Friday, June 19, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Suddenly Free of Fear...
...fear of commitment, that is. Reporting live is one brand new kitty-momma. He is an absolutely adorable white/silver kitty with blue eyes (we'll see how his fur and eyes change color over time). After several hours of thinking about names, I've come up with Skylar (or skyLar): "learned one". Any thoughts / affirmations / objections?
And here's the visual:
Big shoes to fill with that name, for such a small little kitty. But I'm sure he can handle it.
UPDATE: Not only do I have cute lil' Skylar now, I'm also adopting his sister Emi (shown in this photo as well). Two cuddly kittens that can now play together when I'm away at work. Perfect!
And here's the visual:
Big shoes to fill with that name, for such a small little kitty. But I'm sure he can handle it.
UPDATE: Not only do I have cute lil' Skylar now, I'm also adopting his sister Emi (shown in this photo as well). Two cuddly kittens that can now play together when I'm away at work. Perfect!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wistful thinking
You know what I'll miss next year? Today's word-bomb:
That's why it's absolutely imperative that I wring every last bit of gratification and edification from the experience.
So here are some book ideas (for grown-ups) that could go along with furthering that goal:
Emolument: n. (formal or rhetorical) profit made from being employed; fee or salary.
That's why it's absolutely imperative that I wring every last bit of gratification and edification from the experience.
So here are some book ideas (for grown-ups) that could go along with furthering that goal:
- Austin's Eco-Culture: The Rise, the Reason and the Reproducibility (would require a lot of interviews of locals, which would be a great way to meet people)
- How to Survive for One Year without Spending Money or Mooching: Tapping Social Networks and Being Resourceful in General (semi-autobiography, semi-humor)
- Achievable Utopia: Blueprint to an Enlightened and Efficient City (this could go hand in hand with the graduate studies in city planning; this could also be combined in some way with the Austin's Eco-Culture subject)
- Traveling on a Shoestring: Budget-Smart Ways to See the Seven Continents (to be learned from real-life lessons; the challenge would be Antarctica, but if global warming continues apace... otherwise maybe should change "the Seven Continents" to "the World")
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Sidereal
I thought I'd start with the word-bomb today. No doubt this word will come in handy when marketing those psychic readings...
So after spending hours tossing and turning last night, I decided as I finally drifted off that I would press the "restart" button, try to stay at my company and be their NYC presence for the next year or more. I could move back to the bustling city, restart my Equinox membership (and Dance! with Tootsie!) and be closer to people I care about.
The turmoil prior to reaching this conclusion was in part a reaction to a conversation with my current jefes and hearing how flexible they were willing to be about my future role with the company, if I wanted for there to be a future role. It was also driven in large part by the depressing median salary figures for the fields I'm interested in (City & Urban Planning, and perhaps public administration and public policy more generally). The thought of spending 3 years virtually salary-free, and then graduating to make less than half of what I currently earn was somewhat less than reassuring.
Then I popped out of bed this morning, shook out the cobwebs, and incredulously asked myself, "Girl, are you CRAZY??"
I don't know at what point grad school and public-service-right-here-right-now got shifted up to #1 on my priority list, but it shouldn't be there. Somewhere along the line, I must have forgotten that full-time grad school and near-term public service comprise Plan B.
Contrast this with Plan A: To take a year off to be a life student and write a book or two. Meanwhile, perhaps work part-time, get to know the city, and hopefully find a meaningful, interesting and sustainable job without having to go back to school, or at most, going back to school part-time.
So although planning for contingency Plan B (e.g., taking the GRE, applying to grad school) will precede the execution of Plan A, sL's gotta stay focused on making Plan A happen.
Sidereal: adj. of the stars or measured by them.
So after spending hours tossing and turning last night, I decided as I finally drifted off that I would press the "restart" button, try to stay at my company and be their NYC presence for the next year or more. I could move back to the bustling city, restart my Equinox membership (and Dance! with Tootsie!) and be closer to people I care about.
The turmoil prior to reaching this conclusion was in part a reaction to a conversation with my current jefes and hearing how flexible they were willing to be about my future role with the company, if I wanted for there to be a future role. It was also driven in large part by the depressing median salary figures for the fields I'm interested in (City & Urban Planning, and perhaps public administration and public policy more generally). The thought of spending 3 years virtually salary-free, and then graduating to make less than half of what I currently earn was somewhat less than reassuring.
Then I popped out of bed this morning, shook out the cobwebs, and incredulously asked myself, "Girl, are you CRAZY??"
I don't know at what point grad school and public-service-right-here-right-now got shifted up to #1 on my priority list, but it shouldn't be there. Somewhere along the line, I must have forgotten that full-time grad school and near-term public service comprise Plan B.
Contrast this with Plan A: To take a year off to be a life student and write a book or two. Meanwhile, perhaps work part-time, get to know the city, and hopefully find a meaningful, interesting and sustainable job without having to go back to school, or at most, going back to school part-time.
So although planning for contingency Plan B (e.g., taking the GRE, applying to grad school) will precede the execution of Plan A, sL's gotta stay focused on making Plan A happen.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Dilemma-rama
I am so indecisive - please just tell me what I should do!!! Austin or NYC or San Diego or international? Quit job or continue to work part-time? MBA or Master of Public Affairs or Master of Science in Community and Urban Planning or none of the above? I'm going crazy with indecisiveness!!!!!!!!
Please help :-( Suddenly hit a wall tonight in the liberation planning process.
p.s. I'm serious. suddenlyliberated@gmail.com gets forwarded directly to my real personal email. Would immensely appreciate your feedback. Danke schön!
p.p.s. Today's Word-bomb: Utopia, since this is clearly what I'm looking for!
p.p.p.s. Today's Real Word-bomb: Execrate: To declare to be evil or detestable:denounce
Please help :-( Suddenly hit a wall tonight in the liberation planning process.
p.s. I'm serious. suddenlyliberated@gmail.com gets forwarded directly to my real personal email. Would immensely appreciate your feedback. Danke schön!
p.p.s. Today's Word-bomb: Utopia, since this is clearly what I'm looking for!
p.p.p.s. Today's Real Word-bomb: Execrate: To declare to be evil or detestable:denounce
Anneal
Oops, almost forgot to drop today's word-bomb:
Discovered through this addictive game: http://www.flashbynight.com/GRE/
(Yes, I'm still a dork.)
Good night!
Anneal: v. make tough by cooling slowly after heating
Discovered through this addictive game: http://www.flashbynight.com/GRE/
(Yes, I'm still a dork.)
Good night!
Sudden Insight: Full-Time Extra-curriculars?
From the time I was in high school till I was about 25 y.o., I was absolutely passionate about my extra-curricular activities and "eh" about my classes / work.
For example, it is both one of my life's great shames and one of my life's best decisions that I failed out of my after-school advanced math geek-a-rama course in 10th grade due to 1) Subway sandwiches and 2) cheerleading practice and games. Sure, I had to retake calculus later on in my junior year, but I also was able to develop teamwork, creativity and high-kick skills that have been instrumental to other pursuits post-high school.
In college, I'd skip out on professors' office hours to keep a near-perfect attendance record for TKD practice. I would also scrimp on my Govy class readings in order to spend time conveying new Chinese dance choreography via text-only email to my fellow dancerinas. And I drove over to a local elementary school to read books to an ESL 1st-grader more regularly than I attended my Econ class group study sessions.
Later when living in the suburbs of Boston and chillin' with a 9-5er, I'd make the trek into Chinatown multiple times a week in order to learn, teach and perform Chinese dance at a bona fide Chinese dance academy.
During the days of pre-Corporate Slavery NYC, I would opt to return to the office multiple times a week to start work again at 10PM, after getting an invigorating dose of Tootsie's best stream-of-consciousness choreography. "Don't think!" she'd insist during class, and encourage us instead to trust our instincts and accumulated skills.
The reason why this "year of liberation" appeals to me so much is because it basically allows me to focus fully on these "extra-curriculars" that have been so sorely overlooked in the last four years. And tonight, I suddenly realized - why the heck can't I find a way to base my career on all these activities and means of expression that I love? Sure, there's a chance that once I "have" to do something, I'll start resenting it. But I'll never know unless I give it a whirl.
So that's all for tonight. Just wanted to share this sudden flash of insight and luxuriate in nostalgia for a bit. Life was so full back then, and I really miss that feeling. (And in case you're curious, no, WINKIE hasn't done a very good job at filling the void.)
For example, it is both one of my life's great shames and one of my life's best decisions that I failed out of my after-school advanced math geek-a-rama course in 10th grade due to 1) Subway sandwiches and 2) cheerleading practice and games. Sure, I had to retake calculus later on in my junior year, but I also was able to develop teamwork, creativity and high-kick skills that have been instrumental to other pursuits post-high school.
In college, I'd skip out on professors' office hours to keep a near-perfect attendance record for TKD practice. I would also scrimp on my Govy class readings in order to spend time conveying new Chinese dance choreography via text-only email to my fellow dancerinas. And I drove over to a local elementary school to read books to an ESL 1st-grader more regularly than I attended my Econ class group study sessions.
Later when living in the suburbs of Boston and chillin' with a 9-5er, I'd make the trek into Chinatown multiple times a week in order to learn, teach and perform Chinese dance at a bona fide Chinese dance academy.
During the days of pre-Corporate Slavery NYC, I would opt to return to the office multiple times a week to start work again at 10PM, after getting an invigorating dose of Tootsie's best stream-of-consciousness choreography. "Don't think!" she'd insist during class, and encourage us instead to trust our instincts and accumulated skills.
The reason why this "year of liberation" appeals to me so much is because it basically allows me to focus fully on these "extra-curriculars" that have been so sorely overlooked in the last four years. And tonight, I suddenly realized - why the heck can't I find a way to base my career on all these activities and means of expression that I love? Sure, there's a chance that once I "have" to do something, I'll start resenting it. But I'll never know unless I give it a whirl.
So that's all for tonight. Just wanted to share this sudden flash of insight and luxuriate in nostalgia for a bit. Life was so full back then, and I really miss that feeling. (And in case you're curious, no, WINKIE hasn't done a very good job at filling the void.)
Monday, June 8, 2009
Feliz Aniversario de un mes
Hoy es el aniversario de un mes de "suddenly Liberated" ("de repente Liberadas"). Gracias por leer. Espero que esto marca el primer aniversario de muchos en el futuro. Vamos a celebrar! 
(For the Spanish buffs reading this, your feedback on how any of this might be better written would be greatly appreciated. Google WordMonkey is good, but not quite perfect yet.)
(For the Spanish buffs reading this, your feedback on how any of this might be better written would be greatly appreciated. Google WordMonkey is good, but not quite perfect yet.)
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Word bombs
Now that WINKIE is done for the time being, I am also turning my attention to the GRE. This is the only pre-grad school standardized test I have left to take, methinks. LSAT knocked me on my *ss during senior fall of college, due in small part to my falling asleep during the test and due in large part to my having absolutely no interest in actually going to law school. Later on, I knocked GMAT on its *ss in Summer 2007, fueled in large part by desperation to find a path to freedom and away from Corporate Slavery. And there's no way in this lifetime I'll even contemplate taking the MCAT.
The reason why I bring this up is because, as you know, the most challenging aspect of the GRE is the verbal section. To facilitate our collective learning processes, I will be unloading random vocabulary-boosting word bombs in future posts. Some may even be monosyllabic. For instance:
Who would have known? Not me, that's for sure.
Okay, lights out for real this time.
The reason why I bring this up is because, as you know, the most challenging aspect of the GRE is the verbal section. To facilitate our collective learning processes, I will be unloading random vocabulary-boosting word bombs in future posts. Some may even be monosyllabic. For instance:
cadge: v. to beg, or to get by begging
Who would have known? Not me, that's for sure.
Okay, lights out for real this time.
Mini-liberation
Took down WINKIE today. We'll find out in late July whether I just temporarily knocked it unconscious, or if it's down for the full count. No false modesty coming from this corner - that WINKIE gave me a run for my money, and at the end of it all, I walked out thinking that it was kind of a crapshoot.
But for now, it's a nice feeling of accomplishment, even though (or perhaps, especially because?) the ultimate future of my relationship with financial markets remains unclear. Imagine, in a couple of years, I could be one of the world's few WINKIE Winkerholders that is also a bohemian reggae singer / living in a tree / flyer distributor for free psychic readings / etc / misc / et al. Yes, I'm still committed to living life as an oxy-moron, although preferably with a stronger tilt toward "oxus" (Greek for "sharp") than "moros" (Greek for "foolish, dull").
I digress. After the mental calisthenics today, I celebrated by heading to a Padres game - and had the pleasure of cheering on the home team as they ended up smokin' the D-backs, after a somewhat inauspicious first inning.
Now I have the leisure of turning my full attention to Project Austin and writing those book reviews. Liberation from my "study suit" (ie, the extra organic layers put on from the >350 hours spent hunkered over those WINKIE textbooks) is also on the menu, starting with a killer Cardio Kickbox body transformation session tomorrow AM. I'm also boycotting salmon for a bit - have been consuming a serving every day as sacrificial offerings to my gray matter. Although my omega-3 levels are probably off the charts, it is likely that I may have OD'd on mercury as well. Good news is that this will probably cut down my Whole Foods bill by at least 50%.
As a brief aside / note to self, something I would like to develop during my 'year of liberation': develop a new sort of training that incorporates elements from all of the martial arts, dance, cheerleading, yoga and powerwalking/hiking that I enjoy (or used to enjoy) spending my time on. Something with a ranking system, so that it has some stickiness with goal-addicted individuals such as myself, as well as some credibility in terms of actual skill needed to utilize this training. And to do this while not getting sued when trying to teach this new style to other people. (Life's too short for lawsuits, particularly if yours truly is on the "plaintive" side.) Well, this getting-people-hooked concept is a tad at odds with Project Liberty. Will have to roll around the Play-doh a little more to see if one can sculpt a more palatable approach.
Whew, completely exhausted. The only reason I'm still up is because I'm too slow to realize I should have gone to bed hours ago.
sL out.
But for now, it's a nice feeling of accomplishment, even though (or perhaps, especially because?) the ultimate future of my relationship with financial markets remains unclear. Imagine, in a couple of years, I could be one of the world's few WINKIE Winkerholders that is also a bohemian reggae singer / living in a tree / flyer distributor for free psychic readings / etc / misc / et al. Yes, I'm still committed to living life as an oxy-moron, although preferably with a stronger tilt toward "oxus" (Greek for "sharp") than "moros" (Greek for "foolish, dull").
I digress. After the mental calisthenics today, I celebrated by heading to a Padres game - and had the pleasure of cheering on the home team as they ended up smokin' the D-backs, after a somewhat inauspicious first inning.
Now I have the leisure of turning my full attention to Project Austin and writing those book reviews. Liberation from my "study suit" (ie, the extra organic layers put on from the >350 hours spent hunkered over those WINKIE textbooks) is also on the menu, starting with a killer Cardio Kickbox body transformation session tomorrow AM. I'm also boycotting salmon for a bit - have been consuming a serving every day as sacrificial offerings to my gray matter. Although my omega-3 levels are probably off the charts, it is likely that I may have OD'd on mercury as well. Good news is that this will probably cut down my Whole Foods bill by at least 50%.
As a brief aside / note to self, something I would like to develop during my 'year of liberation': develop a new sort of training that incorporates elements from all of the martial arts, dance, cheerleading, yoga and powerwalking/hiking that I enjoy (or used to enjoy) spending my time on. Something with a ranking system, so that it has some stickiness with goal-addicted individuals such as myself, as well as some credibility in terms of actual skill needed to utilize this training. And to do this while not getting sued when trying to teach this new style to other people. (Life's too short for lawsuits, particularly if yours truly is on the "plaintive" side.) Well, this getting-people-hooked concept is a tad at odds with Project Liberty. Will have to roll around the Play-doh a little more to see if one can sculpt a more palatable approach.
Whew, completely exhausted. The only reason I'm still up is because I'm too slow to realize I should have gone to bed hours ago.
sL out.
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