Party Prep

Guys, we're partying it up at our house again this weekend. It's going to be a total summer bash. BBQ, firepit for s'mores, outdoor movie, dancing, and of course other delicious food.

So me and my roomies have been prepping our house. Well, mostly our yard because it was out of control. I pretty much plan to come home every day this week and work in the yard. I already cut down a bunch of branches with my handy dandy chainsaw and now we're disposing of all the branches. We'll be ready, come Saturday.

It's gonna be great.

beck

Busy Days of Summer

Something happened to me a couple of months ago. I decided that I couldn't afford to be lazy or tired any more. I couldn't afford to waste time on...inactivity. I don't think I've ever been lacking in the "busy schedule" category. But I found that it was pretty extreme between scheduled activities and free time or veg time. Now I try to use my time and do something productive--all the time.

At this moment it makes me anxious just to think about the last few years when I would often, too regularly, spend a weekend or down time on my laptop watching all the episodes of a TV show or catching up on movies on Netflix. Or I would be absolutely content to sleep in until noon.

Somehow I got into a terrible rut of inactivity. I feel like it's such a blessing that I've been able to break away from that (though there have been some exceptions.) On Saturdays, I usually get out of bed (happily) by 9 am. Then I feel like making a real breakfast. Then I do as much as is physically possible in the yard or around the house before I'm obligated to clean myself up and go to an event. That's on a Saturday! I've been able to accomplish tasks that have been listed too often in the to-do category. I got motivated to get back to the gym and I've been pretty regular about working out for a few months now.

The best part of all of this change is that my body feels good. I have energy. I want to continue to do things that will not only fill my time, but fulfill my physical, spiritual and emotional needs.

So here's to my busy days of summer. I've been able to accomplish a lot and I still have several weeks to go before ushering in the autumn season and all its glory.

beck

Babysitting like a friend

I've been a babysitting fool over the last six months. The Family I Babysit For (this is how I refer to them most often, so I feel like I've named them that) had their fourth baby about six months ago. So during these last several months I've babysat at least twice a week for them. My roommate babysits for them too--on top of grad school. So basically she's a rock star. Basically I haven't had much of a social life. (My mom laments my lack of dating every day.)

Finally, it looks like babysitting is going to slow down a bit for some summer travels. Can I say it's bittersweet? The Family I Babysit For is arguably my closest family in DC. I know their house almost as well as my own. I know their kids better than my nieces and nephew. I'm going to really miss them while they're away!

It's funny because at this moment I'm babysitting for a different family. I usually don't have time to babysit more than I already do, so it's amazing that I was able to take this job for a friend. As I sit here in a hotel room at the Tyson's Ritz Carlton (yep, pretty posh), I keep thinking of The Family I Babysit For. I can't help but compare the two families and their kids. There are definite pros to being a long-term sitter for a family. Familiarity is obviously a big help. However, I think kids are fun no matter who or where they are. I can be fast friends with kids. I just like it when I get to spend quality time with them and know them better.

Woa. I just realized something about myself. (Writing is amazing.) I realized that I crave that type of relationship with adults too. The kind that's deep, meaningful, and full of quality time. I crave it even if having more of the deep relationships means having less relationships overall.

beck

Songs on my mind

Loving this song, first introduced by Maggie . I love the lyrics--though the video is a lil trippy and maybe depressing.



And loving this song too

What can I say? I'm just feeling optimistic today. beck

Spring Adventures

My latest adventures are related by one thing only: the spring season.

I'm sure I've stated many times on this blog that I love my job. I do! I really love it! I love the organization that I work for, the work that I do and the people I work with. But I knew I couldn't spend my career in this position, so I've been looking (sort of) for a new position over the last year. Similar to what happened with my current job, a new opportunity recently fell into my lap. I know, I'm so blessed.

About a month ago I got a call from a coworker about a position opening up on a new finance team. I had heard about the project, but didn't think it would require new positions in our organization. I was thrilled to find out that I could even apply. Thankfully, I applied and was offered the position. (Just so you know, I did have to wait for about a week for an interview request and about a week before an offer was made. It's not always smooth sailing in my job searches, but I do think I'm pretty lucky overall.)

So on May 1, after 4 years and 8 months working on IVLP, I'll switch to a new position at IIE. I'm sure it will mean new tasks and challenges. It's bittersweet to leave the program I love so much. In my new position, I'll be able to make our whole organization run our finances more smoothly with reengineered processes and financial systems. I. can't. wait. It's my life's goal to make things more efficient.

My other springtime adventure this year is allergies. Ugh, ALLERGIES! It's the worst I've ever felt from allergies. I haven't been able to breathe for going on five days. I gave in yesterday and took the day off so I could see my doctor. I got nasal spray, eye drops and an inhaler. I almost asked for shots, but thought that I'd wait it out. I took some medicine last night before going to bed and could breathe a little easier this morning. Baby steps on the road to recovery.

beck

Supreme Court Hearings on Same-Sex Marriage

If you know me, you probably already know my stance on same-sex marriage. So I'm not going to write about my opinion or what I think should happen.

My friend posted this link on facebook to listen to the arguments from today's hearing. I'm certain I've never read any arguments from Supreme Court hearings. I'm also certain that I've never before listened to the most brilliant legal minds in our country argue a case.

It was AWESOME! The justices even joked (briefly and perhaps unintentionally) about the fertility of men over the age of 55. I was really so impressed to hear how they pointed out flaws in the arguments or even in the premises for the arguments.

For a split-second it made me rethink my career choices for the millionth time. But then I remembered that I would hate law school and would probably get tired of arguing other people's problems in court proceedings. 

beck

Gearing up for Black History Month Post MLK Day

I know it's been a few days since MLK day, but I've been holding onto this quote for months. I read Stewart Burns' To the Mountaintop back in October. It was a small attempt on my part to get to know the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.--the man and his vision. At some point I would like to read more of King's own words, but for now, I felt this biography was a good introduction.


"'We stand today between two worlds, the dying old and the emerging new,' King told the fiftieth-anniversary gathering of Alpha Phi Alpha, his college fraternity. 'The tensions which we witness in the world today are indicative of the fact that a new world is being born and an old world is passing away.' [King] saw that people of color more than whites, at home and abroad, were straddling the boundary of old world and new, wandering in the twilight between darkness and daybreak, navigating the complex ambiguities of a transition time from winter to spring, Good Friday to Easter. Between two worlds--a familiar stance for dark-skinned peoples. To prepare for entering the new world, he felt, black people needed to adopt a spirit of interdependence free from bitterness, open to forgiveness.

"This idea of personal and social rebirth was not an idea that King came up with out of thin air. He was interpreting what he was witnessing, doing what he did best, translating into eternal diction what the people were teaching him--leadership rising from the pews." [Burns, Stewart, To the Mountaintop, pp.112-113]


This is a quote that I loved, because I feel that it still rings true for this moment, our moment for growth. I also love the religious resonance in King's vision. It impressed me that despite his faults, King was a man of the cloth. He was brought into the work almost by happenstance, hand-picked to be the young, appealing face of the movement. What's more impressive to me is that Burns interprets King's ideas as reiterations of what he was seeing and hearing. He truly was a mouthpiece for the movement, "translating into eternal diction what the people were teaching him."

Now I have to say that though it is contreversial to think so, that I get frustrated with Black History Month. By keeping the labels on, we are not moving toward more equality. Having a month of events focused on Black History Month will not make up for the centuries of oppression. I believe it only furthers the gap between those who support equality and those who still choose to be racist.   But I am white. So I fear that my thoughts on this will only ever be construed as racist.  

beck