So that whole vegging out in my pajamas thing I was going to have going on today? Yeah, totally did not happen.
I did sleep in, which was much needed, but I was up and showered and dressed in "real" clothes well before noon. After Justin left for work I claimed his computer and have basically not moved all day.
I needed to get some serious work done on my Capstone project, and I have a homework assignment due in Project Management this coming Monday. I spent roughly 9 hours on the Capstone thing today, and the rest of the time on Project Management. Thank goodness both projects were interesting to me!
For Capstone, I was doing some serious formatting and additions to our guide. We have to turn in our official "first draft" on Monday to the client and our teacher, but for us it will actually be the 4th draft. We want all content added before we hand it in Monday, which means I took a 40-some page document today and pumped it up to roughly 70 pages. There are still a few small sections missing, but we have the weekend.
I have been writing and researching along with my teammates, but my main job with the guide right now is the formatting. I am the one in our group that is most familiar with Microsoft Word, so I am designing, proofing, editing, formatting, etc. everything in the guide. I am having a lot of fun and am really quite proud of the document to date. I think it looks quite good. There was only one issue I was unable to resolve today, but I am working on that and will hopefully have it all corrected before Monday.
When I had done pretty much everything I could do today I saved it and sent it off to my teammates for their inspection. I hope they think as highly of my work as I do! :)
Feeling in a productive mood and not wanting to pass up the opportunity to accomplish even more, I moved on to my Project Management assignment, using a new program Justin was able to find for me. If you ever need to design flow charts or other similar graphics I HIGHLY recommend Microsoft Visio. It makes the work easy!
I still have a bit left on that assignment but am waiting on an email from my teacher regarding a question I have about how to compute some information. Technically, the assignment is done and the computing question relates only to the extra credit, but I would like to know the answer and I would like the extra credit points.
A few things I have learned in the last 12 hours or so include:
1. Laptops are wonderful, but sometimes a good, old-fashioned desktop is needed to be truly productive
2. Irish music encourages me to dig in and accomplish a lot of things
3. So does classic rock
4. Duel screens are an absolute must with the types of projects I was working on today
5. I enjoy tasks that include design work
6. Developing network structures is actually fun
7. I can work just fine sitting in a desk chair, pulled up to a desk, with a cat sitting on my lap with his front paws up on the desk, watching every move I make
Tomorrow looks to be just as busy, although there will probably be less computer work involved. Tomorrow I most likely will be finishing sorting and packing items for keepsake and for the next place I reside. Once that is done I will hopefully have some time to just sit around doing nothing! Maybe even take a nap! Oh, to do actual break things.
Last night I spent some time playing with software that lets you cut portions out of songs to be used as ring tones. With Justin's help I should be able to get everything loaded on to my new phone before I go back to Chicago. Marshall, yours is the only ring that I fully finished and am happy with. I give you 3 guesses as to what it is.
On a random side note, I have a cat that loves potato chips. He can hear a bag or can opening from anywhere in the house and will come running. If a person is eating said potato chips in any way that proves accessible, there will be a cat paw trying to knock the chips out of the hand and on to an unprotected surface. Given him even a half-second opening, and Tucker will be devouring that chip instead of you.
How do we end up with strange grey kitties in this family?
It's about time I relinquish control of Justin's computer back to him. He has been extremely generous with letting me use it today, but 12 hours is more than enough time. :)
Love!
~g
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
MotM
The subject is the abbreviation for the slogan of the city I have an interview with next week. Those in my immediate family already know the city's true identity, but in an effort to remain somewhat anonymous in this bloated electronic world, I am trying to not put all identifying information out. Also, my hopes for MotM are really high, and I am testing a theory that referring to the city as something other than what it truly is will help me step back and approach the interview more rationally and with fewer expectations.
As I mentioned in a previous post, the mayor of MotM gave his 3rd annual State of the City address this past Monday. I drove the X amount of hours from my home to spend some time exploring the city with a friend who lives there before attending the address and meeting some of the city officials. I thoroughly enjoyed my tour and the speech. I had a chance to talk with the mayor, the city manager, the new sustainability officer, and Tom Harkin's senior aide, among others. Several of the people I was able to connect with will be on the interview panel next week and I am hoping having a face to put to the name and voice will prove beneficial to all of us.
I was in MotM for less than 24 hours, but it did not take me long to decide I liked the city and felt comfortable. I am hoping for a chance to go back for a longer amount of time and really get to know the place. Time will tell.
I also really enjoyed my time with my buddy who lives in MotM. We don't get to see each other often enough, which made the time and conversation all the more enjoyable. Yayy for friendships!
Today I made a trip to Ames to catch up with my old coworkers. I still miss my Iowa State job and love that I can return to the building unannounced and be welcomed with open arms and many excited exclamations. We did not have nearly long enough to catch up, which means I just have to go back sometime! Oh darn.
Tomorrow I plan on being thoroughly lazy. I have been going non-stop since I arrived home; I'm ready for some real downtime! I am looking forward to a day of pajamas and a cat climbing all over me.
Note: I really miss Tucker. It has always been hard to leave him behind, especially since I know he is not well-liked by anyone who lives in the house with him. Whenever I come home he reminds me how much he loves me. I think everyone should have an animal simply because I believe everyone should have the chance to be loved unconditionally.
It's late. Time for lots of good, peaceful sleep!
Love!
~g
As I mentioned in a previous post, the mayor of MotM gave his 3rd annual State of the City address this past Monday. I drove the X amount of hours from my home to spend some time exploring the city with a friend who lives there before attending the address and meeting some of the city officials. I thoroughly enjoyed my tour and the speech. I had a chance to talk with the mayor, the city manager, the new sustainability officer, and Tom Harkin's senior aide, among others. Several of the people I was able to connect with will be on the interview panel next week and I am hoping having a face to put to the name and voice will prove beneficial to all of us.
I was in MotM for less than 24 hours, but it did not take me long to decide I liked the city and felt comfortable. I am hoping for a chance to go back for a longer amount of time and really get to know the place. Time will tell.
I also really enjoyed my time with my buddy who lives in MotM. We don't get to see each other often enough, which made the time and conversation all the more enjoyable. Yayy for friendships!
Today I made a trip to Ames to catch up with my old coworkers. I still miss my Iowa State job and love that I can return to the building unannounced and be welcomed with open arms and many excited exclamations. We did not have nearly long enough to catch up, which means I just have to go back sometime! Oh darn.
Tomorrow I plan on being thoroughly lazy. I have been going non-stop since I arrived home; I'm ready for some real downtime! I am looking forward to a day of pajamas and a cat climbing all over me.
Note: I really miss Tucker. It has always been hard to leave him behind, especially since I know he is not well-liked by anyone who lives in the house with him. Whenever I come home he reminds me how much he loves me. I think everyone should have an animal simply because I believe everyone should have the chance to be loved unconditionally.
It's late. Time for lots of good, peaceful sleep!
Love!
~g
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Break
Correct me if I am wrong, but Spring Break is meant to provide a chance for relaxation and a short escape from the normal concerns. Mine is most definitely not working out that way.
First, YAYY for time away from Chicago and being able to move at my own pace and do things in whatever order I want.
Second, BOO to all of the obligations I have over break!
I got home late Friday night, after a train delay and getting a bit lost on the way home (came into a station I have never been to before. There was a bit of adjustment to the new route home). Saturday ran a ton of errands, most notably upgrading my cellphone. It has already been two years since my first phone broke and I had to replace it. Time flies!
Deviating from my normal "I want the easiest technology available with the fewest add-ons" mentality, I got the latest and "best" touch screen phone with full QWERTY keyboard and a whole bunch of options. I feel a bit bad splurging so much in this crappy economy, but rationalize I will have the phone for 2 years or more while also acknowledging I will be able to keep up as the technology changes in the coming years. I played with the thing nonstop yesterday, customizing it and getting familiar with all of the functions. There are a few things I do not care for, but overall am very happy with my decision.
Today was spent reorganizing my personal items here at home. I repacked a lot of things, keeping in mind what will travel to a new apartment and what will stay here. I'm not quite finished with that job, but I have time. Justin spent the evening wiping my laptop clean, reinstalling the operating system, Office suite, and other programs. I have had a lot of trouble with my computer in the last few months (trouble that started summer of 2006 and has been slowly building) so we decided to back it up and start over. Everything seems to be in working order. Shockingly good order, actually. Justin and I are incredibly surprised at the comeback.
Sidenote. Dad, you know how the disc drive kaputed in summer 2006? It's working perfectly fine now. It had to be a driver issue, even though troubleshooting never caught it. Wish we had tried this approach earlier.
Tomorrow I head to a city a few hours from here to check it out and attend the mayor's annual State of the City address. I have a telephone interview for a position with the city government of this town on March 31 and want to do some reconissance. I have a friend in this city, so I'll stay over Monday night and head back on Tuesday. Really, I am not that excited to go, but I am smart enough to give myself any edge possible for the interview. The other candidates will be able to watch the address online, but I'll get to shake some hands and make some eye contact. So far as I know, I am the only candidate in close enough proximity to this city to do some groundwork. Woohoo for being responsible!
The rest of break will be spent filling out a few applications for jobs and working on my Capstone project. When I get back from break things are going to happen fast and I need to be ready.
I am now in straight R&D at my job, which is one good thing. All of my programs are officially wrapped. I need to provide some support to the Service Initiatives Grad's programs in April, but that's miniscule compared to actually planning and executing the events.
That's about it. The end of my school days are approaching at warp speed. I'm just trying to hold on until the ride is over.
Love!
~g
First, YAYY for time away from Chicago and being able to move at my own pace and do things in whatever order I want.
Second, BOO to all of the obligations I have over break!
I got home late Friday night, after a train delay and getting a bit lost on the way home (came into a station I have never been to before. There was a bit of adjustment to the new route home). Saturday ran a ton of errands, most notably upgrading my cellphone. It has already been two years since my first phone broke and I had to replace it. Time flies!
Deviating from my normal "I want the easiest technology available with the fewest add-ons" mentality, I got the latest and "best" touch screen phone with full QWERTY keyboard and a whole bunch of options. I feel a bit bad splurging so much in this crappy economy, but rationalize I will have the phone for 2 years or more while also acknowledging I will be able to keep up as the technology changes in the coming years. I played with the thing nonstop yesterday, customizing it and getting familiar with all of the functions. There are a few things I do not care for, but overall am very happy with my decision.
Today was spent reorganizing my personal items here at home. I repacked a lot of things, keeping in mind what will travel to a new apartment and what will stay here. I'm not quite finished with that job, but I have time. Justin spent the evening wiping my laptop clean, reinstalling the operating system, Office suite, and other programs. I have had a lot of trouble with my computer in the last few months (trouble that started summer of 2006 and has been slowly building) so we decided to back it up and start over. Everything seems to be in working order. Shockingly good order, actually. Justin and I are incredibly surprised at the comeback.
Sidenote. Dad, you know how the disc drive kaputed in summer 2006? It's working perfectly fine now. It had to be a driver issue, even though troubleshooting never caught it. Wish we had tried this approach earlier.
Tomorrow I head to a city a few hours from here to check it out and attend the mayor's annual State of the City address. I have a telephone interview for a position with the city government of this town on March 31 and want to do some reconissance. I have a friend in this city, so I'll stay over Monday night and head back on Tuesday. Really, I am not that excited to go, but I am smart enough to give myself any edge possible for the interview. The other candidates will be able to watch the address online, but I'll get to shake some hands and make some eye contact. So far as I know, I am the only candidate in close enough proximity to this city to do some groundwork. Woohoo for being responsible!
The rest of break will be spent filling out a few applications for jobs and working on my Capstone project. When I get back from break things are going to happen fast and I need to be ready.
I am now in straight R&D at my job, which is one good thing. All of my programs are officially wrapped. I need to provide some support to the Service Initiatives Grad's programs in April, but that's miniscule compared to actually planning and executing the events.
That's about it. The end of my school days are approaching at warp speed. I'm just trying to hold on until the ride is over.
Love!
~g
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Open Letter, Spring Edition
Dear Chicagoans and Various Other Individuals Living in Proximity to Chicago:
I come to you again to explain how to deal with changing of the seasons. Spring is coming. Agonizingly slow, spring is spreading over our frozen landscape. Life is renewing. The grass is a tad greener every day, and the daffodil shoots have worked out of the soil.
Congratulations. We made it through a horrendous winter. Despite your difficulties last fall knowing how to appropriately deal with winter, you eventually learned. We dealt with driving winds that made our eyes tear and our eyelashes freeze together. We survived scarves frozen to our cheeks with our own breath. We used bottle upon bottle of lotion to abate the dry, cracked, chaffing skin. We layered our socks and gloves two or three deep and still ended up with cold, stiff fingers and toes.
It was a harsh winter. Overall, I believe it was one of the snowiest on recent record, and also one of the top 5 coldest since record-keeping began. We struggled through it together and now find ourselves on the cusp of Spring. Notice I did not say "in" Spring.
Alright, technically, the first calendar day of spring is March 20, but since when does weather abide by calendar dates? Yes, I know it was 70 degrees only 2 days ago, but Ol' Man Winter and Mother Nature are in cahoots. They are mad at all of the times you cussed them out and complained this past winter. They will let spring come, but they are going to make sure it is painfully slow.
That being said, put your jacket back on! When it is cold enough to see your breath you should not be walking around in your shirt sleeves and bare arms!
Thank You,
~g
I come to you again to explain how to deal with changing of the seasons. Spring is coming. Agonizingly slow, spring is spreading over our frozen landscape. Life is renewing. The grass is a tad greener every day, and the daffodil shoots have worked out of the soil.
Congratulations. We made it through a horrendous winter. Despite your difficulties last fall knowing how to appropriately deal with winter, you eventually learned. We dealt with driving winds that made our eyes tear and our eyelashes freeze together. We survived scarves frozen to our cheeks with our own breath. We used bottle upon bottle of lotion to abate the dry, cracked, chaffing skin. We layered our socks and gloves two or three deep and still ended up with cold, stiff fingers and toes.
It was a harsh winter. Overall, I believe it was one of the snowiest on recent record, and also one of the top 5 coldest since record-keeping began. We struggled through it together and now find ourselves on the cusp of Spring. Notice I did not say "in" Spring.
Alright, technically, the first calendar day of spring is March 20, but since when does weather abide by calendar dates? Yes, I know it was 70 degrees only 2 days ago, but Ol' Man Winter and Mother Nature are in cahoots. They are mad at all of the times you cussed them out and complained this past winter. They will let spring come, but they are going to make sure it is painfully slow.
That being said, put your jacket back on! When it is cold enough to see your breath you should not be walking around in your shirt sleeves and bare arms!
Thank You,
~g
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Green. Definitely Green. Part Dos.
Yayy!!! Computer stopped being dumb long enough for me to upload visual documentation of the very green river! And just in case you are wondering, I have not altered the photos in any way. It really was that electric green. The only thing I did was switch my camera mode over to full sunlight so the settings would adjust to the environment.
On the video, I apologize for the rough ending. I was jostled from behind by people trying to get close to the railing. And, when all is said and done, it is still just video taken from a digital camera. I'm still figuring out how to edit video and may update this post sometime in the future with a revised, smoother version. For now this is what you get!
Prior to the dyeing and then the river mid-dye
All done!
Proof! She was there! And so was I!
On the video, I apologize for the rough ending. I was jostled from behind by people trying to get close to the railing. And, when all is said and done, it is still just video taken from a digital camera. I'm still figuring out how to edit video and may update this post sometime in the future with a revised, smoother version. For now this is what you get!
Prior to the dyeing and then the river mid-dye
All done!
Proof! She was there! And so was I!
Green. Definitely Green.
On any given day the Chicago River is a unique shade of green. A history of pollution and poor management (not to mention an entire reversal of flow) have given the river a one-of-a-kind hue. Every year when St. Paddy's day rolls around, Chicago ups the ante with its green river.
For some 40 odd years, two families from the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers have been dyeing a roughly two block stretch of the Chicago River a brilliant neon green for the St. Patrick's Day holiday. An entire history of the tradition can be found here.
I missed the river last year. It was not the best day out, I was sleepy, and I did not want to make the trek downtown by myself. With only several weeks left in Chicago, however, I knew I could not miss it this year. I found out when the dyeing would take place, called up Mom to see if she wanted to make the trip in to see it with me, and put it on my calendar.
Mom got in Friday night and crashed almost immediately. We rose fairly early on Saturday and left to get downtown and along the river with plenty of time before they started. Having never been, we did not know how many people would be in attendance and we wanted to make sure we had a spot where we could see. A block from the train stop we ran across a Dunkin Donuts and decided hot chocolate and donut holes would make an excellent breakfast. Got everything to go and kept walking toward Upper Wacker between Columbus and Lake Shore Drive.
We found a great viewing location on the Columbus Bridge and got settle. We ate our donut holes, shivered a bit in the wind coming off the water, and were enjoying people-watching when two cops on bikes rode up. "You can't stand on the bridge! Move!" Now, we weren't the only ones on the bridge - not by a long shot. The cops ushered everyone off, despite the protests that people could stand on the bridge last year to view the event.
Well, crap. We had had a great spot and now needed to find somewhere new. We decided to head down to river level on the North side of the river, where there were already many spectators lined up. We had to walk down the block a bit until we found a somewhat open space along the railing overlooking the river. There was a group of about 5 late-20s women next to the open spot who felt we shouldn't be there because they were there first and, of course, were so much more important. I got quite a few glares when I stepped up to the railing and claimed that spot. The women had been very spread out with their belongings and selves, but I have bigger hips, take up a wider area than they did with their city-approved, fashionably anorexic bodies, and I just kept encroaching little by little over the 45 minutes or so we had to stand there until the dyeing began. By the time the boats made the first pass there was enough room along the rail for both Mom and me.
And so we bore witness to the 2009 Dyeing of the Chicago River. It was a lot of fun and the results were even more spectacular than I expected. A pair of honkers who had been hanging on the river in the sun lasted for a few passes of the motorboats, but finally gave up and lifted off, unknowingly showing off their perfectly dyed green bellies. Not to worry - the dye is vegetable based and harmless.
The way the dyeing process works is as follows:
1. The larger of the two boats carries four men. One drives while the other three spill the dye off the sides and back of the boat, respectively. This boat works the river lengthwise (East to West) and makes several passes in both directions.
2. The smaller boat carries two men. One sits at the back, steering and controlling the speed, while the other sits at the front and is there purely for weight and stability. This boat works the river widthwise (North to South) to mix in the dye.
3. The whole process lasts 15-20 minutes and the river will remain brilliantly green for only several hours.
I was reading about the history last year and watched a short PBS documentary on the families who do this year after year. Apparently it's the same two families that work together to dye the river, and the men in these families will not let the women out on the boats. Stupid men with stupid, old, dumb ideas.
Anyway, getting back up to street level after the dyeing was done and the boats were docked was a whole barrel of fun. There is one staircase from river to street level and, of course, the hundreds of people at river level were trying to go up at the same time. To compound the problem, there were a handful of idiots trying to come down the staircase. It took awhile to get up to street level, where we were met with another crush. The sidewalks were jammed with people trying to move in both directions at the same time. If one ever needs to learn a little patience, go to the river dyeing in Chicago.
Once we reached street level I had a guy behind me who did not like how slow everyone was moving and who felt all one had to do to get people going forward was to shove the person in front of him (me) to start a chain reaction. I'm not guessing at this mindset... he was talking to someone on the phone and stated his philosophy in no uncertain terms. He tried it on me all of three times. The first surprised me, the second annoyed me, and the third got him an elbow to the ribs. He grunted and stopped pushing after meeting and shrinking from my over-the-shoulder glare.
Sometimes I worry the city has made me colder and harder, but then I think that maybe I have just learned that in some cases it is alright to fight fire with fire.
And there be the end of my story. The rest of the day was spent doing some shopping since I had a car at my disposal, eating a fantastic supper at a local restaurant Mom had not yet tried, and packing up a significant portion of my room to send home with Mom. The next time she will be here will be my graduation, after which we will move everything else out. All told, I think this place is only my home for another 7 weeks or so. Shocking.
I will upload pictures and movies as soon as my computer stops being dumb.
Love!
~g
For some 40 odd years, two families from the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers have been dyeing a roughly two block stretch of the Chicago River a brilliant neon green for the St. Patrick's Day holiday. An entire history of the tradition can be found here.
I missed the river last year. It was not the best day out, I was sleepy, and I did not want to make the trek downtown by myself. With only several weeks left in Chicago, however, I knew I could not miss it this year. I found out when the dyeing would take place, called up Mom to see if she wanted to make the trip in to see it with me, and put it on my calendar.
Mom got in Friday night and crashed almost immediately. We rose fairly early on Saturday and left to get downtown and along the river with plenty of time before they started. Having never been, we did not know how many people would be in attendance and we wanted to make sure we had a spot where we could see. A block from the train stop we ran across a Dunkin Donuts and decided hot chocolate and donut holes would make an excellent breakfast. Got everything to go and kept walking toward Upper Wacker between Columbus and Lake Shore Drive.
We found a great viewing location on the Columbus Bridge and got settle. We ate our donut holes, shivered a bit in the wind coming off the water, and were enjoying people-watching when two cops on bikes rode up. "You can't stand on the bridge! Move!" Now, we weren't the only ones on the bridge - not by a long shot. The cops ushered everyone off, despite the protests that people could stand on the bridge last year to view the event.
Well, crap. We had had a great spot and now needed to find somewhere new. We decided to head down to river level on the North side of the river, where there were already many spectators lined up. We had to walk down the block a bit until we found a somewhat open space along the railing overlooking the river. There was a group of about 5 late-20s women next to the open spot who felt we shouldn't be there because they were there first and, of course, were so much more important. I got quite a few glares when I stepped up to the railing and claimed that spot. The women had been very spread out with their belongings and selves, but I have bigger hips, take up a wider area than they did with their city-approved, fashionably anorexic bodies, and I just kept encroaching little by little over the 45 minutes or so we had to stand there until the dyeing began. By the time the boats made the first pass there was enough room along the rail for both Mom and me.
And so we bore witness to the 2009 Dyeing of the Chicago River. It was a lot of fun and the results were even more spectacular than I expected. A pair of honkers who had been hanging on the river in the sun lasted for a few passes of the motorboats, but finally gave up and lifted off, unknowingly showing off their perfectly dyed green bellies. Not to worry - the dye is vegetable based and harmless.
The way the dyeing process works is as follows:
1. The larger of the two boats carries four men. One drives while the other three spill the dye off the sides and back of the boat, respectively. This boat works the river lengthwise (East to West) and makes several passes in both directions.
2. The smaller boat carries two men. One sits at the back, steering and controlling the speed, while the other sits at the front and is there purely for weight and stability. This boat works the river widthwise (North to South) to mix in the dye.
3. The whole process lasts 15-20 minutes and the river will remain brilliantly green for only several hours.
I was reading about the history last year and watched a short PBS documentary on the families who do this year after year. Apparently it's the same two families that work together to dye the river, and the men in these families will not let the women out on the boats. Stupid men with stupid, old, dumb ideas.
Anyway, getting back up to street level after the dyeing was done and the boats were docked was a whole barrel of fun. There is one staircase from river to street level and, of course, the hundreds of people at river level were trying to go up at the same time. To compound the problem, there were a handful of idiots trying to come down the staircase. It took awhile to get up to street level, where we were met with another crush. The sidewalks were jammed with people trying to move in both directions at the same time. If one ever needs to learn a little patience, go to the river dyeing in Chicago.
Once we reached street level I had a guy behind me who did not like how slow everyone was moving and who felt all one had to do to get people going forward was to shove the person in front of him (me) to start a chain reaction. I'm not guessing at this mindset... he was talking to someone on the phone and stated his philosophy in no uncertain terms. He tried it on me all of three times. The first surprised me, the second annoyed me, and the third got him an elbow to the ribs. He grunted and stopped pushing after meeting and shrinking from my over-the-shoulder glare.
Sometimes I worry the city has made me colder and harder, but then I think that maybe I have just learned that in some cases it is alright to fight fire with fire.
And there be the end of my story. The rest of the day was spent doing some shopping since I had a car at my disposal, eating a fantastic supper at a local restaurant Mom had not yet tried, and packing up a significant portion of my room to send home with Mom. The next time she will be here will be my graduation, after which we will move everything else out. All told, I think this place is only my home for another 7 weeks or so. Shocking.
I will upload pictures and movies as soon as my computer stops being dumb.
Love!
~g
Friday, March 13, 2009
Ladies who Lunch
Today Lauren and I pretended to be big-city women, rather than the small-town, Midwest, mid-twenty somethings we truly are. We spent most of the afternoon at a trendy, overpriced spa on Michigan Avenue... 1/2 block from the Hancock Building.
Back story! Lauren was given $100 in SpaFinder gift certificates for Christmas from her sister. SpaFinder certificates are neat because you can use them at multiple spas nationwide. Lauren decided to pick up $100 more in gift certificates at Costco (great deal... $100 worth of certificates for $75). She gave me that second set of certificates for my Christmas present, contingent on us going together to get pampered.
We did not plan on waiting for Christmas until mid-March, but life has a way of moving quickly. We have both been extraordinarily stressed lately, so we finally decided to make the appointments. Lauren hates cold-calling people just like I do, so I offered to find a spa and make the appointments. Lauren gave her input into where she would like to go, the appointments were made, and we were happy.
So we met up on campus today around 11:15, walked a bit into the city until we found a cab, and took it to the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa and Salon at 919 N. Michigan Avenue. Arrived and checked in exactly at noon. We were shown to the changing room, where we ditched the coats and scarfs, put on the smocks, and then were shown to the waiting area. My stylist came to get me immediately, so I left Lauren sitting and went to put my hair in the hands of Nichole.
Of course, the first question was, "So, what are we doing today?" I did not go in with any set idea of what I wanted, I just knew it was time to get things cleaned up and re-shaped. So, in answer to Nichole's questions I responded, "Well, if I told you that you have free rein over my hair, what would you do?"
I often ask this of new stylists, and I have come to know that the first thing out of their mouth will tell me a lot about their training and skill. Those that immediately recommend coloring my hair do not have the level of skill I want them to. Nichole's answer? "Well, we are definitely NOT doing color of any kind! You have great, healthy, shiny hair with natural highlights that is absolutely beautiful. We're not going to mess with that." BINGO!!!
Nichole asked me a bit about my lifestyle, hobbies, and abilities regarding taking care of my hair, and came up with a great recommendation. Shorten it about 2 or 3 inches, layer softly, keep the bangs growing out, cut the front to wrap and frame. Blow dry and leave alone.
I decided I liked Nichole.
Off to the shampoo area. Nichole got me settled and then disappeared. Someone else came to wash and condition my hair. Definitely a swanky place when the stylists have nothing to do with the shampoo or (as I discovered later), the coloring.
Post-shampoo, back to Nichole's chair for cut and style. I was able to chat easily with Nichole and the time flew. It was fun to scope out the other clients in the mirror during my cut. There were a lot of older women in the salon this afternoon, obviously in for their weekly shampoo and style. They all cracked me up.
Round brushing during the blow dry took forever!! I'm used to it, but still! There is a reason I don't attempt that type of blowout at home! I may have fine hair, but dang there is a lot of it.
Finish with some pomade, check it out front and back, decide I love it. I could tell Nichole was really pleased as well, beyond the typical stylist's pride in their work. I like to think she really enjoyed working with me.
Many thanks and then off to find Lauren. Find her with her stylist, Chance, back by the shampoo room. Shocking! She had told me what she was planning on doing, but it still surprised me. She cut it all off!
Explanation. Lauren looks like a pin-up model from the 30s or 40s. She's petite, tiny, and pale. She also has naturally bright lips, dark eyes, and natural dark, curly hair that she normally keeps about chin length. She is a gorgeous girl. Her new cut is adorable and very adult.
When I found her she was still about 1/2 hour from being done. We knew we each had some $$ leftover on the gift certificates, so Lauren told me to head to the front desk to see if we could add manicures to our afternoon. Of course, that was not a problem. I scheduled those then went back to the waiting area to drink lemon water and flip through high-end fashion magazines.
Lauren got done and came to join me. About ten minutes later they came to get us for our manicures. It has been over a year since I have had a manicure and I was a bit embarrassed to put my hands up on the table. Winter was not nice to my hands, with cracking skin and short, stubby, broken nails. The nail technician "tsk, tsked" me then gave me some advice on how to keep my hands nice.
Meanwhile, Lauren is next to me with her technician. They were chatting and I overheard Lauren mention this was her first manicure ever. Yayy!!! More fun stuff to add to the story!
The manicures did not take long and felt WONDERFUL! And my nails turned out looking not bad. I opted for a deep red with strong purple undertones and a bit of glimmer. Lauren went for deep red with pronounced undertones of brown.
We waited about 15 or 20 minutes for our polish to dry, gathered our coats, settled the bill (we owed all of $7 after the gift certificates) then out onto Michigan to find some food!!!!! We were both starving, so we only walked about a block before settling on the Cheesecake Factory.
We had a yummy lunch/supper, then grabbed a cab back to the middle of downtown, where we could hop public transit to our respective homes. We both take the same train line, just in different directions. Stand on the platform together talking until Lauren's train arrived, a quick hug and thanks, and she was off. My train came in a few minutes later, and in 10 minutes I was home.
It was a great day. We had planned on doing some shopping after lunch, but Lauren was exhausted (she got up at 5:30 this morning for work) and really wanted to head home and take a nap. We'll just have to do the shopping trip later. Lauren gets to pick the store and shop up to X amount on my dime. That's my Christmas present to her.
It was a much-needed afternoon of relaxation and pampering for the both of us. We got to escape our normal selves and experience new things.
I'm so grateful I have Lauren as a friend.
Mom is currently about 45 minutes away from my apartment. She's coming in to the city to spend the weekend with me. They are dyeing the river green for St. Patrick's day tomorrow morning. We're going to go see that, and then kick around and do some final "Chicago" things. My time here is quickly coming to a close and mom wants to make sure I experience as much of the city as possible before I leave.
This time next week I will be back in Iowa, beginning 9 days of spring break gloriousness.
I enjoyed being a lady that lunches. Back to reality for me, though!
Love!!
~g
Back story! Lauren was given $100 in SpaFinder gift certificates for Christmas from her sister. SpaFinder certificates are neat because you can use them at multiple spas nationwide. Lauren decided to pick up $100 more in gift certificates at Costco (great deal... $100 worth of certificates for $75). She gave me that second set of certificates for my Christmas present, contingent on us going together to get pampered.
We did not plan on waiting for Christmas until mid-March, but life has a way of moving quickly. We have both been extraordinarily stressed lately, so we finally decided to make the appointments. Lauren hates cold-calling people just like I do, so I offered to find a spa and make the appointments. Lauren gave her input into where she would like to go, the appointments were made, and we were happy.
So we met up on campus today around 11:15, walked a bit into the city until we found a cab, and took it to the Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa and Salon at 919 N. Michigan Avenue. Arrived and checked in exactly at noon. We were shown to the changing room, where we ditched the coats and scarfs, put on the smocks, and then were shown to the waiting area. My stylist came to get me immediately, so I left Lauren sitting and went to put my hair in the hands of Nichole.
Of course, the first question was, "So, what are we doing today?" I did not go in with any set idea of what I wanted, I just knew it was time to get things cleaned up and re-shaped. So, in answer to Nichole's questions I responded, "Well, if I told you that you have free rein over my hair, what would you do?"
I often ask this of new stylists, and I have come to know that the first thing out of their mouth will tell me a lot about their training and skill. Those that immediately recommend coloring my hair do not have the level of skill I want them to. Nichole's answer? "Well, we are definitely NOT doing color of any kind! You have great, healthy, shiny hair with natural highlights that is absolutely beautiful. We're not going to mess with that." BINGO!!!
Nichole asked me a bit about my lifestyle, hobbies, and abilities regarding taking care of my hair, and came up with a great recommendation. Shorten it about 2 or 3 inches, layer softly, keep the bangs growing out, cut the front to wrap and frame. Blow dry and leave alone.
I decided I liked Nichole.
Off to the shampoo area. Nichole got me settled and then disappeared. Someone else came to wash and condition my hair. Definitely a swanky place when the stylists have nothing to do with the shampoo or (as I discovered later), the coloring.
Post-shampoo, back to Nichole's chair for cut and style. I was able to chat easily with Nichole and the time flew. It was fun to scope out the other clients in the mirror during my cut. There were a lot of older women in the salon this afternoon, obviously in for their weekly shampoo and style. They all cracked me up.
Round brushing during the blow dry took forever!! I'm used to it, but still! There is a reason I don't attempt that type of blowout at home! I may have fine hair, but dang there is a lot of it.
Finish with some pomade, check it out front and back, decide I love it. I could tell Nichole was really pleased as well, beyond the typical stylist's pride in their work. I like to think she really enjoyed working with me.
Many thanks and then off to find Lauren. Find her with her stylist, Chance, back by the shampoo room. Shocking! She had told me what she was planning on doing, but it still surprised me. She cut it all off!
Explanation. Lauren looks like a pin-up model from the 30s or 40s. She's petite, tiny, and pale. She also has naturally bright lips, dark eyes, and natural dark, curly hair that she normally keeps about chin length. She is a gorgeous girl. Her new cut is adorable and very adult.
When I found her she was still about 1/2 hour from being done. We knew we each had some $$ leftover on the gift certificates, so Lauren told me to head to the front desk to see if we could add manicures to our afternoon. Of course, that was not a problem. I scheduled those then went back to the waiting area to drink lemon water and flip through high-end fashion magazines.
Lauren got done and came to join me. About ten minutes later they came to get us for our manicures. It has been over a year since I have had a manicure and I was a bit embarrassed to put my hands up on the table. Winter was not nice to my hands, with cracking skin and short, stubby, broken nails. The nail technician "tsk, tsked" me then gave me some advice on how to keep my hands nice.
Meanwhile, Lauren is next to me with her technician. They were chatting and I overheard Lauren mention this was her first manicure ever. Yayy!!! More fun stuff to add to the story!
The manicures did not take long and felt WONDERFUL! And my nails turned out looking not bad. I opted for a deep red with strong purple undertones and a bit of glimmer. Lauren went for deep red with pronounced undertones of brown.
We waited about 15 or 20 minutes for our polish to dry, gathered our coats, settled the bill (we owed all of $7 after the gift certificates) then out onto Michigan to find some food!!!!! We were both starving, so we only walked about a block before settling on the Cheesecake Factory.
We had a yummy lunch/supper, then grabbed a cab back to the middle of downtown, where we could hop public transit to our respective homes. We both take the same train line, just in different directions. Stand on the platform together talking until Lauren's train arrived, a quick hug and thanks, and she was off. My train came in a few minutes later, and in 10 minutes I was home.
It was a great day. We had planned on doing some shopping after lunch, but Lauren was exhausted (she got up at 5:30 this morning for work) and really wanted to head home and take a nap. We'll just have to do the shopping trip later. Lauren gets to pick the store and shop up to X amount on my dime. That's my Christmas present to her.
It was a much-needed afternoon of relaxation and pampering for the both of us. We got to escape our normal selves and experience new things.
I'm so grateful I have Lauren as a friend.
Mom is currently about 45 minutes away from my apartment. She's coming in to the city to spend the weekend with me. They are dyeing the river green for St. Patrick's day tomorrow morning. We're going to go see that, and then kick around and do some final "Chicago" things. My time here is quickly coming to a close and mom wants to make sure I experience as much of the city as possible before I leave.
This time next week I will be back in Iowa, beginning 9 days of spring break gloriousness.
I enjoyed being a lady that lunches. Back to reality for me, though!
Love!!
~g
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The death of me
That is what my exercise class is going to be. We had eight weeks of our teacher giving light guidance but taking a "you get out of it what you put in approach". That all changed this week. I don't know if the Bikini Brigade got to him, or if someone complained to the higher-ups about the lack of structure in the class, but somehow he decided to go Drill Sergeant on us.
Monday it was stadium stair runs, step-ups, dips, and sprint relays. I was incredibly sore after class - so much so I could not find a comfortable position to sleep in that night. Tuesday was a painful, slow experience. And then Wednesday and another class came.
Walking lunges. More sprint relays. Flutter kicks. Push-ups. Planks. Jumping jacks. More sprints. On and on.
Anything that requires I use my thigh muscles or knees today I am doing my best to avoid.
Why is it again I want to get fit?
Love!
~g
Monday it was stadium stair runs, step-ups, dips, and sprint relays. I was incredibly sore after class - so much so I could not find a comfortable position to sleep in that night. Tuesday was a painful, slow experience. And then Wednesday and another class came.
Walking lunges. More sprint relays. Flutter kicks. Push-ups. Planks. Jumping jacks. More sprints. On and on.
Anything that requires I use my thigh muscles or knees today I am doing my best to avoid.
Why is it again I want to get fit?
Love!
~g
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Ingenuity
What do you do when all of the forks are in the dishwasher that is in the middle of its cycle?
Use chopsticks from the take-out restaurant!
What do you do when the picky cats are out of food and their owner is out of town?
Feed them tuna from the can and lace it with catnip!
That's a grad school education right there.
Love!
~g
Use chopsticks from the take-out restaurant!
What do you do when the picky cats are out of food and their owner is out of town?
Feed them tuna from the can and lace it with catnip!
That's a grad school education right there.
Love!
~g
Friday, March 6, 2009
Because graduating without incident is too much to ask for
I came as close today as I am comfortable with to an "active shooter" situation on campus.
Before I freak anyone out, NO, there was not an active shooter on my campus. This was not ascertained immediately, however.
I was not supposed to be on campus today, but scheduled several meetings at work and needed to go in. The meetings wrapped without much incident and I stayed at work to deal with a few of the things that were raised during the last meeting. The window in my office faces West and I noticed a helicopter was circling and hovering above campus. Around 5 pm this is normal given the 290 Expressway runs parallel to campus, but at 3 pm it was just really weird. About the 6th or 7th time the helicopter circled into my vision I was wondering what the heck was going on.
In pops a student from Undergraduate Student Government, whose offices are located down the hall from mine. "Hey guys. Just thought you might want to know that we just got an email telling us there was gunfire reported on campus. It's also on the homepage. Ok, bye!!!"
Sure enough, across campus from me in the Student Services Building the sounds of gunfire had been reported. Campus and Chicago police responded and evacuated the building and did room-by-room searches for a gunman or signs of gun play. Nothing.
Well, that's not entirely true. There was a shot fired, but after the initial reports. It seems one of the campus police officers that responded (the same campus police who boast being fully capable because they are trained with state police at their academy) accidentally discharged a round into the floor while conducting the search. This is easily the most awesome part of the story.
Since I was not supposed to be at work anyway I packed up and headed home when I heard about possible gunshots. Better to be safe than sorry. Getting home was a bit interesting given the building in question is two blocks from my apartment. The police had traffic blocked off 5 to 6 blocks deep in all directions around the building, but I just had to slip through the crowd of evacuated employees and students and continue on my way home.
I doubt they will ever figure out what sound prompted the calls, but at least Chicago PD and UIC police had a chance to deploy their "active shooter" plans in a real yet non-threatening situation. I hope they learned a lot!!! The key, I think, is that UIC touts their text-message alert system that they encourage everyone to sign up for the minute they become students. They have my number, as well as thousands others, and are supposed to send an alert out whenever there is a chance of a threat on campus. That totally did not happen today. Yeah, I know in the end there was not a real threat, but they did not know that immediately. At best, an alert should have gone out saying something along the lines of "Report of possible gunshots fired on campus" and then issued instructions. An email alert to the entire student body should have also been issued, which did not happen.
2 months and 2 days until I graduate.
Love!
~g
Before I freak anyone out, NO, there was not an active shooter on my campus. This was not ascertained immediately, however.
I was not supposed to be on campus today, but scheduled several meetings at work and needed to go in. The meetings wrapped without much incident and I stayed at work to deal with a few of the things that were raised during the last meeting. The window in my office faces West and I noticed a helicopter was circling and hovering above campus. Around 5 pm this is normal given the 290 Expressway runs parallel to campus, but at 3 pm it was just really weird. About the 6th or 7th time the helicopter circled into my vision I was wondering what the heck was going on.
In pops a student from Undergraduate Student Government, whose offices are located down the hall from mine. "Hey guys. Just thought you might want to know that we just got an email telling us there was gunfire reported on campus. It's also on the homepage. Ok, bye!!!"
Sure enough, across campus from me in the Student Services Building the sounds of gunfire had been reported. Campus and Chicago police responded and evacuated the building and did room-by-room searches for a gunman or signs of gun play. Nothing.
Well, that's not entirely true. There was a shot fired, but after the initial reports. It seems one of the campus police officers that responded (the same campus police who boast being fully capable because they are trained with state police at their academy) accidentally discharged a round into the floor while conducting the search. This is easily the most awesome part of the story.
Since I was not supposed to be at work anyway I packed up and headed home when I heard about possible gunshots. Better to be safe than sorry. Getting home was a bit interesting given the building in question is two blocks from my apartment. The police had traffic blocked off 5 to 6 blocks deep in all directions around the building, but I just had to slip through the crowd of evacuated employees and students and continue on my way home.
I doubt they will ever figure out what sound prompted the calls, but at least Chicago PD and UIC police had a chance to deploy their "active shooter" plans in a real yet non-threatening situation. I hope they learned a lot!!! The key, I think, is that UIC touts their text-message alert system that they encourage everyone to sign up for the minute they become students. They have my number, as well as thousands others, and are supposed to send an alert out whenever there is a chance of a threat on campus. That totally did not happen today. Yeah, I know in the end there was not a real threat, but they did not know that immediately. At best, an alert should have gone out saying something along the lines of "Report of possible gunshots fired on campus" and then issued instructions. An email alert to the entire student body should have also been issued, which did not happen.
2 months and 2 days until I graduate.
Love!
~g
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Last Midterm and Warmer Weather
On Monday I took my last midterm! Woot! Graduation is becoming a more and more realistic thing! I looked up my colors last evening. I will graduate in a blue cap and gown that is a cross between royal and navy. My tassel and hood will be peacock.
Unlike Marshall, I do not believe I have the option to return the hood and not pay for it. I think I have to buy cap/gown/tassel/hood as a combination and will then own them forever. I have not a clue what I will do with these things once the ceremony is over, but whatever! I somewhat regret not buying at least my tassel when I graduated from Iowa State... I think it would be neat to put my high school, undergrad, and graduate tassels together in some sort of keepsake book. Maybe the Iowa State bookstore kept some tassels from each year and I can go back and get one. I will have to check that out.
Anyway, back to the original topic! The midterm went relatively well. I know I aced the multiple choice and fill-in-the-blanks, and the essays we will just have to see. Really, I do not care that much anymore. I am very over this phase of my life and anxiously looking forward to the next.
On that note, I received a flush email from Government X in California. "Thank you very much... many qualified candidates... difficult decision... regret to inform you..." I am very OK with this decision. I knew I was not a good fit for them. I do think my voice gave away too much of that, however, and will need to work on this in future interviews. And there is the learning experience that makes interviewing with Government X not a total waste! Go me with finding the positive and the lesson.
My capstone group and I are continuing to do well with our project. Our client is happy with us, and our teacher's advice is not anything we had not already thought of or are not already doing. While I am stuggling a bit with writing the sections I was assigned, I am kicking some major butt in designing the actual guide, making it user-friendly, easy to read, and visually appealing. I would say 1/3 of the content is written and inserted into the guide, and we are already at 27 pages. That's before appendicies, etc. This is going to be a mamouth thing before we are done. We would be at less pages if things were not spaced out so much, but then it would be less attractive and the likelihood the eventual users would actually utilize the guide much less. Hopefully I will have the moment soon when everything clicks in my head so I can write my sections, but if not I trust my team has my back. Perhaps I will do less writing than them but all of the formatting, which is a chore in itself.
I have found a potential subletor (ter?) for my apartment, beginning the middle of May. Since I have no desire to stay in the city and am subsequently not seeking employment in Chicago, I do not want to spend the money to stay through the summer. My landlord is checking the credit of the candidate now, and we will go from there. One nice thing for both the candidate and myself is that he wants a furnished room and I was not planning on taking my Chicago furniture with me when I left. I was going to take it out to the alley and let the scavengers have a go at it. If everything works out with the subletor, though, I don't have to move anything but my personal possessions!
I cannot believe how quickly the last few years have gone buy. I am a bit more intelligent, a heck of a lot more confident, and overall grateful for the experience. I will leave with few regrets.
I was talking to Dad today about my frustration that I have not yet found that thing that I am passionate about doing and that I want to pursue. I was hoping graduate school would reveal it to me, but that has not been the case. I cannot continue to hide out in academia for eternity, and so I will graduate and find a job and start the process of finding my bliss. This is a scary prospect but I am trying to be open to it.
I do wonder if my work is meant to be with animals. I desperately miss the time when I was volunteering at a shelter on a regular basis. I walked by a shelter last week when in a new part of downtown, and my heart physically ached. I could see an obviously wise older grey cat through the window and I wanted to go in and adopt him and give him the life he is meant to have. When I could not stand to meet his gaze any longer, I moved down the widows and was confronted by a Husky and a Great Dane in side-by-side kennels. I am a fan of both breeds, which made it very difficult to look at them together and know I wasn't doing anything to make their life better.
I am self-aware enough to know that I have a natural affinity for animals and for children. I believe it is because both are incapable of controlling their circumstances and therefore incredibly vulnerable to the mercy of others. I am a bit ashamed to admit I find it much harder to have the same empathy for adults, even those whom I know are incapable of controlling their situation. As a person and as a public servant, this is something I feel I need to work on, but I find it very difficult. Having been surrounded by capable adults my entire life, it is a struggle for me to come to terms with and tolerate someone in an adult body who is not in control of themselves or their immediate life.
These are some of the thoughts that have been rattling around in my head as I update the resume and look for that fresh-out-of-school job.
On a much less introspective note, work is really starting to wind down. My one and only program of the semester will close in two weeks, and after spring break I will be in a strict information-gathering and planning for next year situation. Our office is packed to near bursting point with staff as we just added another Associate Director and needed somewhere for her to work. More than ever I am grateful I work on the days that have fewer people in the office.
Winter is losing its grip here, although March did come in like a lion with lake effect snow falling a few days ago. We are up in the 40s and 50s now and, although there will continue to be cooler days for awhile, it is definitely coming on spring. When we move the clocks ahead this weekend it will seem even more like spring since it will be lighter longer into the evening.
Time for me to wrap this up and get off to one of several meetings I have this evening. I say again, this is the busiest semester of all!
Love!
~g
Unlike Marshall, I do not believe I have the option to return the hood and not pay for it. I think I have to buy cap/gown/tassel/hood as a combination and will then own them forever. I have not a clue what I will do with these things once the ceremony is over, but whatever! I somewhat regret not buying at least my tassel when I graduated from Iowa State... I think it would be neat to put my high school, undergrad, and graduate tassels together in some sort of keepsake book. Maybe the Iowa State bookstore kept some tassels from each year and I can go back and get one. I will have to check that out.
Anyway, back to the original topic! The midterm went relatively well. I know I aced the multiple choice and fill-in-the-blanks, and the essays we will just have to see. Really, I do not care that much anymore. I am very over this phase of my life and anxiously looking forward to the next.
On that note, I received a flush email from Government X in California. "Thank you very much... many qualified candidates... difficult decision... regret to inform you..." I am very OK with this decision. I knew I was not a good fit for them. I do think my voice gave away too much of that, however, and will need to work on this in future interviews. And there is the learning experience that makes interviewing with Government X not a total waste! Go me with finding the positive and the lesson.
My capstone group and I are continuing to do well with our project. Our client is happy with us, and our teacher's advice is not anything we had not already thought of or are not already doing. While I am stuggling a bit with writing the sections I was assigned, I am kicking some major butt in designing the actual guide, making it user-friendly, easy to read, and visually appealing. I would say 1/3 of the content is written and inserted into the guide, and we are already at 27 pages. That's before appendicies, etc. This is going to be a mamouth thing before we are done. We would be at less pages if things were not spaced out so much, but then it would be less attractive and the likelihood the eventual users would actually utilize the guide much less. Hopefully I will have the moment soon when everything clicks in my head so I can write my sections, but if not I trust my team has my back. Perhaps I will do less writing than them but all of the formatting, which is a chore in itself.
I have found a potential subletor (ter?) for my apartment, beginning the middle of May. Since I have no desire to stay in the city and am subsequently not seeking employment in Chicago, I do not want to spend the money to stay through the summer. My landlord is checking the credit of the candidate now, and we will go from there. One nice thing for both the candidate and myself is that he wants a furnished room and I was not planning on taking my Chicago furniture with me when I left. I was going to take it out to the alley and let the scavengers have a go at it. If everything works out with the subletor, though, I don't have to move anything but my personal possessions!
I cannot believe how quickly the last few years have gone buy. I am a bit more intelligent, a heck of a lot more confident, and overall grateful for the experience. I will leave with few regrets.
I was talking to Dad today about my frustration that I have not yet found that thing that I am passionate about doing and that I want to pursue. I was hoping graduate school would reveal it to me, but that has not been the case. I cannot continue to hide out in academia for eternity, and so I will graduate and find a job and start the process of finding my bliss. This is a scary prospect but I am trying to be open to it.
I do wonder if my work is meant to be with animals. I desperately miss the time when I was volunteering at a shelter on a regular basis. I walked by a shelter last week when in a new part of downtown, and my heart physically ached. I could see an obviously wise older grey cat through the window and I wanted to go in and adopt him and give him the life he is meant to have. When I could not stand to meet his gaze any longer, I moved down the widows and was confronted by a Husky and a Great Dane in side-by-side kennels. I am a fan of both breeds, which made it very difficult to look at them together and know I wasn't doing anything to make their life better.
I am self-aware enough to know that I have a natural affinity for animals and for children. I believe it is because both are incapable of controlling their circumstances and therefore incredibly vulnerable to the mercy of others. I am a bit ashamed to admit I find it much harder to have the same empathy for adults, even those whom I know are incapable of controlling their situation. As a person and as a public servant, this is something I feel I need to work on, but I find it very difficult. Having been surrounded by capable adults my entire life, it is a struggle for me to come to terms with and tolerate someone in an adult body who is not in control of themselves or their immediate life.
These are some of the thoughts that have been rattling around in my head as I update the resume and look for that fresh-out-of-school job.
On a much less introspective note, work is really starting to wind down. My one and only program of the semester will close in two weeks, and after spring break I will be in a strict information-gathering and planning for next year situation. Our office is packed to near bursting point with staff as we just added another Associate Director and needed somewhere for her to work. More than ever I am grateful I work on the days that have fewer people in the office.
Winter is losing its grip here, although March did come in like a lion with lake effect snow falling a few days ago. We are up in the 40s and 50s now and, although there will continue to be cooler days for awhile, it is definitely coming on spring. When we move the clocks ahead this weekend it will seem even more like spring since it will be lighter longer into the evening.
Time for me to wrap this up and get off to one of several meetings I have this evening. I say again, this is the busiest semester of all!
Love!
~g
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