Last week was my first week of grad school. At first, it feels so exciting. The possibilities are endless. You meet lots of cool people on the icebreaker forums on Blackboard. Your teachers seem really nice and interesting. And then it hits you.

They expect you to work.

This first week was a bit of an eye opener and has shown me that I really need to be more responsible with my time. Not that I wasted a bunch of time really, but my original goal was to have everything done for the first module in both classes on Friday. I was still finishing things up yesterday. Which is fine – the modules run from Monday to Sunday, so it wasn’t as if I was late turning anything in. But I don’t like leaving things hanging over my head like that. It makes me even more anxious than I already am.

I’m taking two classes. The first one is a study of the English language, how it’s evolved and is continuing to evolve. My other class is studying race and ethnicity in American literature. We have a lot of really cool novels and authors that we’ll be studying.

It’s going to be great. I just have to get used to the new demands on my time. And I haven’t even started revisions on my novel yet.

In other news, I am currently listening to the Now. Here. This. soundtrack way too much. I am addicted to the song “More Life.” I think it’s going to be my mantra for the year. I’m also finishing up the last book in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series (or the last one that’s out right now), City of Lost Souls. I’m also reading Sabriel by Garth Nix for the book club over at the Mallorean Tavern. And reading Deadline by Mira Grant with the folks over at Mark Reads. It’s really not as much as it sounds.