Happy New Year! Thoughts to Rambles...

I'm not the resolution type of gal so I figured out that instead of making a list (as if I would have the discipline to make a real list!) I would jot down random thoughts about my 2006 life and what I would change/make better, or not change at all/strive to do again.

FAMILY & FRIENDS

• Make more time for the people (and dogs and cats!) that I care about.
  
  I need to keep on the path of change that I started in '06 and continue to make time for those I care about. I'm reminded that time is precious and one day the people who keep me going are not always going to be around. Not to be depressing or pessimistic, but several of my relatives and a couple of my friends have had health issues this year. This is not a premonition or anything, it's just a small reminder that my sources of energy, optimism and strength need to be cherished as we're all mortal.
  
• Not stress the things that are done by backstabbers or hurters...
  
  Much easier said than done. Last year and in '05 a few people that I thought were my friends, did some eally shitty things to me and confessed about some trifling crap. Although I don't feel as hurt, I still feel anger at times about being taken advantage of. I need to move past these feelings. That's why the first item of being around only positive people who are true friends, is the most important goal.
  The kicker? I have to find a way to forgive. The downer? I'm not big on forgive and forget. I may forgive but I have a hard time forgetting...

GOT TO HAVE A J-O-B (if you wanna be with me! 80s fans may remember this hook!)

• Take risks.
  
  This is one I need to continue doing/strive to do again. My risks at the end of '05 and throughout this year revolved around jobs. In '05 I left a comfy yet stifling workplace for a shot at a career at a company that was undergoing a merger. With a friend's referral I got the job and loved it despite the possibility of a layoff due to the merger. However, I gew to despise my boss for a long list of reasons and left, partly because of my boss and mostly due to concern that I would be blamed for some serious flaws with our projects that I couldn't get her to addres. The kicker? I ended up with a permanent job after the merger. The downer? I chose to leave knowing that I may be giving up one of the best jobs I ever had.
  
  The kicker? I ended up working at the second worse job of my entire life! I suffered through 8 months of dreading going to work and having headaches and other physical symptoms. So, I quit. Yup, just up and left (professionally). Now, I'm at a workplace that isn't perfect but at least my boss is cool, he's smart and my coworkers and I all get along. We love what we do and when something critical had to be accomplished in an unreasonable amount of time, we all pitched in and got it done. So, the commute etc may not be perfect, but hey, it's damn near close.

LIFE, or something like it!

• Enjoy life and the various aspects of living without racing to "an end" of some kind! :-)
  
  For all of my undergrad years, I felt like I was in a race to the finish. I started college later than most and was often reminded of not having my college degree in my job searches and casual converations with colleagues who attended college right out of high school, top name colleges, etc. While I don't think many of these former coworker clowns could write or use logic to get themselves of a simple cardboard box, they had the credentials that I was still struggling to obtain. So, I felt like I had to have a certain GPA to compete. Well, I finished college in 4 years while working fulltime and not to brag, but I graduated with honors! Now I'm attending grad school and don't feel as if I have to rush as much since I'm not competing anymore.
  
  The point? I'm not killing myself to get my degree in a specific timeframe. The kicker? I really enjoy learning (not math!) The downer? School is expensive and takes a lot of time. But, if you have a goal in mind, go for it!
  
• Try to stick to my goals from '05 and finish my short stories and other projects I keep thinking about.

That's the whole point of my rambles here. If you have a goal, then go for it! This is a new year and a good time as any to think about what is going well, what isn't going well and what you want to accomplish or be known for. If someone happens to stumble across my blog and reads my random thoughts, happy new year to you and may you and your loved ones have a wonderful, healthy year in 2007!!

Vacation Chill/Thankful

I've been away from work for about a week now and my semester is finally over!

The main thing that I have discovered about myself in the past few days is that I would go stark raving mad if I had no job or nothing to do. Don't get me wrong - I'm happy to have my "sanity check" vacation that I take at the end of every year to just chill, sleep late, hang with family and friends, sleep, sleep :-) and basically just end the year on nice, relaxing, positive notes.

The only downside is that by about this time (6th day or so), I become restless. Oh, it's not really that bad because I have stuff to do like projects around the house that I've put off all semester not to mention the books to catch up on, etc. However, I realize that desite the fact that I'm ready to end the work week by oh say, every Wednesday, activity keeps me sane and eliminates rust on the brain. Or, so I'd like to think.

So, now that I am reminded of this, I will continue to enjoy the time away from the rat race and the mass herdage with a smile knowing that I have a great personal life, finally have a job and coworkers that I like and that for the most part, people I care about are happy and healthy.

To make things better, it still doesn't feel like winter in these parts (woo hoo!!) which makes it all the better to bike and enjoy fun stuff outdoors. It could be worse, I could live in some blizzard stricken area which would suck.

So, with that thought, I think I'll go enjoy the rest of my veg out time and focus on enjoying the little and simple things in life. Oh yeah, and catch up on my tivo'd shows! yaaa tivo!!

Anyway, my hope for the rest of the year is that we all have a good time leaving the 2006 year behind and welcome the new year with positive thoughts and plans. While I'm not the mushy type, I do occasionally wish for peace and the welcoming of the new year is a good time as any to revisit this hope.

Peace.

I've Been Tagged

So, I'll try and be a good sport and respond 'cause I've been tagged by Irish http://sharkswithlaserbeams.blogspot.com.

A- Available or Single? Nope. Hmmm, but if I'm available, shouldn't I also be single? Oh, silly me...

B- Best Friend? Yes, I have four and a half. There is no ranking on the list which includes my husband, mom, dad and two close friends.

C- Cake or pie? Yes, please!!

D- Drink of choice? Choice? It's alcohol. Preference? It's water. Is there a diff between 'choice' and 'preference'? No, just wanted to get two answers in there...

E- Essential item I use every day. Too many body parts to mention!! ;-)

F- Favorite color: Black. And purple. Not in the I just got beatdown kinda way tho'...

G- Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms? None. I'm not a candy kinda person.

H- Hometown? Trinidad, West Indies - aka Caribbean.

I- Indulgence: TV shows like Law & Order - SVU and any lawyer-like pics, biking, sports, working out - I'm addicted to activity!

J- January or February? Or March or October! Or, where are we going with this??

K- Kids and names: Animal kids include dog "Herbie" (Hurrikane) and cat "Furface" (Rizzo)

L- Life is incomplete without? FUN!

M- Marriage date: Am I supposed to pick one?? Oh, well mine is Jan 2nd.

N- Number of siblings: None. Go ahead, just start shrinking me and telling me about the only child syndromes now...

O- Oranges or apples? YES, please. Especially if they are on the side of my glass, or or in my drinks!

P- Phobias or fears? Hmm, no real phobias but I do have a fear of getting old and not being able to take care of myself. That would not be cool.

Q- Favorite quote? 1) Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. 2) If you're going through hell, keep going. Both are by Churchill.

R- Reasons to smile: I love my life.

S- Season: Garlic? Oh, you mean favorite or now? I'm confused. Well, now is Winter with 50 and 60-degree days that I absolutely love and my favorite season is Spring. All the trees are coming back to life and Summer Fun is just around the corner.

T- Tag 3 or 4 people. I'll let others use this if they want but please, keep the crowd requests down to three or four please. :-)

U- Unknown fact: Well it ain't so unknown no more...I played Football (aka soccer) in high school without telling my parents. They wanted me to focus on my studies and piano and guitar lessons when all I wanted to do was play sports!

V- Vegetable you don’t like: Celery! Onions!

W- Worst habit: Grinding my teeth in my sleep. Drives everyone I've slept next to, nuts.

X- X-Rays: Had several. Funniest one was when I almost tore a ligament in my foot and my husband was questioned for almost an hour about whether he tried to throw me down the stairs. Poor thing was put through the wringer with the cops' and doctors' questions.

Y- Your favorite food? I love food. Almost all food. I'd give up desserts for food.

Z- Zodiac sign: Libra!! In case you don't know the symbol, it's the shape at the bottom of my rose tattoo! :-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Almost, anyway. :-)

Well, it's been awhile and I've been such a slacker in my entries. I think if I still used a journal to write in, or a diary, it would be collecting dust right now.

While I'm not the new year resolutions kinda gal, I figured I should end the old year on a positive note and be thankful for everything that I have and my health. Yeah, yeah, it's corny but at least it's real, to me anyway. I am thankful that my family and friends are doing well and with one exception of a friend with a health problem, most is well. So, it's time to look forward to a new year...

Hopefully, it won't be as tiring or as eventful with jobs as this year has been. I just realized that I've had three jobs this year!! Woo hoo, on the bright side, I'm employable and on the not-so-bright side, well, I've had three consecutive jobs at three different companies - which, by the way are total opposites.

I started the year at an online financial services company and then moved to a logistics and transportation company known as oops, only to round out the top three by working for the Federal Government. Well at least I'm flexible! Yes, in that way too! ;-) Ha ha

The new job is really cool, I get to meet some interesting political people, I like what I do, I get to play racquetball at lunch three days a week and go to the gym the other two so I guess I have little to complain about. The commute still sucks at times (1 hour train ride into DC and a 10-15 min walk to the office), but for the most part it's ok. I've found lots of things to do on my train ride. In addition to the old faithful of people-watching, I have to study during the semester, and now that I'm out for the holidays, I can read and play games, etc. while listening to music.

So it's really not that bad. I think I'll have to start a while new category of commuter tales because some of the stuff is just tooooo funny to keep to myself. One example is of the "Quiet Car Nazi" who shushes everyone, including some guy who sneezed! I think he thinks it's the Absolutely Silent Car. What a weirdo, but I guess 19 years on a 2 hour one way commute will do that to ya! Oh, and not to mention the other fun part about my commuter train is that they allow alcohol and food, etc. so from time to time I'll watch people stumble off the train looking totally wrecked and twisted. Ahhh yes, commuters...

Now, I just need to get wireless connectivity on my laptop on the train and a good discreet camera ;-) Hmmm....

My New Adventure, Part Deux

I made a choice about my job situation. I chose to try something new that I think is for the best (stress levels, conscience, etc.) and in so doing, I turned down an investment firm's very decent offer. While the job I chose is certainly not a bad paying gig, it pays less than the investment firm and is a longer commute from home.

However, I'm trying to stick to my belief that money isn't everything and while I certainly enjoy shopping :-) I want to enjoy my workdays and feel as if what I'm doing really will make a difference. Yeah, yeah, I know I may sound like an extreme idealist but I've had my share of working for the man who doesn't give a damn about the lil man.

Although I'm happy at work and think the environment is much better than several of my last jobs, I can't seem to shake a nagging feeling which surfaces every three days or so that says I may have just turned my back on the rewards that were starting to roll in, such as the job offers and compensation. After all, didn't I pay my dues in the financial services industry so that I could get to this position and higher??

I'm trying to figure out why I have these thoughts even though I'm happy with my job. Is it that I've been programmed to think that success is defined by how much you make and the reputation of the company that you work for, which in turn determines your worth as a person? I don't think that success is defined by $$ or status, but is there something brewing in my subconscious?

Most of my friends have been supportive of my decision while two have said that they thought I was making a mistake by a) taking less money and b) by choosing to work in DC and have to take the train to work. But hey, I'm going to do what I claimed was on my list of things to pay attention to this year, and that is to trust my instincts. Therefore, I will say that based on instincts, I made the best choice and if someone's really a friend, they'll just be happy for me.

I've added another year!

I've successfully added another year to my life! Woo hoo! Ok, so technically I didn't really add the year. However, I think it's a good sign that I've made it to another year without inflicting bodily harm to several of my ex-coworkers and ex-bosses. That is definitely something I should celebrate.

Another aspect of my life that I'm celebrating this day is that this is the first birthday in quite some years that I'm not partying the weekend away or ending up hung over or drunk by the end of the night. Well, at least I don't plan to end up drunk tonight but since I didn't plan to feel relaxed (very!) last night, who knows! Seriously though, I think this is another good start.

So, I've been hearing about these life lists that people are making and since I'm not a list kinda gal, I think I'll just stick to my usual and at least think about what I want to focus on this year and I'll list the kosher ones here as reminders.

And who knows, maybe I'll get adventurous and post the "not-so-kosher" juicier ones later! ;-)

1. Continue last year's goal of making the effort to always be a better daughter, spouse and friend.
2. Continue learning (about anything that interests me...)
3. Be a more patient person
4. Be more considerate of other people's feelings
5. Trust my instincts more
   

My New Life

Ok, so it's not really a new life but it sure feels like it.

My life as an unemployed person sure is interesting. Let's see. I was going to make a daily journal of everything I did and then I realized that - well - I didn't do much of anything. Oh, yeah I went on some interviews that were quite interesting and spoke with a million and what seems like never-ending recruiters.

Yeah, yeah, my life is sooo hard these days, right? Wrong! Ha! My life is great. I have no job which is equal to no stress!! But, I did get reacquainted with the cleaning supplies at my house (or lack thereof...) and the dog was "freed" to roam around slowly in the morning instead of the usual 2-minute hustle I force on him. Oh, the most exciting parts of my days consist of studying in the morning for a couple of hours and then being able to work out for like two hours around midday!! Why aren't I independantly wealthy? Then I can have this lifestyle all the time. AND, I promise not to bitch about how tough life is when you have money and how money grubbing people want to rob you blind.

Ok, so I snuck a rant in there...but other than that, I'm looking forward to the days of doing, ummm, well nothing. Until I choose where to go to work, that is...

Choices include staying in the private sector and going to work at an investment firm (yeah snore, I know) or get into a new industry altogether (gov't). I'm leaning towards the gov't as I'm tired of all the snooty "I'm-better-than-everybody-attitudes" that are close friends of the "I'm-an-ivy-leaguer-so-I-know-more-than-you-do". Not to mention the fakers and ass kissing haters.

Yeah, I know there will never be a perfect job but if I scout around for a decent environment, I think I will be content. So, there is the question. Which job offer has teh best environment?
(jeopardy theme playing in my head now...)

Well, that remains to be seen...but until I make that decision, I think I'll take a nap. :-)

I quit!

Today's Entry:

After a long and cruel ordeal, I quit my job today!! Ok, so I professionally resigned, effective immediately, but I like saying, "I quit my job". It has more of a rebellious ring to it, y'know?
After months of dealing with crazy, condescending morons who wouldn't know logic if it walked up to them, introduced itself by name, and then slapped the holy crap out of them.

Ahhh, well I just had to get that off my chest. Now that I have, I plan to do mothing but study, and perform fun and mindless activities. Wait. I mean, enjoy fun activities. Perform just seems so formal and surgeon-like.

Well, it's on to the next, big adventure!