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A new school year will officially begin tomorrow with the start of my 9:00 a.m. Elements of Political Theory course. A new year warrants its own iTunes playlist (thus far populated solely by the two songs represented below as well as a catchy tune from "Hairspray," which I just saw with two girlfriends last week). A new year also warrants some mid-year resolutions, some renewed commitments, an attempt to make this year work more in my favor. I've shed some commitments my heart's no longer in (and, in some cases, hasn't been for a while), I'm back on staff but with a new position for the yearbook, I've made up my mind to become more involved in some of my sorority's activities/philanthropies (and to make the most of the opportunities I joined this organization for in the first place), I've determined to join the campus chapter of Amnesty International, I have a partner in crime working toward the same goal for next semester's living situation... I'm in a better place personally this year, and very determined to take that and run with it back toward those old habits I wouldn't mind still having (for example, being more actively social)... I've done the calculations and have some solid academic goals to work for this semester, and thankfully have a great roster of classes in which to engage. I have friends at home and here to love, and the continued support of family. And I have the most amazing boyfriend to talk to about it all. This has all the makings of a spectacular semester, even if all my original plans for this year didn't pan out exactly as I intended.

A little voice continues to whisper (as it has for a long time) that grad school (or med school???) is just around the corner. I'll need to pick up a foreign language next semester in preparation for that next step, even though I'm unsure at this point of what the step will be... I'll be choosing between French and German, because one or both will be necessary for the religious studies as well as political science route at some point, and I'm keeping both of those doors open for now. (The post-bacc program I'd apply to for med school prep if that's what I end up deciding on doesn't require any more academically than what I'll already be doing, so that's nice not to have to add to the list of worries.) I suppose someday I'll look back on all this indecision and smile from the vantage point of knowing what path I chose.

"So softly
Rain against the windows
And the strong coffee
Warming up my fingers
In this fisherman's house
You got me
Searched the sand
And climbed the tree
And brought me back down"

"Life is beautiful, but it's complicated.
We barely make it.
We don't need to understand,
There are miracles, miracles.

Yeah, life is beautiful.
Our hearts, they beat and break...

Stand where you are.
We let all these moments pass us by.

It's amazing where I'm standing,
There's a lot that we can give.
It's just ours just for a moment.
There's a lot that we can give."