I graduated last week, and am officially a bachelor...of biology! And before I'm even 22! I came out top of my class, with a GPA around 3.975ish. My twin edged me out for valedictorian, though he's not impressed. I learned a lot of cool things this semester, particularly in Mammalogy, Comparative Vertebrate Morphology, and Asian Religions. I've finished applying to vet school, but I won't hear until April whether I've been accepted or not. In the mean time, I'm looking into internships at zoos or wildlife centers. There's a sea lion care one right in my local zoo!

The thing I'm most grateful for is a major mood change. I've been relatively happy since early October, and it's great. Not to say I don't get bummed out, but in general I feel lighter, freer, than I have since grade school. Self-attacking thoughts haven't been able to stay in my head for longer than a few minutes. Concentrating on breathing and reminding myself 'It'll be ok' helps a lot. I have been keeping a daily mood journal (writing down moods, events, sleep and activity quality, the weather, and my motivation and productivity). I'm hoping that I can look over it in a year and find tricks to be happier.

I've been in the chat less over the last few months, and I'm actually much happier that way. I'll only be on a few times a week, and instead work on writing and coloring.

Thanks for listening, and have a great holiday season!