This was going to be a New Years Resolutions blog, but I'm not a big fan of resolutions. I don't usually make them, and follow-through is even more rare. I figure, if something is important enough for me to change, I'll do it, and if not, well, good luck.
Then I thought I could write about what I've been up to over break and post a few pictures. Well I've seen alot of friends and family and played my share of board games, and you can look at pictues on facebook.
I haven't written much about slavery or human trafficking recently, but I also haven't been up to much. I'm still reading articles and looking up organizations and doing my best to stay informed. I know I'll have some events on campus next semester but we haven't started much since Nikki and I are both away.
So for all the things this blog isn't talking about, I thought I'd fill you in on the latest developments for my future:
There are none. Future developments, I mean. I started looking at grad schools again once I realized pursuing a Masters in Social Work wasn't necessary and I could probably find something more engaging. I found all sorts of great Masters programs - International Human Rights, International Peace Studies, Global Studies with an emphasis on just about any country. Study abroad programs in England, Australia and Germany. But there's that $51,000 a year pricetag, and that foreign language requirement that I've been trying to ignore for the past four years.
I've been looking at job listings, too. I just discovered my dearly beloved change.org has a section of job listings all over the country. By all over the country we mean that most are in Washington DC. Wrong Washington, folks. Anyway, there are some sweet jobs out there but very few in fighting Human Trafficking. I'll give it a few months before I apply anywhere since I'm not very mobile til mid-May, but that doesn't stop me from looking.
Both of my Dove Promises just told me to slow down, take notice, and savor the moment. I think that's chocolate speak for "give it up and relax, you'll figure it out".
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Greetings From Scrooge
It's currently three days before Christmas, and I just had an inner debate on the appropriateness of Christmas music. I hate Christmas music. Most of it is sappy, cheesey, corny, or otherwise obnoxious. The majority of such tunes usually mention four letter words such as s-n-o-w, c-o-l-d, l-o-v-e, or some other form of "Christmas magic". If it wasn't enough that these songs blare from every radio station and cd player you blink at, they usually start long before there's any sign of snow on the ground, and continue after the last of the holiday paper has been thrown away.
If you must force your merriment upon us in musical form, keep it to a week or two. As previously mentioned, I'm not sure if it should be allowed even three days before the big day.
At this point I should probably admit that I'm trying to work on my scroogy-ness. Meaning I'm trying to listen to Christmas music. Although an overwhelming 133 songs of the season creeped their way onto my itunes, I'm only allowing selections from Leigh Nash, Kevin Max, and the Transiberian Orchestra to sing about it today. We'll see if any more make the cut a little closer to Christmas, but it's not looking hopeful.
If you must force your merriment upon us in musical form, keep it to a week or two. As previously mentioned, I'm not sure if it should be allowed even three days before the big day.
At this point I should probably admit that I'm trying to work on my scroogy-ness. Meaning I'm trying to listen to Christmas music. Although an overwhelming 133 songs of the season creeped their way onto my itunes, I'm only allowing selections from Leigh Nash, Kevin Max, and the Transiberian Orchestra to sing about it today. We'll see if any more make the cut a little closer to Christmas, but it's not looking hopeful.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Que Fuerte
This morning was, by far, the most ridiculous morning of the year. (Que fuerte, loosely translated, means "that's ridiculous", or "how ridiculous". It's one of my favorite Spanish phrases. I used it a lot in Spain. Spain is kind of ridiculous, in a wonderful way.) I digress.
I knew I had to open the coffee shop at 5:30 am. I also knew we were in for a blizzard. I set my alarm for 4:30am to have adequate time to prepare and get myself through the snowy streets. Ha.
4:30am - wake up to obnoxious ringtone. Look out the window. I see nothing but white. My street has not yet been plowed, but I can see the cross street is plowed.
4:32am - I wonder if I should really go to work. I wonder if my boss even wants me to risk my life to go to work.
4:40am - I check my email. My final is cancelled 'cause my prof doesn't want to put us in a dangerous situation like driving to campus at 1pm. Again I wonder about my decision to go to work.
5:00am, my street is plowed, pushing even more snow toward the end of my driveway. My little black Ford Focus looks kinda sad and covered in snow. I venture outside.
5:05-5:12 I brush snow off my car. We're talking more than a foot, and it's blowing everywhere. I'm starting to question my decision to try this.
5:15 - I try to just back my car through the snow. I make it ten feet down the driveway and get stuck. My car will not go forward or backward.
5:20 - I call my friend Paul who is scheduled to work at 6am with me. We discuss the ridiculousness of the situation and wonder to eachother if we should go to work. Paul has his roommates' 4wheel drive and is convinced we can make it. He offers to pick me up in 20 minutes and we can open together. I gladly agree and start to shovel my driveway while I wait. 16 inches of snow takes a long time to move.
5:30ish Paul shows up and I leave the driveway in its sorry state and wade through drifts up to my thighs to get to the street. We plow through drifts in this amazing 4wd that could take on blizzards in the arctic. It was amazing. We get to Mugby. It hasn't been plowed at all. There's no way we're going into the parking lot, and we wonder who would drive through an unplowed parking lot in this mess to get a cup of coffee.
5:46 - I feel bad for waking my boss but I call her at home and ask her what to do. While she calls the snowplow company, Paul and I go pick up the bakery order since we have 4wd and some time.
Bakery run consists of wading through more 16inch snow, dropping off one box at the other store, and coming back to Mugby, which still is not plowed. Plow service isn't answering the phone. Paul and I find the whole situation halerious and ridiculous. Evenually we park across the street at the hospital and trudge through the snow and streets, carrying boxes of fresh baked scones, and unlock Mugby. We figure we deserve a scone or two.
By this time my boss has looked outside and recognized our heroic efforts. I'm still wondering if heroic is a synonym for delusional.
Customers in pickup trucks start coming slowly, apparently giving no concern to the drifts they plow through. I think they're ridiculous. They think we are equally ridiculous for being open, and give us good sympathy tips.
It's 7:30 before our drive-through or parking lot is plowed. Bored with the lack of customers, we find refrigerator magnets and make stupid sentences all morning. Ashley comes to replace Paul and there is still nothing to do. We drink coffee. I work til 12 and get another co-worker, Ben, to drive me home in his pickup.
I decide I should either:
a) move south ASAP - oh wait, I decided that a long time ago
b) buy a vehicle with 4 wheel drive
c) not leave the house for about 3 days
It took both roommates and a wonderful friend to shovel the driveway and get my car unstuck from all the snow I packed under it. I'm looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow.
I knew I had to open the coffee shop at 5:30 am. I also knew we were in for a blizzard. I set my alarm for 4:30am to have adequate time to prepare and get myself through the snowy streets. Ha.
4:30am - wake up to obnoxious ringtone. Look out the window. I see nothing but white. My street has not yet been plowed, but I can see the cross street is plowed.
4:32am - I wonder if I should really go to work. I wonder if my boss even wants me to risk my life to go to work.
4:40am - I check my email. My final is cancelled 'cause my prof doesn't want to put us in a dangerous situation like driving to campus at 1pm. Again I wonder about my decision to go to work.
5:00am, my street is plowed, pushing even more snow toward the end of my driveway. My little black Ford Focus looks kinda sad and covered in snow. I venture outside.
5:05-5:12 I brush snow off my car. We're talking more than a foot, and it's blowing everywhere. I'm starting to question my decision to try this.
5:15 - I try to just back my car through the snow. I make it ten feet down the driveway and get stuck. My car will not go forward or backward.
5:20 - I call my friend Paul who is scheduled to work at 6am with me. We discuss the ridiculousness of the situation and wonder to eachother if we should go to work. Paul has his roommates' 4wheel drive and is convinced we can make it. He offers to pick me up in 20 minutes and we can open together. I gladly agree and start to shovel my driveway while I wait. 16 inches of snow takes a long time to move.
5:30ish Paul shows up and I leave the driveway in its sorry state and wade through drifts up to my thighs to get to the street. We plow through drifts in this amazing 4wd that could take on blizzards in the arctic. It was amazing. We get to Mugby. It hasn't been plowed at all. There's no way we're going into the parking lot, and we wonder who would drive through an unplowed parking lot in this mess to get a cup of coffee.
5:46 - I feel bad for waking my boss but I call her at home and ask her what to do. While she calls the snowplow company, Paul and I go pick up the bakery order since we have 4wd and some time.
Bakery run consists of wading through more 16inch snow, dropping off one box at the other store, and coming back to Mugby, which still is not plowed. Plow service isn't answering the phone. Paul and I find the whole situation halerious and ridiculous. Evenually we park across the street at the hospital and trudge through the snow and streets, carrying boxes of fresh baked scones, and unlock Mugby. We figure we deserve a scone or two.
By this time my boss has looked outside and recognized our heroic efforts. I'm still wondering if heroic is a synonym for delusional.
Customers in pickup trucks start coming slowly, apparently giving no concern to the drifts they plow through. I think they're ridiculous. They think we are equally ridiculous for being open, and give us good sympathy tips.
It's 7:30 before our drive-through or parking lot is plowed. Bored with the lack of customers, we find refrigerator magnets and make stupid sentences all morning. Ashley comes to replace Paul and there is still nothing to do. We drink coffee. I work til 12 and get another co-worker, Ben, to drive me home in his pickup.
I decide I should either:
a) move south ASAP - oh wait, I decided that a long time ago
b) buy a vehicle with 4 wheel drive
c) not leave the house for about 3 days
It took both roommates and a wonderful friend to shovel the driveway and get my car unstuck from all the snow I packed under it. I'm looking forward to doing it all again tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Like I could tip a cow.... by myself
Favorite movie ever. Sweet Home Alabama always makes me nostalgic... maybe 'cause I watched it every week in highschool.
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