| 5 Small Goals before Christmas |
[Nov. 10th, 2012|03:55 pm]
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One of my favourite bloggers often does a "list of small goals" on her blog and I really like that idea. I think having small, short term goals is a really good way to keep on track and stay focused without being over whelmed. As such, I have decided to do the same! So here are 5 small goals to achieve before Christmas
- Save enough money for two PR courses next semester (this is actually a necessity but perhaps the goal is to start managing money a little more efficiently)
- Go to the gym at least 3 times a week
- Spray paint the white drawers in my office
- Start the blog at work (or alternatively, if Kirby doesn't get things straight to start the blog before then, start my own blog; something I have been trying to do for years)
- Start my application for Journalism school
Bonus - volunteer at CHMR at MUN.
I think those are pretty manageable goals. I will update with my progress as time passes! |
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[Nov. 8th, 2012|10:50 pm]
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I am insanely exhausted yet I must feed my internet addictions so here I am, probably at least an hour from sleep. Tomorrow Kirsten hates current Kirsten, I can feel her wrath already.
My dad is here! It is really lovely having him around for a while. This year I have felt more homesick than I have ever felt in the 4 years I have been living away from Corner Brook. I know a lot of that has to do with my mom and fear of what's to come in the future. But I think really, as I age and become the person who I will be for the rest of my life, I am more and more a family person. I think we all go through that unsettling phase where we cannot really place the importance of family versus the importance of independence. I think I have pretty much fulfilled my need for independence; owning a house, paying a my own mortgage, paying my way through school etc. Now all I really feel is the intense need for family. I think I want kids, and that is a big step for me.
Tomorrow is my coworkers birthday so I manage to make some pretty basic cupcakes. I hope they turned out okay.
I have 5 different to do lists this weekend. I need to complete at least one. And start Christmas shopping. And buy groceries, and go to the gym. Oh look, another to do list. yey. |
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[Nov. 3rd, 2012|02:02 pm]
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Today, I am going to buy interior doors. And a closet door. And perhaps a new bathroom vanity and mirror. Domestic life at its finest. I normally hate household projects but I am in one of my rare moods where I am both motivated and cheerful. This is rare; must take advantage.
My Dad is coming for a visit tomorrow; I am most excited. This will mean lots of cooking, conversations about politics, probably too much beer and of course reminiscing about my childhood. I love it when my father comes and sees how I live now. I think he is pretty proud. I truly wish my Mom could come visit as well but I know that continuing to work is extremely important to her. And I respect that, but I'm also selfish and sometimes feel as though I deserve to have both my parents around, just for a little while.
Josh has an interview for a job in Regina. (This is in addition to the interview for the job in Edmonton, which we are still waiting to hear back from.) Like the Edmonton job, the job in Regina would be a great opportunity for him, great pay, and there I would have the opportunity to go to Journalism school; a lifelong dream of mine. Of course there are all the emotions that come along with the prospect of relocating and changing one's life. But again, I wait in anticipation of figuring out what my life will look like in a few months. As scary as it is, it is also extremely exciting. I love change. I am one of those people.
Work is fantastic, as per usual. I love connecting with people, getting feedback, doing some informal research, etc. My coworkers are the greatest, even if they are nothing like me. Maybe it's the sociologist in me but I love learning about why other people like the things they like and live the way they do. And it's far more interesting when you have very few things in common with said people.
I need to revamp this journal. Visually, that is. I haven't changed anything about it since I was 17 and I didn't have a clue what I was doing. It's not really a priority on my to do list, but it could be fun.
Happy Caturday!
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[Oct. 28th, 2012|07:36 pm]
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So I didn't go out for Halloween. This isn't a huge deal or anything, I would have liked to, but it didn't pan out. Josh was really sick and he basically slept through saturday and saturday night. This made me realize, however, that I need to make some friends. Or renew some old ones. I love josh and we do so many awesome things together but I need someone else who can provide me with some friendship. At least sometimes.
I think I have a couple of problems when it comes to friendships. I am a bit of a unique person. I like going to evening lectures and talking about my job and/or what I am studying. I like hearing new ideas on topics and theories on issues. It may sound odd and perhaps a little pretentious but I feel like I have outgrown a lot of my old friends. Mind you, I am sure they have outgrown me as well. Perhaps it is more accurate to say we have grown apart. And that's okay. A little sad, but okay.
My other problem is that I need really low maintenance friends. If I can't go out every weekend or if I have to skip a scheduled event, I need that to not be a huge problem. I am working full time in a job that requires my attention often longer than 8 hours a day, I am a student, I own my own house, I am engaged and I have a mother who is undergoing cancer treatment. These things, though I may not always like it, have to take priority most of the time. Sometimes I feel selfish to ask people to play second fiddle to the other things in my life. So often I don't ask them at all. This is probably a mistake because I clearly need friends. Of course it also doesn't help that I find it difficult to relate to other females. Oh well. I will pinpoint this as an area I must work on. |
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[Oct. 21st, 2012|01:57 pm]
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When life becomes simple, easy, and less complicated one must be entirely certain that it can change in a heartbeat. And it has. sort of.
Josh has been offered an interview for a job (an AMAZING job; I'm talking 6 figure salary) in Edmonton. If he is offered the job, it is pretty certain we will move. I don't necessarily have a problem with this for a couple of reasons - 1) I am making very little money at my job. And I know I love it and it is the best job I have every worked and I am so lucky to be in this position, but I can't live off it forever. Actually, after doing a budget, I can't really live off what I am making after about 6 months when I have to start paying back student loans. So unless they offer me a raise, something has to give. and 2) I have always felt like I need to live in another, bigger city. I know I lived in Regina for a few months but that wasn't the same. I have had this unsettling feeling of not being fulfilled in St. John's basically ever since I moved here. I need something bigger I am a big city girl and I always have been. So this move would at least somewhat fill that void.
BUT
My boss offered to pay for me to do a Social and Digital Media Marketing certificate at MUN. this is a great opportunity for me because I certainly can't afford to pay for it out of pocket. If I do it however, they want me to sign a contract, and rightfully so. So that means if josh ends up getting this Edmonton job, I would have to give up the chance to do this program. So that's a downside. Plus there is always the issue with my mother. She is okay right now. And hopefully will be for a while. But if there is one thing I have learned about cancer it is that it can sneak up so quickly, and I don't know if I want to risk not being around Newfoundland during her healthy years. However, if she ever found out that I didn't pursue something I wanted to because of her illness, she would never forgive me. Ever. So...that leaves a lot of questions too.
For now I guess I am stuck with constructing the ever-despised pro con list. I can't expect josh to stay here with me, not working and desperately trying to find something if he is offered this great job that would really cut down on our financial worries. And I don't know if I can really commit to NL Classifieds for 5 years just making 15.50 an hour. It's just not reasonable. But, at the same time, I am so happy. And I know if I give this up I won't get anything like it for a while.
But, to be honest, just writing all this out makes me feel so much better. |
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[Oct. 17th, 2012|12:09 am]
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Its during events like political debates that I truly love social media. truly. |
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[Oct. 15th, 2012|09:46 pm]
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I am in a ranting mood. I apologize in advance.
It may come as a surprise (or maybe not) that I am an avid reader of fashion blogs and I try to keep up with the fashion blogging "world" (such as it is). I support fashion bloggers where and when I can and yes, I actually do believe they are valuable to the fashion industry.
In the midst of all the blogs I follow, I started following this young girl from Winnipeg who blogs rather frequently. Much to my surprise she has an enormous fanbase. I am not entirely sure why this is since a) the fashion "scene" is pretty dismal in Winnipeg but more importantly b) she is perhaps the worst writer I have ever witnessed. She uses "lol" in her posts, which are also ridden with extremely poor grammar (and I'm not talking "my dad was an english teacher and I will pick up on all your grammatical errors," I mean really basic mistakes). Her sense of style is pretty bland so it's not as though she has that going for her.
All this is fine though. I continue to follow her as a fellow Canadian trying to make it in an extremely difficult industry. But I recently read she has been offered a job as a journalist with a fashion magazine in Manitoba. I am sure this is no large publication or anything but it really made me think of all my friends who are amazing artists, writers, musicians, and etc who cannot get a break. And a journalist position for PRINT publication (a dying industry) has been offered to someone who brings absolutely nothing to the table except a pretty face, straight hair, skinny legs, an extensive wardrobe and, I can only assume, massive credit card debt. I thought we, as women, as creative contributors, as Canadians, and as a society at large had more integrity than this. I am really sadden which is probably an overreaction but I still feel it. I am not above saying that I am perhaps somewhat shallow to be interested in the fashion industry and to spend time informing myself of current trends and whatnot, but I can say from this day forward I will be more scrutinizing when it comes to who I support and who I refuse to give any credit to. There's too much talent out there to do otherwise.
In other news I just read on the Globe and Mail that the Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has resigned. He is a Liberal and from what I know of him he is a strong leader. Up until this point I have been a strong NDP supporter but I don't know...McGuinty could be someone I could get behind if he runs for Federal Liberal leadership. Only time will tell I guess!
One final note - I am seriously a cat lady. My phone can no longer take any pictures because my memory card is full of pictures of my cats. Oops.
Over and Out. |
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[Oct. 11th, 2012|02:00 pm]
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Today I am a sickie. Which isn't altogether unfortunate. I spent 3 long hours talking with Josh about the wedding, the future, dreams, etc over countless cups of coffee (although he did most of the talking as I am trying to spare my voice for only necessary commentary). I feel rather guilty for missing work today, but to be honest I spent 2 hours doing a soc media webinar, I am about to do some research for the company blog, and I will probably update the Facebook page at least twice. So really they are getting my work for free; bargain!
But I won't talk any more about work.
I think I have discovered I am the DIY equivalent of a Foodie (does that make me a craftie?) I appreciate crafts, I use items that have been DIYed, I can tell when a project is a good project and when one will certainly fall flat or become a failure. I love the idea of crafting and DIYing and I have one of those obnoxious Pinterest boards full of "Future DIYS!" But I do not in the very least have any craft skills. Whenever I start trying to do something crafty and creative I revert back to my 8 year old self. I was a member of the local 'Brownies' group. It was Easter. We were making Easter Chicks out of yellow pom poms, googly eyes, and those hollow plastic eggs that people often fill with candy. I was given liquid glue by some poor, naive group leader who thought I, as an enthusiastic, over zealous 8 year old, could be trusted with liquid glue. To make a long story short I ruined my craft, covered myself in glue, and stole some other innocent 8 year old's perfectly crafted Easter Chick to take home and brag about to my parents, passed off as my own creation (betcha didn't know I was an 8 year old criminal huh? I like to think of myself as a vigilante, years ahead her time, freeing the masses from the crafting capitalists who festered on the hearts of young children who love Easter chicks). I never made an Easter craft again. Nor did I ever go back to Brownies.
I am okay with all this, however. I can cook, I can write, I can develop a mean communications strategy and I can buy crafts from other people who have far superior crafting skills to myself. And sometimes, only occasionally, I let people believe I made them myself.
As for now. I am going to spend the rest of the day sucking on sucrets and writing a short but magnificent Christmas list that would make even James Joyce envious. |
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[Oct. 2nd, 2012|08:59 pm]
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Continuing with the promise to myself to update - here it is for the past week or so.
I definitely feel like I have gotten into a good groove at work. It is still pretty difficult since I am filling the roles of about three people (website moderator, reception and social media coordinator - my actual position) but I am hopeful that those other positions will be filled soon. Until then I am mastering the art of multitasking - and damnit that is something I need to learn. I am also discovering that there is no such thing as "by the book" with it comes to public relations; one must react to each situation specifically. This is quite difficult for me as I respond extremely well to structure. But I love challenging myself and that is perhaps the best part about it.
Today I did my very first communication planning that wasn't for a class or volunteer organization. Our office manager bought me this awesome calendar and I wrote absolutely everything out that we need to do over the next 6 months, prioritized, and officially colour coded everything. it is absolutely ridiculous how much joy I got out of that, but hey, we get happiness where we can right?
I was also officially accepted to CPRS (Canadian Public Relations Society) today. I am a happy gal.
Oh! and the other areas of my life are awesome too! I swear theres more going on besides my job, but to be honest, I don't find any of it quite as interesting. |
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[Sep. 20th, 2012|07:47 pm]
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My job is amazing. I feel like I am 14 and dating a new guy and thinking things are awesome but worrying I would screw it up. except if i screw it up I become unemployed. so yeah, the stakes are high.
I love feeling little accomplishments throughout the day. Whether it is a bunch of people sharing one of my posts or if it is someone extremely happy with the ad I create for them. I love it. Waking up and being excited to go to work is amazing and I believe everyone deserves that feeling. Just as I believe everyone deserves to be in love.
Speaking of which, we may have picked a venue! God I hope so. I really wanna get moving on the wedding. I know josh does too. But no one ever explains to you how difficult it is to plan a wedding. and how political it is. Oh well aunt such and such will just have to deal I guess. Plus we will probably be written out of the family newsletter. The sacrifices.
But things are grand. Exciting and grand |
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_bignothing_
