WriteAndKnit

There's a billing calendar on the Cashier's website (http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/cashier/billing/default.asp), but it's not particularly straightforward. The statement I found on MyPack indicates that 31 July is a payment due date. (If you're in the student center, the third block down is Finances; go to My Student Account.)

Probably. I've only encountered him a few times (one of which involved being propositioned), and I just keep going. I don't even respond. He tends to be just off campus and moves around a lot, which makes it harder for campus and city police. City police don't patrol around campus as much as they do downtown (which is why he stays out of downtown), and campus police can't do anything about his off-campus behavior. I keep campus and city emergency (and non-emergency) numbers saved in my phone, because calling Raleigh Fire Department or NCSU campus police is more efficient than 911 -- and knowing about a particular organization that is very helpful for homeless folks (Love Wins). Which reminds me that I need to get an idea of the bus route to their new location in case someone needs it...

Those sound good for library days -- that's where I try to keep my t-shirts. (The less appealing shirts are loafing around at home shirts.)

I forgot about this thread! Basically, most of the homeless folks in Raleigh are harmless, but this one tends to be aggressive -- and he stays just off campus most of the time, so campus police can't do much. On a happier note, it's worth making an appearance at Packapalooza -- at the very least, the massage therapists from student health tend to have free 15-minute chair massages.

Not to scare anyone, but there's one particular homeless person who tends to hang out around (not on, but just off of or across the street from) campus and harass people. The student facebook group has a very useful discussion: facebook.com/groups/wolfpackstudents/permalink/1005034936195556/. (That group is pretty useful, too, though full of undergrads.) Basically, don't engage. Don't answer anyone asking for the time, because it's usually him.

The linguistics faculty is great. I took a class with Walt Wolfram last year and it was great. Welcome, all! I'll be in my second year this fall (and live locally).

The wolfline is pretty good once classes are in session. Right now only a few routes are running. The CAT/GoRaleigh bus system is decent if you need it, but obviously takes some time; the good thing is that, as a student, you can get a calendar-year long bus pass (for Raleigh and Triangle Transit routes). It takes a while to get around but you're not paying for every trip. If you live near campus on Hillsborough, you can walk to Cameron Village (which has a few restaurants, public library, and a grocery store) until the wolfline route to CV is running again.

I switched to a rolling briefcase early this year, and it's much easier on my back (though I do have to lift it on/off the bus). I keep a few tote bags inside for additional books and library trips -- and tote bags slide over the collapsible handle. Yay.

I'm anticipating working on my thesis in the coming spring semester, and I've narrowed my topic enough to start reading and narrowing more. I'm a taking-notes-while-reading kind of person (writing out the citations as I go), so writing the thesis itself shouldn't be as terrible when I get to it.

Third. The assumption that the predominantly African-American parts of any town or city are, by default, the Bad Part Of Town. The seemingly automatic inclination to default to chain restaurants rather than supporting local businesses (unless, of course, I want my coffee and people are dithering and asking for frappucinos). Assumptions that non-standard English implies lack of intelligence.

That's reassuring, avflinsch. I'm curious (thinking out loud, in general) how a previous/subsequent masters or phd in addition to an MLIS follows based on the path for the MLIS. School librarians vs. research librarians, for example.

I definitely recommend using summers for language or lit requirements, if for no other reason but the amount of reading and mental energy those courses require. I have 6 hours of lit and reading proficiency to work on, and I'm taking both lits this summer (Summer I is Shakespeare, Summer II is African-American) and spending time with French so I can take the necessary class in the fall and pass the exam in the spring. (Plus this way I get money from the VA all summer, since I'm enrolled all summer, and I can more likely finish in the spring like I'd hoped.)

Read a bit, work/take classes as needed, and spend quality time with netflix. My cat isn't used to me being around so much, so she's gonna have to get used to the company.

Hi y'all! I've noticed that getting a job with *just* an MLIS can be difficult. Have y'all noticed any difference when someone already has a masters' degree (it'll be an MA in English, Rhetoric & Composition)? I'm particularly interested in research positions, and more specifically humanities research. Researching/research assistance is much more fitting to my personality than most of my current cohort, who are predominantly teaching (and will continue to do so). Anyone with experience or anecdotes?

I have non-cohort veteran friends, as well as cohort friends. It helps to have a balance, since the non-cohort friends care absolutely zip about rhetcomp. They're my trivia group, too -- it's good to have a writing/lit person for the "works of literature" rounds. (Even if I DO know Springsteen better than Jane Austen.) Of course, my cohort friends understand the specific papers and projects and literature works and authors, so if I *want* to talk about how The Waste Land is awesome, I can -- though there's no guarantee that won't become a discussion of either modernist poets or poets/writers who write under the influence. Or apocalyptic books/movies/poems.

I keep cheap pens on me too -- mostly for people who forgot to bring one. I don't care if I don't get a cheapo bic pen back. I care a bit more about the G2s, but they're still not so pricey that I'd be mad about losing one.

Another fan of Pilot G2s. Black ink for anything "professional/academic", green/purple for lists, orange for crossing things off of my to-do list, other colors as needed. And I buy the multi-color packages.

So far, the cat's grumpy and the dog is very sweet and mom-like. Tessie (the kitten) has made a break for it when I've opened the door a few times, and has done well with sitting on my lap on the couch. And is a snuggle monster.

And I'm adding my own kitten to the house this weekend! I pick her up tomorrow (filled out the paperwork and paid the adoption fee this morning). I'm skipping the tailgating with my veteran friends Saturday so we can get used to each other, and she can have someone friendly to act as a barrier against any grouchiness from the roommate's cat (and to keep the Big Scary Dog out of the room, since said dog is SUPER CURIOUS and will want to be bffs immediately).

I've also always kept local police/fire department/hospital numbers saved in my cell phone (university and city). I was able to report fallen branches in the road after a thunderstorm, call a hospital's nurse hotline when someone was having a moderate reaction to an insect bite, and report a broken water main near a bus stop (the latter of which probably saved the city TONS of money). I also have local "taxi alternative" apps (Uber and Lyft) on hand so I can get home in a pinch (and suggest them to others as needed).

Cardboard boxes, too. Schrodinger likes to sit in the box and attack one of his mousies outside the box. It's hilarious.

My foreign language class requires more steady work (online exercises, flashcards, etc) and it feels like I don't spend enough time on my graduate classes. One of which tends to have TONS of reading (average is 100 pages per class session) and that starts to feel overwhelming fast. I also feel like I'm not reading at the same depth as classmates are, but I have a sneaking suspicion that most of THEM feel the same. I also feel kind of sloppy, appearance-wise; I've had to wear a knee brace every day since mid-April, and hopefully I'll get the OK to keep it with me and wear it when I need it, but not when I don't, because that beast really limits my clothing choices. And, well, athletic shoes are best for my knee, but not for fashion.

Oh, yes, I know what you mean. It's the New Semester Blahs. You're not quite SICK, but you feel kind of crappy overall. I always get that within the first few weeks. Usually because I'm around more people (and their germs) and I'm adjusting to a new schedule. This time around, too, it's been so hot and humid that I barely have any energy. Little things I try to do: keep a consistent sleep/meal schedule (as consistent as possible, anyway); drink more water (I have a reusable bottle); set up your research/study schedule to include 5-10 minute "moving around" breaks (if I know I'm going to be in the library for a long time, I plan different work locations, a trip to find books, etc so I get up and walk around every hour or so); and stick with healthy meal options (one of the cafeterias on campus has schwarma and Greek salad every day, and a local restaurant regularly has a "cantaloupe and berry bowl" with a bowl of soup). Make sure you get gym time, too. I'm in physical therapy for another week (if you think "hey, spraining my knee sounds like fun" -- it's not, don't do it) and once that's over, I'm going to the yoga class that happens at the same time and will add other stuff to that as I can. Oh! See if your university has a licensed massage therapist (NCSU's is in student health, or they may be with athletics). I have an hour weekly massage that's good for my stress, which means it's good for me in general. It's nice to be able to just live in the moment for an hour, too.

I'm also in the Humanities, and plan to definitely take the days that the university is closed off -- and to work "part-time" hours on reading and research when the university's open but classes aren't in session. Why would I pass up a chance to use the library without having to ignore undergrads?

What everyone else has said, and one more thing: some cats are chatty. They like to talk. My roommate's cat is very talkative, just because he wants to communicate like the humans. You know the cat has won when you start having "conversations".