Cheers to Graduation!
Happy Holidays y’all!
I hope that you are staying warm and cozy this holiday season and spending time with friends and family. It has been an eventful November & December with lots of firsts for me…
As many of you know, I was scheduled to finish up my degree this December. I pushed through the last bit of classes and now I can say that I have officially graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in Classical Archaeology! I chose to attend my graduation ceremony a few days ago where there was a lot of sitting and listening to people talk about the same three things over and over again. Something about dreaming big, persevering and never giving up. The whole ceremony took about 4 hours and should have been only 1. If I didn’t realize how many people went to U of M, I sure know now. I was thinking that the Winter graduation would be on the smaller side, but I’m pretty sure our graduating class was the size of a small town. I can’t imagine what a traditional Spring graduation would look like. There were so many people graduating that there was no organization when it came to seating or degree distribution. I was placed in a random seat (actually in the front row) and did not even receive a diploma! I was told that my diploma would be mailed to me...eventually. I can’t say the dehydration and the sore back were worth it, but, coincidentally, I happened to be in the seat that was chosen to walk across the stage first. So, I was the first undergraduate to walk across the stage and shake the U of M President’s hand. I guess that was pretty cool. My family, uncle and boyfriend went out to dinner after the ceremony and I can say with confidence that that was my favorite activity of the day. Although I have yet to take official graduation photos (or send out announcements), here are some photos from graduation day!
Many people have asked me one of two questions during these past few weeks. It’s either, “What are you planning on doing with your major” or “Do you feel any different now that you have graduated?” My answer to both is some form of ‘no.’ Ever since I went to Greece, I feel like I can claim the title of archaeologist without having to do much else. While this is cool, the dream (and plan) is still to go to flight school sometime around February or March. I can’t say I dreamed that the flight school would be in Michigan, but that’s just how life works sometimes! And, no, I don’t feel much different yet because during the holiday season I would have already been on break. I think that it will start to sink in come January. Then the real horror of adulting will show up to haunt me.
It has already become apparent to me that I need to find a job while I am in flight school. I am still coaching swimming part-time at the local high school, but this will finish up in the beginning of March. As long as flight school goes well, I should be able to be employed in a flying job by September/October of next year, but what will I do before then? Ah, adult scaries.
Indeed.com has been my home page for the past few weeks as I browse job openings around Ann Arbor. Ideally, I would like to be able to stay in the aviation or automotive realm, but I am looking around for some other opportunities that would cater to my inherent talents or my degree. (Read: I got one of those ‘unemployment’ degrees… but hey I have a plan!). It is a bit of a reach, but if anyone reading this has any connection in these fields that could offer work in Southeast Michigan, please let me know.
All in all, I am so looking forward to taking some time off in January before starting my journey to becoming a pilot. I have created a long to-do list of items that have been getting pushed off for a year or so and I am also planning a few small renovations to my condo, now that I know I will be here for a little while longer.
Speedy Shenanigans:
Wintertime is fixin' time. For all the folks with real racecars, winter is the time to fix all the broken stuff, order new parts and experiment with different setups. For me, I took some time to address a squeaky clutch pedal that had been bugging me for several months. The thought was that the clutch fork had cracked due to stress and, in order to replace it, I would have to take the engine out. It was a whole lotta effort to fix one thing. But I treated it as both a learning and ‘bonding’ experience with the car. Long story short, the clutch fork was not cracked, but I replaced it anyway. The issue seems to be related to the clutch master cylinder and the part that I need is the only part that is not sold separately from the whole unit. Of course. I’m still working on resolving the issue and getting my hands on that part. Oh well, it’s never-ending.
Aviation Adventures:
This section of the blog is bound to expand rapidly over the course of the next few months. But for now, there is not much to report. Although the weather in Michigan has been abnormally good, I haven’t been in a position to do much flying. So, onto the recipe!
Recipe Roulette:
Holiday season calls for yummy red and green treats! The following recipe has been slightly modified from the original (which can be found here) and can be further modified to meet any dietary need or preference. It’s pretty forgiving but pretty addictive! Introducing… Christmas “Crack…”
Christmas Crack
1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips
1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter (I like to use PB2 or PBFit)
5 cups Rice Chex/ Peanut Butter Chex/ Chocolate Chex (any kind you fancy)
1 ½ cups mini pretzels broken into pieces
2 cups powdered sugar
1 ½ cups peanut butter M&Ms, or red & green M&Ms, or caramel M&Ms
1 cup Reese's pieces or mini Reese's cups
In a large bowl, combine rice Chex cereal and pretzel pieces.
Melt peanut butter and chocolate together in the microwave.
Pour peanut butter chocolate mixture over cereal/pretzel mixture and stir to combine.
Chill in the refrigerator until the mixture begins to set (about 30 minutes).
In a separate, large bowl, combine powdered sugar and the chilled mixture at intervals making sure everything is covered.
Place the mixture in the refrigerator until it’s set (about another 30-60 minutes).
Add M&Ms and peanut butter cups and stir to combine.
Thanks for reading and stay warm and healthy this holiday!
Cheers,
Olivia Carter
