07.01.2011

a.k.a., the half-way point of 2011. My goodness, how time flies! It seems like just a couple of months ago I was writing about my resolutions for 2011. Like I said in the original post, I have never stuck to the resolutions I have made, but this year has been different. I haven't been the best at keeping up with the 4 things I set out to do this year. But, I am working on it! And so.....a recap. Perhaps seeing what I have excelled at and what I have failed at will keep me going strong for the remainder of the year!

Read at least one book each month: Check!

I have been absolutely successful in doing this. In fact, I don't even think of it as a goal that I want to achieve each month. I just finish one book and move on to another. I was never a big reader in school (I think one of the only required reading I ever finished was Catcher in the Rye) but I can honestly say I am a reader now! {Books I have read so far in 2011}

Go to the gym, 4 times a week, without complaining: 75%-check

I really don't like to workout. Rephrase: I really don't like getting off my lazy behind and going to the gym. But once I'm there, I can workout and feel great afterwards! Overall, I'm going probably 2 or 3 times a week, and complaining about it only once in a while. And since it's summertime now I'm swimming laps at the pool on the days I can't work up the motivation to get sweaty and do squats. For now, that is good enough for me!

Become better at keeping up with friends and family: Semi-check

This is something that I've never been great at. I always think if something big or exciting or horrible or scary or wonderful is happening with my friends or family, they'll call and let me know. And vice-versa. But what a horrible way to think! So while I may not be engaging in a weekly phone update with my BFFs, I do try to reach out via phone call, text, e-mail, Facebook, and dinner dates as often as I can. This is one of those things that will become more important as time goes on, and I intend to master it. Stay tuned. 

Cook or bake something new once every week: Pretty Much Fail

I started out this year like a champ on this one. I was baking cupcakes, breakfast bars, fruity treats and cookies. And I was trying new dinner recipes all the time. But come March, it all went downhill. I can't even remember the last time I cooked a meal for me and my roommates. So this category could use some major improvement! Please send any quick and easy dinner recipes my way, I'd love to try them out.

I hope the remaining 6 months of 2011 are as great and full of new adventures and surprises as these have been. Come December, I will be excited to be able to say that I stuck to my resolutions for the entire year....I hope! :)

Uhhh, I have to pay for that?

Here it is folks, a huge surprise....I have lived a pretty sheltered life. 

Whew, it feels good to get that off my chest.

But seriously. 

Here is today's dialogue between my roommate (aka my mother) and myself:


Roommate: "Oooh, you got some mail! Oh this is great that you got this!"


Me: {Thinking to myself what wedding/shindig/engagement party/baby shower do I have coming up?} "What is it?"


Roommate: {Ripping open my mail with a mischievous grin.} 
"It's your license plate payment!"


Me: "Uhhh, I have to pay for that?"


Roommate: "$81.00 to be exact."
-----
I have come to realize that while I have recently taken over any and all payments that have anything to with me (excluding rent, bills, groceries - the joys of living at home, thanks mom & dad!) every time I start to feel a sense of self-pride that I'm on a great track, something new comes out of thin air. Who knew you get a bill in the mail for your license plate?!...Not me!...And $81.00?! ARE. YOU. KIDDING.


I took this sweet little surprise as today's reminder that just when I start to think I've got things pretty figured out, I get a random notice in the mail that tells me that I don't.

JazzFest Friday

For those of you who aren't as big into some of the folk rock groups as I am - hence the numerous Mumford & Sons (here & here) and Avett Brothers (here) posts - I decided to spice it up with another headliner on April 29th at New Orleans Jazz Fest. And that would be Wyclef Jean.

I thought this song was particularly relevant for today's JazzFest Friday due to the recent disasters in Japan. Wyclef Jean wrote this song right after the earthquake in Haiti last year, and seeing as he is from Haiti, it holds incredible meaning for him. Although the situation in Haiti and the current tragedy in Japan are different, I thought the message in this song was one to hear. Not only that, but Wyclef also used "Hold On" to raise awareness. 

Let us not forget that there are thousands of people in Japan right now who have lost their families, homes, and even more that we cannot even imagine. Do what you can to help.

What They Don't Teach You in School...

          You spend 4 (or more) years in college preparing for the "real world." You attend countless hours of classes, take tests, and are required to turn in meaningless homework assignments. You sweat the small stuff, and later realize you could have gone to that party and missed that 8 am quiz and it wouldn't have even mattered! Teachers, advisors, parents and even your peers tell you that grades are important.  
          BUT what they don't tell you is how to actually prepare for the real world. I mean, getting a 4.0 GPA one semester after the other is quite a feat (I wouldn't quite know the feeling), but it is not going to guarantee you a job post-graduation. If college truly prepared us for the frustrating adventure many of us call the "Job Search" our professors would just constantly remind us how important is to:
                                          NETWORK & Be patient
          I have found that these two things are crucial parts of the job search. There are some people who do luck out and get chosen out of thousands to come in to interview for a job posting they found online. But that, my friends, is rare. Networking and making connections is the key. More importantly, use your parents to your advantage. Do you know why our parents have friends? So that we can meet them, get to know them, and use them as a connection in our job seeking endeavors. Duh. Our parents and their friends have been in the working world since before we were born. They know a lot of people. And those people know a lot of people. And so on. So while you may rather go to a holiday party with your friends instead of your parents, think again. Those parties are sure to connect you with some really great people.
          And as with anything in life, be patient. You may become frustrated that you are getting interviews for jobs that you don't really want. Look on the bright side: use that interview to practice your interviewing skills so when the "big one" comes along--you're more confident than ever! And if the calls aren't even coming in, you make the calls. Be persistent! Call the folks that you sent your resume to, call your Uncle and tell him to put in a good word at the company you just applied at, and keep calling and e-mailing until you hear back from someone. I used to think by doing this that I was really just being annoying. Wrong. You're actually showing how much you really want it.
          So to all of the current and future job seekers, take my advice. I've been there and I know what it's like. The right thing will come along at just the right time. Take your experiences and share it with others. I know that it would have helped if I had fully understood what I was getting into! 

2015 ? Uhhh....

In a job interview the other day I was asked "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Of course I should have anticipated that question, but I didn't. And it caught me off guard. So I gave a vague answer and a bit of a different approach--I described how I hoped I would feel in five years. Happy, successful, and have opportunities to learn and experience new things. Then I got to thinking, if a friend or family member had asked me the same question, would I have given the same answer? In the past, I would have given a completely different answer. But now, I would have answered similarly to the way I did in the interview. 


Truth be told, this summer I stopped making plans for my future because it only led to incredible disappointment. During my years at the University of Alabama, I met so many wonderful people....one being an incredible guy. We were together for the the last 3 of my 4 years in school and we spent a better part of those years making plans. So when our relationship ended in July, it felt like the future I had imagined came and slapped me in the face. And after my August graduation I was asking myself "What now?" That is when I made the conscious decision to just go with the flow. I realized that if I just tried taking things one day at a time, I wouldn't feel the level of sadness, disappointment, and uncertainty I felt before.  


But now I am asking myself, "what does this make me?" Am I a cynic? Am I bitter? Or have I just stepped back into reality? I'm hoping the answer is the latter. I feel like this way I am setting myself up for surprise and contentment rather than disappointment. I can focus on myself and really think about what I want and when I want it.


Trying to live in the now is hard, but I feel like now I have more ambitions than ever before. I stay focused on my goals, and just hope things turn out well. So for now, I'll let someone else take care of the plans and I'll just relax.