...at least next week is only four days long. Well, the work week is, so that means I'll spend less time feeling guilty that I do very little "work" at work, unless I'm absolutely buried and panicking. But such is the life of a usability research recruiter, my occupation for the next almost-year.
I applied to the SJSU MLIS program on Tuesday, both because I've finally discovered (I think, fairly confidently) what I want to be when I grow up-- a librarian! Please to let me explain... First, I love me some books. If we've met, even for only about ten minutes, you probably know this about me. I love books, absolutely and fairly indiscriminately, sometimes humiliatingly so. But it's not just about the books, I promise. There is also the issue of information, the "I" part of the LIS master's program that I hope to be accepted into sometime soon(ish). Much more policy-focused than I originally thought, what with the Patriot Act and public funding and everything, so it seems as though I've found a way to get a graduate degree in a literature-related field without actually getting a graduate degree in Literature (yes, that's a capital L). The application process was shockingly simple, as SJSU requires nothing in the way of a GRE score (whereas before when I was considering b-school, I thought I'd have to take something as horrific as the GMAT), letters of rec, or even a personal statement. Apparently I send in...biographical information, like address, whether I'm a CA resident, and into what program I hope to be accepted, as well as an undergrad transcript, and...that's about it. First-come, first-served. Really odd, actually, when you consider the implications these two years of school will have, but I suppose advantageous in that I applied on the second day of the filing period. Because that's how on top of things I am.
This weekend we're going to Amador for this autumnal Big Crush event, so there should be a good deal of sipping and staggering, along with some purple-tongued pictures, if you, my three readers, are lucky.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Tuesday
(I apologize in advance-- I wish I had actually been on drugs when this post was written)
Don't be disappointed about the lack of baseball game pictures...they would only have been of us eating hot dogs, drinking beer, and noting with a certain amount of disdain how not-as-nice-as-SBC the Coliseum is. It is, however, as Greg noticed, much like the Coliseum in Rome. I'm hoping he meant that in a very vague, architectural way, as in, "they're both round and hence similar" way, because otherwise I'm less excited for us to eventually go to Italy. (This would be, of course, after our fourteen million other trips to LA, New Jersey, and places that are more fun than both of the aforementioned places)
It's 9:04 on Tuesday, the bedroom is still 76 degrees, I'm home alone, and I couldn't finish the wine because the sediment was freaking me out a bit. Is it any wonder I feel a twinge of envy any time I read about a friend who is now living with her boyfriend in France, or a stranger who is still in the midst of renovating her family's house (each, for some reason, riveting to me)? Also, a note to self: your life is actually pretty awesome. You have a Tivo, a job at which there is regularly a dog, and some pretty sweet tricks for your boyfriend's upcoming birthday up your sleeve. And you don't have to carry 70 pounds of water back and forth to your village four times a day.
Don't be disappointed about the lack of baseball game pictures...they would only have been of us eating hot dogs, drinking beer, and noting with a certain amount of disdain how not-as-nice-as-SBC the Coliseum is. It is, however, as Greg noticed, much like the Coliseum in Rome. I'm hoping he meant that in a very vague, architectural way, as in, "they're both round and hence similar" way, because otherwise I'm less excited for us to eventually go to Italy. (This would be, of course, after our fourteen million other trips to LA, New Jersey, and places that are more fun than both of the aforementioned places)
It's 9:04 on Tuesday, the bedroom is still 76 degrees, I'm home alone, and I couldn't finish the wine because the sediment was freaking me out a bit. Is it any wonder I feel a twinge of envy any time I read about a friend who is now living with her boyfriend in France, or a stranger who is still in the midst of renovating her family's house (each, for some reason, riveting to me)? Also, a note to self: your life is actually pretty awesome. You have a Tivo, a job at which there is regularly a dog, and some pretty sweet tricks for your boyfriend's upcoming birthday up your sleeve. And you don't have to carry 70 pounds of water back and forth to your village four times a day.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Midsummer
Yes, it's probably too late to qualify as "midsummer"...but I'm lazy about posting, so there. One houseguest is out, and Greg's parents are coming on Saturday night. We're also down a roommate, so it's a veritable ghost town, sans tumbleweeds. I've decided that this post is just going to be a vehicle for pictures from our weekend in Napa, so without further ado...
To your left, you'll see the two boys. Happy already, you see, to be drinking wine. V. Sattui is very pretty, but a zoo on an August weekend.
Below, Greg and I are at Peju at the end of the day-- pretty blitzed on wine, because Napa is awesome. Excuse the tummy and posture, I haven't started Pilates just yet.
Ok friends...we're going to a baseball game this weekend. Maybe there will be more pictures, who can say?
To your left, you'll see the two boys. Happy already, you see, to be drinking wine. V. Sattui is very pretty, but a zoo on an August weekend.
Below, Greg and I are at Peju at the end of the day-- pretty blitzed on wine, because Napa is awesome. Excuse the tummy and posture, I haven't started Pilates just yet.
Ok friends...we're going to a baseball game this weekend. Maybe there will be more pictures, who can say?
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Stability
I'm settling into routines, and I'm not sure yet how I feel about them-- as individual routines unto themselves, as well as the fact that it's me who's settling into them. Does this mean that my life is becoming less exciting, that there are fewer possibilities open to me? Or does it just mean that they're that much more unexpected, that much better or worse, depending on what exactly the disruptions are? I'm used to, for instance, getting up each morning around 9, because I don't have to be at work until 11 (unless it's Friday or Saturday, in which case the timing is a little different). I wake up "early," and trudge around with my cup of tea, bleep-blooping the Tivo through whatever show I can cheat through and still make it to work on time. I like that morning time, waking up and still being a little suprised that Greg is there. Happy surprised, like finding out that the laundry has been done when I get home Saturday evening, or finding pink carnations and berries arranged in the white vase on the table. Yeah, we're probably still nauseating. To wit, I give you a belated New York/New Year's picture from a disposable camera that I just had developed:
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Yep, that's us on the Brooklyn Bridge. I'm a little (only a little) sad that it's never cold enough here for cute little white hats and birhgt pink gloves.
Our new roommates have moved in: a girl from Greg's program and her boyfriend of about two years. It's interesting to watch them, because after having lived in different states for the last ten months or so, they're not only in the same ZIP code, but also in the same, smallish apartment, sharing a room and a bathroom. I don't know if they're as nest-y as we are, as she confessed yesterday that she likes showering because she likes to "stand under the warm water...all alone." Let's hope their relationship survives cohabitation-- I definitely recommend it as a fairly reliable way to test exactly how much, and for how long, one can stand one's significant other.
In conclusion, if anyone knows of any decently-paying, even-tangentially-education-related jobs that are up for grabs, let me know! You know, just in case...
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Yep, that's us on the Brooklyn Bridge. I'm a little (only a little) sad that it's never cold enough here for cute little white hats and birhgt pink gloves.
Our new roommates have moved in: a girl from Greg's program and her boyfriend of about two years. It's interesting to watch them, because after having lived in different states for the last ten months or so, they're not only in the same ZIP code, but also in the same, smallish apartment, sharing a room and a bathroom. I don't know if they're as nest-y as we are, as she confessed yesterday that she likes showering because she likes to "stand under the warm water...all alone." Let's hope their relationship survives cohabitation-- I definitely recommend it as a fairly reliable way to test exactly how much, and for how long, one can stand one's significant other.
In conclusion, if anyone knows of any decently-paying, even-tangentially-education-related jobs that are up for grabs, let me know! You know, just in case...
Monday, April 23, 2007
Sprung
It's spring, I think, technically now, but it's still tentative and brisk. Not the pollen-filled, bursting-with-green, twirly-new-dress-wearing full-swing Spring that we all know and love, but a seasonal change nonethless. The weather is trying to be warm, and the sun is making a good showing, so I guess the plant world and my credit cards are the only things standing between me and spring, the season that I tell people is my favorite, even though I'm generally more of a sucker for winter, where it's practically mandated that you gain weight just to stay warm (yes, I know I live in California, but I'm really good at making excuses).
On to things that people care more about... Let's see. I moved! Yes, it's like I'm "people" now, all financially independent and everything, which is scary and exhilarating and awesome. The biggest bonus is my (primary) roommate, who is pretty awesome as well; other highlights include Tivo, spotty internet, and a gym that does much more in the way of inducing guilt than inducing weight loss. I went a little crazy with the "home" shopping on Monday, buying various glassware sets, as well as floating shelves for the bedroom and some exterior lighting. It was all so cheap, though-- I definitely recommend going to Target on Monday in the early afternoon, as it's much less stressful than going on the weekend. It's things like that that make me wish I was unemployed, until I realize how much I like being able to buy things like food and sets of stemless wineglasses.
Also of note: I got promoted! All told, it's about a 6% raise and a bunch more responsibility, which I suppose is a shock to no one. I have/get to be more of a "people manager" now, which is alternately awful and pretty cool, but mostly headache-inducing, when I realize that allllll the people "under" me are older than I am, and at least half think they're smarter than I am (note to them: it probably isn't true; and even if it is...it doesn't really matter, so just do what I say because I have to spend upwards of 45 hours a week in this place and I need to have something go my way every now and then). Tomorrow is like a company-wide field trip, well, more of a revival, really, in which we all get together and talk about how we're doing, and how we're going to have to do better. Educational businesses, I've come to realize, are incredibly hard to manage, mostly because it's such a subjective field. Education is only as valuable as people believe it to be, and we only get "customers" when families are prioritizing it instead of, say...a new Escalade. This is surprising to no one, but always manages to depress me. Why isn't my chosen field monetarily rewarding as well as "emotionally rewarding"? (P.S. I can't buy new shoes with my emotions. Not in a literal, commercial sense, anyway)
I'm excited for it to be full-blown spring, so that I can try to find more reasons for it to be my (legitimate) favorite season. Well, that and it means that any future vacations (and summer! Although summer doesn't have the ring that it used to...) are that much closer.
On to things that people care more about... Let's see. I moved! Yes, it's like I'm "people" now, all financially independent and everything, which is scary and exhilarating and awesome. The biggest bonus is my (primary) roommate, who is pretty awesome as well; other highlights include Tivo, spotty internet, and a gym that does much more in the way of inducing guilt than inducing weight loss. I went a little crazy with the "home" shopping on Monday, buying various glassware sets, as well as floating shelves for the bedroom and some exterior lighting. It was all so cheap, though-- I definitely recommend going to Target on Monday in the early afternoon, as it's much less stressful than going on the weekend. It's things like that that make me wish I was unemployed, until I realize how much I like being able to buy things like food and sets of stemless wineglasses.
Also of note: I got promoted! All told, it's about a 6% raise and a bunch more responsibility, which I suppose is a shock to no one. I have/get to be more of a "people manager" now, which is alternately awful and pretty cool, but mostly headache-inducing, when I realize that allllll the people "under" me are older than I am, and at least half think they're smarter than I am (note to them: it probably isn't true; and even if it is...it doesn't really matter, so just do what I say because I have to spend upwards of 45 hours a week in this place and I need to have something go my way every now and then). Tomorrow is like a company-wide field trip, well, more of a revival, really, in which we all get together and talk about how we're doing, and how we're going to have to do better. Educational businesses, I've come to realize, are incredibly hard to manage, mostly because it's such a subjective field. Education is only as valuable as people believe it to be, and we only get "customers" when families are prioritizing it instead of, say...a new Escalade. This is surprising to no one, but always manages to depress me. Why isn't my chosen field monetarily rewarding as well as "emotionally rewarding"? (P.S. I can't buy new shoes with my emotions. Not in a literal, commercial sense, anyway)
I'm excited for it to be full-blown spring, so that I can try to find more reasons for it to be my (legitimate) favorite season. Well, that and it means that any future vacations (and summer! Although summer doesn't have the ring that it used to...) are that much closer.
Monday, March 05, 2007
The way things are
Having offset weekends is an odd thing-- working from Tuesday through Saturday, any way you look at it, just kind of sucks. Monday off isn't such a great deal, as I'm not generally that excited about hanging out in the post office, or whatever grownup chores I'm supposed to be doing on that "good day to have off." The problem with these weekends is that they're going to be around until I get two more promotions at work, with the first one happening sometime toward the end of March/beginning of April, and the other at some point within ten or so months after-- and the second one isn't even something that I'm sure I want.
Who wouldn't want to be promoted at work? It reeks of lack of ambition, and makes me feel like I don't want to be successful. The rational part of my brain tells me it's ok not to want to be at the top (or any higher than I feel comfortable) of this organization, that it's not something that I plan to do as a "career" anyway, but the Type-A that's around from time to time wants to be the best, no matter what the competition is. In a job you're not sure you want? Doesn't matter, you should still be "winning," whatever that means. Sure, I want to go back to school, but how much does that determine how long I'm going to be working full-time? Also, why am I worrying about this eighteen months in advance?
On to the more exciting, (slightly) less nerve-wracking parts of my life...Moving Day is impending, with only about ten weeks separating me and cohabitation, and...I don't mind that much. It's the kind of thing where I'm fairly certain that I can't be completely sure about it until it happens, but at the moment it's an "all signs point to yes" situation. Being at home is odd now, and I'm sure I'm spending a majority of my time either at work or at Greg's, so I suppose it makes the most sense for me to move there, because I'm pretty sure it's illegal for me to live at work. (Not to mention...Milpitas? Probably not.)
Also on the horizon: trips! And lots of them! Tahoe with Greg's parents and some friends this month, as well as a momentous parents-meeting-each-other event, then an East Coast wedding in June, and potentially Hawaii in August. If I can swing all that time off work, everything will be perfect. Well, time off and some funds to pay for all these trips would be nice, but one thing at a time.
As stress levels mount, expect to be hearing (reading?) more from me. Together with my shiny new computer, I'll be back to my twice-a-week self in no time! Well, probably some time. We'll see.
Who wouldn't want to be promoted at work? It reeks of lack of ambition, and makes me feel like I don't want to be successful. The rational part of my brain tells me it's ok not to want to be at the top (or any higher than I feel comfortable) of this organization, that it's not something that I plan to do as a "career" anyway, but the Type-A that's around from time to time wants to be the best, no matter what the competition is. In a job you're not sure you want? Doesn't matter, you should still be "winning," whatever that means. Sure, I want to go back to school, but how much does that determine how long I'm going to be working full-time? Also, why am I worrying about this eighteen months in advance?
On to the more exciting, (slightly) less nerve-wracking parts of my life...Moving Day is impending, with only about ten weeks separating me and cohabitation, and...I don't mind that much. It's the kind of thing where I'm fairly certain that I can't be completely sure about it until it happens, but at the moment it's an "all signs point to yes" situation. Being at home is odd now, and I'm sure I'm spending a majority of my time either at work or at Greg's, so I suppose it makes the most sense for me to move there, because I'm pretty sure it's illegal for me to live at work. (Not to mention...Milpitas? Probably not.)
Also on the horizon: trips! And lots of them! Tahoe with Greg's parents and some friends this month, as well as a momentous parents-meeting-each-other event, then an East Coast wedding in June, and potentially Hawaii in August. If I can swing all that time off work, everything will be perfect. Well, time off and some funds to pay for all these trips would be nice, but one thing at a time.
As stress levels mount, expect to be hearing (reading?) more from me. Together with my shiny new computer, I'll be back to my twice-a-week self in no time! Well, probably some time. We'll see.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Surprise!
No obligatory Valentine's Day post! Not even one to talk about it retrospectively-- it was a low-key affair, with a dinner in and an exchange of cards. Other details that my six readers don't need to know about, and then it was on to Thursday, which was remarkable in that I got to sleep in.
I got my new laptop today! I feel like such a grownup, spending hundreds and hundreds of my hard-earned dollars on a complicated piece of machinery I don't entirely understand, and yet still like a child, itching to leave work so I can play with my new toy. My ridiculously, ridiculously expensive toy (oddly enough, I don't know how I'd feel about spending this much on, say...shoes?).
In other news, I got to work in a different center today, which was nice because it was the complete opposite of what my center is like on a Friday. They had one table open, with a total of four kids coming in for sessions today. Conversely, my usual Friday has six full tables for two hours, meaning that there are a good 30 or so kids coming and going in the two hours we have instruction that day. Madness! It was like having a day off, almost. Now the sad part is that I have to go to work and do a typical Saturday tomorrow...
I got my new laptop today! I feel like such a grownup, spending hundreds and hundreds of my hard-earned dollars on a complicated piece of machinery I don't entirely understand, and yet still like a child, itching to leave work so I can play with my new toy. My ridiculously, ridiculously expensive toy (oddly enough, I don't know how I'd feel about spending this much on, say...shoes?).
In other news, I got to work in a different center today, which was nice because it was the complete opposite of what my center is like on a Friday. They had one table open, with a total of four kids coming in for sessions today. Conversely, my usual Friday has six full tables for two hours, meaning that there are a good 30 or so kids coming and going in the two hours we have instruction that day. Madness! It was like having a day off, almost. Now the sad part is that I have to go to work and do a typical Saturday tomorrow...
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