Functional Independence.

My family helped move me into my apartment a few days ago. This apartment, situated right on the edge of downtown Syracuse, gives me an excellent view of the downtown skyline, which I love. It's a five minute drive to the positively gargantuan Destiny USA mall, and Armory Square (Syracuse's version of The Square—can't be beaten, by the way) is a short walk away, with all the bars, Starbucks, Subway, and ice cream that an urbanite could ask for.

It's a studio apartment. One room. Can't really get away with not cleaning it. That's what I've been doing today. Cooked food for myself for the first time; I have pretty high hopes for my domestic abilities. Got my wifi network set up ("Bill Wi The Science Fi"), got cable, got my wine/rum rack set up, hanging up some artwork. I still need to put speakers in here.

Because I'm still partially an introvert, I actually can survive living here without being in contact with anyone. I don't really get lonely that easily, since I see it as banking the alone time an introvert requires before going into all-out extroversion (thank you, past job as an orientation leader). It slipped my mind that I'm not the only Oxford export here—just remembered that while typing that last sentence.

The first thing I learned was that Newhouse is a big deal. Dad likes to brag about his sons, so while in the Doubletree Hilton Hotel's restaurant, he started talking with some strangers people who hadn't met him yet (there are no strangers with Dad) and telling them I was attending SU for grad school. When I told them I was a Newhouse master's student, they groveled at my feet were impressed; it's not an easy school to get into, I've found out. You must be smart and you must have an impressive track record of involvement in and outside of your field and you must have sterling recommendations and you must contend with 850 people who have the exact same qualifications (or thereabout). I joke about having a large ego, but in reality I have to extend my gratitude to every instructor I've had since the 11th grade (and most before then); they all had a hand in helping my parents raise me.

One thing I've learned about myself is that I can very easily detach and move on. On one hand, it keeps me from becoming stagnant. On the other hand, it means I can leave people behind with frightening efficiency. Being at Ole Miss, however, has made that very difficult to do. There are so many awesome people I got to know. I've seem some of them hit the ground running, commendably pursuing their dreams and careers or traveling the world and enjoying their lives. The truth is, I miss those people dearly and I'm elated for them.

As for me, I'm excited to take on this next step. I receive my orientation (and Newhouse-branded iPad mini) on Monday, and classes begin Tuesday. The best thing is that should I ever feel that I am faltering, I always have the encouragement of those I love to keep me going.