The 2017 List

{Documenting adventures in my new Passion Planner}

A few things I wouldn't mind accomplishing this year...

Adventuring-Related:

+ Visit 5-7 more EBRPD parks with dog and parentals.

+ Go on a road trip with Janelly.

+ Plan STSS 2017 trip.

+ Explore more of San Francisco.

+ Visit Ruth (St. Louis, MO) or Debrr (Urbana, IL).

+ Keep track of wages and set aside 10% for travel.

+ Take solo trip somewhere.

+ Go to a Giants game.

+ Show Patrick snow.

+ Try 1 new restaurant per month.

Communication-Related:

+ Get back to blogging (at least once a week).

+ Send 5 letters or cards (that aren't thank you cards) to separate people.

+ Show Mom CreativeLive, Skillshare, and other learning websites.

+ Send 4 surprise care packages to friends.

+ Listen to 10 podcasts.

+ Reach 300 followers on Patrick's instagram.

+ Get Dear Dog Photography's instagram back up and running. 

Dog-Related:

+ Enroll Patrick in more doggy classes/get him to be less reactive to people and doggers.

+ Make 2 bowties and 2 bandanas for Patrick and his friends.

+ Eat out with Patrick there.

+ Volunteer at the local shelter at least once every 2 weeks for 2 hours.

Health-Related:

+ Get 6+ hours of sleep at least 3x/week.

+ Try rock-climbing.

+ Try biking with the dog.

+ Finish my large water bottle every day.

Self-Improvement Related:

+ Graduate OT school with good grades.

+ Do my best during Fieldwork II.

+ Bake 3 new things.

+ Practice handlettering.

+ Drive to 1 new place every 2 weeks to practice driving.

+ Keep room clean and begin to glean through the stuff in there.

+ Get a haircut.

+ Do less complaining and more encouraging.

+ Keep van as neat and clean as it is now.

+ Write more.

I'll try to document as I go; the padre, pupper, and I already crossed off a new-to-us East Bay Regional Park yesterday, so we're doing good! Let me know if there's anything on this list that you'd like to join me for or if there is anything you think I might like to try this year! <3

List Love // A 2016 Recap

{Outside the Seattle Art Museum; photo credit: Steph}

So as stated in the previous post, it's been over 525 days since last I wrote. And a bunch of stuff has happened since then. Granted, nothing drastic and no grand milestone moments, but still. So just in case anyone was wondering what I was up to {and also just for my own journaling need}, here's an abbreviated version of my 2016...

January:

+ Began my second semester of OT school.

+ Continued to work part-time at a local tutoring center.

+ Hung out with coworkers a few times.

February:

+ More school.

+ More work.

+ Hung out with Janelly & Debrr individually several times (including a cake tasting for Debrr's wedding-- AUGH!)

March:

+ More school.

+ More work.

+ First anniversary of Zoe being gone.

+ Had way too many all-day Saturday classes.

+ Went to Silicon Valley Comic Con with Janelly.

+ Celebrated Patrick's first birthday.

April:

+ More school.

+ More work.

+ More all-day Saturday classes.

+ Gave a bunch of in-class presentations.

+ Wrote several looooong papers.

+ Finished finals.

+ Had dinner and caught up with a college friend.

May:

+ More work.

+ Did three weeks of fieldwork-- first two weeks at a mental health setting, third week at a physical disabilities setting.

+ Celebrated the parentals' 31st anniversary.

+ Explored some of downtown San Jose with Tommeh.

Last bit of May and almost all of June:

+ More work.

+ I have no idea what else I did because I forgot to write it down in my calendar thingmerbob.

+ I do know I wrote 40+ pages of field reports in six days because... heh... procrastinator.

July:

+ More work.

+ Did another week of fieldwork-- this time a pediatric setting.

+ Went to basic obedience classes with Patrick.

+ Spent a lot of time watching my friends play PokemonGo while hanging out with them.

+ Had several hangouts with Debrr, Ruth, and Janelly in the span of, like, one weekend, becauuuse...

+ Attended Debrr's WEDDING.

+ Went to Renegade Craft Fair SF.

+ Turned 25 and celebrated padre's 61st.

+ Had dinner and caught up with another college friend.

+ Began volunteering at the local animal shelter to walk dogs.

August:

+ More work.

+ Met up with Evelyn and Ivy for lunch and adventuring.

+ Did a lot of cleaning and organizing.

+ Watched a lot of Olympics.

+ Adventured to Seattle and Portland for five days for our annual STSS Adventure. It was eventful and quite a learning experience.

September:

+ More work.

+ Began exploring new-to-us East Bay Regional Parks with the padre and pupper.

+ Ran a lot of errands in preparation for starting school again.

+ Started second year of OT school.

+ Attended K9 Therapy Dog Training sessions with Patrick.

October:

+ More school.
+ More work.
+ More K9 Therapy Dog Training sessions.
+ More hiking with the padre and pupper.
+ Celebrated the madre's birthday.
+ Wrote a lot of papers.
+ Made a lot of presentations.
+ Went to the Bay Area Pet Fair with the parentals and pupper.

November:
+ More school.
+ More work.
+ More K9 Therapy Dog Training sessions.
+ More hiking with the padre and pupper.
+ Celebrated Thanksgiving with the parentals.

December:
+ More school.
+ More work.
+ More hiking with the padre and pupper.
+ Participated in my cohort's Secret Santa gift exchange.
+ Won a Passion Planner via Instagram.
+ Completed finals right before Christmas.
+ Watched several movies with the parentals (Up, Kung Fu Panda, Tangled, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Ocean's 11-13, New Year's Eve).
+ Made five batches of waffles on Christmas Day.
+ Did some annual after-Christmas shopping with Janelly and Brittani.
+ Deep-cleaned the van-- it's SO CLEAN.

So that was my year. A lot of school, a lot of work. All in all, though, a pretty good year. Much improved from 2014 when I was in limbo trying to figure out what I was going to do after college. :P Yay for getting a little better at adulting? 

TV Finales of 2015 // Thoughts

Last autumn, I reviewed a bunch of TV premieres and tried to judge my chances for continued viewing based on one episode alone. Well, after an entire television season has passed, I can now reveal which shows I actually stuck with and which fell by the wayside! I think I might be the only one who cares in terms of the mysterious question of "WHAT DID SAM WATCH THESE LAST NINE MONTHS," but that's okay. I want to know. So I shall write. (:

Scorpion:

Ermahgherd. If there is one show that I am willing to fangirl over, it's this one. I'm not even sure I can put into words what I love about it so much without *squee*ing, but I'll try. The writing was consistently good {although there were a few filler episodes, but even those were still interesting}, the action sequences are excellently put together {this may be the one show that could make me nervous (read: elevated pulse for the last fifteen minutes) every week}, that chemistry/fit between all the actors I said they needed more time to develop and strengthen at the start of the season? Yeah, it's good now. Ugh. Seriously, the overarching storylines for the characters and their relationships to one another is just... I can't even.

There are few things I am willing to watch on repeat {only The Italian Job and Guys & Dolls until now}, but this show has definitely been added to that very short list. So so SO excited for Season Two and crossing my fingers that it maintains its quality.

The Amazing Race:
This was something I just started watching this season and, much to my surprise, quite enjoyed. Now I kind of want to try out for the show, but one, I'm so not prepared yet and two, I don't know who I'd try out with. It seems fun, if a tad crazy and very intense and stressful and conducive to angry/tired tears. But other than that... :P

Fresh Off the Boat:
Initially wary of the title, the show itself isn't too bad. The jokes are funny without being too self-deprecating or counter-racist {you know, if all the jokes were about how awful Caucasian people were or something}. A lot of the 90s references DO go over my head {I grew up then, but didn't really participate/care about the pop culture stuff}, but that's on me. It's been renewed for a second season even though viewership has been slowly dropping according to the numbers, so let's see if ABC will give it another full season or if it'll be cancelled midway through {which is what I'm thinking might happen}.

Once Upon a Time:
Eh. That entire Frozen-centric first half was so. totally. useless. The storylines weren't exciting, the acting was meh, and I just couldn't get myself to be enthusiastic about what was SO OBVIOUSLY a marketing ploy by Disney to prolong the hype over a mediocre movie. So I took a break from the show.

The second half of the season, I semi-watched. Like, we'd turn there if the Great British Baking Show had a lull, but if I missed a week or two, I'd survive. And then I watched the finale. Because you HAVE to watch alternate universe episodes, you know? And ermahgherd. So. Good. The writers hit their stride once more and threw in plot twists and better storylines and more interesting characters. That cliffhanger was excellent, I must say. I'm guessing the second half of the season was heaps and heaps better than the first, but I'll have to wait until it all comes out on DVD to catch up on the Villainesses/Evil Trio storyline. Hopefully Disney is done with Frozen for at least another year. Integrate Star Wars when that releases? Fine. Bring back Arendelle when Frozen 2 releases? NO.

Big Bang Theory:
"But what do I do about THIS ring?" Asdfjklsfdsjkl.

Modern Family:
When you know you're being renewed for probably at least another two or three seasons, I guess you don't have to try so hard with the season finale. Or at all. This WAS another very good season of Modern Family, but the finale was so. weak. The jokes were O.o, the storylines O.o, and pretty much no cliffhanger whatsoever. Definitely disappointed with the finale episode, but the rest of the season was fine. My favorite episode was probably the one shown entirely via Claire's computer screen. My parentals were like... "Whaaaat."


CANCELLED SHOWS:

Selfie: SIIIIIGH. Told you ABC would cancel it. All the sad faces. ))): Boo. Not happy this was cancelled, but wasn't surprised. Because again. ABC. *shakes head* {I think I'm not waxing eloquently about my disappointment on this one (and A to Z) because it's already been half a year since they ended and we've had time to adjust. I'm sure I would've had more to say had they justjustjust been cancelled}.

A to Z: Foresaw this one not surviving, too. Not AS disappointed {more like resigned} when NBC called it quits on this show since it was starting to get a little "eh", but I would've liked it to end in a different spot. Wasn't a fan of the finale. Girl passes up major job offer to stay with Boy? Been there, done that, still not a good solution. For a show that discussed the Bechdel Test, that finale was a pretty lame move.

Forever: Alas, ABC has cancelled this one, too. Oh, ABC. Why you so cold-hearted. I've started to get the feeling that anything that doesn't feature major makeout seshs or partial nudity ends up cancelled on this network. I'm pretty sure the timeslot ABC stuck it in didn't help any {10-11pm is pretty late at night for a show with no adult content, guys}. Upside, Season One was wrapped up in a nice little bow in terms of completing all unfinished storylines, so at least we weren't left hanging?

Mindy Project: Not something I'd watch religiously, but it works for mindless TV if I need a break. FOX cancelled it at a weird place this season, but if you didn't know, Hulu picked it up for the next season. So it's only semi-cancelled. It'll be interesting to see where she goes with this pregnancy storyline.


SHOWS I ONLY WATCHED THE PILOT FOR:
Gotham: too scary. I can't watch this by myself at night. Sheesh.
NCIS: New Orleans: I didn't feel attached to the characters enough by the end of the pilot to care what happened to them in the second episode. I feel a little bad saying that, but it's true! I hear good things about the show, but it's not something I feel the need to tune in for each week.
Agents of SHIELD: technically I watched the entire first season, but after the season two premiere, I gave up trying to keep up with all the new characters and weird plotlines they introduced in one fell swoop. Tommy loves it though and it IS impressive {or majorly devious, either one} how Marvel integrates its movie releases into the TV show plotlines. Nice job on that guys. This Comm major gives you an impressed face. 

One Little Word 2015

As someone who writes blogposts on a semi-regular basis and reads blogs on a more-than-semi-regular basis {aka all the time}, I can't escape all the "2015 RESOLUTIONS" "THIS YEAR I WILL..." "GOALS FOR THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS" posts that are popping up left and right. Two things:

1. Was asked by a friend if I was going to put up a resolution-esque list on the bloglet. Realized how awkward I get when talking about the bloglet in real life settings in front of people who don't know I blog sometimes. Not sure when I'll get over that...

2. I think I wrote a post last year about how New Year's resolutions usually aren't my thing because, for me at least, that "new year" feel always comes either on my birthday or in September when a new school year starts, and not at the beginning of January. This year, however, I'm starting to get it. Maybe this is the beginning of the end of feeling like a student and finally moving on towards adulthood-- when you slowly start to see January as the "FRESH START" and not September. Hmm.

Anyways, I did start a list of things to keep in mind during this upcoming year and originally thought of these as a sort of addendum to The 23 List, something a bit more overarching, less specific, and with different deadlines. You all know I love a good list.

But I felt odd creating yet another list to keep track of for 365 days, so when I read Elise's post on her One Little Word this year {something she's been doing for a while now, but for some reason this year's really hit home for me}, I stared at my list of random things and tried to come up with a common thread.

I couldn't quite fit all my random "resolution-esque" things under the following word, but I do like that it challenges me and pushes me outside my comfort zone. You know you're doing something right when it's slightly scary-- that means you're taking risks, yes? If you never take risks, you'll never know if you could've been amazing at something. So this year, I think I'll try out this One Little Word project and go with:

FEARLESS.

And yes, my second thought after "Ooh, that's perfect!" was "Hmm, but it's a TSwift album."

Because I adore the way Elise broke her word down into actionable bits, let's see if I can do the same with mine, since I need specifics to keep me accountable.

FEARLESS: when it comes to growing up. Seeing everyone over the holidays and noticing how adult they seem felt really strange. Sometimes I think I forget how old I am and then when I do remember, it's kind of mind-boggling. And it shouldn't be. Because I really do need to act my age and be a grown up. Being an adult kinda, sorta scares the living daylights out of me {why don't they teach more classes on these things, eh? extra preparation would be nice}, but seeing as how there really isn't much choice in the matter, I might as well stop waiting to "feel like an adult" {which might never happen} and at least get around to acting like one.

FEARLESS: when it comes to new experiences. I'm usually super cautious when it comes to trying new things {not food-related things, but like, things that might result in injury or surprise or where I might look a little silly before getting it right}. This year, I'm thinking of taking a "Why not?" attitude towards all that. Hey, I might turn out to be awesome at whatever it is. And if not, I could always practice.

FEARLESS: when it comes to worrying about others think about me. I guess this falls along the lines of being more assertive, believing that what I bring to the table is worth something too, and not underestimating myself. Deborah mentioned something similar to me recently and it got caught in my brain. There were actually several conversations with different people that led to this being on the list, but basically, I'd forgotten how to be the take-charge, leader-y Sam I was in high school and had become this uber-quiet, lets-others-come-up-with-the-big-ideas Sam I didn't particularly love. That needs to change. Because that second Sam is realllly frustrating.

So yes. I'll try this out during 2015 and we'll see how it goes. My hope is that I learn to ignore the tiny voice in the back of my brain that says I can't, and just go out there and do whatever it is that I'm nervous about anyways. I'm always going on about "yay new experiences and adventures", but if I rarely put myself in their path, it's pretty hard to find them.

Let's be fearless this year and joyfully embrace whatever comes our way! Here's to a better-than-we-could-even-imagine 2015, guys! (:

Thanksgiving 2014

Things We Did This Thanksgiving:

+ Woke up and rolled back over because it's just us and we're in no rush to do anything today.

+ Daddy washed and started baking the yams by 10am and had crescent rolls in the toaster oven by 11am.

+ The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was on, but no one was really watching... or listening. We just like having background noise.

+ I vacuumed some of downstairs.

+ I spent an hour and a half doing internshippy stuff in the hopes that I wouldn't have to turn on my computer for the rest of the weekend. {Spoiler: it didn't work}.

+ Yams came out of the oven, smoked turkey went in, Mom started her naw mey fan {I mutilated that spelling, but basically, sticky rice with sausage, peas, carrots, green onions, and shitaki mushrooms}.

+ We got distracted by the Purina National Dog Show. We find ANY dog show on TV and we'll get distracted. Favorite quote: "The perfect dog is the one next to you." Excellent.

+ Mom worked on her rice, Daddy ran the dog, I finished vacuuming.

+ I mentioned that the smell of baked yams and shitaki mushrooms probably signal Thanksgiving to me. It's kind of an odd combination, but it smells delicious, fyi.

+ Munching on turkey and yams and sticky rice was done around 2pm. Because again, it's just us and we can do what we want, when we want.

+ All afternoon, Daddy watched Nicholas Sparks movies, Mom contemplated working on her clothing-alterations pile {all hers because all her things are too baggy on her. I told her to stop buying things that are too large, she said some of this stuff is from twenty years ago. I don't understand this woman}, and I continued to clean my room. Zoe napped.

+ I had to keep logging onto my computer to deal with internshippy stuff. Another two hours worth. Yay.

+ More munching was done, progressive dinner style. Because again, it's just us.

+ "Thank You America" and the "Cause for Paws" dog show were watched. Because again, dog shows.

+ Blog posts were written.

+ Time was spent with la familia and petting the dog and enjoying the gorgeous weather outside. Twas good.

Premiere Season is My Favorite

I love premiere season. I mean, back to school season is my absolute favorite, and the fact that it is immediately followed by premiere season is very, very nice. Basically the whole month of September is pretty good... I just realized I have a favorite month. Who knew!

Anyways. As a Comm major and someone who enjoys stories and appreciates excellent writing, premiere season is the best. All the new shows are coming out and all the writers are on their best behavior. You're not entirely sure what to expect from this new crop of comedies and dramas, so the world is full of possibility. Your new favorite could be airing tonight! Plus, all the old favs are coming back and answering those cliffhangers you've been waiting for all summer.

Another perk of premiere season-- it signals the end of three months of "reality shows," which you and the TV execs knew were just filler until the regular season started up again. Ew, reality shows {although American Ninja Warrior... they're my exception}.

So in an attempt to calm my excitement for premiere season, or at least contain it so I don't sound crazy analyzing new shows to random strangers, I've decided to compile a list of shows I watched and share my opinion on whether they're worth tuning in for this season. Obvs, I'm no expert {besides pilot season, I usually only watch, like, two shows}, but yesyes, here are some thoughts:

{In no particular order}:

A to Z {NBC, 9:30pm PST Thursdays}: So adorbs. The two main characters fall under the "quirky/cute" category, it seems "clean" so far {aka no swearing, no sketchy jokes, no iffy behavior}, and I even kind of like the narrating voice over. I made Steph watch it. And we decided it was our new Jane By Design. And then I made Stephen watch it. And he was like, "ehhh." And I said we couldn't be friends anymore.

Selfie {ABC, 8pm PST Tuesdays}: I like that it's based off Pygmalion/My Fair Lady. And that it's got an Asian as a main character. A main character who isn't completely stereotyped, is ridiculously annoying, or is secretly a sidekick to the "real main character." As a secret-tech-dinosaur with a past of marketing internships, I thought the use of social media in this show was amusing. A little over the top, but the premise is good. We'll see if this survives the first cut though, because ABC has a tendency to cancel first, think later. ):

Forever {ABC, 10pm PST Tuesdays}: It's like a combination of amateur Sherlock Holmes with Pushing Daisies' quirk and the hidden identity secret-keeping of a superhero. I like it. If you've watched season one of Castle, you'll recognize the start of some good banter and camaraderie between the two main characters, so much so that it feels a little deja vu {but this IS also an ABC production, so I guess they're allowed to copy themselves}. The flashback scenes aren't too jarring and there is some hilarious writing going on {explaining the death of the guy with an ax in his forehead}, so overall, it's worth a shot if you're looking to get into a new show. Between this and Agents of Shield and Gotham though, be forewarned about seeing a LOT of 1945 flashbacks. 

Big Bang Theory {CBS, 8pm PST Mondays}: I suppose the writers were walking that fine line between having Sheldon change too much after his "epic journey" across the US and not having him change at all. They erred on the side of "not changing enough" though. Even if he did stay within the confines of the train stations the entire time. The premiere was alright-- not my favorite episode ever, but it was okay. There's a difference between "laughing because it was truly hilarious" and "laughing because I know I'm supposed to laugh at this part" and I tended to fall into the latter category during this one. Still, the show is generally consistent, so we shall see how the season progresses.

Modern Family {ABC, 9pm PST Wednesdays}: Everybody's back to normal. It's like the summer break never happened. Although Luke has seriously been getting taller these last few seasons. Shoot.

Agents of SHIELD {ABC, 9pm PST Tuesdays}: Not bad, not bad. Decently smooth introduction to the new characters {except that black guy who had lines, but was never really introduced or explained (not Triplett; there's a new guy). WHO IS HE. TELL US MORE} and the new bad guys. I'm a little afraid they're going to focus too much time and effort on the new Material Absorption Guy when there are SO many other bad guys out there, but his power is pretty cool, so it does understandably warrant more than one episode. Ward's a bit creeper now, isn't he... but yay, Skye, for learning from May and kicking butt! May I take lessons from May, too, please? There were several moments that had me a teeeeensy bit teary during this premiere, which is GOODGOODGOOD in terms of the show and its writers, so way to go, guys! Gahhh, Fitz/Simmons. Why you hurt me so? ):

Once Upon a Time {ABC, 9pm PST Sundays}: The inclusion of FIVE characters from Frozen this season with no costume/plot changes whatsoever had me raising eyebrows back when it was announced earlier this year. I wasn't a fan of that idea. So I went into this season premiere skeptical and apprehensive. And after the hour... *wrinkles nose* I'm not sure all my fears were assuaged. The entire episode revolved around Elsa, didn't introduce a whole lot of mystery or new storylines, and didn't further any of the current storylines we've got going on with the regular main characters. So. Not impressed, guys. Last season's starter was so much better. I'll still be watching, but if it doesn't improve soon... Disney needs to learn to stop oversaturating the market with their latest moneymaker. Seriously. {If this is any indication of what OUAT is becoming, I fully expect Star Wars to take over Storybrooke next season after Episode VII comes out}.

Scorpion {CBS, 9pm PST Mondays}: I was a little skeptical at first, since the idea of a group of socially awkward smart people consulting with the government to take down bad guys has been tried and tried and tried again. But I rather like this bunch. They need time to solidify as a team because the chemistry isn't quiiite there yet, but the show has some great quoteable lines and I like Katherine McPhee and the guy who plays Walter {main character}. The pilot's climax moments indeed had my pulse speeding up a little, which is how you know you're starting to get into the show. Biggest O.o moment though: Who the heck named the Asian mechanic chick "Happy"? What in the world...

NCIS: New Orleans {CBS, 9pm PST Tuesdays}: At first I was like, "Really? Another one? Turning into CSI, are we?" But I do love NCIS: LA and don't mind NCIS: The Original, so okay, let's give this a try. And truly, the pilot wasn't bad. Admittedly, I still haven't figured out what each character is "about" yet {you know how characters normally fall into categories, so you know where they're coming from? like, he's the nerdy/tech guy, or she's the female investigator with a tough exterior and a squishy inside, or whatever. they haven't pinned down what they want their cast to "be" yet. but for now, it still worked}. I like Scott Bacula {Pride? King? Dwayne? What IS his name, guys?}, even if his drawl reminded me of Jack Hanna, and their HQ kitchen is quite the awesome. You know a show based in NOLA has to have good music and good food, and this pilot included both. I liked the descriptions of all the different neighborhoods in New Orleans. It's like trying to describe areas of San Francisco to a non-native-- hilarious, but fascinating. Questions to answer in subsequent episodes though: where are the people in the NCIS NOLA HQ? Are our main characters the only ones occupying the place? Cause that's a huge warehouse for three people. 

Gotham {FOX, 8pm PST Mondays}: I missed the first few minutes, but was surprisingly pulled into the story almost immediately anyways. I'm not the biggest Batman fan {never seen any of the movies, including the latest ones, and if asked to list my fav superheroes... well, let's just say Batman wouldn't make the top... twenty?}, so my interest in this show was rather unexpected. I do love a good prequel with lots of foreshadowing and backstory though, and this definitely references ALL. THE. BATMAN. THINGS. In just this pilot episode alone, we met Catwoman, Poison Ivy, the Penguin, the Riddler, and possibly the Joker. And if I can ID these people with very little knowledge of the Batman-verse, can you imagine all the references true Batman fans caught? Goodness. This show is kind of dark and there is violence, but it's not super graphic {a la your average crime scene shows} and a lot of it is done tongue-in-cheek because the audience is well aware all this is happening in Gotham and not real world. I think you can get away with more when your location is an imaginary place. Some excellent one-liners and the casting/acting is pretty impressive. I like it. Now whether I can stick it out for the season is yet to be determined. If it gets darker and more violent, I'll probably be out. We'll see!

--

I'll try to update this as more shows have their fall premiere, but these were the ones that aired before I pressed Publish. Hope this helped in your decision of what to watch tonight! (:

List Love // How to Apply to OT Schools Using OTCAS

How to Apply to OT Schools Through OTCAS:

{a decently accurate timeline of things you need to do}

1. As soon as you graduate or finish taking classes at a school, get a copy of your transcript. If possible {aka they're free (like UCLA's transcripts) or not super expensive ($3-6 at local community colleges)}, get more than one sent to you. And make sure they're the "official" kind, not the "student copy" kind. You want them signed, sealed, and delivered to your doorstep, y'all. Even if you aren't applying to any grad schools, having a copy lying around can be super helpful.

2. Check the application due date for the OT schools to which you want to apply. Every school is different for the most part, so be aware of when your app needs to arrive. Remember that apps are due the year before you would begin classes and that OTCAS will open its app to you about two and a half to three months in advance of the first due date. To make your life easier and less stressful, take advantage of that "extra" time.

3. Create an OTCAS account ASAP. Don't put it off with the excuse "but I'm not ready to apply yet" or "let me finish reading all the directions on the school website first." Just make an account as soon as you start contemplating applying that year. That way you'll have one more thing crossed off the checklist.

4. Read the individual OT school's application directions, but don't use those as your sole instructions. Those directions suck. They're old, have all the wrong deadlines, and there is way too much conflicting information to make the actual OT school's website useful {or maybe that was only the OT school I applied to; maybe other OT schools' websites are ridiculously amazing and accurate. In that case, yay for youuu, 'cause that means less confusion! Whoot}. Still, you want to read through all their documents and small print just to make sure you didn't miss anything vital, like supplemental materials they want to receive. However, use the instructions on OTCAS to create your to-do list. That information is current and correct.

5. Start volunteering if you haven't already. Every school will want you to have volunteer hours at an OT place, just to make sure you know what you're getting into and that you still want this. And the number of hours they'll want differ from school to school. For instance, the place I'm applying to wants a minimum of 40 hours, but a couple of the places Steph is applying to require 100 hours. *eeek* So. Call around to all the OT places in your area and ask if they accept volunteers. I lucked out and found a place that let's me come in whenever and for however long I need, but some places will just add you to their schedule/rotation of volunteers and you'll only be able to get, like, three hours a week from them. Remember, multiple locations and experiences are best, so if you can volunteer with two or three places, do it. Not only does that show you've learned about a bunch of different types of OT, but that broadens your options for reference letters, too.

5. Do the easy stuff first. The first, like, four sections of the OTCAS app are simply personal information. You should know that stuff without having to reference a thing. Input it all. Seeing "complete" next to almost half of the app should make you feel better. And it took, like, eight minutes, tops. Good job, you!

6. Input all the colleges you've attended. I'm talking every single place you've ever taken a class. If you took a community college class in high school, no matter what the reason or whether that class pertains to occupational therapy, you need to tell OTCAS. Take classes after college to keep yourself busy while job-hunting? Put those down, too. For each of those schools, OTCAS will give you a document to print and fill out and have attached to your transcript from those schools. Special attachments take more time so...

6. Send your transcript requests in as early as you can. These are the killers {or at least they were for me}. It takes about three weeks for OTCAS to "verify" your application using your transcripts, which means those transcripts have to arrive at least three weeks before the "due date" the OT school gives you. From the West Coast, transcripts take about a week to a week and a half to get to Massachusetts, which means your colleges need to have sent your transcript about four-ish weeks before the due date. Keep in mind some colleges take forever to get your transcript out the door, so take that extra five days into account {at some point, it's easier just to pay extra to have the college rush-ship it. It's up to you}. And for giant four-year colleges who loooove making life complicated, your mailed transcript request can take up to two weeks to even get to the right office {I'm looking at you, UCLA. *grr*}, instead of the two days it takes normal mail to reach people down there.

In other words, just send your transcript requests to all those colleges you've attended asap, so that they in turn can get the documents out asap. Remember to include those special attachments OTCAS wants and fill everything out correctly. I didn't realize how long it would take my transcripts to get to Massachusetts, so I'm actually pretty sure my app isn't going to make it to the OT school by the due date. Which kind of really sucks after stressing so much about this. So. Learn from me, kidlets. *sigh* This is why I'm writing out this timeline to follow.

Note: If your transcripts arrive before you've submitted your online OTCAS application, OTCAS will just hang onto them for you. When you do hit submit, the transcripts will appear as received {or not received, whatever the case may be}. So really, there's no way to turn in transcripts too early.

7. Ask your people. And confirm. And remind. And politely remind again. Recommendations. Get those done. You need one academic/professional one, one from an OT with whom you volunteered, and a third from basically anyone {aka academic, professional, OR OT-related}. Some of your references will be awesome possums and get them done right away. Others... not so much. Take that into consideration when you schedule everything. When they've submitted their reference, OTCAS will send you an email letting you know, so until you get that email, politely remind.

8. Input every single college class you've ever taken. One of the sillier things about this OTCAS app is that you need to manually input the info about each class you've enrolled in at every single college you've attended. It's not difficult, just super time-consuming. This is why you needed a copy of your official transcript. Too many mistakes in this portion of your app means that OTCAS doesn't send it into your school of choice. So set aside a couple hours to just sit in one place with your official transcript beside you, and fill everything out according to the instructions given. Just fyi, you WILL celebrate when you've finished inputting all your classes. So.

Note: The instructions say to input everything chronologically. You should indeed since it's easier to avoid mistakes that way, but if you mess up or you realize you forgot to put in that high school community college class, DON'T PANIC {like I did... heh}. OTCAS will keep your classes in chronological order even if you add a class out of order. Just don't do that all the time.

9. Create a list of all your extra-curriculars, internships, jobs, leadership experience, volunteering, and awards. You'll need it to fill out one of the sections of the app. Calculate how many hours {approximately} you put in for each item. Oddly enough, in this section, you do have to input everything chronologically because OTCAS doesn't fix it for you. I'm pretty sure it doesn't make a difference in terms of them accepting the info, but it does make a difference in how it looks. 

10. Write your personal statement. I'm not sure how long this will take you, so complete on your own timetable. This is one of the few parts of the app that rely solely on you, so you don't have to wait for other people or organizations to finish something before you submit. OTCAS says 7500 characters or less {they estimate about a page in Word}, but mine was about a page and three-quarters and came out to about 4500 characters, so. I'm not sure what size font they were basing their estimate on. O.o Just something to keep in mind.

11. Sometime during your volunteering, ask your OT for their business card and their OT license number. In order to fill out how many hours of volunteering you've completed, you need your supervising OT's full name, email address, phone number, and all that jazz. Keep track of how many hours you were at each place; most OT offices expect you to handle that on your own, so they don't write that kind of stuff down. If you forget, you lose the hours. So don't forget.

12. Breathe. The OTCAS app isn't that difficult. It's just a matter of balancing and using your time wisely. You'll be okay. And even if you're not {*laughs* Like me, since I've sent in and paid for everything and still more than likely won't make the deadline...}, life goes on and you learned something, right?

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I do hope this list/timeline thing helped. Let me know if anything needs clarification and I'll definitely get back to you! Good luck, friend! (:

{And apologies that this is such a text-heavy, photo-light post. I didn't really know what sort of photos one would use for a to-do list like this, so... If you can think of any, let me know because right now even my eyes get a little cross-eyed looking at this much text. Heh}.

The (Belated) 23 List

 {Dreamers Who Do}

+ try an aerial silks and a barre class.

+ explore more of San Francisco's neighborhoods {list here}.

+ take a road trip... where I'm actually behind the wheel and there are other people in the car.

+ go on a weekend adventure out of state.

+ bake eight new recipes.

+ make a new friend via social media.

+ hike a trail that takes longer than five hours from start to finish.

+ read three nonfiction books, cover to cover.

+ finally learn how to use a camera on Manual, understand Google Analytics, and write HTML code.

+ send snail mail to five people {thank you cards don't count}.

+ volunteer with the local dog shelter.

+ get a haircut I'm not horrified by.

+ go through everything in my room and organize it ALL-- glean, donate, throw away.

+ learn basic car maintenance things {changing the oil, a tire, etc}.

+ attend a live concert.

+ improve my Mario Kart game {because I have none. Ha}.

+ find a reason to wear a sparkly dress.

+ reach 50 Instagram and 500 Pinterest followers.

+ learn to drive stickshift.

+ walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.

+ listen to 10 podcasts.

+ start a guest interview series on the blog.

+ foodie adventure as much as possible.

+ get a job.

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You know you're getting kinda old when the list starts getting lengthy. At what point do I stop listing things to attempt in one year because it's too unrealistic? *laughs* Here's to a great twenty three!

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The 23 List Updates for September/October, November, December, January/February, March, April, May, and June in case you missed them. (:

List Love // Films I've Seen in Movie Theaters

+ Jingle All the Way // 1996.

One rainy day, after some party in our kindergarten class, a bunch of my little friends and their parents invited my dad and I to go watch a movie with them. I was so excited {of course, I wasn't sure why or for what I was excited, I just knew everyone else was excited}.

Fifteen minutes into the movie, I made my dad take me outside and walk the halls with me. We never did go back in. Scared the living daylights out of me. And no, it's not technically a scary movie. Dad's never let me forget this.

Not that I would. *shudder*

+ Princess Diaries // July 2001.

For some reason, one of the elderly ladies in my parents' Sunday School class had two tickets to Princess Diaries the week it came out. She invited me to join her and this was a Big Deal because none of my friends had seen the movie yet. Oooh.

I brilliantly forgot my glasses at home that day {wow, Sam}, so I spent the entire time squinting hard at the big screen. It was really fun nevertheless and I was the envy of all the girls in my class for quite a while. As a third grader, I must say, twas quite the awesome. Thanks, Vivian!

+ Spiderman // May 2002.

My mom saw an ad in our local newspaper that said the first however-many people to call a local real estate office would win tickets to an early screening of Spiderman {the first one; this was before the superhero movie craze hit}. So she called and got us three tickets to the viewing.

I don't remember much about the experience. I know I wasn't really impressed with Tobey Maguire as Spiderman and thought he was kinda weird. Other than that, this movie didn't make much of an impression on me. Honestly, I totally forgot I saw this in theaters until I almost hit Publish on this post...

+ Pirates of the Caribbean 3 // May 2007.

Tenth grade, right after finals, a random bunch of us decided to go watch Pirates to celebrate. A few people had cars by this point, so it was So Cool to be able to get there without parentals driving us. By the way, when I say "a random bunch," I really mean a random bunch. Like, we all knew each other and got along since we attended such a small school, but we didn't really hang out with each other every day. It was one of those weird moments in history when cliques don't exist and everyone's friends. *shrugs*

One of our teachers helped drive, too. Don't worry, it wasn't anything weird. He was cool and everyone at our school liked him and he knew we needed another car, so he tagged along. We thought he was even cooler after that.

Man, that was a long movie. Not that we were bored; no, we all liked the movie and there was lots of spirited debate afterwards about the way the movie ended, but we were sneaking glances at our watches two hours in. Also, that kiss/wedding scene was just absolutely hilarious to us. Seriously. We died laughing later about the improbability of that truly happening. Oh, tenth graders.

+ Enchanted // December 2007.

Half our hangout crowd {the male half} went to go watch Cloverfield while we three girls and two of our braver brethren watched Enchanted. Let's just say the dinner afterwards was a WEIRD mix of conversation.

This movie was adorable. Still is. But really. D'awwwww. And that Jon McLaughlin song "So Close" is still a favorite. Really liked this one.

+ Up // June 2009.

The night of our high school graduation "alumni" dinner*, our hangout crowd decided that we wanted to spend some more time together {even though we had just spent a week in Hawaii with each other 24/7 (which come to think of it, may have been the big reason we missed each other... separation withdrawals?)}, so we got permission from all our parentals to go watch a midnight showing of Up. It was impromptu, it was spur of the moment, it was great.

I think the only un-great thing about it was that there was only one showing of Up that late at night and it was in 3-D, which would have been fine, but the tickets were eighteen dollars each. Sheesh.

Also, Up isn't really the best movie to see in 3-D. The only time you feel that trippy-ness that you get from watching something in 3-D was when the house falls off the blimp and Carl looks over the edge. Everything else was just as good in 2-D. In case you were wondering.

*The day after we graduated, there was a {subtly} mandatory dinner for all the new alumni and their parents where the admin fed us spaghetti, congratulated us on graduating, and then made their plug to a captive audience for donations back to our alma mater. Like, DUDE. We just paid private school tuition for thirteen years and have another four years {at least} of college tuition, before we even have an inkling of getting an income, however small it may be. CALM YOUR HORSES. {Besides the fact that our class wasn't the biggest fan of our admin. And the admin knew that. So there were a lot of -___- faces in the audience that night. And I'm sure the parents weren't that excited about being hit up for more money that quickly either. *rolls eyes*}.

+ Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey // December 2012.

Christmas break hangout with the high school crowd. This is a self-admitted nerdy group of people-- Debrr can quote giant swaths of Lord of the Rings genealogy-- so they all really wanted to see this movie. Only me and one other person had never read the books before, so we were just watching this with new, unjaded eyes.

I rather enjoyed it. Even wrote a blog post about it here. Still haven't read the book {have it though... heh}, but thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie.

Plus, this was the outing where I started teasing my former college roomie about her potential boyyyyyfrieeeeend, since she didn't join us for the movie due to a "previous engagement with a friend", but did meet up with us later for dinner. I was like, "dude. I know all your friends. And you wouldn't be this secretive if it weren't a Big Deal." Moohahahaha. The joys of bestie-hood.

+ Despicable Me 2 // August 2013.

Summer in LA, impulsive adventuring. A bunch of us wanted to go see the movie since we'd heard such good things, so we got in a car, drove to the nearest movie theater still showing Despicable Me 2 {this was a month after it came out}, realized the tickets were exorbitant, looked up prices at other nearby theaters, found one ten minutes away with a showing starting in ten minutes, made the mad dash to get there before it started, got there in time, and enjoyed the show.

Two of the people who went have incredibly distinctive, LOUD laughs, so it was hilarious sitting next to them for this movie. Every time there was a funny bit, the two guys CRACKED. UP. and everyone else in the theater would turn around and stare. All those little kids and their parents were probably like, "what in the world..." It was great.

List Love // Disney Princesses

Favorite Disney Princess: Aurora. I think it's her hair. And the forest scene with her and Prince Phillip. And her Briar Rose alias. She's pretty cool.

Disney Princess I'd Most Like to Be: Belle. Big fan of her new personal library. Best scene ever.

Least Favorite Disney Princess: Ariel. Annoys me to no end. Her lack of common sense drives me up the wall.

Disney Princesses with the Most Historical Inaccuracies: Pocahontas & Mulan. Get your facts straight, Disney. Because of you, there are now several generations of kids who believe Pocahontas married John Smith and that Mulan had a happy ending. The education system is already failing them, you don't need to help it along.

Disney Princesses Whose Songs I Can Actually Sing Without My Voice Cracking or Squeaking: Tiara & Pocahontas. Thank goodness for almost-altos. Still, Disney isn't known for its great track record writing songs for non-sopranos {see here}.

Best Disney Animal Sidekicks: Pascal & Maximus {Tangled}. Although, really, Disney does do all horses really well-- Brave, Frozen {Prince Hans' horse reminded me of Maximus and Sven may be a reindeer, but that's close enough}, Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, etc.

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Honestly, more of a Pixar kid myself. Didn't watch Disney movies until college... Although I knew all the songs and their lyrics perfectly because I hung out with Disney fanatics in high school. So. *shrugs*