Law Degree in DC: Ellie Miske

Updated Story: Ellie Miske, 2011, Washington, DC

What are you up to since the last time you shared your story? When I shared my story three years ago, I was in law school doing a semester in DC program through UConn School of Law. Since then, I graduated from law school, passed the bar exam, and started a job as an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, DC.

How'd you get here since the last time you shared? I connected with as many people as possible during my semester in DC. Even though over two years had passed before I moved back to DC, I stayed in touch with many of the people I met through emails, phone calls, and meeting for lunch when I visited. This helped me secure my current job. I also clerked at the Connecticut Appellate Court for a year after graduation. This allowed me to develop my research and writing skills with one-on-one mentoring from a judge.

What are your goals now? Have they changed? While in law school, I was focused on getting a job doing something I cared about. Now that I have gotten a job in the field that I want, in the place that I want, I am starting to think long term. Do I have a good work-life balance? Do I picture myself here in 5 years? 10 years? More? What do I like about my job? What don't I like about the job? Is it flexible with leave and benefits? Can I work from home? Essentially, my goals have changed in that now I can focus on if my job is right for me long-term, and if not, what I envision for myself in the future.

February 13, 2017: Ellie Miske, Class of 2011, Washington, D.C.

What are you up to? I'm currently in my second year of law school at University of Connecticut Law School. I'm participating in the "Semester in D.C." program. In this program, I'm working on the Judiciary Committee portfolio for Senator Blumenthal. The Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over federal judges and other issues regarding the federal courts. For example, handling the Attorney General appointee (Jeff Sessions)  hearings, as well as the upcoming hearings for the Supreme Court nomination. I also do a variety of other projects (many of which are regarding current events).

How'd you get here? After graduating from WHS, I went to University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I double majored in Political Science and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. I graduated a semester early and interned in the Northwestern District Attorney. I started law school the following fall. 

While in undergrad, I was involved in student government and campus activism. I was working on women's issues such as combatting campus sexual assault and domestic violence. I also worked at our women's center as a rape crisis counselor.

I became interested in law while working on these initiatives. I worked closely with our Title IX Coordinator and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. Both of these women had law degrees even though they weren't practicing lawyers. One of my favorite professors at the time also had a law degree. I started talking in depth to these mentors about a law degree and realized how flexible it was. I realized with scholarships (and especially UConn's in-state tuition) this could be an option for me.

What are your goals? I want to work in a position where I am making a difference. I'd love to work in government, public policy, or at a non-profit. I am also interested in labor law and will be working at AFSCME's International headquarters in Washington, D.C. this upcoming summer.

Advice for WHS Students? Don't be afraid to ask to grab lunch or a coffee with people who have jobs that you find interesting. Getting to know people helps you learn what your options are and then when opportunities come up in the future, they'll already have you in mind. "Networking" is a buzz word, but it is also a really helpful skill and the earlier you master it, the more opportunities you will have.

What do you feel grateful for today? I feel grateful that I have been able to continue my education and have had guidance from people who went out of their way to support me. Which is exactly why I want to "pay it forward" and reach out to help any students at WHS who wants to learn more about my career path.

Pharma Life: Jennifer Donato

Jennifer Donato, Class of 2011, Nottingham, MD

What are you up to? At this moment, I will be starting my career as a clinical pharmacist at Frederick Memorial Hospital in Frederick, MD and will be taking an exam to transfer my Connecticut Pharmacist License to Maryland so I can practice in the state of Maryland.

How'd you get here? I graduated from the University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy in May 2018. A short month and a half later, I started my post graduate year one (PGY1) pharmacy residency at St. Vincent's Medical Center (SVMC) in Bridgeport, CT. During residency I gained a ton of experience in different areas of clinical pharmacy within the hospital. After 3 months had gone by, I had to decide what I wanted to do when this residency program was over. In November/December 2018 I had decided to apply to various hospitals across the country for a post graduate year 2 (PGY2) pharmacy residency program in critical care. While applying to the various hospitals, I could tell my heart was not in it although I loved my critical care and emergency medicine rotations at SVMC. I did not receive any interviews from the programs I had applied to and not only did I notice but my mentor at SVMC had noticed I was not heart broken over the rejections. With the help from my mentor, I had decided to finish residency with a positive attitude and see where life would take me. And that's when I decided to move to Maryland when residency was over to start my career and my life too, since my boyfriend was already residing there.

What are your goals? My future goals are to become a board certified pharmacist in pharmacotherapy and to continue to grow as a clinical pharmacist.

Jennifer Donato, 2011, Oakville, CT - January 17, 2018

What are you up to? Currently, I am in my last year of pharmacy school at the University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy in Downtown Hartford. This program is unlike a traditional pharmacy school where you do 2 years of pre-pharmacy and 4 years of pharmacy; instead at USJ SOP, you must received a bachelors degree prior to being accepted and then do 3 full calendar years of pharmacy. I am also in the process of applying to pharmacy residency programs.

How'd you get here? After graduating from WHS, I attended at the University of Bridgeport and received my bachelors of science in health sciences. Unlike a lot of people who I knew in high school, I knew that I wanted to do something in the healthcare profession, specifically pharmacy. So during my time at UB, I took prerequisites for pharmacy school, along with your general education courses, and courses in health sciences. It was super stressful applying to pharmacy school because I had to maintain a pretty high GPA in order to be competitive, my personal statement needed to be unique, and if the school was interested in me, I had to go through an interview process. And as a young adult at the time, I had never had to go through a professional interview. While going to school, I also had a part time job at ShopRite Pharmacy in Southbury. This job really solidified the fact that I wanted to go to pharmacy school and become a pharmacist. By March 2015, I knew I was accepted into USJ SOP and was excited to continue on the journey towards a rewarding career.

What are your goals? My goals for the future is to become a clinical pharmacist in a hospital. I would love to be board certified in critical care, where I can work in an ICU. This would require me to do two years of residency.

What has been your biggest challenge? My biggest challenge was during my junior year of college. At UB they have a contract with UCONN where I could apply to their pharmacy school and I'd be looked at as a UCONN student rather than an outsider applying to their program. At the time, I did apply, but unfortunately did not get an interview. Although this may not seem like a challenge to most, I was devastated and had to decide whether or not I wanted to try again the following year and earn a bachelors degree as well. If this didn't happen to me, I wouldn't be where I am today.

What has been your happiest moment? My happiest moment was this past September/October. I was in Arizona/New Mexico for school, working at Gallup Indian Medical Center. This hospital is for Navajo Native Americans who live on the reservation. They are underserved and struggle everyday. At this hospital, there are pharmacy run clinics where the pharmacists see the patients and change medication therapy depending on what clinic the pharmacist is working in. The clinics ranges from diabetes to asthma clinic, as well as anticoagulation (blood thinner) clinic to HIV clinic. I also had the opportunity to live on the reservation. It was definitely a culture shock. There is nothing for miles around and some people are still live without running water or electricity. It was a meaningful experience to understand how the Navajo people live. On a positive note, I did get to do some traveling and see parts of the United States that I didn't think I would ever be able to see.

Advice for WHS Students? If you know what you want to do right out of high school, go for it! It might not be easy and you may not succeed right away, but in the end it will be worth it. Work hard and don't let others bring you down for wanting to do something different. This is your life and you only get one of them.

If you could tell your high school self one thing, what would it be? Confidence is something that you gain over time.

Success, One Step At A Time: Allison Tortorici

Allison Tortorici , 2009, Waterbury, CT

What are you up to? I am currently working part time at Marshalls in Watertown and attending Post University’s online program. I am finishing my bachelor’s in Psychology after I was forced to drop put of UConn in 2011. I live with my boyfriend and my cat in a condo that we rent. I lead an average life that doesn’t sound like anything exciting, but I’ve come to appreciate stability and the simplicities of life.

How'd you get here? When I graduated from Watertown High in 2009, I chose the traditional path of going to college. I had always been a smart person and school came very easy to me. I was always told “You are so smart, you can do whatever you want!” I had always had a passion for helping those struggling with mental illness. For me, psychology was the only option for my future career. Unfortunately, in 2010, I began experiencing symptoms of Schizophrenia. In the matter of a week my whole world came crashing down. I was hospitalized and completely lost touch with reality. It was the scariest experience of my life and I completely lost my confidence. Once I regained control of my mind, depression set in. My intelligence and drive didn’t matter, I felt I was failing at life. I had to drop out of school and temporarily leave my full time job. At one point, my illness became so unbearable that I entered a program where I resided for 7 months. There, I learned coping skills to manage my anxiety and symptoms which helped me greatly when reentering the world. I also met the love of my life in the program and we have been together for 5 years now. My story is not of a glamorous career or a super successful job. For me, my success is measured in how far I have come mentally. Being able to manage a daily living was something I thought I’d never accomplish, but here I am, managing a part time job, my home, and school.

What are your goals? My goal for the future are to, in a small way, break down the stigma surrounding mental illness. Schizophrenia can happen to anyone, and symptoms go unnoticed until young adult years (how convenient, right?). Right now I am focusing on getting my bachelor’s degree so I can work with others suffering from mental illness. When it comes to the brain, so much is unknown, and inability to control your brain is the most terrifying phenomenon. I hope that I can help just one person, in any way, that is dealing with a family member with mental illness, or struggling with mental illness themselves. I believe our purpose in life is to help one another, and those suffering from a disease that they can’t control need an enormous amount of help. Eventually, I’d like to become an APRN and own my own practice, but for now I am taking one small step at a time.

What has been your biggest challenge? My biggest challenge in life has been accepting my illness for what it is, and moving forward. I spent so much time comparing myself to former alumni I had grown up with but our lives weren’t comparable. Social media can cause a lot of doubt because we are constantly only posting the good in our lives. I finally am able to accept where I am in life, and appreciate how far I’ve come. I am thankful for my illness because it caused me to refocus my life and regain my passion for psychology. It is a beautiful thing to appreciate the chaos that has shaped you.

What has been your happiest moment? My happiest moment was moving into our condo with my boyfriend. It sounds corny but when we met we were at the lowest points in our lives. Creating a stable and happy home for us has been the best part of my life thus far.

Advice for WHS Students: My advice for WHS students would be to not give up when your life doesn’t go as planned. I thought my life would be simple! Go to college, graduate, get a job, etc. We can’t plan for what life has in store for us so just go with it! It may not be what you wanted or how you planned for things to go, but it is your life. It is your story. Own it and learn from every curveball life throws at you.

If you could tell your high school self one thing, what would it be? Don’t stress about everything! Everything works out the way it is supposed to. Let go and have faith.

UConn Alumni: We Need Your Help

The current proposed state budget will cut $200 million to $300 million dollars from UConn over two years and will affect funding for research programs, Division I athletic teams, financial aid and scholarship funds.

This can directly impact our WHS community. 20% of TOWN Mag's alumni who submitted stories went to University of Connecticut. On top of that, around 50% went to state schools including Central Connecticut State University and Eastern Connecticut State University. As Watertown is a middle class community, these cuts will directly affect students who do not have enough resources to attend UConn; cuts will affect financial aid and scholarship funds.

Our very own WHS townie and UConn MD Candidate, Adam Bartholomeo, spoke out last week against these budget cuts. 

"The level of cuts proposed could make UConn School of Medicine and Dental Medicine and Urban Scholars unaffordable for many students/families, potentially shut down programs like UST, and drive excellent students and our future workforce away from the state, perhaps permanently. Connecticut needs knowledgeable doctors, and an investment in UConn SoM/DM is an investment in CT’s own workforce."

Read more of Adam's statement here.

Want to get involved? Reach out now to your local state legislators. Call, write, or e-mail that you are against the budget cuts to UConn. One of our representatives is also a WHS alumni and may agree that these budget cuts to UConn directly affect our Watertown community.

Joe Polletta, joe.polletta@housegop.ct.gov , 860.240.8700

Eric Berthel Eric.Berthel@cga.ct.gov, 860.240.8800

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We are curious to see just how many WHS Alumni went to UConn for their education. We're waiting to hear back from the high school from their data, but in the meanwhile, let us know if you attended UConn.

Adam M. Bartholomeo: WHS Alumni and UCONN MD Candidate Speaks Out

My name is Adam Mayo Bartholomeo. I am a proud Watertown native, a 2nd year medical student at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and President of the Medical-Dental Student Government at the University of Connecticut Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine.

Firstly, I would like to thank you for all your support and funding for UConn Health over the years. The regular investments made to the Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine have been incredible in transforming UConn into a true flagship institution. With the new curriculum, new academic wing, and increased research opportunities for students, UConn stands at the forefront of the future of medical education.  I urge you all to come to Farmington and check out the campus if you have not been there in a while.

There are many challenges with the current budget deficits that the State of Connecticut is facing, but I want to use this opportunity to implore you to minimize any cuts to the UConn Health Center.

I chose to attend UConn School of Medicine because almost immediately upon interviewing here I knew that it felt like home. Connecticut is where I belong.  I chose UConn over several other medical schools across the country because I truly felt the education here was something unique and personable. The medical and dental curriculum goes beyond just teaching us the factual base necessary to become knowledgeable physicians, but pushes us to apply this knowledge from day one in real world situations through community, research, and clinical engagement opportunities.

One of my most rewarding experience thus far has been through UConn Health’s Urban Scholar Track (UST), which is a unique opportunity to work with underserved populations on an interdisciplinary health profession team. UST, a CT AHEC program that works in collaboration with the state, UConn School of Medicine and the federal government , has Urban Health Scholars that come from 2 Universities, 4 campuses and 6 health professions schools.

In my first event, we worked with Sickle Cell Disease patients in the Greater Hartford community, and it really emphasized to me the importance of engaging the community as a health care provider. As the event unfolded, I was immediately humbled as I began conversing with the children, families and individuals affected by Sickle Cell Disease. We all ate lunch together while elders in the community played traditional African drum music. The children shared their personal stories confiding in us their memories, pains, and worries about living with Sickle Cell Disease. I enjoyed every minute of building a rapport with the community, and soon realized that I was learning more from them than I was educating them. In fact, the greatest impact I had that day was not through the basic healthcare screening and educational materials, but through forming connections and getting to know these people personally. I grew as a health care provider because it strengthened my appreciation for medicine as a shared experience rather than just an individual service.

These learning enhancement opportunities outside the traditional curriculum are essential for students to become excellent future doctors, and make a real difference to the community. They allow us to form an early bond with the community making us more likely to stay and practice here in the State. In fact, about 85% of students from the SOM are CT residents. Why is this important? CT residents who attend UConn SoM and engage in the community are more likely to stay and practice here in the State. Moreover, factoring in UST, of the 550 students that have participated in UST during its 10 years, more than half are pursuing training in primary care – something Connecticut truly needs!

The level of cuts proposed could make UConn SOM/DM unaffordable for many students/families, potentially shut down programs like UST, and drive excellent students and our future workforce away from the state, perhaps permanently. Connecticut needs knowledgeable doctors, and an investment in UConn SoM/DM is an investment in CT’s own workforce.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you regarding continued support for UConn Health.  I urge you to find a way to restore these impending cuts so UConn Health can continue to provide these important benefits and opportunities to the students and patients in our communities.

Inspiring Future Mathematicians: Kayla Bingham

Kayla Bingham, Class of 2011, Manchester, CT

What are you up to? Currently I am teaching 8th grade math at Chippens Hill Middle School in Bristol. This is my first year teaching, so I'm busy with work all the time and my students can be very challenging as well. However, I'm really happy with what I am doing because I have some pretty amazing students, and I get to help them navigate their final year before going on to high school as young adults. I hope to show them how cool math can actually be and how useful the skills they are learning will be to them in the future.

How'd you get here? After starting my undergrad at UCONN in engineering, I quickly realized that that particular field wasn't best suited for me and I decided to pursue one of my childhood career aspiration of becoming a teacher. It didn't take much for me to decide on education because I had many amazing teachers in Watertown Public Schools. Many of my high school teachers had a clear passion for both teaching and their subject area, so I knew that teaching secondary math is where I belonged. After receiving my Bachelor of Science in mathematics from UCONN, I applied for their Teacher Preparation Program for College Graduates, an intensive, one-year program that allowed me to earn my Master's degree and complete a certification program simultaneously.

What are your goals? Well, my first goal is to survive my first two years of teaching, with observations and evaluations as well as completing the TEAM program for new teachers. I also really want to help my students understand that math isn't so scary and difficult, and there's no such thing as a "math person." Everyone learns at their own pace, and it might just take you longer and more practice to get it.

Advice for WHS Students? Similar to what I want for my students! Believe in yourself and work hard. Not everything in life comes easy, but more often than not, it's worth the hard work and the journey getting there. Also, don't let people tell you that your career goals aren't good enough. One reason I started in engineering was because of outside pressure. I'm glad I changed my plans to something I truly enjoy doing.

How did you start your day? I started my day by waking up nice and early to get to school!

Our Town Yogi: Jessica Proulx

Jessica Proulx, Class of 2000, Watertown CT

What are you up to? Currently I am the owner and director of The OM Center a yoga, massage, yoga teacher school, wellness retreat, meditation center here in Watertown. I am also the CEO of a yoga inspired apparel company called OM ShanTEEs and a screen printing business called CT Inked Apparel. I live in Watertown with my boyfriend and life partner of 16 years and spend so much time traveling around the world, creating art, and teaching.

How'd you get here? I have no freaking idea! Yoga has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager and I have been studying Eastern Philosophy and religion for many years. I took the traditional path of college (UCONN grad), studied abroad in Thailand, and worked a corporate job - but it just didn't quite fit. You learn very quickly how little money matters when you are unhappy. I took the dive into my current life about 5 years ago and it pretty immediately became a monster. My life has grown into a passion playground where I live big and really love what I do.

What are your goals? To see everything and do everything I can before this life is over. I plan to retire from this current scene around 45 and who knows from there. I am ready for whatever I open myself up to.

Advice for WHS Students? LIVE. Live big. Don't settle for what you think it the right thing to do and instead do what your heart guides you to do. When you live passionately, things tend to fall into place. Let go of fear. See the world - you will learn more from meeting people and eating food and living in different places than any book could ever teach you.

What do you lie about? Not much - I can't think of anything. Honesty is very important!

A Townie Pirate: Mike Lemay

Mike Lemay, Class of 2009, Fort Lauderdale, FL

What are you up to? I've been living and working as the first mate onboard a private yacht for the past year or so (yes, like the show Below Deck). We basically just go island hopping around the Caribbean, helping the boss and his family on vacation.

How'd you get here? Well, after I graduated from UConn with my Bachelors in Education and a business management minor, I stepped into the "real world" and wasn't sure what I wanted to do. We've all heard the cliché "do what you love and you won't work a day in your life." Well, two of my favorite things to do are boats and beaches, so I packed my truck and drove to Fort Lauderdale. That pretty much brings us up to here.

What are your goals? I actually just started the process for my next two steps. I'm getting my captains license next month, and shortly thereafter I plan to start a yacht management company. Other than that, I've woken up happy every day since I started in this industry, so if I can keep that up, I'll be satisfied.

Advice for WHS Students? I'll have to answer this with the same cliché I've been living my life by:

DO WHAT YOU LOVE!

It doesn't matter if it's cars, art, sports or science. There are far too many people I've met that don't enjoy what they do, and it kills me. It's great to have goals in life, just make sure the juice is worth the squeeze. 

Also, listen to your parents! I never thought my dad knew what I was going through, but it turns out he did. Now I'm asking my dad questions nearly every day.

What is the last movie you saw in the theatre? The Revenant

Yeah, well, that's just like your opinion man: John Dipaola

John Dipaola, 2009, Watertown, CT

What are you up to? Surprisingly, not that much at all. I'm currently waiting to hear back from The University of Bridgeport for (hopefully acceptance) into to their Secondary Education Graduate Program. Until then, I am trying to keep myself active and occupied with some part-time work here and there, along with starting my own sports blog (will most likely blow up Facebook when I get a few articles written) and being an avid meathead / exercise enthusiast at the Greater Waterbury YMCA.

How'd you get here? Before even graduating from WHS I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to end up in life. At the time, I was a pretty OK swimmer, so I looked into schools with Division II and III swim programs. I think that was the first mistake I made because instead of focusing on a university with good academics, I wanted to be an athlete first.

That didn't go as planned because I stopped swimming my very first semester at Southern Connecticut State University. I ended up disliking that university for all the wrong reasons. I transferred to The University of Connecticut (Storrs campus) for two years, before the weight of constant partying, lack of studying and low class attendance, and a miserable relationship took its toll on me (mentally and emotionally). I then transferred campuses to the Waterbury branch while changing my major (when I should have been a senior). After another year and a half and commuting between the Waterbury and Storrs campuses for classes, I finally earned my Undergraduate Degree in English and started my first "big boy" job as a Visual manager of an Abercrombie & Fitch store in Milford (please keep the disrespectful comments to a minimum).

Even though the schedule and hours of retail are completely insane (especially during the holidays) I did make some good professional connections and made a lot of close friends, many of whom I still stay in close contact with today. After a little more than a year of working with the company, I decided to part ways and return to school so that I could fulfill some missing pre-requisites for grad school programs I had been looking at. After a mostly successful spring semester, I mailed my applications and I am now sitting at my computer typing this article.

What are your goals? I can safely say I have no clue where or what I will end up doing in the future. While my current plans are aiming me in the direction of graduate school, I have had so much anxiety over the "what if" scenarios of whether or not I'll get into this program that I've actually begun taking prescription medicine to counteract this. Even though my biggest fear is trying my best to achieve a specific goal (in this case being admitted to the intended grad program) a part of me doesn't fear the unexpected, but instead embraces the possibility of "what if". Even if I end up not getting accepted into the U.B. program, I'd like to further my sports blog development and maybe even end up pursuing a career in sports media. If that doesn't go as planned I still feel very confident in my writing abilities and could pursue careers elsewhere in the field of writing or editing. Even if THAT fails then I could always return to my previous management position, which I thankfully parted with on good terms. I've most definitely got enough back-up plans to keep myself occupied with for a while.

Advice for WHS Students? I mean I could ramble on for hours with this part but I'll give my best few pieces of advice: 

1. Take care of yourself mentally physically, and emotionally. The triangle of mental, physical, and emotional health is absolutely true. Try to challenge yourself with something new each day, whether it's trying new brain game puzzles, or keeping up with a personal interest blog, or even just pushing yourself with strenuous physical activity; these three cornerstones can definitely keep your mind and body in harmony, keeping you refreshed and ready for any challenges life throws at you. Plus it never hurts to look and feel good about yourself, especially when others around you complain about their own lives. 

2. It's the quality, not the quantity of your friendships. When I was a freshman in high school I was not social at all and extremely introverted. As time passed I did begin to open up and make more new friends, but the one constant I noticed was that the few good friends I had when I began were always by my side. After graduating, I still kept the closest contact with these few friends, while my relationship with many others seemed to fade away at times. Even to this very day many years later, I'm still the best of friends with the same six people I was friends with the first day of freshman year. Even though I keep an open mind when it comes to meeting new people, I know that I'll have these guys on my side until the day I die (or they die, whichever comes first).

3. DO NOT DWELL ON THE PAST. Seriously, this part bugs me the most because even I still do it. Even if you have the time of your life in high school or college, these times will pass. Instead of choosing to waste time dwelling on these moments and complaining about "how you wish you could recreate them" spend time actively trying to push your life in the direction of creating a scenario even better than the ones you previously lived out.

"To put it in comparison with professional sports, imagine if Tom Brady woke up everyday and said "Damn I really wish I beat the Giants in the 2007 Super Bowl, that perfect season sure would have been great!" Instead of trying to lead his team to another Super Bowl Championship, his dwelling on the past would only incite more mental errors and probably end his career on a sour note. So with that in mind, don't try and recreate the past from memory, just do your best each day and work for an even brighter future."

I guess a fourth piece of advice I'm still coming to realize now, is that you shouldn't feel pressured to live your life at a certain pace. Too many people are feeling pressured to grow up quickly and find a textbook definition of "success". Nothing happens overnight and even though waiting for what you want sucks, it's pretty much inevitable. Try not to rush into anything (unless you've done your research on it) because change in your life can be very drastic. Just because all your friends are moving out of state for school or work, or getting married at a young age, doesn't mean you should hurry up and do the same thing. I mean if all these people jumped off a bridge and broke their legs, would you want to break your leg too, just because everyone you know has?

What are the ingredients for a perfect day? Waking up early, eating three square healthy meals (with some snacks in between), checking the news for anything new and exciting, getting in some good exercise (whether it's lifting weights, swimming, biking, or even playing organized sports) and then winding down at night with a movie, or some reading.