Goal Setting Fall 2008
Posted by: Monica on: August 21, 2008
- In: MPA School| Work| life
- 1 Comment
I’ve been reading The Secret (very, very slowly) and my girl at WorkLifeLove wrote a super post about accountability that motivated me to think about some goals that I want to accomplish.
A funny thing about being in school is that I think about things in terms of semesters. SO, I’m setting my Fall 08 goals. I’m sure I’ll have different ones for Spring 09 that I’ll have to talk about later.
Professional Goals
-Network like a fiend- I want to move away, to Denver, and everyone that I meet for the next few months will know it. I hate moving to new places without already having friends/colleagues/a job in the new location. So I am on a mission to meet and talk to as many people as I can set up my network; share my goals, see what happens.
-Work on my writing- I really want to publish (academically) so this semester I want to concentrate on academic research, improving my writing, sticking my samples in the faces of everyone I meet.
I am also constantly tweaking my subjects to that I’m writing about subjects that are relevant to practitioners, because I prefer to be published in a government magazine that administrators actually subscribe to and read, than an academic journal that no one has heard of. I bet I could get into a PhD program with published magazine articles. 
-Find a job by December- I wrote about this yesterday, and I and the Universe had a few conversations about it but she (the Universe) is a forgetful lady so I’m going to continue to remind her about it a lot.
Health Goals
-Get on Mirena- I’m sick to death of my ovaries.
-Exercise everyday- Luckily I can take classes for free at Student Recreation. If I take a group fitness class (my favorite way to exercise) every day that I’m on campus, and walk/run at a local track on the days that I’m not on campus, I think I’ll get my cardio in. Also, I want to take at least one Pilates, Yoga, and Strength training class a week, to boost my metabolism, harden my bones, and all that good stuff.
-Learn to Swim- this probably won’t happen this Fall, but it will happen. I just have to find someone that I trust not to let me drown.
-Start seeing Doc Barnes- I missed my therapist this summer. I have to get back on my monthly schedule.
Money Goals
-Save money- However, I don’t want to arbitrarily save money. I love to travel, and I have a list of places I want to visit in the next few months, so I need to have the funds available to move and shake like I want to.
Personal Goals
-Be authentically me- I think I’m still figuring out what this means, but I’m working on it. Basically, there are some folks who really see me as I am and love me regardless, I should probably just join them.
-Stop caring about what others think- I live in fear of offending people. However, I’m beginning to revert to my natural state of saying what the hell ever I want. Doctor Suess said it best:
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
-Dream big- I will not limit myself. I can do whatever I want. Because my mom and Jesus said I can, and I trust them.
-Follow-through- I have the horrible habit of not following through. I have to remember to and make a habit of keeping up with my contacts, responding to emails, calling people back, etc. Otherwise, I’ll be that chick that could have been great. And that would suck.
That’s all for now, folks. Updates to follow.
Second Day of the Second Year-MPA School
Posted by: Monica on: August 20, 2008
- In: MPA School
- 1 Comment
This week I am officially a 2nd year MPA student and I have already made one important decision:
I AM GOING TO HAVE A FABULOUS JOB BY DECEMBER.
I made that decision a couple of weeks ago because I do not want to go gray (and I would) with worry if it’s February, April or God forbid, June(!!!!) and I’m still job-less. I want to have someone waiting on me. The Monday after I graduate on Mother’s Day 2009, I will finish packing my sh*t and will be shortly, getting the hell out of dodge. I gotta keep it moving.
Secondly, I have decided that I am not going to overwork myself this year. I am taking an overload of credits (16.5) and a crazy person would be thinking that each class would require its own separate term paper. Not so, sez your girl I haven’t even been to all my classes yet and I already think I have finagled some overlap. Not only with class term papers…. I’ve just about got all these d*mn term papers wrapped into my Master’s Thesis (capstone) which I am planning to have completely finished by January. I will be writing one paper and adding and deleting sections depending on which class it is for and what I am choosing to focus on.
Next semester, I will be taking fun electives like Family Policy, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Enterprises, and this really cool class about the Creative Class and only one serious class (if I have anything to do with it) Capital Budgeting. And I’m just going to be chilling because I’M GOING TO HAVE A SUPER AWESOME JOB ALREADY LINED UP.
I am really excited about my classes so far. Today I had Economics, Housing Policy and Urban Revitalization. I was more engaged in class today (bouncing in my seat) than I was for the majority of my first year. These are the classes that I came back to school to take. These are the classes that will give me the skillset to be taken seriously as a twenty-something decision maker. At my fabu job that I mentioned earlier, I will be running sh*t. Please believe.
There was a little hiccup up on Monday when during 2nd year orientation, the program director overloaded me with all the stuff that I have to complete before I am eligible to graduate (and I didn’t have a calendar!!!!) and I thought I was going to throw up. But that potential panic attack has been averted. I bought a monthly/weekly calendar yesterday (and most of my school supplies) at my neighborhood Office Depot. And I’ve started writing in due dates, and I will add in reminder dates so that I can stay on track.
Now I just have to start working…..and that fun begins on Friday.
I don’t stink. I wear deodorant, losers.
Posted by: Monica on: August 19, 2008
In an effort not to embarrass those that are close to me and since sh*t on the information super highway lasts forever I have been asked to clarify a statement made in an earlier blog.
I do not wear traditional antiperspirant. I do wear deodorant. I do not smell like one of the unclean masses of folks on the train that do not wash themselves daily. Most people (the smart ones anyway) love the way I smell and are constantly up in my personal space trying to smell on me. Because, dammit, I smell good.
So, why and how does someone as cool as me get by without speedstick?
Let’s tackle the why first.
The human body is supposed to sweat. We have glands under and around our underarm and chest areas (and other places, too) that sweat as a cooling mechanism (so that we don’t have to pant like dogs) and to excrete toxins and s*t. When we wear antiperspirant we prevent this natural sweating process from happening. And your sh*t could get all blocked up like a big aching nasty pimple. And that would suck (and it might kill you).
But seriously, I know that some doctors said that antiperspirant is ok and all and we aren’t all setting ourselves up for the okie-doke of mass western world breast cancer, but the same damn doctor community said that cell phones were ok, and now they come back saying sike! Now your heads are all going to explode from all the cell phone waves since everyone lives on their celly or has their bluetooth stuck in their ear. But I digress.
One of the main active ingredients in antiperspirant is aluminum (yes, check the bottle). Am I the only one that thinks that it is crazy to wipe aluminum products on my very tender, thin skin to be absorbed along with all the other man-made chemical sh*t in most antiperspirants in an area real close to MY lymph nodes? Well, it is crazy, and I ain’t having it.
Your body is supposed to be able to sweat. When you prevent it from doing its thing, you f*ck up the process. Which is stupid. If my body wants to sweat, I let it. If I need to release some toxins from all the coke zero/tequila I drink or all the damn ATL smog I inhaled, then damn it, body, release away. And I’m not one to poison myself on a daily basis with a probable carcinogen. I need to mitigate as many breast cancer risks as I can.
Also, I have sensitive underarm skin and it is much happier sans antiperspirant.
Now the how.
I get by without clogging my lymph nodes by only wearing (mostly organic) deodorant. I have two brands that I can always count on. One is a salt solution and the other is Tom’s of Maine. Both are pretty good at keeping your girl fresh. And I shower at least once daily (and once more before bed if I’m sharing it, hee hee). I also like to wear breathable fabrics because synthetic fabrics increase bacteria (which causes odor).
I haven’t wore deodorant in over 2 years and of course I don’t always smell like roses, but neither do 80% of people who wear that stupid clinical strength pore clogging super duper never sweat again heavy duty antiperspirant. And no, I am not linking to any of the medical research to prove or disprove any of my points if you care to learn more, you can look at WebMD. Or google “anti-perspirant and breast cancer” or “brain tumors and cell phones”. You will find conflicting information because doctors don’t know everything and they can’t even agree among themselves.
And what is the point anyway? I’m a Sagittarius, so I’m always right anyway AND I don’t need the “facts” to back me up, so you should just believe me. Since the facts chance daily so I’m going with what makes intuitive sense; bodies should sweat and aluminum should not be absorbed into my skin. period. the end.
And while I DO smell lovely, I am always looking for a new better brand of deodorant, so if you have any ideas, hit me up.
I heart the Olympics
Posted by: Monica on: August 14, 2008
This week I’ve been practicing being a housewife. And believe me, I could seriously get used to this. My days consist of waking up just enough to wish the gf a good and productive day before she goes to work. Then I roll over and go back to sleep. Around 7:30 I move from the bed to the couch where I take a nap until 9:30 or 10. Once I’m awake, I find something to eat and try to find an internet signal in the house (not having much luck). I’ve also been packing my clothes, books and other assorted stuff since I’m going home at the end of the week. Fortunately, I didn’t bring as much stuff with me as I thought I did so it hasn’t been very hard to pack.
The only problem with being a housewife that I can foresee is not having any money. It sucks that I’m unemployed right now and I don’t have any funds. It means that I have all this free time, and nothing to do. Yesterday, I cooked salmon, pork chops and pasta. Not because we needed it, but because I was bored and I cook when I’m bored.
Being poor and unemployed this week leaves me lots of time to watch the Olympics. And let me tell you, I am obsessed!
I don’t think I’ve ever watched the Olympics. I don’t remember Athens at all, and the only thing I remember about the 1996 games is that they were held in Atlanta. I may have seen bits and pieces of the games, but nothing on the scale that I’ve watched and been involved for the past few days.
I think I have watched every beach volleyball match that Misty May and Kerrie Walsh AND Rogers and Dalhouser have played, I’ve watched synchro diving (men and women) , I’ve screamed and cringed with every fall, slip, and stick of men’s and ladies’ gymnastics. I’ve watched every stroke of swimming that Phelps, Lochte, Hoff, Couglin, Peirsol and crew have swam. I’ve watched rowing and water polo and basketball. I’ve watched the opening ceremony over and over and I am so crunk about everything! The Olympics’ are so cool.
I love watching these athletes do their thing. The human body amazes me. Not only that, but the control, discipline, and extremely hard work that I know it takes to get to their level of perfection leaves me in awe. These people are my heroes. They make me want to learn how to swim and start running again and just plain ol’ get into shape. I want some muscles to show off
Oh, and does it make me unpatriotic if I want the Chinese to win? I mean, I love May and Walsh, and I love Raj and Jonathan and Justin (my fave American male gymnasts) and I cry for Alisa and Nastia and Shaun (my girls) whenever they fall, I love the American swimmers and I’m really excited every time they win. But for everything else, I’m rooting for the Chinese! They seem so prepared and so posed for success. Say what you want about Communism, but those Chinese athletes seem to truly believe in their country. They are not winning just for themselves. They are winning for all 1.3 billon Chinese. And for me, it is so cool to see the underdog win, even if it means that the Americans lose.
The worst thing about watching the Olympics on TV is the announcers. They suck. These are the most pessimistic people. No matter how well someone performs, it doesn’t matter if they have broken world records, beaten their personal best times, it doesn’t matter. These announcers are going to find the nit-picky mistakes (and jinx the athletes!!!!) that even the judges are not going to deduct. And they ask the dumbest questions. “Hey Phelps, what were you thinking when you were in the pool winning your millionth gold medal?” I just want him to say, well, stupid announcer lady, I was thinking about how I shouldn’t f*ck this up because then I could kiss my endorsements goodbye.” I mean, seriously, we know what the hell he’s thinking about. Winning, bitch, that’s what he’s thinking about!
Olympic commercials have been entertaining as well. Visa and Coke have pulled out all the stops. GO WORLD!!
Good commercials are the best for ADD folks like me. I love NOTHING more than really compelling, emotional commercials. These are better than Superbowl commercials. They are thinking man commericials, not stupid funny. My favorites are the GE ecomagination and the colorful and musical United commercials and the LeBron James-Yao Ming coke commercial. Oh, and the Audi commercial, so unexpected!
And other times, I watch commercials and cock my head to the side, squint my eyes and wonder what the hell they were trying to say. I finally saw the famed McCain commercial that was supposed to be so offensive to Obama. The McCain campaign finally cut the parts with Brittany and Paris (smart boy) but still I was left thinking that the commercial makes Obama look good. McCain’s objections to Obama are not presented in a coherent and logical argument, and it made McCain look like someone’s senile grandpa and solidified Obama’s rockstar status.
On a completely different note, I helped my sister move into her dorm room yesterday. It made me so sad. Her school didn’t put its best foot forward. They had construction going on (and that is NOT what you want freshmen to see), the cable wasn’t working, the Welcome committees weren’t very welcoming (or very informative or helpful, for that matter), and my poor baby sister was not happy. She was really disappointed that such a prestigious school could botch things so badly. And I have to agree with her, I was so not impressed. By the end of the night she’d already had one crying spell and threatened to transfer, so hopefully the school will get itself together so that she can start enjoying her college experience.
My Last Day. Eight Eight Oh Eight
Posted by: Monica on: August 8, 2008
- In: The impending move| Work| life
- 2 Comments
I haven’t slept well for the past few nights. And there is no reason why I shouldn’t be sleeping well. I’m not under a huge amount of stress, overall life is good.
This morning the gf was so excited. She gave me a huge hug, and tried to hype me up. “It’s your last day,” she says. And I give her a sleepy smile and say I can’t get excited. Because I can’t, not because I don’t want to be.
And she asks me if everything is ok and I spill the beans about not sleeping. She smiles and says, “YOU ARE EXCITED!”
Apparently, excitement causes me to not sleep. This is not funny or fun.
Today has been a really fun day, though. My big boss took me out to lunch. She bought me a present and everyone signed a card. Then we came back to the office and had birthday cake (it was the big boss’s birthday) All of it was lovely. And I’m so sad.
At some point this summer, I came to really like the people that I work with, and at some point, I came to really LOVE this little city.
This afternoon L and I took a walk around downtown. After the huge lunch and the bosses birthday cake, we needed to get the blood pumping. And it hit me. I really love this girl. She’s one of those people that come into your life like she’s always been there. I’ve known her for less than three months, but damn, she knows more of my business than people that have known me for years (and she gets me and all my lame-ass intellectual jokes!!!). And after this summer, it’s gonna be hard to maintain the friendship that we have built. And that makes me sad.
I’ve established relationships with so many of my co-workers. My co-workers are the coolest. These are people that I can call on when I have a problem or a question or I just need someone to bounce my ideas off of. And after this summer, I won’t be able to just walk down and plop myself in their offices.
And downtown D-town is the best (especially today with temperatures in the 80’s and not the 100’s!) It’s like Mayberry crossed with Manhattan (I know it sounds weird but it is the best, seriously)
And my internship has had its moments. I have experienced here. (I’m big on experiencing things) And I’ve had fun here. And I’m sad, because there have been a lot of days when I thought that I wanted to get the hell out. And I do. But I don’t.
See, that’s the thing about change and me. We have a bittersweet relationship.
I don’t like change but I do like to do different stuff. So today I try to figure out how to keep things the same and different at the same time. Because I don’t really want to stay here but I don’t want to leave all my people behind. (I’m still trying to convince L to quit and come home with me.)
I already ache for the people that I’m leaving here. And I already miss the places that I love here.
But change happens and I gotta go.
