Business Dress

I've been fortunate enough throughout my professional career to always work in offices that are fairly casual.  I'm not a dress up person.  Not because I can't but because I HATE shopping for nice clothes.  Nothing ever seems to fit right.  And I don't like anything all that much.  (I really need someone to nominate me for What Not to Wear.)

More importantly.  Why is it that people feel it is so important to be dressed up at work?  I understand that you want people to look presentable.  I even understand wanting them to look nice, put together, and professional giving the impression that you are put together and professional.  I just feel like what you wear has nothing to do with your ability to do your job well.  I think when I am dressed up that it actually hinders my ability to work to my full potential because I am so uncomfortable that I spend far more time than necessary fidgeting.

The New Job

It is time to start a new chapter in the book that is life....Tomorrow I start my new job.

I am excited and nervous and and happy and a lot more all at the same time....

The Bucket List

If you know me, you know that I obsessively make lists.  Everything from 'to-do' today to 'to-do' in life.  I referred to my list in an earlier post and here it is: the 'to-do' in life list.  I don't have the full 100 but it does expand occasionally.  For now the 60 or so things I have to do are keeping me plenty busy.  Some things are definitely more likely to happen than others, but I'll make the effort to get through it.  And really, what fun is a list like this if it's not a challenge??


(Here is the key: Not yet started  Complete  Started at some point but haven't gotten very far  A work in progress)

• Get a masters (A whole class in - Really enjoyed that Finite Element Analysis though)
• Get a Ph.D. (I'm thinking in religious studies - just to learn about it - I already know the topic of my dissertation)
• Climb The Great Wall
• Raise $100,000 for charity (Over a couple years I organized fundraising events)
• Run a half marathon
• Learn a second language (This all depends on what we define as learning a second language.  I know Latin pretty well but can't speak it.  If we don't count Latin, then this is barely started since I only know a handful of words in about twelve languages)
• Learn to play guitar
• Learn to play piano
• Try to surf
• See the Pyramids
• Write a book
• Join the Peace Corps
• Go on a safari
• Start a scholarship fund
• Make a quilt 
• Learn to knit
• Learn to draw/paint
• Run for public office
• Visit Denmark
• Visit Switzerland
• Visit Italy
• Visit Spain
• Visit Portugal
• See the Taj Mahal
• Go to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day
• Set foot in all 50 states (Up to 35 out of 50)
• Go deep sea fishing
• Ride in a hot air balloon
• See a baseball game in every MLB stadium (4 out of 30)
• Be a groupie (in the follow a band around for an entire tour sort of way...not the band-aid sort of way)
• Meet a U.S. President
• Learn to cook
• Start a restaurant
• Buy a house
• Read the Bible cover to cover
• Scuba Dive
• Learn to fly a plane
• Sky dive (It terrifies me)
• Learn to box
• Learn to dance
• Camp (Last week I crossed this one off the list)
• Go to the top of Mt. Timpanogos
• Stop at the view area (I don't know why I haven't done this yet - And for that matter, I'm not sure why it's on my list but it's something I always mean to do on my way home)
• Finish a triathlon
• Learn to ride a motorcycle
• Invent something
• Start my own business
• Ride a gondola in Venice
• Go to the opera
• Go to the movie theater alone
• Dine alone
• Ring the NYSE bell
• Be a delegate for a political party
• Donate a gallon of blood (I am 5/8 of the way there.  Only 3 more pints)
• Read all of Kurt Vonnegut's work (I think I am about half way there.  He wrote a lot of books)
• See the 7 wonders of the world
• Set foot on all 7 continents
• Go to all of the National Parks in Utah (2 of 5 so far - Arches and Zion down...Canyonlands, Bryce, and Capitol Reef left)

What A Day

Today was a good day.  Just to throw this out there... My mom had a good day because she sold her first item on her Etsy store.  You could make her days better by looking and hearting her store and maybe even buying something :-). (She likes it when I promote her store and her blog.)

My day on the other hand was excellent.  I got a job offer.  Not just a job offer but a job offer for THE job that I wanted.  To all of you who told me that it would all work out and I would end up in a better place....I am now admitting that you were right.  But it is definitely easier to admit now that I am in that better place.  Interviewing has been a stressful process.  Lots of pressure to do well and find something to do.  I have had some good interviews and some really, really bad interviews but I've definitely learned a few things in the process and I am definitely glad that the process is over at this point.

I have enjoyed the last month and a half off.  I've done a lot of things on my 'to-do' list and even something from my bucket list (That post is to come.) but I'm ready to go back to work and lift the weight off my shoulders of the unemployed life.  I'm not a big fan of the unknown.  Though I have been getting better at living a little more spontaneously.  Only because I have to and I'm never sure what I'll feel like doing when I wake up in the morning.  Mostly I am ready to getting back to a routine so I have some idea of what day it is again....