Powerpoint Master.

In the first four weeks of school I have made eight, count them, EIGHT, Powerpoint presentations.  I have learned so much about Powerpoint!  You can pre-record transitions and make them automatic, insert music and sound effects, not to mention animations... I love animations.  And I have not used them until now!  Well, friends, now at 26 I know better.  Animation is fun!  I know what you're thinking: "oh no, Barbara's presentations are probably super cheesy with too much swiveling, bouncing, and pulsing"  No no, I am super classy in my animation usage.  I mostly use fades and floats and I try to make it all very consistent.  I have very high standards.  If your thinking that I have gone too far, let me tell you about the powerpoint for my ritual class (this class is insanely insane, but more on that later).  It was an exercise called PechaKucha.  Here is an explanation from the official PechaKucha website (!!!)... (main points are in bold in case you don't want to read the whole thing):

PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.
It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of "chit chat", it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It's a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.

This is my favorite bit from the website: in answer to why it was created "Because architects talk too much! Give a microphone and some images to an architect -- or most creative people for that matter -- and they'll go on forever!"

Folks, this is a real thing.  People are serious about it.  There are discussion about what makes good PechaKucha.  They have Pecha Kucha conventions around the world.  And you know what?  I respect that because I am also anal retentive about how to present a good powerpoint.

Anyway.  For two of those four weeks I've had a cold.  An annoying, lingering cold that forced me to leave class today so as to avoid having a the most intense coughing fit of my life during Katie's Powerpoint presentation.

Oh yea, and Ben started Knuffle Bunny rehearsals and is job searching his heart out while being awesome, feeding me and getting me Throat Coat tea.  I'm designing 74 shows (okay, just four, two of which are paper designs).  We're making awesome new couple-friends through church and having dinner parties (just one. okay two).  I'm doing alterations for my favorite vintage store, AZ Vintage, in my free time (which amounts to about one alteration a week).  Life is basically as awesome as it can possibly get in grad school.