Time To Change My Habits

I got a job!

It is no longer just this abstract hope that might come through. It has actually happened, and I filled out the paperwork today. I actually found out last Tuesday, then had it taken away briefly while they re-validated my security clearance, and then had it offered again on Friday, woohoo! What a happy week. I even get health insurance and a retirement plan and all sorts of good stuff.

The job, which shall remain nameless so I don't have to kill anyone, is in my old office, and is a coop program, otherwise known as Student Career Employment Program (SCEP). What SCEP is, is a full time job while in school, and then it can be noncompetitively turned into a real position once you have graduated. Awesome, right? I think so :-)

There is of course a downside, and that is that I hope there is actually work for me to do. I say this because there are two interns in the office now, and there was barely enough for me to do as the only intern before. Sigh. Still, if my supervisor fought as hard as he did for me, then he must have some sort of plan, right? In any case, I am not going to let this get me down at all. I am all about celebrating and happiness right now, and nothing can bring me down :-)

I think I am starting on Monday because that is when my supervisor will be back from (his son's) spring break. And herein lies the reason I need to change my habits: I have been going to bed at 2 and waking up at 10, and now I will have to get up at 7 every day again. This means I HAVE to start going to bed earlier. I have been doing well this week, with being in bed around midnight and going to bed between 12 and 1am. So, I just need to keep moving that up a bit, and I will be all set. Wish me luck, as this night owl once again transitions to being a morning bird.

I got a job!!!!!

Pet Peeves

I have two very big pet peeves (and one small one) when it comes to classroom etiquette.

First, STOP TEXTING!!! Is it really that difficult to keep your phone away for two and a half hours? I mean really, your friends can wait,  plans can wait, and life will not leave you behind. Not only are you missing potentially valuable information from the professor, but you are distracting your fellow classmates, otherwise known as me.

Second, SHUT UP!!! Yes, I understand you want to catch up with your friend in class who you haven't seen in a week, but I am trying to listen to the professor, and I can't hear or focus if you are holding your own conversation right behind me. And if I can hear you from across the room, then we really have a problem. Once again, you are missing what the professor is saying and distracting others.

Third, and less of a pet peeve, is to keep off the internet, and especially gchat, when in class. I know the temptation is super strong, but really, if you are typing away when the professor isn't talking, then it is quite obvious what you are doing. Same if the opposite is true. And really, did you forget the reflection of your screen can be seen in the window?

Also, these are just rude and disrespectful to do in class. You may think the professor doesn't notice, but I guarantee he does. You are thumbing your nose at him and basically saying your life is more important than what he has to say. That me be the case, bt you signed up for the class, now pay attention and take it. Your wasting your time and money if you can't pay attention for those two and a half hours every week, but you are also wasting that of other students.

The Next World's Fair! (Otherwise Known As Expo 2010)

This caught my eye as we read Devil In the White City for book club in January. Apparently the next Worlds Fair is to be in Shanghai and begins in May. I guess they are pushing the clock to get everything completed just as we did in Chicago in 1892. I wonder what is going to happen to all of these buildings when the Expo is over. I also wonder about the poor people who have been kicked out of their homes and had them demolished in order to make the area around the Expo look nicer. Anyway, the link reminded me of the book, and so, I thought I would share. The link is to a website with some pictures on the progress of the Expo so far.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/03/shanghai_prepares_for_expo_201.html

I'm A Sap

It has been over a month since I last posted. I guess there has just been nothing of interest really to say. Not that what I have to say tonight is really of any interest, but here it is anyway.

I admit it. I am a sap. I love the cheesy happy ending. In fact, I live for it. So much in this world is disappointing and disheartening and out of our control, that seeing those happy endings, well, they make me happy. And if I can get some laughs in, so much the better.

I say this because I am going to admit something I am semi-ashamed of: I watch (and enjoy) The Bachelor(ette). I know it is fake and contrived, and that the relationships won't last in the real world, but I like watching the show. The dates are fun and romantic and ridiculous and entertaining, so whats not to like? I even watched the wedding they showed last week. Who knows if it will last, but I enjoyed being a voyeur and watching it (along with who knows how many millions of others). And, as sappy as it is, I did tear up a little bit. Sigh.

It gets even better though. Every Monday I look forward to the wedding announcements in the Express (the daily free newspaper put out by the Washington Post). I also like to watch "Say Yes To The Dress" on TLC, and the other week I caught myself watching "Four Weddings" as well. I am not in a relationship, and let's be honest, I probably won't be for a while, but I like watching these shows. I am not on the hunt for a bridal gown or ideas for a wedding, and in fact, have never dreamed about my future wedding. I just like reading about and seeing other people who are so happy and in love.

To continue coming clean, yes I read trashy romance novels too. I read so much depressing stuff for class and work (when I had a real job), that it is nice to escape into a book where I know the ending is going to be just what I want, so I can enjoy the journey getting there. One caveat is that I do like to have some action/adventure in there, and the heroine can't be a blithering idiot. Still, I know this is hardly redeeming, and that I am wasting some brain cells every time I read one of these books. I have no regrets though, as they keep me both sane and happy. In my defense, I do love Jane Austen as well, so at least that is some classier trash, lol. It is possible of course that these novels contribute to why my standards are so high, but that is a chance I have to take, as I don't see my standards lowering any time soon.

In any case, I will (not so) proudly watch the Bachelorette when it premiers in May, and I will continue to read my trashy romance novels and watch my tv shows with their happiness practically spewing at me out of my tv. I will continue to tear up, but I will also continue to laugh and enjoy the possibilities and dreams that this (sad) little habit of mine provides. I'm a sap, but you know what, it keeps the cynical side of me balanced, and I sorely need that in this crazy world we live in.