I WILL do better this month...

at posting. I promise.

My Review

A couple of days ago I had my yearly work review. It was pretty much what I expected from it. I know what areas I can improve in, and I know what areas I kick ass in. I kinda thought it was pointless. However, something really got me thinking. The Office Manager asked me what my career goals were. I told her I was in something of a quarter life crisis right now, so I'd have to get back to her. It was partially BS, but partially true. While I know what I would like to do, I'm sort of lost at how to get there. I started this blog because I officially hit 26, MORE than a quarter of a century old. I feel like I need to stop sitting around and wasting time. I know for a fact that come next August I won't be in this job. At the most I will be here one more year. The future is still unclear, but I have a lot of life experience going for me. That might sound super corny and ridiculous, but I have learned that college was great and all, but really common sense is what you need to make it in the work place. I read a great book in college, I may have mentioned it on here before. It's called "Rise of the Creative Class" by Richard Florida. It's all about how my generation doesn't quite fit into the neat little class molds that our mothers and fathers fit into. We are far more creative and we tend to think outside of the box. It's a great read and I highly recommend it for anyone who finds themselves in this situation. I think the secret is that we all need to be able to try our own ideas and be prepared to fail at them. We are a generation of overachievers and for many of us the word "failure" has not been part of our vocabulary. I now see that it's okay to fail. It's okay to not have all the answers. I am going to keep on trying to reach my goals, and I know that with enough determination and hard work I will reach them, even if I stumble along the way.

Lit O' Bit O 'God Story

So I found this more amusing than anything else. My cousin is getting married. This is a girl who is more like a sister to me than a cousin. She lived with me when we were little and we played together nonstop. My mom and dad raised her like daughter. She is a little older than I am, which made for a great playmate. I remember one summer she asked to spend the night at our house. Her parents lived maybe 4 blocks away. She stayed the entire summer. Well, I am helping her plan her summer wedding. As the maid of honor I have been there to hear all the horror stories about locations, etc. Her biggest feat was getting a Catholic wedding on a Sunday. She finally managed to nail down a church and a priest. It will be our childhood priest. Well while we were chatting about churches and I was giving her a list of priests and deacons I know we come across the subject of our baptism and first communion. I could not remember for the life of me when I had those sacraments. I remember getting confirmed in the 8th grade. I bought a really pretty shirt princess like dress. I was like 13, what did I know. I still have the dress someplace. I also remember buying the dress for my first communion and baptism. I remember I used the same dress for both events, and they were a week apart. (My family wasn't religious when I was younger so I wasn't baptized as a baby.) I remember really not liking the dress, but my mom picked it out and I was stuck with it. I remember my godparents bought me a beautiful head piece/ crown/ tiara like thing made out of crystals. I remember trying it on over and over, and being really excited about it, but it also hurting my head as the crystals were sharp and points. Still, I could not remember the year. I ended up calling my childhood church to request copies of all the documents. When I answered the phone I gave my name and the woman on the other line responded with an "I know you". It turns out it was the sister in law of my first boyfriend ever. He was an alter boy and I was a member of the legion of Mary. We held hands a lot, but that's about it as we didn't even attend the same school. Turns out he's in the air force and stationed in Las Vegas. I can't believe this woman remembered me and my family. She was very nice and is sending along my sacrament records. I'll let you all know how old I was as soon as I get them in the mail.

From the Foodie in Me

A great (but long) article that Sarah sent to me: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html

TV/Books/Movies

I watched a few episodes of True Blood. The vampire show. Eh. I wasnt super impressed. I really like Anna Paquin, but I just can't get into the show. I will say that cable TV is kicking regular TV's ass in the area of watchable shows. I am now super into Entourage (I want to marry Ari Gold) and Weeds (the most dysfunctional mom ever). As soon as I move I plan to start watching the Tutors (even though it isnt historically accurate). Regular TV needs to step it up.

Maryland

I can't believe I'm going to say this. But I think that Maryland is redeemable. Don't get me wrong, I am still a Virginia person thru and thru. However, I now realize there are at least a dozen worse states out there. I should really focus my dislike elsewhere. Plus Maryland has redeeming factors Baltimore Harbor, Annapolis, and Camden Yards. Don't get me wrong Maryland, you're still on the "Dislike" list, but you've been moved off the "Hate" list. Kudos to you.