HEAR : giving up the gun

Yesterday was perfect. A sunny 72 degrees Fahrenheit with a slight wind. I worked from home, which meant I could take my laptop out to the patio and type-type-type away on the grant proposal I'm currently working on. I wore a sundress and sunglasses and ate chips and drank Ale 8 One.

Today is the complete opposite. Chilly and rainy, and I'm still at work, wearing tights, a pencil skirt, and makeup that was smeared away hours ago. Pretty.

So I'm listening to fellow Columbia U graduates and wishing for warmer weather (which could come as soon as tomorrow? Oh, DC weather):

I can't believe it was almost (exactly) one year ago that I saw Vampire Weekend live. Oh, time, how you fly.

it may be the antidepressants talking, but i'm feeling somewhat optimistic about 2010.

{title via someecards.com}

2009 may not have ended well {and the five-month period I spent looking for jobs was a little rough}, but there were some definite highlights that keep me from declaring it a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year:

• in the beginning of the year, I was living and playing in New York City;
• I received my Master's in Social Work from Columbia University;
• I got a job where I'm actually using my education and internship experience {gasp!} and moved to Washington, DC {or, more accurately, Arlington, VA}...

...okay, so that's only three things. But there are lots of little things that were great, too {indulging my inner child with regular cupcake runs, starting this blog, decorating my first real place...}, and I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll be a little more figured out by the end of this new year. {One can always hope, I guess.}

And thus:

Goals for the New Year

1. Run a 5K. My expectations are low. I don't care if it takes me 2.53 hours to finish; I just want to cross that finish line.
   Game Plan: I've begun preparations for this goal, albeit unexpectedly: I won a gift card to Famous Footwear from the lovely Anna at Around the Way Girl, and I think I'm going to be practical and purchase New Balances with it. And! I've bookmarked the Couch to 5K Running Plan! I don't care what you say; that's progress.

1. Learn a new language. I want to learn a lot of languages, actually, but as it stands now, I can speak English and Banglish {an atrocious mix of Bangla/Bengali and English, of course}, can order a taco in Spanish, and can say "un ananas ne parle pas. ce n'est pas possible!" in French. Very useful.
   Game Plan: Register for Arabic via Rosetta Stone... which is available to me at no cost via my job {how awesome is that?!}. I will go to Egypt and ride a camel yet! {Long story.}
   
   
2. Read 12 books. What did I say about low expectations? Last year I read a total of 8 non-graduate school-related books {I KNOW}, though I started {and bought} about 5x that many books. This year, I have a TV. Disaster waiting to happen.
   Game Plan: Read?
   
   
3. Take a trip to India. {Or maybe Egypt? I can use my newly-acquired Arabic skills!} I really want to see the Taj Mahal. Maybe I'll take my mom. {My dad has already been twice, the bugger.}
   Game Plan: Work like mad, don't take any vacation or sick days, and then buy a ticket {or two}!
   
   
4. Do something unexpected {for me} every once in a while. Go camping {"I hate outside!"}. Make a quiche. Take a dance class. Paint something for my room. ...Run a 5K. :)
   

happy new year, friends!
it's going to be a good one. i can feel it.

a look back, part one

So I've not been all that productive since I've been home, much to my parents' chagrin. I caught up on SVU and Criminal Minds... and (full disclosure) Hannah Montana. Made a meal for the parents (without the prosciutto, which made the chicken somewhat bland). Painted my nails pale pink. Went to Dairy Queen (twice). And finally got my pictures developed from my Kodak Fun Saver.

These are some of the last pictures I took in New York:

Water Taxi: View from SI Ferry, NYC. 5/13/09.

Jupiter Saturn & The Sun, Rose Center, NYC. 5/22/09.

Commencement Banner, Columbia University, NYC. 5/20/09.

Enjoy The View, Upper West Side, NYC. 5/18/09.

MetroCard Bike, Hell's Kitchen, NYC. 5/12/09.

what i wore

I really love those fashion blogs that have daily posts of what people are wearing, like What I Wore or Daily Work It or The Sartorialist. I don't have the fashion IQ to come up with a different outfit everyday or the dedication to update my blog daily (or even regularly), but I thought for today's post I would channel my inner fashionista and post the fabulous outfit I wore today:

The Graduate, (in front of) Low Library, NYC. 5/20/09.

WhatIWore
Cap & Gown (complete with bat wings that can be used as storage): Columbia Bookstore, $50
Shoes: Wal-Mart, $?
Dress (worn underneath, not shown): Macy's, $40
Education: Columbia University School of Social Work, approximately $60,000 (tuition and fees total)

That's right: I can now add MSW (or, technically, MSSW) after my name!

overheard at a social work job fair

Me:

Hi, I'm a 2nd year social work student at Columbia. Blah blah blah. My concentration is in nonprofit management and administration. I have experience writing grants and in program development. More blah blah blah. Do you know of any job opportunities within your organization that would match my background?

Recruiter:

We do have a grants and development department.

Me:

Oh, that's great! Do you know if you're hiring for positions in that department?

Recruiter:

Honey (!), I'm the Director of Social Services. I came here to recruit social workers.

Me:
...But, I am a social worker.

[angry face]

hot thing

There are times when I can't wait to leave the city, like when:

1. I have to choose between paying ridiculous prices for a carton of milk or having to haul my groceries from TJ's on 14th to Morningside Heights (lazy v. cheap, my ultimate dilemma), and having to withstand the hordes of people regardless;
2. I hear that a friend of a friend is only paying $1600/month for her studio at the Newseum, across the street from the National Mall, or that a friend's mortgage payment towards her house + acreage is still less than what I'm paying for my subsidized apartment that I share with two people; or
3. I and a million of my closest friends end up sharing the same patch of green on the first sunny, warm day in forever.

...But then there are days like yesterday. The weather was perfect, and yes, Central Park was very crowded, but afterward, Brando and I hung out on Main Campus for the Bacchanal '09 concerts, featuring:

Vampire Weekend was so much fun! Definitely great live.

I might have to buy their CD.

...and...

Talib Kweli is so fantastic. The crowd was disappointing.

Days like this make it possible to endure the crowds, the smell, the dirtiness, the high cost of living, and then I'm back to square one in deciding what I want to do after graduation.