Danger_Zone

Came to say this... I will leave out details for the sake of privacy but I have had some hard enough times to make me consider whether life was really worth it. But stuff has gotten significantly better for me and I'm sure they will for you too soon enough. We all go through some tough times at different points in our life, we just have to remember that they will get better. And I know that can be annoying to hear when things aren't going well but I hope it helps anyway.

Yeah, I'm not a very fast reader either, but I can manage ~7 hours a day of reading somewhat comfortably, as long as I pace myself. At 7 days of reading, that'd be ~50 hours a week, or close to 1000 pages of somewhat intense reading; I can probably average a steady 20 page an hour pace.
If you're not a very fast reader, you might consider either Google Books or Kindle Books and have the book read to you via headphones while you read the text. I can read a little faster that way because it's reinforced both visually and audibly. 

Wow, that IS super stressful. Do you know why they make you guys wait so long to register? 
 
Ahaha, I feel you. I was so smug when I saw I already owned and read 1 of 2 textbooks for a class, then I saw the 11 item list for the other one and it properly wiped the smug off my face. 

Taking 9 hours, have a general required Historical Methods and Theory course, a course on comparative global medicine (I don't know much about medicine outside of North America so this should be interesting) and a US biomedical ethics course. The latter is a sociology course but it fits very well with my research interests. I'm excited for these topics but also have my 20+ textbook list now so I'm also very overwhelmed! 

That sounds rough! I'm a slow reader so I will have to work on speeding myself up and getting the gist of texts without reading the whole thing. Though it will suck if the book ends up being really interesting if I can't sit and read it carefully.

Came to say this... I will leave out details for the sake of privacy but I have had some hard enough times to make me consider whether life was really worth it. But stuff has gotten significantly better for me and I'm sure they will for you too soon enough. We all go through some tough times at different points in our life, we just have to remember that they will get better. And I know that can be annoying to hear when things aren't going well but I hope it helps anyway.

If it means anything... I was in a similarly shitty place last year, and things looked pretty awful... But they got better. I really hope that things get better for you. If you work really hard, things will turn out for the better, and hopefully sooner rather than later.

All joking aside, I feel your pain. I can comfortably ingest, perhaps, 750-1000 pages of reading a week, but I know there might be some heavy weeks that go beyond that. I've heard that one of the faculty members like to test graduate students by assigning Darwin: The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist for a single week!
I love books, but man...

Taking 9 hours, have a general required Historical Methods and Theory course, a course on comparative global medicine (I don't know much about medicine outside of North America so this should be interesting) and a US biomedical ethics course. The latter is a sociology course but it fits very well with my research interests. I'm excited for these topics but also have my 20+ textbook list now so I'm also very overwhelmed! 

I'm taking 9 hours, and my classes are pretty routine and boring.  It's a lot of introductory and survey courses. I'm taking:
History Science Survey to the 17th Century Information & Knowledge Society (general survey for LIS) Organization of Information & Knowledge Resources (subject-specific survey for LIS) The history of science course I'm looking forward to the least. My interests nearly entirely exist in the post 17th-century world, so I imagine the course is going to test my patience. However, I've taken survey courses in the history of science from this university from these professors, so I'm probably better off than the rest of the contingent. There's only 5 of us, and I think only one other has any significant experience with the history of science (which is pretty common in the field pre-graduate school).
The spring looks to be shaping up to a more engaging semester. The LIS department is offering a social informatics course and a cataloging/classification course (I'm big on bibliographies, so...), and I'll get to take the latter history of science survey course. If I'm lucky and I can afford it, I might try to take some bibliography courses at the rare book school next summer. That'd be super awesome.

@rhombusbombus Ah that sounds like the perfect nap situation but the worst at being productive! I have to have a cup of coffee with me so I don't fall asleep ha. I'm reading a book that's about grant writing/seeking. Its full of info so that's a good/bad thing . I feel like gaston at times "how can you read this without pictures?!"

Ah well thats kinda awkward! Hopefully you guys mesh better after awhile. And my brain would melt too, just imagine the scene from Indiana Jones when the nazis faces are melting. I feel that one after just reading one chapter when it comes to textbooks.

@Effloresce It'd be less weird if we were good friends, but we've only been living together a little under 2 months. I think she's just trying to force a friendship and I don't like that. I'm sure this is going to be an instance where I like her more when I don't live with her.
 
HOW EXCITING! By the end of August will everyone be at their respective schools? THE FINAL STRETCH!

I see Murakami fans, awesome! I used to be a book worm in junior and high school but no longer consider myself one these days. After watching a Japanese drama (Algernon ni Hanataba o) with a very popular actor (Yamashita Tomohisa aka Yamapi), I went to the local library (which is just a 5 minute walk from my apartment (cool!) and because the school's library did not have the book (not cool) ), I signed up for a library card to check out Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Interesting story that's making me feel feels again (as if the drama did not do that already) 

I have not! Both look pretty interesting. I'll look into them.
I really need to post an update in this thread. Ugh. The longer I wait, the more work it'll require... 

I haven't had an institutional affiliation for a couple years: this has made accessing most scholarship either difficult or impossible. I just downloaded my first scholarly PDF through my new university's library system. This feeling:

So I have officially left the Airbnb and am in my new place.  The ac totally broke, but the landlord had a repair guy here in an hour.  Quite impressed.  The layout is odd so it'll take some adjusting to figure out where to put things and what furnishings will be best, but overall I think I will be ok here.
@Danger_Zone Congrats!  Glad it worked out and just in time too.  If you haven't already thought of this take photos of your new place to document what is and isn't there, any existing damage, and the overall condition of the place.  Not crappy cell phone photos (unless of course you have a very nice phone), but actual camera photos (if you can't borrow one most major drugstores still sell disposables) that can be enlarged if necessary.  Do this again when you move out, that way if your landlord tries to say you trashed the place you have proof otherwise.

I've been away busy sorting everything out, but you guys it's starting to happen! We're moving into apartments, starting research projects, getting TA assignments. Going back to December this stage was a mere dream, so congratulations everyone - we're here!!! 
I'm starting to pack up my 3 suitcases to move. Less than a week to go til I say bye to the UK! 

Well I found an apartment! It's small but I can't complain when at this point there were almost no apartments left... Not to mention I'm a foreign student with no SSN, no credit and no prior employment, who barely makes any money. It was an awful experience trying to find one so I'm really glad its over.

So, I worked my last day of full-time employment last Friday. I've worked in the same place for over 10 years, and now I've entered a new phase of my life.
Weird feeling. Good feeling, but weird.

@Danger_Zone Ah that sucks but I can see how it will mess up your immigration status. And don't feel bad, your cat will be fine! I missed my family dog so much butt he turned out ok and he still remembered me when I visited. He is the best friend anyone would want. @Pink Fuzzy Bunny Good news that you weren't in the car! sounds like some final destination experience. @MarineBluePsy Yeah I would get out of that house before you go all Jack Nicholson on them . @Neist yeah i bet that is a weird feeling. I feel weird not working at my old museum and I was only there for 3 years. But i think of it as my baby. I cant wait to see it when it finally opens!

Oh my god, I get people asking me about 'digging stuff up.' I'm like, 'That's Archaeology, which is a branch of Anthropology that studies the past. I'm more interested in present culture.' Cue a vague nod and something like, 'That must be hard!' No, it's no harder than anything else people study. 

I get people who hold up random rocks and then ask me what happened to them. Sigh

I get questions like the third one all the time! I get questions about the War of 1812, various other wars, ancient history.. And when I can't answer it I get "but I thought you knew history." I do! Just a very, very minuscule portion of it on a topic you probably don't care about. 
Oh and then I get this one from my boyfriend: "Why would you choose to go to school for even more years? you nerd."  

I get questions like the third one all the time! I get questions about the War of 1812, various other wars, ancient history.. And when I can't answer it I get "but I thought you knew history." I do! Just a very, very minuscule portion of it on a topic you probably don't care about. 
Oh and then I get this one from my boyfriend: "Why would you choose to go to school for even more years? you nerd."