike: An Alex Rider Adventure – Anthony Horowitz
119. The Alchemist’s Pursuit – Dave Duncan
120. Crazy Horse: Sioux Warrior – Brenda Haugen
121. Lincoln: A Photobiography – Russell Freedman
122. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village – Laura Amy Schlitz *
123. The Book of Time – Guillaume Prevost
124. The Wild Things – Dave Eggers
125. Charlie Bone and the Shadow – Jenny Nimmo
126. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Rip Van Winkle – Washington Irving
127. Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain
128. The Last Cavalier – Alexandre Dumas
129. An Abundance of Katherines – John Green
130. Sandry’s Book – Tamora Pierce
131. Knight: Noble Warrior of England 1200-1600 – Christopher Gravett

Now on to 2010! First up: Tris' Book by Tamora Pierce, book 2 in the Circle of Magic Quartet

how to make a thesaurus

For one of my grad school classes I have to construct a thesaurus on a specific topic that could be used for indexing. I chose sailing cause I love it. The terms have to be related hierarchically and so in order to keep track of them I wrote them on index cards and hung them up on the wall. Luis enjoyed them very much. And it made me feel smart, like the guys with their boards of equations in The Big Bang Theory. hahaha. Anyway, when I took them off of the wall to type them Luis was very upset. But I am almost finished with my project, I just have to type up the introduction, and I am very happy.

In a side note, I just watched like 4 Christmas related commercials....

Red Helmet

Who knew coal mining could be so intense? I just read this book, and it was quite good. It's about a woman from New York who ends up working in a coal mine. There's this whole romance there as well, but the coal mining part was really intense. Homer Hickam grew up in a coal mining town, and worked briefly in a coal mine so you can always count on his books to be true to the profession. This was interesting cause you really got an inside look of the life of a rookie coal miner. Very good!

Luis is amazed that I am still able to read for fun while taking classes, he keeps asking me how I have time for it. I told him I read in one of my textbooks that a good librarian is always reading a book, usually more than one. So I'm well on my way!

hello grad school

Welcome to grad school. Oh man, I've been so excited for this for so long and now that it's here I'm ready for it to be over. So much work. All the time. Luis keeps mentioning the massive amount of books I have to read for my Children's Lit class (this is most of them) and how he keeps finding books everywhere. But the good news is, a week into classes and I've read the 2000 Caldecott Winners! I also joined the ALA and the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association). Good times. But of my three classes this one, Children's Literature is definitely going to be my favorite. I'm also taking Information in Society (not too bad) and Information Representation and Access (blah). And crazy note, apparently when my mom got her Masters at UK she had the same proffesor as me for the Representation class (although it was called something different then).

hello herbs

hello new blog. hopefully i will be able to update this one more often than the book one.

I love the end of summer, it finally starts to cool off, my birthday is close and we get to enjoy a surplus of our garden! We grew green peppers this year, and that's the first one. It was sweet and delicious. I made some end of summer pesto and am currently drying oregano and thyme to use throughout the year. I'm also getting ready to whip some herb butter using various herbs from our garden. I've decided next year we're going to try for tomatoes and whatever else I can think of between now and then. I can't wait!

Also, speaking of my birthday, this year will be the first time since high school I have had class on it. My first full day of classes is Sept. 1. Crazy.