begin the begin

I'm easing into life here in Music City!  My first class isn't until Thursday night, so my daily routine includes a morning workout, a few hours at work, and then hanging out with Caroline in the apartment.  I am attempting to cook more than in the past (averaging about once a semester) and have thus far made marinated chicken and a sweet potato and tortellini with sauteed bell pepper and onion, so I'm doing better than usual.  If you have any great (and easy...and quick) recipes you'd like to share, I'm gladly accepting donations.

My supervisor, Dwayne, has been unbelievably welcoming.  I can tell we're really going to get along.  However, I'm not sure how I feel about being greeted by this...

Yes, it's a cut out foam board of my head.

...on my desk on my first day of work, but I think I can forgive him for it.  At least everyone in the office knows who I am!

I met the students I will be working most closely with yesterday at the Vanderbilt Programming Board (VPB) retreat.  For my role as the Graduate Assistant for Student Campus Events, I am the advisor to the Homecoming Committee and Vandy Fanatics.  Homecoming is fairly self-explanatory; we plan all of the university-sponsored events leading up to the big game, including a competition between student groups for the prized Commodore Cup.  Vandy Fanatics is the student organization that encourages students to support the different athletics teams.  Interestingly, the chairs for both of my committees are all guys.  It's great to see successful male students involved in campus activities; it seemed like male leadership was severely lacking at Furman.

I have definitely been experiencing information overload the last couple of days, but I know I will figure it all out soon enough.  During a meeting with the Fanatics chairs today, I mentioned the men's soccer team...which doesn't exist at Vandy.  So clearly I still have some things to learn.

Post title: "Begin the Begin," by R.E.M.