Back to school

My second semester of graduate school begins today. I am not ready for this to happen to me! I had five weeks off between semesters and could have used another one or two (I still have a paper to write for one of my fall classes - yikes!) before starting again. I am glad that my Monday class is not until 3:30, however. The first day of class tends to be a bit crazy on campus, especially when one is attempting to find a parking spot. Today should be especially fun since it is snowing. Snow has a habit of covering the lines painted in parking lots and makes parking all the more interesting. Fortunately for me most students are done with classes by 3:00, so hopefully they'll be gone and parking won't be a problem. Also, the snow is supposed to stop by the time I have to leave, and maybe, just maybe, they will actually plow and/or salt the roads by then, too! In the meantime I will amuse myself by watching cars lose traction as they make their turns in front of my window and wish that universities called snow days as quickly as the high schools do. Two inches of snow overnight and it would appear that they have the day off today... Speaking of snow, it is actually cold enough to snow - the temperature is supposed to be around 30 degrees all day. It has been unusually warm this January, with 17 days this month with a high temperature above freezing and 4 days with high temperatures above 50 degrees. I like the "warm" weather, but those who like to ski on "real" snow are probably happy that it remembered, at least for today, that it is indeed winter in New York.
Back to the subject of school, it would appear that my books are going to cost significantly less this semester than they did last semester. Last semester I spent about $700 on books for three classes (ouch!). This semester I have purchased books for two of my three classes and have spent less than $300. The third class didn't have any books in the campus bookstore and doesn't have a syllabus posted online, so I don't know how much the rest will cost. At least it appears that my classes will have a lighter reading load in general that they did last semester. Last semester I had 4 books to read every week for most of the semester and this time it would appear that I won't have to average more than 2.5 books per week. Woohoo! I'm also thinking about maybe getting a part time job to help lighten the financial load so I don't have to rely so heavily on student loans. Having a slightly more strict schedule might help me develop at least a smidgen of discipline...
"For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in a quiet fashion and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good." ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13