Getting settled in Muskegon and my first day of class!

Hi everyone!  Well, today was my first day of school!  I just had one class, but it was really neat being in a classroom again and back in student life.  This first quarter I will not be in any labs (kitchen), so there won't be many pictures of my work, but the classes are essential before moving on to the "good" ones (or so I'm told!).

These are the classes I am taking this quarter:

*Culinary Portfolio Preparation: basically writing a paper about what I am going to achieve while in school and how I will apply my skills to make me the best candidate for a job someday.  I also have to start my portfolio (a notebook, basically) and put items in there throughout my time here to keep it all organized and neat-fun!

*Product Identification: have this huge encyclopedia-book of most naturally occurring foods that exist in the world, that class starts tomorrow night.

*Culinary Math: yessss!  I get to take a math class again!  It has been awhile, but it has been one of my favorite subjects in the past and I look forward to seeing what new formulas I will learn!  (I realize I sound like a complete nerd right now!!)

*Workplace Communication: this is my only non-culinary related class I will hopefully have to take the whole time I am here.  I guess we learn how to write memos and other office-related documents. Snooze.

And here are my books for this quarter (along with my "free" t-shirt from orientation and Jasmine's head!)... forgot how pricey they are!!

Also, I have been getting settled in my new apartment.  Only have a few things, so it looks pretty scarce, but I will have my stuff soon.  It's a one-bedroom apartment, about 650 sq feet.  A bit outdated, but not too bad....

Here's the living room as you first walk in:

From the opposite corner, looking into the kitchen and out my window (on the ground level, but down a half of flight of steps, so kinda like a basement!)

The kitchen.  Why two-tones cabinets, I'll never know...

Bathroom

And, bedroom, complete with blow up mattress.  (I've already made the joke that I am living a bit like a drug dealer right now, so no need for the comments!!)

So, I had some free time this past weekend since I don't have cable or internet yet, so I decided to paint a few walls since I am used to bright colors and couldn't imagine living in a white basement for two years!

I painted the two opposite walls in the living room  a crazy purple color (the couch will back up to one and the tv on the other).  Here it is:

(couch wall)

(tv wall)

Jasmine offering her help that day-ha!

Hopefully, once I get some stuff in there, it will all come together!

Mostly, I have been either at Walmart getting random stuff (even though I really dislike going there, they have the best prices-dang it!) and walking Jasmine around the neighborhood and at different parks in town.  

Here's one close to Lake Michigan (you can't really tell, but the lake is in the background!)

So, hopefully Jasmine will be looking a lot more trim the next time I bring her around (I tell her she is getting her waist back!)  She is also very excited to have about a thousand squirrels in the complex and adjoining neighborhood to keep her occupied!!

That's it for now.  Time to enjoy the beautiful fall weather!!