What?

Blogging is such an interesting form of communication with the world.  Some people use it to communicate with family and friends who live far away, others use it as a way to earn income, while still others use it as a way to track projects or hold themselves accountable.  I started this blog in 2008 before I really started using Facebook.  A lot of my early posts are now what I would most likely do as a status update or shared link on Facebook. I don't think they justify a full blog post. I don't quite know what my blogging should look like now.

While I was in the Peace Corps, I created a new blog to keep in touch with family and friends.  I didn't want to spam people with e-mail updates of what I was doing and I wanted a good way to share photos. In some ways I regret using a blog as my means of communication.  First, I think using a blog as a way to communicate made me feel even more alone.  People didn't write back as they might with an e-mail and I don't think I encouraged people to leave comments enough. The other reason I regret using the blog to communicate was that our blogs were heavily monitored by the Peace Corps and we were told we could only share positive experiences on our blogs if they were public.  This means I didn't really blog about a lot of my experiences and it also means that my friends and family (and anyone else reading) didn't really get an accurate portrayal of my service.  In hindsight, I wish I had just written an e-newsletter about my service instead.

Now that I have finished my service, I find I do still want to write and I have come back to this blog. However, I find myself at a bit of a loss when it comes to what exactly I want to write about. I am still trying to figure out what I want my blog to focus on.  In the mean time. I guess a little snapshot of what I have been up to will suffice.

Chicago Activities

Since my previous posting in August, I spent a week in Chicago having a reunion with some of my amazing cousins.  The weekend involved lots of yummy food, seeing Ira Glass speak at the opening weekend showing of "Sleepwalk with Me," and miniature golf. I also spent three and a half weeks in NYC work on a temporary job collecting samples of waste and recycling at transfer stations. As September ended, I found myself back in Seattle and back on the job hunt.  This is where I feel like things sort of stall.  I have had some phone interviews, but nothing has turned into anything.  While I do feel frustrated, I think more than anything I feel embarrassed.  At my age, all my friends seems to have a major successes or life changing events occurring that seems to make my existence pitiful at best.  I cheer on the new babies, promotions, new homes and loves found, but another part of me is so conscious about my own lacking that it makes it hard to be around people.  I hope in the coming months that things will change.

Attention: it is October 29th!

Today is October 29th, I headed to my local drugstore, Bartell Drugs, for Halloween treats. While strolling the aisles, I noticed the music being played in the store. Christmas carols. I do love a good carol, but it's still October. Somehow the chorus of "snowflakes falling" wasn't quite as compelling as I was starring a bags of trick-or-treating candy.

Advice for an Uncle

My uncle often tells a story about the day of his high school graduation. He graduated from high school in the early sixties. As he was walking to the ceremony in his cap and gown, an elderly woman stopped him on the sidewalk to congratulate him. As he thanked her, she offered him a piece of advice. “Savor these times,” she said, “high school was the happiest time of my life.” He remembers mumbling thanks and walking away and then thinking to himself that this is the worst advice he has ever received.

My uncle laughs a lot when he tells this story. He remembers being scared for a second and wondering, “What if this was the best time of my life?” Then he laughs a little more. In his sixties now, he confidently says that each year has been better than the one before. I hope in my sixties I can say the same thing with just as much laughter.

Some day...

I hope to have a wedding this awesome.

28 Things

Today I am turning the big two eight. As I officially move into my late twenties, I have decided to reflect on things I have learned throughout my twenty-eight years.

1. I have learned how to make delicious oatmeal chocolate chip walnut cookies.
2. I can not brush my teeth without ending up with toothpaste all over my face no matter how hard I try.
3. Rattlesnake isn't a totally revolting meat.
   
4. In a car vs. marta battle; the car always wins.
5. I can run 13.1 miles as long as I can take it slow.
6. When trying to be health conscious it's not really a good idea in all recipes to substitute apple sauce for butter, no matter how many cookbooks endorse this. Right, Elizabeth?
7. Travel is great as long as you have home as the final destination.
   

Risk

I have thinking a lot about risk lately and what makes me afraid to take it. I have spent the past few years struggling to figure out what I want to do with my life, but when push comes to shove I find myself inextricably stuck. I think about where I would like to be and try to visualize my future, but I find myself unable to make the leap. I am full of excuses and I seem to hold myself back. I thought making a list of some the excuses I make might be helpful.

Excuses for not making potentially life changing risks:

• Fear of failure
• Not being financially secure
• Dreams not being the reality
  
• Having to start climbing the ladder again
  
• Being afraid to be away from family and friends
  
• The unstable economy (I feel I should be grateful for the job I have, but I still fell stuck)
• Fear of the unfamiliar
• Not wanting to do things alone
  
• Fear of embarrassment