Easily Distracted

To prove this statement, I'd like to point out that I wrote the title of this post and then walked away for about 15 minutes. Not quite sure what's got in my brain recently, but my attention span has been slightly ridiculous.
I am currently in the late stages of planning a wedding (98 days to go!) so I have spent a lot of time thinking about the things I need to finish, but when I sit down to do them - like designing the invitations [which I've decided to do myself]- I get about 1/3 way through, then get this insatiable craving to check Facebook or YouTube or make a snack. While the peanut butter toast I just ate was delicious, I'm a little worried for myself :)
I think I just have a lot of things going through my mind and sometimes I find it hard to pick one to focus on, so finding a mindless distraction such as the above mentioned makes it so I don't have to think about any of them.

An update on NaNoWriMo (5 months late is better than never) I did complete my novel within the month of November. My final word count was right around 50,490 words. My Winner's certificate is still proudly being displayed on my refrigerator. I have slowly begun to read it and start editing, but it's still a long way away from being ready for publication. However, I'm extremely proud of myself for writing it, and I am more sure now than ever that I really do want to write. And I really like my story, so I think it may have potential once I work out the rough patches.

I'd like to think I've adjusted to life in Alabama now, but I continue to learn new things and I still find myself missing both Chicago and Boston. When I start to feel down about things lately I have rekindled my optimism and I've reminded myself that I'll only be as happy as I allow myself to be - so I'm embracing life and taking risks and deciding that I'm just going to be happy with how things work out. I didn't get a job I recently applied to, but I'm pretty sure it's just a sign that I'm supposed to be doing something else. Maybe this is a good excuse to get back to writing (hey, I wrote this blog, didn't I? This is already an improvement!)

Here's to another day, another distraction, and hopefully accomplishing something soon :)

February gets gypped

Seriously? Why do some months get 31 days, most others get at least 30, and poor February only gets 28. Every 4 years we feel sorry for it and give it another day, but it is still the shortest month of the year. Poor February.

Although I'm not really a fan of winter, so I guess I should look at it as a quick month bringing Spring even sooner - *Optimism*

I wanted to share that thought about February, and I also wanted to announce that after all my whining about creativity and wanting to write blah blah blah... I've finally come up with a concept for a novel!!!! YAY!!

It will be a Young Adult fiction novel, with a female main character. It will be focused on a young girl coming of age and learning to make her own luck and her own adventures. Because, let's be honest, life doesn't not always give us what we want, and sometimes we have to make things happen ourselves.

Ok, now that I wrote it here I have to actually write it! Hold me to it!! I'm sure it'll take a while to fully complete, but at least I have somewhere start now.

I'm soooo excited!

Being a Friend

So many times I've seen people make lists of who they are: Daughter, sister, friend, college graduate, volunteer, etc, etc. I've been thinking and I believe that the most important identity to me is Friend. Obviously daughter and sister are important and special, but these identities were assigned, not chosen. Graduate and volunteer are great aspects as well, but I still don't feel like they give a good idea of who I really am. I have chosen to be a friend and it's wonderful that we get to choose who our friends are. And as much as I love my family, there is no replacement for the relationship you have with a friend.

It was a difficult time when I had to realize who my true friends were, but now I am beyond thankful for these wonderful women in my life. Since we can choose our friendships, we also get to set our own rules and expectations for those relationships. I can talk to my friends about pretty much anything, and we know each other well enough to share without the fear of judgment. I truly hope that every person has the opportunity to share in a relationship where you know that you would do anything for a person and know that that person would do anything for you.

In this time in our lives when my friends and I are all figuring out what we're going to do with our futures, it is so great to have each other to rely on. No matter how much my life is changing right now, I know that my friends will always be there (even if "there" is 1000 miles away). I still hope that some day we can live closer together again, but no matter what I'm thankful for them and love my friends beyond explanation.

A million thanks to all of them! I hope everyone else can take a moment to truly appreciate their friends, and to remember to be a friend.

Random Thoughts of the Day

Since I missed my August post, and I only wrote 1 in September, this post will serve as my "make-up" post. Although, at the moment I just feel like sharing some random thoughts:

-It must be hard to be a color-blind referee.

-Isn't it strange how we treat the Speed Limit as a minimum?

-I think it really stinks that "diet" drinks taste so gross.

-What is the point of hiccuping?

-With the infinite amount of possible names there are in the world, I have to wonder why there are so many streets with the same names! And why there are towns with the same names! Come people, let's stir up that creativity!


That's all for now.
Let me know your random thoughts of the day!

And remember to Keep the Optimism!

20 minutes (I guess this makes up for August...)

So I clearly failed at posting my August blog post, but I'm pretty sure my 1 reader didn't notice :) ha ha

August was a little crazy because I was packing up my apartment and moving about 20 minutes south. So, now I'm about as far south of Boston as I was north before. Pretty drastic change, I know.

It is amazing what 20 minutes can do, though. In my new town people are much more friendly. I've been greeted with friendly "Hi" "Hello" and smiles from strangers -- I love it! The people in my new apartment building are ultimately more friendly than in my last building, and the building itself is much nicer. Although moving is always a little hectic, this move was definitely worth it.

I'm very happy in my new home and I can't wait to take a little time to explore. I'm only 3 miles away from the beach, and I predict that will provide plenty of adventures.

I'll keep this post short, and I'll do my best to think of a much more inspiring topic for my actual September post.

Keep on looking for the adventure (even if it's only 20 minutes away!)

That's it! I'm building an ark!

Ok, maybe building an ark is a little ambitious, but all my fellow Boston-dwellers have to agree that the rain here is ridiculous! At first I was like "woo-hoo! Rain = free car wash" (which I really needed), but now it's more like "wamp wamp... rain makes everything dreary and it's not fun getting my work clothes all wet."

That gives me yet another reason I am beyond excited to go back to Chicago this weekend! I can't wait to see some friends and spend Easter with my family. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but my family is very big on getting together for holidays, and sometimes it's just weird to think I live 1,000 miles away from anybody related to me...

My current obsession is getting free stuff - who doesn't like that? I'm a big fan of the sitewww.heyitsfree.com Not only does it have an awesome name, but he gives great freebie tips and there are links to tons of other freebie sites. So far I've gotten a ring sizer from Blue Nile and a sample of Hyland's Restful Legs (because I'm seriously convinced I have Restless Leg Syndrome and I'm hoping this helps), and I'm still awaiting tons more things I ordered the other night when I couldn't sleep :)

I hope you had a wonderful March (and that you stayed dryer than I did!) Now go order some free stuff and I'll be back next month with more wonderfulness!

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!)

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!