I’m writing this blog at Athans, a coffee shop in Brookline. After years of being a coffee-shop nomad in Boston, I settled on Athans as my go-to study spot – with its clientele of hard-at-work graduate students, combined with its treats and coffees, although bizarre background music (every other song features like one syllable – usually “Ahhhhhhhh” – sung triumphantly over a spastic orchestra), it’s a nice place to get work done. Besides busting out this blog, I’m working on my Rorschach homework for my Projective Methods class and keeping an eye out on my pager.

I like my pager because it makes me look important – I’m on shift this weekend as a Peer Supervisor for Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, an amazing organization with which I have been involved for years. As a Peer Supe, I work with Boston-area hospitals (hence the pager) to provide support (emotional support and info regarding access to further counseling, legal, and medical resources) to sexual-assault survivors. Not only has this work been inspiring and empowering for me on a personal level, it served as the impetus behind my decision to pursue a graduate education in psychology.

So here I am: in Boston, with my Rorschach ink blots, pager, and coffee (not to mention the lovely Lord of the Rings-esque soundtrack playing in the background…). It’s been a slow weekend BARCC-wise, and I’m thankful for that, although that means more time to be absolutely bewildered by Rorschach-scoring protocol. But that’s okay because, with all the customers around me typing and reading and writing and page-flipping and sipping and maybe jamming earplugs into their ears, I think I’m in good company. Cheers – ’til next time.