An end to my social life, such as it was

There were those who, upon finding out I was pregnant, warned me that the birth of my child would be (cue ominous music) THE END OF MY LIFE!

I have been pleasantly surprised by how little McGee has caused me to miss! In general, I take him wherever I want to go, and have managed to work him into my life in such a way that neither of us has to go without social interaction or entertainment. He's my constant companion, and I'm okay with that!

Having said that, however, it has become clear to me that my life is now OVER. Over, JD, over.

Since going back to an actual brick and mortar school this semester, I have found my time to be at a premium in a way I have never experienced. It seems every week I make plans with friends, only to have to cancel them when I realize there simply isn't enough time to go see people and still study a sufficient amount of time to do well.

Now, this amuses me, because in my previous educational pursuits, I never once felt the slightest compulsion to cancel an outing in favor of being responsible. I felt comfortable earning B's and C's in exchange for not having to put in even a small amount of effort, outside of a few random all-night study sessions which resulted in excellent test scores and zero long-term retention.

But everything is different now. My grades effect more than just me - I have to earn A's this time around, so I can get advanced degrees, and make a good life for McGee. I think about slacking off and going to play instead of working, and then I see his little face smiling at me - and I know what's really important now. Having someone I care about more than myself has helped me put my priorities in order in a way I never thought possible, and has made me a better woman in so many ways.

And so, my life has changed. And in a way, I feel like my life - the life I ought to have been living all along - BEGAN the day McGee was born :)