My So Called Life: part III

Let's call my naive life from birth to 2004 Part I. Trying to follow my passion in the outdoor industry with work Part II (full of more naive mistakes similar to Part I). And -- drum roll please -- Part III a big-girl job with a big-girl salary in a big-girl relationship. This is a milestone here! Watch out world, here I come, finally awaken are raring to work my way up the corporate ladder.
CHEERS for big-girl decision making!
My new position as Consultant Associate (who thinks up these silly bugger names?) for the Finance Department at St. Agnes -- Really a Financial Analyst -- whatever. But there should be room for quick advancement and hello benefits! But goodbye to the great view from my current office. Today I am glad for the move to the big office with no windows, as I fought for my life coming to work. The waves crashing over the side of the pier. Wind at 35 knots. Cold winter air a slap in the face. Not everyone has to battle the harsh elements of the winter water every morning. This could be a good change. But I will miss the warm summer days, sitting on the balcony watching the shipping traffic. Helping move boats around, and taking a quick sail for my lunch hour. Dick and Bill were upset that I was leaving, but handled it really well. Said how much more competent I was than Jennifer, and complimented me on the direction in which I took the job. Well from one thing to another.

Dust in the Wind

If only I could get that song out of my head.

Created the best salad last night at Whole Foods! The tip is to add corn and granola to spinach leaves. YUM. Then I overdosed on kiwi and strawberries (even better!). I need to start running more so that I can feel less guilty about eating such great food all the time.

I have been reading Jared Diamond's book Collapse and learned so much about the effects of coal mining. Here is a wonderful complimentary article. But we cannot just stop coal mining in the US only to push it off to other nations like Brazil. There will always be environmental destruction somewhere until our energy practices become more refined. You know the problem is serious when Bush even commits to reducing our dependence on oil and increasing alternative energy sources. Who thought up the idea to blow off the top of a mountain in the first place?! How did anyone think that would be a good idea?! This is a crazy world with very greedy people in it. And below: a little coal humor to add to the mood.

Vday Tricks and Chocolate Sushi

The last week of my life:
Amazing V-Day (two days actually! sneaky sneaky)
Dog sitting Goose
Parents in Costa Rica for Aunt Susan's destination wedding
Wilson in the D.R. for work (having too much fun for work)
Job Interview (keep your fingers crossed for this one!)
Whitney sick (what else is new?... I should be more compassionate)

So those are my excuses for not posting. Now to it!

Girls, your Valentines Day solutions are here! Ever wait too long to make those dinner reservations? Think he may not get you a gift (even though you announce VDay to be silly and pointless, you obviously still deserve a gift!)? Solution: Don't give in to the restaurant madness! Ask him to take you to your restaurant of choice the day AFTER the dreaded VDay. This way, you still get a wonderful meal, and you are not stuck on this so-called "special" day at Applebees. Next, sly-ly drop off your card, a homemade treat, and a small (inexpensive) gift at his place while he is at work. This works best if you have keys, but a basket on the porch will do fine. When he gets home from work and discovers your treasures, he will immediately go out to buy you something sweet in return. This way the gift you receive will be price appropriate to what you spent, and you never have to know if he forgot! I made delish little lemon bars which require practically no effort, but do remember to make them a day before, so there is time to cool them. I placed them on a heart-shaped plate and sprinkled confectioners sugar on top. His buddies at work gave him a hard time about the plate, but no one complained about the treats!

My valentine's day was spent doing laundry and cleaning, but the evening romantic bath with candles took the last dryer load right off my mind! Hot baths with a cracked window in the winter make everything steamy and wonderful. A late night ice cream run had us giggling with a sugar high well into the a.m. The next day we went to the Melting Pot in Towson for some fondue-fun. Their sapphire martini is a mouthful of gin, but great for us liquor lovers. No we didn't feed each other, but I have to admit, we did share one side of the booth.

Finished the Charlotte shrug for Whitney. Not incredibly happy with it. Still need to thread through the ends and block it with a wet towel. Maybe it will look better then? It looks exactly like the picture, but not as flattering on me as it looks on the models in the pattern book. Sigh. I'll take a picture of the final product on Whitney and post it.

This website makes me want to become vegan. And these chocolate and candy sushi pieces are incredible!!! If only I could afford one to taste!

Where's my delorean?!

Working blows, bring on grad school! Anyone who has ever met me can certify my inability to be satisfied with my current job. Granted I am young and haven't exactly had the type of job I've dreamed of yet, but this degree of unsatisfaction cannot be normal. My need to fast-forward a month is extreme! But if I don't make it into the graduate program of my choice, what do I do then? Suffer and remain unsatisfied in my job for even longer? No way! Why is our unemployment rate so low, and I still can't find a good fit?

Compare me to the petite women looking for pants in a plus-sized store. The other way around? I hope not!

Calmer - no not the yarn

I've been noticeably calmer lately. Maybe it's the winter blues (or Seasonal Affective Disorder if you are a shrink who needs and excuse to increase their client base). Perhaps knitting is making me calmer (highly doubtful given the amount of times I have to frog my work). More and more I am starting to think it's the satisfaction I have being with Wilson. No, this is not that "comfortable" where girls put on 20 pounds and stop fixing their hair in the morning. It is a satisfaction of happiness that took the edge off me. There is no need to run around like crazy from one place to another, triple-book myself (my date book used to always have mounds of conflicting appointments!) or be productive every second of the day. Lately there have been days where I can read for more than an hour and not feel guilty about it!

Is this a response implanted in my brain from a childhood of being expected to marry well and produce children... as soon as I think I am on that track becoming more satisfied with my life? Or is this genuine happiness without the attached stigma? A little bit of both can't hurt... right? Spring being around the corner (and always too damn far away) may put an added skip to my step, but I am comforted with the inner calmness that the boy has brought out in me.

On the other hand I have been inspired. Truly inspired. Yarn Harlot by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Oh heavens do I see myself in her. I just pray that my knitting life never becomes that chaotic, but I am worried. She has a website here with daily diatribes that correspond well with the book. Speaking of knitting!!! I have finished the wedding throw! Hooray! And it took much less time to bind together than assumed. Thank you my large tapestry needles. There are a few mistakes (only noticeable to my eyes ... and other perfectionist knitters of the world) but having decided not to stress over gifts of love, I am not worrying. NEXT PROJECT! From Rowan 38, Charlotte. It is an adorable shrug with Whitney's name on it. Finished the front section this weekend in a green chunky ribbon yarn. Notice the cabling! Hooray for successful cables! Only one dropped stitch, lazily picked up incorrectly... barely discernible if you ask me ;o) Hopefully my spoiled little sister, who I love to death, will actually wear it! I should be blocking and finishing this weekend or earlier if everything goes as planned. I checked out the new Rowan Spring/Summer 29 last week at Woolworks on Falls and was rather disappointed. Normally I am WOW-ed away by the amount of projects I can see my self making. Sorry guys, but the itty-bitty barely-there tank tops aren't my style now that I am over the age of 16, and certainly don't have my 16 year old body. So you will stay in the store pattern book, and I will concentrate on your Vintage book instead. Maybe even pick up that sweater I started this Fall. At least I am done with KidSilk Haze! There can be NO knitting in the dark with that yarn! Impossible!

I think this knitting thing is becoming a slight obsession. Eeeks.