It's Been a While...

I keep debating whether or not I should even try to keep up with this blog.  Especially within the last year or so, I've been very neglectful and will go months without writing a thing.  I feel a little bad about it, but most of the time it completely slips my mind until I remember it.  Then I can't think of anything to write or don't feel like I have enough time to devote because (obviously) I tend to ramble for quite some time with no clear purpose. 

ANYWAY, a lot of things have changed in my life recently.  I got married just over two months ago, I started graduate school a little after that, and I'm in a new town.  Well, city, I guess.  The combination of new things is going well so far.  Graduate school is very interesting (for the most part) but takes up quite a bit of time.  I knew it would be different from undergrad, and those differences are pretty much what I expected: more work, but more intriguing.  With undergrad you have all those core classes that you care nothing about; with grad school it's all related to information you want to know.  I do have one class I find extremely boring, but it's mainly because I already learned it in undergrad (hats off to Blalack) and the professor tends to digress and ramble.  It's probably what I would do as a professor, which is not a good thing.  Practicing counseling can be so nerve wracking.  You're trying to truly listen to your client while thinking, "Should I ask about that?  What does that mean?  What do I say when he or she stops talking?  What's going on here??"  If only we could just go with empathic listening and help people with that.  Actually, we found out that only 15% of the success of therapy is determined by what the counselor actually does as far as therapy.  The rest is the therapeutic relationship, having someone listen, that kind of stuff.  That takes the pressure off a little bit, because it means (to me) that I only have 15% in which to do damage.  ;)

Being married is fun.  It's difficult, but it's fun.  I say it's difficult because it's entirely different than before I was married.  You have another person to consider when you're planning your life.  Real life gets in the way of spending time together, and spending time together can get in the way of real life (which obviously causes problems for me being in grad school).  The fun part comes when you come home to someone, you always have someone to do things with, all that good stuff.  Plus, planning your life together is fun - it's just a little more complicated than it would be with just yourself to worry about. 

Wow.  I didn't even get that far and I'm running out of juice.  Maybe it won't be that long before I post again - but you never know.