I'm house sitting for my parents while they visit Johann and his parents and Uncle Jan for the week. They left me a to do list, as per usual, outlining which plants to water and other things like that. Each item has a little box to check off. One item is, Don't let Brita put boxes on the dining table.
So, I do have a job now. It's exhausting, but it's only my first week, so, no final comment yet. Three and four-year-olds tend to not listen a lot. Sometimes, they are awesome.
We were outside on the blacktop today, and I was conversing with one such kid about whether or not bees want people to take their honey. He claimed they do, because we don't have a lot of honey in our world, and the bees are making it for us right now. I conceded that the bees were in fact making honey as we spoke. He left, then came back after awhile, carrying two cups of water in his hands. I didn't want to get my hopes up that it was for me, because what preschooler thinks to bring a teacher some water? Buttercups that you saw growing by the sidewalk, sure, but water? Never happens. Sure enough, it was for me.
me: Oh my goodness! You are so thoughtful! Did you decide to bring that to me all by yourself? bee kid: Yeah. It's really sunny out. I thought you looked a little sweaty, so you needed some water.
I could barely contain my newfound adoration for this person. Eventually, he went back to the water cooler to get himself another drink. As he walked away, he turned his face towards me, lifted his empty cup and shouted, If you need any more water, just call me.
just put your foot right through here, right through the flonk
The thing about Jim is, when he’s excited about something, like the office Olympics, he gets really into it, and he does a really great job. But the problem with Jim is, that he works here, so that hardly ever happens.
I've been thinking about that (Office) quote lately. It hit me when I received the Noodle Doodle contest email and was immediately struck with the most inspiration and enthusiasm I've had in months. I got right to work drawing designs of my creation and rooting through the refrigerator crisper to find the right foods that possessed both tastes I love and complementary colors. I equally enjoyed the planning, building, and showcasing stages of this endeavor.
At some point, I vocalized it to myself. If only I could put this motivation to work in my job search...
Sigh. It's just so hard to know what I want to do. I mean, I want to teach, but something tells me that it is not going to happen this year. And that something is the fact that the good people from a certain county are not returning my calls. Looks like I will have to do something altogether different for awhile. I always think of things I want to do for a living, and those things are either jobs I'm not qualified for or jobs that don't exist.
I want to be a copy editor. I want to be the host of the whole Olympics. I want to invent the competitions for Noodles. I want to be on Ace of Cakes...Globetrekker host, person who designs the holiday-related cartoons on Google's homepage, drive-in movie theater owner, board game inventor...
My actual experience? event management, administrative work, and early childhood instruction
Imagine if a chunk of my resume looked like this, though:
Related Skills: playing word games, using impeccable spelling and grammar, identifying which celebrities people resemble, entering contests, imitating people, employing sarcasm, solving logic puzzles, making lists
People say Find what you enjoy doing and figure out how to make a living doing it. This, my friends, must be the biggest challenge of all.
promise me that if one of us doesn't make it, the others will still go to the Olympics
I'm sure none of you would call me an athletic person. Due to my lack of lung power and coordination, I have avoided team sports for my entire life. I do, however, enjoy a few sports that don't require running, kicking, throwing, or making any sort of contact with moving objects. This includes:
skiing
wakeboarding
rock climbing
The problem with these sports is that they are mostly seasonal and require more money than say, soccer. Rock climbing is probably my best bet at a sport I could actually commit to and finance. I just need to invest in some shoes and a gym membership, and eventually the other gear.
I've climbed walls several times, but this weekend was my first time climbing outside. I really like rocks. I would like to be a really good climber. It's not an Olympic event, but maybe it will be by London 2012. Four years is enough time for me to go from a novice to the US's best female climber, no?
Hm...
Also, I recently found some photos from when my family climbed Half Dome in Yosemite three years ago. This is probably the most hard-core outdoor accomplishment I will ever have, so I'll use it as motivation.
At the bottom of the dome is a pile of gloves that people reuse to hold onto the cables on their way up. Oh hey, is that a flip-flop in the lower right-hand corner? Somebody hiked all that way in flip-flops? Iiiiinteresting.
Three years ago, I was cheated out of my title as Asparagus Queen. My moment to shine has returned. Noodles has created a contest in which contestants create self-portraits out of edible items. Pleaseclick here to vote for me on the Noodles website. Look for 'Anna G.'
Unlike last time, the people's choice winner DOES get a prize, so every little bit counts. Thanks for your support.
I spent the past week in Massachusetts. I have previously described how amazing it is there and the nostalgia it holds for me. Today, I will just leave you with this gem:
We went to the grocery store to stock up for the week. My dad and I were just standing at the front of the Stop and Shop, looking at our shopping list, when I heard the voice of a middle-aged lady.
middle-aged lady: Do you think cats rule?
It took me a split second to take in the question. During that split second, I mentally went over what I was wearing. Did I have a cat shirt on? A cat sticker? Was there a cat following me? I must have been in some way representing cats, or else why would she ask me that?
As I attempted to comprehend the question and fashion an appropriate response, I looked up at the middle-aged lady and saw that she was holding a stack of about 20 cans of Fancy Feast. Luckily for me, before I had to answer her, she dropped all but 4 Fancy Feast cans. I was saved from the initial question and instead helped her pick up her gourmet cat food.
My dad, however, always makes conversation with everyone.
my dad: Do you have a lot of cats? middle-aged lady: No, I only have one. We rescued her from a storm [blah blah blah...] my dad: Well...she must love you.
Let me make it clear that my dad does not like cats, nor really care about their bond with middle-aged women. But, what else do you say?
I just wonder if this is a common conversation starter for this lady, and whom she chooses to approach. I'm more of a reptile person, myself.
At the bottom of the dome is a pile of gloves that people reuse to hold onto the cables on their way up. Oh hey, is that a flip-flop in the lower right-hand corner? Somebody hiked all that way in flip-flops? Iiiiinteresting.
