Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.

So, I survived Finals.

Huzzahs all around.

It was a lot of work, I'm not going to lie, a lot of work. I probably could have done a little better than I did. But it was a lot at once. Ah well, it's over for now. After Finals, I was looking forward to the smooth sailing of the summer.

Oh, Matthew. How naïve you are! Life doesn't work like that. Have you not learned from life before? Perhaps you should take a class in history at Matt U.

Perhaps.

After finals I had tons and tons of grading to do. I also had a meeting I had to go to concerning my summer teaching at UF. I was still quite busy for some time, but it wasn't as stressful, which was good. I then went to the meeting and found out my original plans for the summer--which I had stressed about all semester in trying to get perfectly aligned and tried to let everyone know what was going on and not go behind people's backs--were now impossible. The teachers said they don't think it is a good idea and I had to choose between teaching the first half of the summer at UF or teaching the second half of the summer in Paris.

After a lot of debating and discussing with friends and my parents about what the best choice would be, I had not yet come to a decision. There were lots of things to consider: money, time, the ability of each program to replace me, what God might want me to do (if he even has a preference), etc. I was leaning on teaching at UF and then I got a call this morning though, from Paris, telling me that they really would like me to come to Paris and not teach at UF. The director in Paris also tried to talk to the head of the RomLang Dept and ask him to reconsider his decision. Perhaps he might change his mind.

Perhaps.

It turns out we all found a compromise that we could agree upon and I am now able to do both. This is very very good. It's also pretty awesome. I am excited.

So now, I am able to relax much more at home with my family and my friends. I'm going to see Michael, Kathryn, Nicole, & Drew tomorrow. It's going to be pretty sweet. I'm excited to see them. I'll get to see Becca on Friday and hang with Drew (from Gainesville) and Matt Stauffer when they come through too and show them Atlanta. It'll be pretty sweet. I'm excited.

Much less stressful now, which is good. I still have a kink in my back from my crappy chair I sat in way too much during finals week for typing the 50ish pages I wrote for school. But I'm hoping that goes away soon. There are a few things else on my mind, but a lot of them have been eased with the fact that a friend of mine helped me realize that just because you are being patient, does not mean you are not making a decision. Patience is an active decision, it's not laziness. It's something I will hopefully learn to handle well over the summer. That's my goal. God's not finished with me, yet, it seems. Perhaps I'll finally get it. Or, at least I'll be on my way.

Perhaps.

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.

Life keeps on moving forward...

It's already above room temperature outside and it's 9 AM. I hate hot weather and it's been hot and humid for the past month or so. Why am I moving to Florida where it will be hotter and more humid? Hurm. I must be insane.

So the roommate search is going alright. I've had probably around 20 people respond. Half of those have been women and I'm really looking for a guy to room with. I think it could just get a bit too awkward living with a female--for both of us involved. Out of those 10 guys, about half of them seem kinda creepy/scary and the other half seem to be not too bad. I'd like to get this nailed down as soon as possible; since I'm in Atlanta, however, it's really hard to show people around the place and such. I'm not sure how I'm going to remedy this exactly yet. We'll see.

But yes, things are going well with the home. There was a minor setback yesterday, but really it's not a big deal. The old owners installed a washer and dryer in a very innovative way out on the deck (it's not as redneck as it sounds, I promise.) Anyway, apparently it's against the Condo Association Rules. (I can't find where in the documentation that it breaks a rule, but whatever.) Anyway, they were pressure washing the outside and they noticed the washer/dryer unit and ordered them to remove it. Essentially we're either going to just put it back after I buy the unit or install it somewhere inside. Either way, I want my washer & dryer! *shakes fist* The old occupant wants to stay an extra week after closing though, so she's going to pay me rent for a week. Horray! Extra money!

Only two weeks and three days til closing! Very exciting.
After that there's just one week until Vacation.
And after vacation it's time for a road trip with Maggie to/from Iowa.

I need to hang out with people more. Time is running out!

I went to Becca's wedding last weekend. It's awesome that she's married. And kinda strange. She's the closest friend of mine to get married. It was great getting to hang out with the Freshman year Gang, though. It's been ages since we've all been together.

Summer Plans

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Working, working, working. That's what I tell everyone that I'm doing nowadays, and it's pretty much true. You wouldn't think that a job tht arequires you to sit t a desk all day would be that tiring but by the time I get home around six o'clock, I'm exhausted. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I don't get that much sleep at night. I probably spend far too much time talking to Maggie at night (stupid time zones...) but I enjoy it so it's not a big deal, and I'm not going to bed
too late normally.

I'm excited because I'm pretty sure I'm going to be able to go up to Iowa (the Homeland, as I call it) for the Parker family reunion. "What?" I hear you saying "But you're not a Parker! There aren't any Parkers in your family!" I understand and no, I have not decided after a late-night screening of Wedding Crashers to start my own group called Reunion Crashers where we go to random family reunions and mooch off of them just telling them we are distant cousins. Maggie invited me up to hang out with her at the end of July with her fam in Iowa, so I'm gonna drive up with her dad (should be interesting....) and then drive back down with her. Hopefully around then I'll be able to move into my new place in Gainesville and all will be good. It's going to be a crazy new time in the life of this Matt.

I haven't really hung out with anyone from school yet. It's kinda hard when you work all day. I need to go by and see Becca's new apartment and hang out with Nicole & Drew. Mike and Kat are in Florida right now picking up some furniture so hopefully I'll be able to hang out with them too. I'm excited.

Alright, I should probably head back to work.

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