Just when I thought it wasn't possible to love my job anymore, things got all switched up and I'm loving it more than I could have imagined. Rather than spend 9-5 in the office, I get to help out with the new class of Dreamers in Boulder from 3-5 with the after school program. Now I get the chance to connect with the kids on a pretty intense level. I'm always amazed by things they say and do. Plus, I get to play Groundies every day. Booyah.
After about a month of working here at "I Have a Dream", I'm finally starting to understand all the quirks of the office as well as personalities of my co-workers.
Being a non-profit, a lot of our computer equipment and other office supplies often stop working abruptly. I've learned to just let that happen and deal with it patiently.
Our Central Office is pretty small with only 5 full time employees and 4 Americorps members, each with their own office. While I prefer to get up and go talk to people in their offices when I have a question, I've learned that others prefer to call the person on the phone (regardless of their proximity to the other person's office) and others prefer to just yell at the person so the whole office can hear. That one always makes me laugh.
I'm pretty sure someone stole my stapler my second day in the office. I still haven't said anything, in case I'm hallucinating and I never had a stapler to begin with. Plus I don't want to become the office Milton.
I'm super psyched for office pranks and am already coming up with some good ideas.
My new pet peeve is when people walk by my office and talk at me through my window. There is a door on the right hand side and then a floor to ceiling window on the lefthand side, so basically there isn't much of a wall there because it's all see-through. Rather than stand at my door and talk to me, some co-workers prefer to stand at the window and talk to me, even though there is glass in between us. Not only can I not hear them very clearly, there is a glare from the windows behind me that shine on the window by the door which means I usually can't see them very well either. It doesn't annoy me enough that I need to say anything, so I'll just live with it for now.
I have a very clear view from my desk of the office candy dish. This can be challenging sometimes because the candy is constantly calling my name, begging me to take a piece. It's also very funny because I get to watch all the other people in the office who walk by a take a piece. Some people go there specifically for the candy, others pretend like they're on some other important mission, and happen to walk by the dish. I know what they're really after though.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
First comes love
I'm taking a mental health day today. After working with PDA on the Gulf Coast, I've learned that it is best to take a break before you actually get burnt out. I'm not so much burnt out with work, because I love what I do, but I've been asked to change jobs a bit and need some space to think about it. More on that later.
Today I've cracked away at my to-do list and have been quite successful in gettin' it done. On that list, I included blogging because I haven't really had time to do it lately.
The topic most on my mind currently is love/dating.
My brother got married this summer, and perhaps that has something to do with why this concept is consuming my mind. In the past I've never given the topic much notice because I thought I was doing just fine without it. Now I'm at a point in my life when I am finally content with who I am. I'm starting to better define my faith and am not completely turned off by religion anymore. I have a great job that I love. I'm back in Colorado with my mountains. I've burned off the winter blubber that I gained during my post-PDA depression. I'm still living at home, but it isn't too bad of a situation, especially since I've been house sitting for other people a lot. Maybe I'm feeling so "whole" in all other aspects of life that I'm finally seeing that hole in my heart where intimacy could be.
Here's a bit about my dating history (and the word "bit" is appropriate since there isn't much history to talk about). I dated a guy in high school for about 3 months. Then I realized that I didn't really have feelings for him and broke it off in order to be fair to him. After breaking up we still went to prom which was like a total kick ass time (please note sarcasm there). Since then, one guy asked me out in college, but I turned him down because I was going through my "I hate all men crazy feminist phase" of my life. This phase was due to a whole lot of woman's studies courses and a messed up frame of mind left over from our church's youth director who put some pretty kooky ideas in my head.
I have been in love with a guy before. I just never told him. After all, "Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love" as Charlie Brown once said. So true my blockhead friend.
I take full responsibility for my lack of relationships. In high school I had these crazy notions about courtship and usually didn't even consider dating an option. In college I was so messed up with hyper-feminist ideas as well as a severe self confidence problem, there was no way I'd have a healthy relationship. In Mississippi I told myself not to be on the look out for a guy since I was still nursing some old wounds and needed to take time to figure out who I was before bringing another person into the picture.
So I guess that brings us up to date. I look around and see people in love with each other and I think "Huh, that would be nice". But then I readjust my eyes and look around. Perhaps it is due to the crowd I'm surrounding myself with, but I'm not really seeing any potential guys. I know my heart has been tainted by some of the jerks that my friends have dated. When I look at them, it makes me wonder if there are any non-douche bags out there. And then I catch wind of things like an article Bryce wrote about recently. And the frustration increases.
The other day I met a guy who was kind and genuine and attractive, but I missed my opportunity to give him my phone number. That happens when you have no courage. So now I'm hoping to run into him again, but who knows when that will be.
Tonight will be another Friday night of hanging out with my parents or perhaps taking my dog for a long walk. I could make tonight's theme song "Your New Twin Sized Bed" by Death Cab For Cutie, or I could go with "Single" by Natasha Bedingfield. I guess it all depends on perspective.
Today I've cracked away at my to-do list and have been quite successful in gettin' it done. On that list, I included blogging because I haven't really had time to do it lately.
The topic most on my mind currently is love/dating.
My brother got married this summer, and perhaps that has something to do with why this concept is consuming my mind. In the past I've never given the topic much notice because I thought I was doing just fine without it. Now I'm at a point in my life when I am finally content with who I am. I'm starting to better define my faith and am not completely turned off by religion anymore. I have a great job that I love. I'm back in Colorado with my mountains. I've burned off the winter blubber that I gained during my post-PDA depression. I'm still living at home, but it isn't too bad of a situation, especially since I've been house sitting for other people a lot. Maybe I'm feeling so "whole" in all other aspects of life that I'm finally seeing that hole in my heart where intimacy could be.
Here's a bit about my dating history (and the word "bit" is appropriate since there isn't much history to talk about). I dated a guy in high school for about 3 months. Then I realized that I didn't really have feelings for him and broke it off in order to be fair to him. After breaking up we still went to prom which was like a total kick ass time (please note sarcasm there). Since then, one guy asked me out in college, but I turned him down because I was going through my "I hate all men crazy feminist phase" of my life. This phase was due to a whole lot of woman's studies courses and a messed up frame of mind left over from our church's youth director who put some pretty kooky ideas in my head.
I have been in love with a guy before. I just never told him. After all, "Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love" as Charlie Brown once said. So true my blockhead friend.
I take full responsibility for my lack of relationships. In high school I had these crazy notions about courtship and usually didn't even consider dating an option. In college I was so messed up with hyper-feminist ideas as well as a severe self confidence problem, there was no way I'd have a healthy relationship. In Mississippi I told myself not to be on the look out for a guy since I was still nursing some old wounds and needed to take time to figure out who I was before bringing another person into the picture.
So I guess that brings us up to date. I look around and see people in love with each other and I think "Huh, that would be nice". But then I readjust my eyes and look around. Perhaps it is due to the crowd I'm surrounding myself with, but I'm not really seeing any potential guys. I know my heart has been tainted by some of the jerks that my friends have dated. When I look at them, it makes me wonder if there are any non-douche bags out there. And then I catch wind of things like an article Bryce wrote about recently. And the frustration increases.
The other day I met a guy who was kind and genuine and attractive, but I missed my opportunity to give him my phone number. That happens when you have no courage. So now I'm hoping to run into him again, but who knows when that will be.
Tonight will be another Friday night of hanging out with my parents or perhaps taking my dog for a long walk. I could make tonight's theme song "Your New Twin Sized Bed" by Death Cab For Cutie, or I could go with "Single" by Natasha Bedingfield. I guess it all depends on perspective.
Those Alaskans are so darn clever
I pinched myself today to make sure that I'm not dreaming. I've finally come to terms with the fact that it is possible that Sarah Palin could be vice-president of the USA, one step away from the presidency. This is so frightening to me, I may just pick up and move to Cuba if McCain/Palin are elected. Oy vey.
Rather than go into all things that I find shameful about this woman, I'll send you to another blog which talks about the biggest rally Alaska has ever had. 1500 people may not sound like a lot, but it's a pretty strong statement if you ask me.
Check it out.
My personal favorite: "Palin = G.W. Bush with Lipstick".
Rather than go into all things that I find shameful about this woman, I'll send you to another blog which talks about the biggest rally Alaska has ever had. 1500 people may not sound like a lot, but it's a pretty strong statement if you ask me.
Check it out.
My personal favorite: "Palin = G.W. Bush with Lipstick".
Thursday, September 11, 2008
When it rains, it pours
So much has happened in the past few weeks. I'll try to type out a coherent post, but it may be a little rough around the edges after having sat at a computer for 8.5 hours today. Hopefully my cyber-fatigue won't get in the way too much.
Gustav hit the Gulf Coast. I'm grateful that it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, but I'm still sad for those who were hit. Cuba, Haiti and so many other islands have seen the worst of it. Pearlington saw quite a bit of water, causing flooding in 100 homes plus the Turtle Landing (the only place in the world I would ever sing karaoke). Houma was hit by the eye which caused a great deal of damage to many homes, including Kevin Henry who is a friend as well as employee of PDA. I can't even imagine what it is like to lose your home twice in three years.
I started my job as Volunteer Coordinator with "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County. I'm in love with this job. The past few months of depression and questioning and waiting have all been worth it because now I'm in a place where I feel complete. My co-workers are amazing and it seems like everyone is passionate about what we do. I don't think I've ever worked for an organization where I actually feel energized by the work that we do, instead of drained and burnt out.
I bought a car. I didn't really mean to quite yet, it just sort of happened. A big part of my job will be hauling kids to tutoring sessions and field trips and such. I didn't really like the idea of breaking down with kids in the car and I'm sure their parents wouldn't appreciate that either. So, I went into the bank on a Friday to get pre-approved for a loan, just to get the process started. When I got home, I cruised around Craigslist to see what I should expect to pay for a car, when I found my car. I had the same gut feeling about this car that I had about going to UCCS and going to Mississippi and working for "I Have a Dream". It just felt right for some reason. So I called the guy up to set up a test drive and my dad and I went up to Ft. Collins the next day to take a look. I thought it was a typo when it said it only had 57,000 miles on it, because nobody sells their Subaru with only 57,000 miles on it. I was psyched when I found out it was true! The guy, a recent CSU grad, is moving to Bangkok for an internship and has to sell the car to pay for the trip. The car is in great shape mechanically, but it has some cosmetic issues like a lovely key scratch all along the driver's side, evidently put there by the owner's frat brother. I may even be able to sell Subie to a woman who teaches with my mom. Apparently she is obsessed with Subarus and likes to buy old ones to fix up. And here I thought I'd have to pay someone to take her off my hands:)
I'm babysitting a 16 year old. Maybe babysitting is the right word, more like housesitting with the added bonus of hanging out with a 16 year old. My best friend Jessie's parents are out of town this week and didn't want to leave their younger daughter home alone. So far things are good. She's a really great kid and there haven't been any issues so far. I'm just trying to give her some space so she doesn't think I'm hovering.
I think I covered all the bases. My eyes are starting to bug out, so I'll sign off for now.
Gustav hit the Gulf Coast. I'm grateful that it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, but I'm still sad for those who were hit. Cuba, Haiti and so many other islands have seen the worst of it. Pearlington saw quite a bit of water, causing flooding in 100 homes plus the Turtle Landing (the only place in the world I would ever sing karaoke). Houma was hit by the eye which caused a great deal of damage to many homes, including Kevin Henry who is a friend as well as employee of PDA. I can't even imagine what it is like to lose your home twice in three years.
I started my job as Volunteer Coordinator with "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County. I'm in love with this job. The past few months of depression and questioning and waiting have all been worth it because now I'm in a place where I feel complete. My co-workers are amazing and it seems like everyone is passionate about what we do. I don't think I've ever worked for an organization where I actually feel energized by the work that we do, instead of drained and burnt out.
I bought a car. I didn't really mean to quite yet, it just sort of happened. A big part of my job will be hauling kids to tutoring sessions and field trips and such. I didn't really like the idea of breaking down with kids in the car and I'm sure their parents wouldn't appreciate that either. So, I went into the bank on a Friday to get pre-approved for a loan, just to get the process started. When I got home, I cruised around Craigslist to see what I should expect to pay for a car, when I found my car. I had the same gut feeling about this car that I had about going to UCCS and going to Mississippi and working for "I Have a Dream". It just felt right for some reason. So I called the guy up to set up a test drive and my dad and I went up to Ft. Collins the next day to take a look. I thought it was a typo when it said it only had 57,000 miles on it, because nobody sells their Subaru with only 57,000 miles on it. I was psyched when I found out it was true! The guy, a recent CSU grad, is moving to Bangkok for an internship and has to sell the car to pay for the trip. The car is in great shape mechanically, but it has some cosmetic issues like a lovely key scratch all along the driver's side, evidently put there by the owner's frat brother. I may even be able to sell Subie to a woman who teaches with my mom. Apparently she is obsessed with Subarus and likes to buy old ones to fix up. And here I thought I'd have to pay someone to take her off my hands:)
I'm babysitting a 16 year old. Maybe babysitting is the right word, more like housesitting with the added bonus of hanging out with a 16 year old. My best friend Jessie's parents are out of town this week and didn't want to leave their younger daughter home alone. So far things are good. She's a really great kid and there haven't been any issues so far. I'm just trying to give her some space so she doesn't think I'm hovering.
I think I covered all the bases. My eyes are starting to bug out, so I'll sign off for now.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Gustav
I don't have the words to express my current emotion, instead I'll refer you to these blogs:
pearlington.blogspot.com
janeels.blogspot.com
kingdomemily.blogspot.com
I'm grateful that everyone I know and love have chosen to evacuate.
pearlington.blogspot.com
janeels.blogspot.com
kingdomemily.blogspot.com
I'm grateful that everyone I know and love have chosen to evacuate.
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