Winding Down

Despite the fact that finals are quickly approaching, I can't help but feel like life is winding down a bit. I've finished most of my research projects and I'm left with some trivial paper writing using some sources I've already collected and organized. As such, I'm starting to wonder what to do with all the spare time! Having accustomed myself to 12 hours on campus a day, a mere 8-10 is feeling like a break. It's pretty nice.

As far as Battle of the Bands goes, we've been chosen as "Alternates"...whatever that means. They've decided to hold a second round of auditions in January because several bands (who may or may not be friends of the judges) never heard about auditions. So, I think what "Alternate" means is that they're waiting to see if someone better than us auditions in January. Meh. What's done is done. Nothing we can do to change the decision anymore.

The ongoing decision I've been facing for months as to what I'm going to do with my life has gone through a series of new turns as of late. My research projects this semester have revealed a new-found love for statistics (which, if I'm not mistaken, makes me a dork). As such, I'm sitting in on a class in January and February that prepares students for taking the first Actuarial exam in February. After the test, I'll be hireable in any number of actuarial-related fields. If I do pass the first test, I'll be able to take the second in September or so. By then I hope to know better what I want to do. With any luck, I could take the third test by December of next year. For now, I'm just planning on the first test to keep my options open.

As far as the summer goes, I continue applying to a number of different internships. I've applied to internships with Insurance companies doing actuary-like work (determining prices of insurance), I've applied to general business related internships, and next month I'll be applying to a number of I-banking internships.

I can't wait to find out which of the above options become available to me. Rachel and I are both pretty excited to leave Utah for a while. While moving away from family is never any fun, we both are pretty anxious to do something, dare I say, "adventurous." I think we really just want to get to know the real world a little bit better while we're still young and have no children. No point in settling down before we have to, as we'll likely never have another chance to move around several times without seriously disrupting someone's life.

And that's that. Keep it real.