I'm sitting here melting in Boston (96 degrees on the 4th floor apartment...yikes) geting ready to head to Africa. I have a month off work and I've already been to some random places...Palm Springs, CA, Northampton, Worcester, Boston, MA and now off to London and Lusaka. I'll be back in three weeks...and i'll make some amazing dress rad mental notes and take some grand pictures. I already have a few gems.
Until then....
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
The new black...volunteering.
In a week and a half I will be in Africa visiting my best friend from college who is serving the Peace Corps in Zambia. I'm going for her wedding...crazy. Anyway. In honor of my trip to Africa next week (!!!) I thought I would post this article. USA Today discusses how more grads are opting to volunteer for a year or two after college. I'm so glad to see enrollment rising for all of these programs. I still feel like there should be a bigger push in America for students to have a gap year and volunteer. Though not mandated, at least this is in fashion.
I was talking about this with the guy in REI yesterday who was helping me find a headlamp and he was right. It's pretty amazing that Peace Corps, a programs started in the 60's in the Kennedy Administration is still going strong. And is still a respected, amazing choice for people of all ages looking to give back.
I'm so excited to go and be a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) groupie for the next few weeks...
I was talking about this with the guy in REI yesterday who was helping me find a headlamp and he was right. It's pretty amazing that Peace Corps, a programs started in the 60's in the Kennedy Administration is still going strong. And is still a respected, amazing choice for people of all ages looking to give back.
I'm so excited to go and be a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) groupie for the next few weeks...
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Water Blogged
Man, I've been a blogging machine lately. I posted about the fancy new changes on the Career Center on the Jobster blog, and I have lots o' little tidbits of the jobseeker blog. And then I came up with a really bad pun for the title of this, so I HAD to post.
Bacon Salt: A little moonlighting on the side
I've been known to confuse a few people with my alternate position of SVP of Marketing with Bacon Salt. Well, this amazing product finally launched it's website today, so if you have a hankering for bacon...check it out. It's amazing. I'm vegan and I think it's amazing. And I too, would just love to hug the owners. By reading this, you can say you knew about Bacon Salt from the day of its launch. I recommend the pepper flavor...and I really can't wait to try it in a Bloody Mary.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Tak for Sidst
I realized today that I'm rude. Ok, maybe not rude but I'm lacking etiquette. It's not just me...is it my digital generation? Or Seattle (well, the casual atmosphere doesn't help) or is it just everywhere? Anyway, it came up today at lunch. I was with my cousin, aunt and mom and my aunt was telling me about a friend of hers who threw a grand, martha stewert-esque sit down dinner party for 15 guests: great wine, all home-made food, the works. And after the event he was surprised when he didn't receive one thank-you note, not one call or thank you email.
This is when I thought back my time in Copenhagen. One of the things I loved about the Danes is their etiquette. You always respond promptly to an invite, and once you commit, that is your evening. You don't plan anything for the rest of the evening...(the Danes have a word for this type of gathering -hygge- we don't have an English equivalent but read about it, it's beautiful.) Ok, but the best part, after any type of social gathering, no matter how big or small, you always call the next day to tell the host "tak for sidst" (thanks for the last). How could I have forgotten about this great tradition! I need to step that up again. It was always so wonderful to have a friend call after an evening and thank my roommates and I for hosting.
This made me think: I'm sure I am slipping in work etiquette...especially because I work in such a relaxed, open work environment (a start-up in seattle? I'm sure I could come in my pajamas and no one would say anything.) I started looking around...here's an etiquette quiz for work. I am happy to say that I knew most of these (yes, some are really obvious and make me worry if people don't know these things..but there were a few good reminders.) Example: drinking is so much more relaxed in a work environment. And though this quiz is for an interview, I definitely have some work examples of people hitting the sauce a wee bit too hard in front of colleagues.
Manners really should be brought back. I should start a list. Maybe I will. But my main goal for now: bring back "tak for sidst" Maybe I'll even invest in some good old fashioned thank you cards.
On a random (but yet oh so pop culture) note: What am I listening to? This npr podcast: Is Hooking Up the new Dating? Thanks roommates...
This is when I thought back my time in Copenhagen. One of the things I loved about the Danes is their etiquette. You always respond promptly to an invite, and once you commit, that is your evening. You don't plan anything for the rest of the evening...(the Danes have a word for this type of gathering -hygge- we don't have an English equivalent but read about it, it's beautiful.) Ok, but the best part, after any type of social gathering, no matter how big or small, you always call the next day to tell the host "tak for sidst" (thanks for the last). How could I have forgotten about this great tradition! I need to step that up again. It was always so wonderful to have a friend call after an evening and thank my roommates and I for hosting.
This made me think: I'm sure I am slipping in work etiquette...especially because I work in such a relaxed, open work environment (a start-up in seattle? I'm sure I could come in my pajamas and no one would say anything.) I started looking around...here's an etiquette quiz for work. I am happy to say that I knew most of these (yes, some are really obvious and make me worry if people don't know these things..but there were a few good reminders.) Example: drinking is so much more relaxed in a work environment. And though this quiz is for an interview, I definitely have some work examples of people hitting the sauce a wee bit too hard in front of colleagues.
Manners really should be brought back. I should start a list. Maybe I will. But my main goal for now: bring back "tak for sidst" Maybe I'll even invest in some good old fashioned thank you cards.
On a random (but yet oh so pop culture) note: What am I listening to? This npr podcast: Is Hooking Up the new Dating? Thanks roommates...
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
My Quarter Life Crisis
Ah Brazen Careerist. You are great. This post on a braided career sums up my quarter life crisis of last year.
First off, I haven't really heard many other people even speak of a quarter life crisis..but that's definitely what I went through last year. While many of my Smith friends were off in Zambia, the U.K., Scotland, I came home. I was broke, and didn't want to settle for a crappy job in New York and live in a cardboard box. I, unlike so many, totally lucked out landing at Jobster and loving my job...keeping me in Seattle way longer than I originally intended. But a nod towards the quarter life crisis made me happy for a few reasons:
I have resisted so much in my life because it's 'impractical.' By no means did it leave me stuck anywhere, depressed about my decisions, but I have always been driven to get to the right school, the right internships, the right job. Now is the first time in my life I feel like I can make decisions without letting family/friends down. Wow, and that only took 24 years. I digress. So, this is great to push people to follow your loved ones. The braided career is really our generation: few of my friends will settle for a soulless job where they will lose out on life and adventure. The companies that know this get the best talent. for. sure.
Also, those decisions really create a track. My craziest decisions (Smith, Copenhagen, etc) have been my best life choices. I have met people and experienced things that I was open to because I was out looking for adventure, and not just studying at college or staying close to home.
I would also like to think the braided career gives a not to more equal relationships. It's a braided career with loved ones, not just one person following but both of you making your lives out of what was given. Did I explain that right? Let's just say the feminist movement isn't over but this is a nice nudge towards a more equal discourse of relationships. Can I write without some pop culture analysis? I've been ruined for life... :)
First off, I haven't really heard many other people even speak of a quarter life crisis..but that's definitely what I went through last year. While many of my Smith friends were off in Zambia, the U.K., Scotland, I came home. I was broke, and didn't want to settle for a crappy job in New York and live in a cardboard box. I, unlike so many, totally lucked out landing at Jobster and loving my job...keeping me in Seattle way longer than I originally intended. But a nod towards the quarter life crisis made me happy for a few reasons:
I have resisted so much in my life because it's 'impractical.' By no means did it leave me stuck anywhere, depressed about my decisions, but I have always been driven to get to the right school, the right internships, the right job. Now is the first time in my life I feel like I can make decisions without letting family/friends down. Wow, and that only took 24 years. I digress. So, this is great to push people to follow your loved ones. The braided career is really our generation: few of my friends will settle for a soulless job where they will lose out on life and adventure. The companies that know this get the best talent. for. sure.
Also, those decisions really create a track. My craziest decisions (Smith, Copenhagen, etc) have been my best life choices. I have met people and experienced things that I was open to because I was out looking for adventure, and not just studying at college or staying close to home.
I would also like to think the braided career gives a not to more equal relationships. It's a braided career with loved ones, not just one person following but both of you making your lives out of what was given. Did I explain that right? Let's just say the feminist movement isn't over but this is a nice nudge towards a more equal discourse of relationships. Can I write without some pop culture analysis? I've been ruined for life... :)
Magazines are sooo 2005...
I had to flag this article on NYtimes today: "Doll Web Sites Drive Girls to Stay Home and Play". It's everything I've studied all rolled into one: pop culture, social networking, and how it effects women in our society.
First, my final seminar paper at Smith was analyzing Seventeen Magazine, it's content and how that persuades and challenges the images tweens and teens have of themselves. It look a lot at advertising content, the models used and how often girls turned to this medium, etc.
So this is what is so interesting about this article: I wrote that paper not long ago...in 2005, and these types of social networking sites weren't really on the radar (I'd have to check my sources, but magazines were the #1 medium that reached out to girls..social networking sites weren't yet listed).
Maybe it's time for a new paper..i'll have to go and poke around on the site. I'm just so interested on how this effects girls: most are free (to start) to pick out clothes and such, which really breaks down economic barriers while girls are interacting online. Yet, at the same time, consumerism is perpetuated by the actions of these sites: consuming, buying and consuming more. I am sure there is little to go beyond dressing and changing the looks of the virtual dolls..forever enforcing the objectification of women and their rolls in our society.
As I said, i need to go look before I really start preaching. I think I'm missing my debates at Smith since I'm getting all riled up about this... :)
First, my final seminar paper at Smith was analyzing Seventeen Magazine, it's content and how that persuades and challenges the images tweens and teens have of themselves. It look a lot at advertising content, the models used and how often girls turned to this medium, etc.
So this is what is so interesting about this article: I wrote that paper not long ago...in 2005, and these types of social networking sites weren't really on the radar (I'd have to check my sources, but magazines were the #1 medium that reached out to girls..social networking sites weren't yet listed).
Maybe it's time for a new paper..i'll have to go and poke around on the site. I'm just so interested on how this effects girls: most are free (to start) to pick out clothes and such, which really breaks down economic barriers while girls are interacting online. Yet, at the same time, consumerism is perpetuated by the actions of these sites: consuming, buying and consuming more. I am sure there is little to go beyond dressing and changing the looks of the virtual dolls..forever enforcing the objectification of women and their rolls in our society.
As I said, i need to go look before I really start preaching. I think I'm missing my debates at Smith since I'm getting all riled up about this... :)
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