Peace Out 2009

So 2009 is at an end... I thought for sure this was the last year we would see those cooky glasses using the 0s of 2000 as eye holes... I was wrong. Some genious figured out how to make the 1 into an eye hole as well. Proof that there is some serious talent in this country (or China - I'm not sure which) :)



This has been an interesting year. I feel like I accomplished a lot. Let's review: I graduated from college, moved to Boston, worked some temp jobs, found a job as a marketing assistant/coordinator (Yeah, I finally found a job... even if it is only part time), saw Ben Afleck, visited New York City for the first time, and just recently joined a book club. So many things!!!

On a wider view than just my life: people have been born, people have died, people have fallen in love, and people have taken time to find themselves.
The New Year is an interesting thing. On one hand, it's really just another day - the week continues just as usual. On the other hand, it's a new start. A fresh beginning and everyone has another chance to make this year a great one.

I wish you all a very happy New Year and best of luck in all of your endeavours in 2010!

*Peace*

Reviews and Ramblings #2

I finally decided it was time for me to order some business cards. I know I don't have a business yet, but I do need an easy way to give people my information. I have been asked multiple times if I had a card to leave with someone, and finally I can say, "Yes I do!"
I ordered my cards through VistaPrint.com. My order of of 250 business cards was free, and all I had to pay for was shipping. I decided to pay a little extra (it was really only a few dollars more) and have my cards delivered within 7 days. Within 3 days my cards were already delivered and were waiting for me when I got home from work (one of my glorious temp jobs).
The cards look great. They have a large variety of designs to pick from and you can even upload your own. They also have a ton of other business supplies - pretty much everything you could need - and they can even match the design on your card. I was very impressed with how quickly my order was processed and I am very happy with my results. Thanks VistaPrint!
Also, if you sign up for the mailing list, you get announcements of great deals for free and discounted items in your e-mail.

www.vistaprint.com
You can even follow them on twitter: @VistaPrint

Change is good... bad... different?

I've never been a big fan of change. I like consistency probably because it's what I grew up with: I lived in the same house since I was born, had most of the same friends since elementary school, my family celebrated every holiday exactly the same every year (with the exception of the year we spent Christmas is France, and I cried because we didn't go to my aunt's like we did every other year... yeah, I know. In my defense I was only 13), and I guess I felt safe in my consistency bubble. I have also always been a fan of adventure, but the adventure usually concluded with the safe return to my bubble.

Now that I have moved half-way across the country from my safe zone, I have realized what I guess I have always known: Change is inevitable. And really the only thing I can do (other than eat way too much chocolate fudge brownie ice cream and live in denial) is to make the best of it. So this is the start of my decision to truly start embracing change. It's going to be hard, I know, afterall change can be difficult, but I'm really going to try my best.

I've already begun by slowly accepting the latest change in my life -the transition from college student to professional. While I can't really consider myself a professional anything yet, my hopes are in the right place. Working as a temp also involves a lot of change as I've already worked at two different places since my last post (although the one I was at then is still my favorite). I'm loving my new city, and I'm looking forward to loving a new job and hopefully loving some new friends! I guess life would be pretty boring without change, and I'm pretty sure that any changes that happen to me now can only be good - or at least be a step to good.

Seat Fabric and Temp Jobs

As I sit on the T on my way to and from my wonderful temp job, I can't help but wonder who decides which fabric to use on the seats. You know how seats on coach busses, and apparently the T, have these awful color and design combination fabric? Why would anybody honestly choose that as the best decision? On furthur thought, it is probably to avoid the visibility of strains and other unmentionables that we probably don't want to think about on those seats... eww- I think I'll stand today :)

As I mentioned I have a wonderful temp job. I'm loving the company I'm with and I'm learning a lot from them. The hard part is working week to week and not really knowing how long I'm actually going to be here. I would love to work here permanently, but it's a complicated situation (but that doesn't mean it can't have a happy ending). Working through a staffing agency has proven to be both a blessing and a curse. It is of course a blessing because I was placed at this awesome company and given a great opportunity to work with outstanding people and to learn hands-on about the field I want to get into. The bad part is that if the company decides they want to hire me, they will have to pay a fee to the staffing agency - and with the economy right now, employers are much more willing to hire people they can obtain for free. So, I'm just going to keep working hard and try to prove myself worthy :) I have only gotten compliments so far, so that's a nice ego boost.

Other than that, I have spent my time exploring Boston and, on Sundays, playing softball with the Frostbite League. I'll post a link to my video of one of my solo explorations of Boston once I finish editing on my oh-so-wonderful software of Windows Movie Maker (Yeah, I'm like a professional! HA!)

Here's to enjoying a new opportunity and making the most of what I can :)

Boston - Here I am!

I have been without internet for my first week here in Boston - I felt so disconnected, but don't worry, it's all good now. This has been a big move from Chicago, and it is truly the first time I have ever been on my own. I had a lot of freedom my four years of college, but really my parents were less than an hour drive away. Now, I'm 1000 miles away from anyone in my family and pretty much all of my best friends. This should be an interesting year.
So - Boston --- There are many things I like about this city, but first I feel the need to complain about the things I do not enjoy:
-The streets are completely confusing. A 2-way can turn into a 1-way at any given time. Just because a street seems like it may be perpendicular to another doesn't actually mean turning on it will take you to that other street.
-Many of the street corners don't have street signs-- how am I supposed to learn my way around when I don't now what street I'm on!?
-Drivers here are crazy. They turn and merge pretty much whenever they feel like it.
-Changing over my car registration is proving to be one of the most frustrating events of my life.

That being said, I do like the T system (for those of you not familiar with it, it is kind of like a bus/subway) I'm learning my way around those tracks and it is much easier than driving and finding a parking spot. I have also found that there are millions of choices of restaurants and some cute shops around.
The people here have also been much nicer than people told me they would be. Granted, I haven't really made any friends yet... but I'm still new in town - and I plan on remaining optimisitc!

I will keep you posted on anything exciting that happens (fingers crossed for finding a job!)

Reviews and Ramblings #1

So, I have been spending a lot of time the last few days cleaning my apartment because we officially move out tomorrow and my roommate and I would like to get our deposit back!
The stove was pretty stained when we moved in, and the fridge and cabinets somehow got kind of dirty over the year. I was using regular cleaner and paper towels, but it just was not working.
MR. CLEAN MAGIC ERASER is my new savior. It works so well and I want to let everybody know. It cleans almost anything and it works so much better and faster than any other cleaning products I've used. It got the burn marks off the top of the stove, the grossness that accumulated on the side of the stove and fridge, and even some marks off of the counter tops and floor that I don't even know what they were!
Mr.Clean Magic Eraser gets two thumbs up from me and it makes cleaning a lot easier (now, isn't that optimistic!)

--This is the first of (hopefully) many of my reviews of wonderful products that I discover.

The Inspiration of People

People say they are inspired by different things: nature, music, literature. I myself have realized that I am inspired most by other people, and I believe that everyone is actually inspired by other people as well. If you think about it, we do things almost always for other people. We do things for other people, in memory of them, in spite of them, to prove them wrong, to make them happy, to correct their wrong or to generally shows others our capabilities. Everything we do centers around other people.

So, I may be inspired by a book, but there was a person who is the author of that book. Or if I'm inspired by a painting, aren't I really inspired by the artist who created the idea of that painting? People have the amazing ability to imagine and to create; we are quite the interesting species.

This shouldn't make it seem as if we can not do anything without others, we simply work with each other on a daily basis. Even if we do something wrong, it may be just the inspiration that somebody else needed to do something great. So no matter what we do, whether it is a great accomplishment we can be proud of, or if it is a bad move we are ashamed of, we should not take it for granted because it may inspire others to create and act and live.

Good work everyone :)

No Guts, No Glory

"No guts, no glory." I have heard that saying a few times in the last couple days, and it has really struck a chord with me. It seems like a fairly simple sentence, but the more I think about it, the more inspiring it becomes.
Since I have recently graduated college I have embarked on the oh-so-exciting adventure of the job hunt. It can be very discouraging at times, and I have definitely taken a few blows to my ego, but I don't really have the choice to quit - so I keep looking.
This is where the saying comes into play. I may be afraid of rejection, and I worry that I won't find a job, but I can't let being afraid of not being hired stop me from applying. So, I may as well apply to those big name companies (and of course some of the small ones, too), and I need to realize that the worst thing they can say is "No." So, maybe they won't choose me out of all the candidates, but I'll never know if I don't try. This time after graduation is a very big change, and it is my opportunity to try new things and to really figure out where my place is going to be in the world (ok, well I obviously don't hope my place is forever at an entry-level job... but we all have to start somewhere.)
I'm going to remember that I have to keep my confidence with every application, and eventually something WILL work out. I'm sure of it. I think it is ok to be a little afraid, but we need to remember that there is always that chance of success!

Keeping the Optimism

Hello all.
I decided that as I am ending my college career and attempting to enter the working world, I should start my own blog to share and discuss my ideas on the world.
I chose the name "Keep the Optimism" because I always try to be an optimistic person and I will try to end every post with an optimistic outlook on life. So, instead of telling you to "keep the change," you can "keep the optimism."
I hope you all enjoy reading my posts, and please feel free to leave any comments or discussions.
Thanks and have a great rest of the week! :)