Every time a man sees a skirt, I swear he thinks it's his moral obligation to come over and comment (read: harass) the woman who's wearing it. Yes, this is a vast generalization, but I have found it to be true (and irritating) on more than one occasion. Interestingly enough, it happens almost every day I'm wearing a skirt.
On the road, most men think they are some kind of god who women desire to flock to and touch, so paying attention to a young, attractive 20-something woman is probably like a favor to her, right? Wrong.
On Tuesday, there was a group of older men meeting in the room adjacent to ours. Of course, I got "chatted up" (read: harassed) multiple times by multiple men and by the end of the day, I couldn't take it anymore. I mean, I can only be nice for so long! Stop making random conversation with me just so you can boost YOUR ego by talking to a pretty girl! I don't care about you! You're selfish and insecure and you're not as handsome as you used to be, so leave me alone! Perhaps if you were kind and sincere and weren't raised in an era when you were taught to dehumanize women, maybe THEN I wouldn't mind polite chatter, but you keep looking at me like you haven't seen a woman in 12 years and I'm really SICK of hearing that you're hitting up the hotel bar (hint, hint, wink, wink) or that you, too, were an emotionally rowdy child who had a learning disability and couldn't cope, so good thing we're teaching about it. Please go away! And, no, I DON'T get bored sitting here all day, thank-you-very-much!
God, that feels better.
In other news, I went out to eat with an "ex" (kind of, we really only dated for about 6 weeks, so who really counts that?) on Tuesday night and was surprised to find out that he was bringing his girlfriend as well. Thanks for the heads-up 15 minutes before picking me up! Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I bonded with her quite quickly -- she's almost my new best friend! I really adored her; we spent over 3.5 hours at dinner at this quaint little Italian place discussing politics and race and gender and oppression. (What did you expect? I have some serious opinions...) It was interesting and stimulating and enlightening all at the same time, and I'm so happy that I went! They think they'll be moving back to Minnesota soon, so we can all be friends when I move back as well. (Although, those of you hoping for an early move back will be disappointed to learn that I may be keeping this job -- based out of Seattle -- for a few more years, so my journey back to Minneapolis will be delayed indefinitely.)
Side note: New Yorkers are a different breed of people. They have such a strong and skewed accent, they are harshly (if not refreshingly) blunt, and they use their car horn as much as they blink. (They're crazy.) But, I love it here. It's beautiful and being an hour away from the City is exciting.
The drives this week have been gorgeous. Traveling through the Catskill Mountains during the autumn season seems unparalleled. I only wish a few things: 1) it hadn't been so rainy; 2) it hadn't been so foggy; 3) it hadn't been so dark; and 4) it hadn't been so windy. Also, a few New Yorkers mentioned that the fall colors are not as brilliant this year because of the warm weather. I guess the extended summer has produced lackluster leaves, resulting in more of a "rusty" fall than in previous years when colors were more vibrant. Well, I still thought it was pretty incredible.
Additionally, I have been thinking a lot about accomplishments in this job. For those of you who've been reading all of my blogs pretty regularly, do you remember when I wrote extensively about feeling so "accomplished" after traveling by myself in Europe a few times? Well, multiply that feeling by 10 and that's how I feel lately. It's funny, because the feeling of accomplishment is less intense than in Europe, but more pervasive. Not only do I feel so wonderful when I get to my destination all by myself, but I feel more adult-like, more capable, more trusting of myself and my decisions. I know that only good can come from this job!
Someone in Fishkill loves you! :)
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Upstate NY
It's great here! Really beautiful. The colors are a nice contrast to the brilliant green grass -- yesterday's drive from Syracuse to Rochester was quite nice. The only problem is: it's pouring rain today. The seminar room has even began to leak. NOT GOOD.
I feel like I have more to say, but I can't remember what it is! (Jogging memory...)
Still, I feel like this is all insane. I have to step back and take perspective sometimes when I'm randomly driving in the middle of a town I never thought I'd visit. Usually, these moments are accompanied by phone calls to people (namely, my parents) to rant about how ridiculous my life is -- it's like one long and spontaneous road trip! It's really incredible how one's life can change in a matter of minutes...hours...days. If I didn't happen to take a chance on a Craig's List ad due to the advice of an incredible best friend, I wouldn't have spent last night taking a jog through the beautiful campus of Rochester Institute of Technology, then eating at a random sports bar by myself, and retiring to a wonderful Sleep Number bed that now inhibits every room of the Radisson Hotel chain. I mean...REALLY, who gets to experience all this besides 24 other program managers?
In other news, while I was at lunch today (by myself again - but don't feel bad, I love it!), I was thinking about a few things that I would like to share with you all:
1) I suck at trying new foods. I mean, I like to do it, but I don't actually do it. Big difference. It's getting quite boring eating nothing every morning (no time!), a salad/soup/sandwich/wrap every afternoon, and a burger every night, so I've decided (despite my frugal self) to spend more money on food every day in order to try more interesting things. I need variety! I mean, when will I ever have the chance to not pay for food again? I can be such a stick in the mud sometimes!
2) I randomly started pondering this today: I'm convinced that our society does not promote trusting ourselves. In fact, they make it downright difficult to trust ourselves. Think about it -- they don't trust us to trust ourselves and make the "right" decisions (for us as individuals or for society in general), so they construct laws around ideas that could become (and have become) serious issues. For example, alcohol intake is restricted, smoking is banned in many places (not that I'm opposed, I'm just saying that the government is not allowing us to make our own decisions), drugs use is prohibited completely. Now, don't you think that if the government started to trust us and began to proactively help to install integrity within different populations, then we would more easily be able to trust ourselves and each other? (No wonder Europeans seem to have an innate trust in themselves - the government doesn't interfere with every g-damn thing they want to do. And if there is interference? They strike.) If we were given a choice as to when and how much alcohol we wanted to consume, don't you think that we'd get drunk a few times, but then allow ourselves a happy buzz every once and a while because it's fun? I mean, sure some people may still have problems (a whole separate issue, if you ask me), but I bet we wouldn't have a million and one 18-year-olds dying to go to college to steal into a bar or two and get drunk out of their mind. This definitely isn't a new idea, I just think it's interesting to relate it to internal trust issues - something to which I can definitely relate.
Side note: Tomorrow, I'm traveling to Fishkill, New York! Exciting (and weird)!
PS - You know, it's really enjoyable to have my laptop on location with me, but it's a serious pain in the ass to haul this sucker around along with the other 20 pounds (literally, I am not joking) in my backpack. I'm too cheap at the moment to get a rolling briefcase...but I better buck up soon, or I'm going to kill my back!
Cheers and love from the grand ole state of NY...
I feel like I have more to say, but I can't remember what it is! (Jogging memory...)
Still, I feel like this is all insane. I have to step back and take perspective sometimes when I'm randomly driving in the middle of a town I never thought I'd visit. Usually, these moments are accompanied by phone calls to people (namely, my parents) to rant about how ridiculous my life is -- it's like one long and spontaneous road trip! It's really incredible how one's life can change in a matter of minutes...hours...days. If I didn't happen to take a chance on a Craig's List ad due to the advice of an incredible best friend, I wouldn't have spent last night taking a jog through the beautiful campus of Rochester Institute of Technology, then eating at a random sports bar by myself, and retiring to a wonderful Sleep Number bed that now inhibits every room of the Radisson Hotel chain. I mean...REALLY, who gets to experience all this besides 24 other program managers?
In other news, while I was at lunch today (by myself again - but don't feel bad, I love it!), I was thinking about a few things that I would like to share with you all:
1) I suck at trying new foods. I mean, I like to do it, but I don't actually do it. Big difference. It's getting quite boring eating nothing every morning (no time!), a salad/soup/sandwich/wrap every afternoon, and a burger every night, so I've decided (despite my frugal self) to spend more money on food every day in order to try more interesting things. I need variety! I mean, when will I ever have the chance to not pay for food again? I can be such a stick in the mud sometimes!
2) I randomly started pondering this today: I'm convinced that our society does not promote trusting ourselves. In fact, they make it downright difficult to trust ourselves. Think about it -- they don't trust us to trust ourselves and make the "right" decisions (for us as individuals or for society in general), so they construct laws around ideas that could become (and have become) serious issues. For example, alcohol intake is restricted, smoking is banned in many places (not that I'm opposed, I'm just saying that the government is not allowing us to make our own decisions), drugs use is prohibited completely. Now, don't you think that if the government started to trust us and began to proactively help to install integrity within different populations, then we would more easily be able to trust ourselves and each other? (No wonder Europeans seem to have an innate trust in themselves - the government doesn't interfere with every g-damn thing they want to do. And if there is interference? They strike.) If we were given a choice as to when and how much alcohol we wanted to consume, don't you think that we'd get drunk a few times, but then allow ourselves a happy buzz every once and a while because it's fun? I mean, sure some people may still have problems (a whole separate issue, if you ask me), but I bet we wouldn't have a million and one 18-year-olds dying to go to college to steal into a bar or two and get drunk out of their mind. This definitely isn't a new idea, I just think it's interesting to relate it to internal trust issues - something to which I can definitely relate.
Side note: Tomorrow, I'm traveling to Fishkill, New York! Exciting (and weird)!
PS - You know, it's really enjoyable to have my laptop on location with me, but it's a serious pain in the ass to haul this sucker around along with the other 20 pounds (literally, I am not joking) in my backpack. I'm too cheap at the moment to get a rolling briefcase...but I better buck up soon, or I'm going to kill my back!
Cheers and love from the grand ole state of NY...
Sunday, October 21, 2007
What a Week!
Goodness, goodness. I can't believe my life. So, as I type, I am sitting in a hotel in Syracuse, New York after just driving down the streets of this (rather warm!) city trying to find a good place to eat. I found one, but it wasn't so good. La Bella Pizza didn't make my head turn, but I guess any food is good food when you don't have much time or desire to eat. I worked out tonight as well; it can be hard to find the time and the sanity to run on a hotel treadmill (imagine dark, low ceiling, stuffy rooms with old equipment and loud televisions), but I managed a few times last week and I will this week, too. I seem to sleep better when I've had exercise that doesn't involve running for my connecting flight.
So. Last week was a whirlwind of fun, and stress, and excitement, and nervousness, and triumph. I started off in New Orleans with my training group and it was so much fun. We spent Sunday night on Bourbon Street at a traditional restaurant (I ate shrimp jambalaya and creole) and moved to a jazz club on the strip. When we left the jazz club (one of many), we walked across the street and who finds me there, but an old friend from Green Bay who I've known since I was about 10 years old! It was fate, but it was so bizarre to see her in New Orleans of all places when (since she moved to LA a few years ago) I barely see her in Wisconsin! Craziness, I tell you. Then, we moved to a super ghetto (in an awesome way) club in which we physically were quite out of place. We were 5 white folks in a largely black person's club. I did the worm (I promised my group I would) and then one of the women in the club ("Shorty") came over and started to dance with us. Eventually, she spent the majority of the night teaching me how to shake my ass like a black woman. It was AMAZING. I think I've got it down. It's like the ass has a mind of it's own! It took me a while to get the hang of it (she even put her hands on my butt and proceeded to physically show me what to do), but I finally got it while almost everyone in the club clapped to the beat because they probably thought I needed the extra encouragement. By the end of the night, I was practically a member of their little gang and when I formally introduced myself, "Shorty" gasped and rolled up her sleeve to reveal a tattoo of my name across her upper arm. Needless to say, we took many pictures with the gasp-inducing tattoo.
The seminar went well the next day, but we ended up getting delayed in New Orleans because of storms in Houston. Lighting, flood warnings -- it was running the gambit and I was getting antsy in the airport, so I did some much-needed push-ups. I swear, during this job, I must get in a good amount of physical exercise or I'll die!
Houston was not as amazing as New Orleans (once we got there), but I tried Sonic (a fast food restaurant) for the first time and the hotel was stayed at was AMAZING. Best one yet. Luxurious sheets, flat screen TV, great rooms - I love it. Seminar went well, nothing interesting to report.
Then, we partnered off on Wednesday and I was off to San Jose, California. This ended up being a super nightmare! My partner flew in Tuesday night, but left me to my own devices after 10am the next morning when everything proceeded to go wrong. I almost broke down, but kept my wits about me and trudged through the day with my head high. It helped that Sarah came for lunch and we got to hug and catch up! Hallelujah!
By the time we got into Salt Lake City, I needed to work out. I did my preparations for the night and ordered room service before hitting the exercise room and picked up my BBQ chicken sandwich after my sweat sesh was finito. I showered and ate dinner in bed on one of those amazing in-bed tray tables! Delish!
The next day was the most interesting, stress-inducing, and (ironically) fun of them all. I woke up ready to roll (everything was going GREAT!), except for the fact that I was having severe abdominal pains. These were concerning only because I found blood in my stool (something I've never had before) the previous day. I called the nurse line that corresponds with my insurance and she told me to go into the emergency room immediately. I freaked! So, I made the arrangements to take a cab to the University of Utah hospital, talked to my boss(es) and the instructor, and made my way (albeit, crying) to the middle of Salt Lake City proper. (Funny enough, this is the only reason I got to see the city - it's gorgeous!) I was nervous filling out papers once I got there, but all went well and I was triaged into this room where I paced and paced while keeping in constant contact with work. (Well, you would be freaking too if it was your 4th day on the job and you were in a foreign city with no one to go to the emergency room with you for the first time!) Eventually, someone came in to give me an ultrasound (it was amazing -- I saw my spleen, ovaries, uterus, kidneys, colon, and heart!) and I found out that my aorta splits amazingly early into my legs. (The cute doctor was so impressed!) Oh, and my femural artery is visible only because I'm lean. (Apparently, people are usually too fat to see this.) Then, I got my blood drawn, which, as they promised me, was painless. I had a few "down under" exams, but everything seemed to check out and I got the best care EVER! It was wonderful! So...they think it was just stress that caused my symptoms, but at least I got them to help me with the crossword puzzle I was distracting myself with! I win the award for best patient ever! :) I even caught my early flight out of Salt Lake because they were so punctual!
Finally, last day of the week was in Denver. That went all fine and good -- but I was trying to catch up from the day before. Nothing significant happened except for the fact that I ate a bison burger. It was hella good. Flew back into Seattle on Friday night and got home around 10pm. Chatted with the roomies and got to bed for a whopping 11 hours of sleep. Woke up and did errands that day with Kelly, then packed until the wee morning hours with Adrian. Got up this morning at 5:15am (PDT) and spent the day flying to the East Coast where I am now. In fact, it's getting quite late and still need to shower. I hope this has entertained you for now! :)
I have my laptop with me this week, so you won't have to wait as long for news on my whereabouts...
So. Last week was a whirlwind of fun, and stress, and excitement, and nervousness, and triumph. I started off in New Orleans with my training group and it was so much fun. We spent Sunday night on Bourbon Street at a traditional restaurant (I ate shrimp jambalaya and creole) and moved to a jazz club on the strip. When we left the jazz club (one of many), we walked across the street and who finds me there, but an old friend from Green Bay who I've known since I was about 10 years old! It was fate, but it was so bizarre to see her in New Orleans of all places when (since she moved to LA a few years ago) I barely see her in Wisconsin! Craziness, I tell you. Then, we moved to a super ghetto (in an awesome way) club in which we physically were quite out of place. We were 5 white folks in a largely black person's club. I did the worm (I promised my group I would) and then one of the women in the club ("Shorty") came over and started to dance with us. Eventually, she spent the majority of the night teaching me how to shake my ass like a black woman. It was AMAZING. I think I've got it down. It's like the ass has a mind of it's own! It took me a while to get the hang of it (she even put her hands on my butt and proceeded to physically show me what to do), but I finally got it while almost everyone in the club clapped to the beat because they probably thought I needed the extra encouragement. By the end of the night, I was practically a member of their little gang and when I formally introduced myself, "Shorty" gasped and rolled up her sleeve to reveal a tattoo of my name across her upper arm. Needless to say, we took many pictures with the gasp-inducing tattoo.
The seminar went well the next day, but we ended up getting delayed in New Orleans because of storms in Houston. Lighting, flood warnings -- it was running the gambit and I was getting antsy in the airport, so I did some much-needed push-ups. I swear, during this job, I must get in a good amount of physical exercise or I'll die!
Houston was not as amazing as New Orleans (once we got there), but I tried Sonic (a fast food restaurant) for the first time and the hotel was stayed at was AMAZING. Best one yet. Luxurious sheets, flat screen TV, great rooms - I love it. Seminar went well, nothing interesting to report.
Then, we partnered off on Wednesday and I was off to San Jose, California. This ended up being a super nightmare! My partner flew in Tuesday night, but left me to my own devices after 10am the next morning when everything proceeded to go wrong. I almost broke down, but kept my wits about me and trudged through the day with my head high. It helped that Sarah came for lunch and we got to hug and catch up! Hallelujah!
By the time we got into Salt Lake City, I needed to work out. I did my preparations for the night and ordered room service before hitting the exercise room and picked up my BBQ chicken sandwich after my sweat sesh was finito. I showered and ate dinner in bed on one of those amazing in-bed tray tables! Delish!
The next day was the most interesting, stress-inducing, and (ironically) fun of them all. I woke up ready to roll (everything was going GREAT!), except for the fact that I was having severe abdominal pains. These were concerning only because I found blood in my stool (something I've never had before) the previous day. I called the nurse line that corresponds with my insurance and she told me to go into the emergency room immediately. I freaked! So, I made the arrangements to take a cab to the University of Utah hospital, talked to my boss(es) and the instructor, and made my way (albeit, crying) to the middle of Salt Lake City proper. (Funny enough, this is the only reason I got to see the city - it's gorgeous!) I was nervous filling out papers once I got there, but all went well and I was triaged into this room where I paced and paced while keeping in constant contact with work. (Well, you would be freaking too if it was your 4th day on the job and you were in a foreign city with no one to go to the emergency room with you for the first time!) Eventually, someone came in to give me an ultrasound (it was amazing -- I saw my spleen, ovaries, uterus, kidneys, colon, and heart!) and I found out that my aorta splits amazingly early into my legs. (The cute doctor was so impressed!) Oh, and my femural artery is visible only because I'm lean. (Apparently, people are usually too fat to see this.) Then, I got my blood drawn, which, as they promised me, was painless. I had a few "down under" exams, but everything seemed to check out and I got the best care EVER! It was wonderful! So...they think it was just stress that caused my symptoms, but at least I got them to help me with the crossword puzzle I was distracting myself with! I win the award for best patient ever! :) I even caught my early flight out of Salt Lake because they were so punctual!
Finally, last day of the week was in Denver. That went all fine and good -- but I was trying to catch up from the day before. Nothing significant happened except for the fact that I ate a bison burger. It was hella good. Flew back into Seattle on Friday night and got home around 10pm. Chatted with the roomies and got to bed for a whopping 11 hours of sleep. Woke up and did errands that day with Kelly, then packed until the wee morning hours with Adrian. Got up this morning at 5:15am (PDT) and spent the day flying to the East Coast where I am now. In fact, it's getting quite late and still need to shower. I hope this has entertained you for now! :)
I have my laptop with me this week, so you won't have to wait as long for news on my whereabouts...
Saturday, October 13, 2007
My First Week: Amazing!
Basically, I love my job and I've barely started. My first week was more than I could ask for in terms of feeling comfortable, desired, and trusted. I keep saying this, but everyone is SO NICE! I'm so glad I made the switch from grad school - it's the best decision I've ever made in my life. I feel like a gemstone that was mistreated, tossed through the mud, routinely dropped, and abused. Then, this wonderful company noticed that my skills and qualifications and character were things that could be utilized, and they nursed me back to health and took care of me -- and now, I am a beautiful, re-polished gemstone that has serious trust issues! I can't believe that I am liked and trusted and respected already! Seems so foreign to me.
Also, I think I should clear up some confusion about quitting grad school. My program is a three-year certification program which includes two years of studying for a Master's degree and a one-year internship -- both are necessary to practice school psychology. People can also opt to continue with the Ph.D. program, which begins after the Master's degree is obtained and during the year of internship. Even though we receive our Master's before the year of internship (because if people are continuing on for a Ph.D., they can start earning doctorate credits this year), we are still registered for credits during the internship year. In fact, the internship is considered school for us during that one year. Then, we take a test and finish up the amount of internship hours we need, and we're certified as school psychologists. So, this is the reason I quit grad school, but I still have my Master's degree. Not only did I quit my Ph.D. studies, but I also quit my internship, during which I was still registered for credits. Does that make sense? That's why I can say that I quit grad school and still put M.Ed. after my name. So, my decision was calculated -- I wanted that Master's degree! :)
In other news, I consulted with a Past-Life Regression (PLR) therapist yesterday afternoon and it was one of the most interesting meetings I've had in a while. You see, I believe that I am emotionally blocked and my cognitive behavioral therapy was just not addressing the mind-body-spirit connection as well as I would have liked, so I Googled alternative clinics in the Seattle area and found one in Redmond (near Seattle). I also found a doctor (with real credentials, but not licensed as a therapist) who specializes in PLR. Basically, the therapeutic assumption of PLR is that everyone has hundreds (if not thousands) of past lives that influence their present life - both emotionally, physically, and spiritually. The therapist proceeds to relax the client into an altered state (the consciousness right before sleeping) and guides them into a mindset that allows them to explore their past lives. This can take anywhere from 1 hour to 2.5 hours, and about 90% of the clients experience such change that they never come a second time. Also, the doctor told me that one does not have to believe in this approach to benefit from it, which I think is especially interesting. I'm totally going to try it. The doctor even said he suggests (during this state of altered consciousness) that the client remember everything about the "past life retellings" and most individuals wake up with the memory of what happened during whichever past life they chose to visit. Crazy!
Well, I fly to New Orleans tomorrow morning at 8:30am. Wish me luck! :)
Also, I think I should clear up some confusion about quitting grad school. My program is a three-year certification program which includes two years of studying for a Master's degree and a one-year internship -- both are necessary to practice school psychology. People can also opt to continue with the Ph.D. program, which begins after the Master's degree is obtained and during the year of internship. Even though we receive our Master's before the year of internship (because if people are continuing on for a Ph.D., they can start earning doctorate credits this year), we are still registered for credits during the internship year. In fact, the internship is considered school for us during that one year. Then, we take a test and finish up the amount of internship hours we need, and we're certified as school psychologists. So, this is the reason I quit grad school, but I still have my Master's degree. Not only did I quit my Ph.D. studies, but I also quit my internship, during which I was still registered for credits. Does that make sense? That's why I can say that I quit grad school and still put M.Ed. after my name. So, my decision was calculated -- I wanted that Master's degree! :)
In other news, I consulted with a Past-Life Regression (PLR) therapist yesterday afternoon and it was one of the most interesting meetings I've had in a while. You see, I believe that I am emotionally blocked and my cognitive behavioral therapy was just not addressing the mind-body-spirit connection as well as I would have liked, so I Googled alternative clinics in the Seattle area and found one in Redmond (near Seattle). I also found a doctor (with real credentials, but not licensed as a therapist) who specializes in PLR. Basically, the therapeutic assumption of PLR is that everyone has hundreds (if not thousands) of past lives that influence their present life - both emotionally, physically, and spiritually. The therapist proceeds to relax the client into an altered state (the consciousness right before sleeping) and guides them into a mindset that allows them to explore their past lives. This can take anywhere from 1 hour to 2.5 hours, and about 90% of the clients experience such change that they never come a second time. Also, the doctor told me that one does not have to believe in this approach to benefit from it, which I think is especially interesting. I'm totally going to try it. The doctor even said he suggests (during this state of altered consciousness) that the client remember everything about the "past life retellings" and most individuals wake up with the memory of what happened during whichever past life they chose to visit. Crazy!
Well, I fly to New Orleans tomorrow morning at 8:30am. Wish me luck! :)
Monday, October 8, 2007
My First Day: Fantanstic!
I love my job! I love the company! I love the people!
It's so incredible to be in a room with 30 people and feel valued, appreciated, and generally desired for your credentials without having to be all showy, and impressive, and unnecessarily fake. It's enlightening to have trust without having to be put through the ringer. I mean, today was nothing short of amazing. I can't even really describe it -- it's such a vast difference from my deficient graduate program. It's like the graduate program experience I WISH I had.
My colleagues are all beautiful and poised and trendy and sweet and interesting and inquisitive and funny and intelligent. It was like the first day of high school, except for everyone was good-looking and super nice (albeit, intimidating, but that kind of intimidating that doesn't prevent you from being friends with people) and friendly and we weren't all 14 years old with acne and a new set of genitals we had no idea how to use. (Did I just say that?)
We had morning snacks, interesting icebreakers (I didn't even know there was such a thing), and lunch...lunch was fabulous. Downtown Bellevue, 25th floor, great view of the city, melt-in-your-mouth salmon, nothing better.
To sum it all up: Today, I felt like a celebrity.
It's so incredible to be in a room with 30 people and feel valued, appreciated, and generally desired for your credentials without having to be all showy, and impressive, and unnecessarily fake. It's enlightening to have trust without having to be put through the ringer. I mean, today was nothing short of amazing. I can't even really describe it -- it's such a vast difference from my deficient graduate program. It's like the graduate program experience I WISH I had.
My colleagues are all beautiful and poised and trendy and sweet and interesting and inquisitive and funny and intelligent. It was like the first day of high school, except for everyone was good-looking and super nice (albeit, intimidating, but that kind of intimidating that doesn't prevent you from being friends with people) and friendly and we weren't all 14 years old with acne and a new set of genitals we had no idea how to use. (Did I just say that?)
We had morning snacks, interesting icebreakers (I didn't even know there was such a thing), and lunch...lunch was fabulous. Downtown Bellevue, 25th floor, great view of the city, melt-in-your-mouth salmon, nothing better.
To sum it all up: Today, I felt like a celebrity.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Grad School Dropout
If you're reading this, you've probably gotten my email about QUITTING GRAD SCHOOL! This, incidentally, defines me in a very cool way: I'm a grad school dropout! Flunkie! Quitter! Rebel! Maverick! Yay! Call me what you will...I have to say that I have never, never felt so GOOD about a decision in my life. It's my biggest accomplishment to date -- even bigger than getting the damn Master's (though, it feels pretty amazing to put M.Ed. after my name)!
So, here, in this very blog, you will learn all about my new career path and my new adventures. Stay tuned for juicy (but very anonymous) details!
How excited are you?!
Love,
Kelly Anne, M.Ed. (Gosh, that's fun!)
So, here, in this very blog, you will learn all about my new career path and my new adventures. Stay tuned for juicy (but very anonymous) details!
How excited are you?!
Love,
Kelly Anne, M.Ed. (Gosh, that's fun!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)