So much has happened in the past ten years that I can’t even begin to think about where I was or even who I was on New Years Eve in 1999. I was definitely partying somewhere, but holy shit has a lot changed! I’m actually excited for the new decade, hoping that the drama of the past ten years is over and embracing the unknown for the next ten. Looking back on everything just makes me realize how much I’ve grown and endured over the years, the ups, downs, and in-betweens that have shaped the person I am today. I am proud of everything and do not regret one bit.
Last year I only made one resolution – which is more than I can say for previous years as I usually don’t make any resolutions at all – to stay true to myself. I actually kept that resolution. My life has done a complete 180 since one year ago today, and while I am surrounded with many kind, supportive, and loving people in my life I have to take most of the credit for the progress that I have made. This new year I hope to continue to stay true to myself and make even more changes for the better.
So now I’m going to go celebrate with some of my favorite people, and toast to a fulfilling year (and decade) ahead. Happy New Year folks!
I am at about exactly the halfway point in my graduate studies, two weeks away from the end of this semester, the end of classroom studies and the beginning of student teaching come January. These last six months have been incredibly stressful, intensely overwhelming at times, amazingly rewarding, and super exciting.
But I’m over it.
I’m over the papers and projects and presentations. I’m over regurgitating the same information over and over again for different audiences in different venues with different people. I’m over reading about “differentiated instruction” and “exceptional learners.” I’m over graphic organizers, and KWL charts, and fucking APA 6th. I just want to be done. I just want to get in the damn classroom already and work with – gasp! – real live kids! I mean, in all honesty, I’m truly terrified to get up there and stand in front of a room of adolescents who probably want nothing more to humiliate me, but practice makes perfect right? Mundane powerpoints and jigsaw learning techniques perfect does NOT make.
Enough venting. I’m in the home stretch – it’s almost over.
The day after I wrote the last post I got laid off. I have joined the ranks of the (many) unemployed. I know it’s fucked up to say at a time like this when people are scared shitless to lose their jobs, but I am glad I got the boot. I was extremely unhappy in my job, I just moved home and added a two hour commute each way to my day, I needed a change and I guess the universe decided to give me one. Based on that last post I have some serious soul searching to do, and holy shit do I now have more than enough time to do it.
So why have I not posted anything in the last oh, almost 30 days? Simple. Vacationing. You know what I’m talkin’ bout people, YEAH!! Par-TAY!!!
Now it’s time to get serious. I’ve been given an opportunity to reinvent myself and do whatever it is my heart desires with this beautiful life. I just have to figure out what the hell that is! Is it bad that I don’t know? Does anyone really ever know? And if they do, how did they figure it out? I don’t really have the luxury of trying a bunch of different careers to see what fits. How do you realize your passion? And once you do, how do you turn your passion into something that makes you cash? These are the big questions everyone asks themselves I guess.
My point is, I need to take this time to find something I like to do and can make my career. I am certainly not going to get myself back into a job where I wake up every weekday and drink coffee out of this:
Because that’s how I felt sitting in my old cubicle. No thanks!
Anyhoo, just want to update you as to what’s been going on. We’ll be back to regularly scheduled broadcasting in no time.
2009, WOW! Only one more year of the double zeros! Is that what they’re calling this decade? Who knows.
Happy New Year!
NaBloPoMo sends me monthly email updates reminding me to blog and telling me what the next month’s posting theme would be. Not that I’m so anxious to go through THAT again (maybe one day but not just yet, bigger and better things on the horizon that I will need my precious time for). Regardless, I received such an update right before the holiday that the theme for January is “change” and I thought HOW FITTING. With the messiah of change taking office in a mere 15 days, and a new year upon us I would think we all have change on the brain. You may want to change your life, change your career, change your health, your wealth, whatever it is I’m sure the desire is heightened during these times. I’m confident we all have high hopes for this year – for our families, ourselves, even our country and our new President. I know I do.
In lieu of typical resolutions, which I don’t make anyway and even if I did I wouldn’t keep them (I love my vices too much), I’ve decided to make a list of things I’d like to work on in an effort to pave the way for the best life I can have and be the best me I can be. (SO CORNY RIGHT?!?)
Anyway, I figured if I put them out there on the internets there’s really no getting away with not trying. Because a year from now I’ll be all “What did I blog about a year ago?” and I’ll go the the archives and see this post and be “Shit, I really suck!” And then I’ll drink too much scotch and fall down the stairs and crack my head open and die and I probably wouldn’t be wearing any underwear and that’s not good so I should just suck it up and try to do the following 8 things this new year.
Let’s hear it for change:
Be completely me, all of the time, no matter how scary or ugly that may be sometimes (hilarious and dead sexy all of the time).
Get rid of those things in my life that either no longer make me happy or do not have a positive influence on my life (including clothes and shoes!).
Figure out exactly what it is I want to be when I grow up, even if it means taking drastic measures to find out what that is. With great risk comes great reward.
Learn how to do something by the end of the year that I do not know how to do today.
Be the best friend, daughter, sister, cousin, lover, etc that I can be.
Visit a place i’ve never before been, even if that place is only 10 minutes away by car.
Keep myself, my mind, and my heart open to any and all possibilities and opportunities that present themselves to me (see #3).
Laugh. And then laugh again. And then laugh some more.
Bonus: At the end of the year, be able to look back on this list and confidently check each one off (no cheating!)
I know this may sound a little overzealous, but while 2008 wasn’t the WORST year it certainly wasn’t my best. For this reason I am looking forward to 2009 and all of the wonderful experiences that are in store – I have a feeling I’m in for a crazy ride. I’ll be sure to keep you posted (ha!) as to what goes on (wouldn’t want to have to dip into the scotch)!
Mamba hopes 2009 bring you everything your incredibly awesome hearts desire!
I stood on line today for two and a half hours to vote. There was a line outside just to wait to get on the inside line, and everyone was acting like they were on line for free beer or something. It was a party!
I stood on line in front of a 43-year-old man who was so excited to vote that he literally did the pee-pee dance the entire time. He recited Obama’s speech from the night before. He read editorials out loud from today’s NY Times. He told me where I could volunteer if I didn’t have to go to work. He seriously danced around as he told me that in twelve years not only had he only voted against “the other guy,” this was the first year he was proactively voting for someone. His excitement was contagious.
There were a lot of people on my line that agreed with him. After all that excitement it was finally my turn to officially make my decision:
PHEW! It’s over! And here we are, awaiting the results, and I could not be happier. I felt PROUD to stand on line and have my say. I was excited to see so many other people as excited as me. Children on line with their parents were asking, “Did Obama win yet?” Just the way children say “Obama” is exciting. Everything about this day is exciting!!! (How many more times can I say “exciting?” I can’t help myself!)
My Democratic mother received a photograph in the mail a few months ago, and she didn’t understand why McCain/Palin would have sent it to her as she is clearly a registered democrat. I haven’t had a reason to post this picture until today, but it just wants to make me say:
Naa-Naa-Na-Na-Naaaaaah!!!
OBAMA/BIDEN ‘08/’12
UPDATE: As I am proofreading this post, Obama has been elected. There are really no words to describe how I feel about this other than, WOOO-HOOO!!!!!! Way to go America!
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