Party Like It's 9/29/09

PJ and I at Mike and Ashley Wiese's wedding
September 26, 2009

Handsome devil, isn't he? We spent last Wednesday-Saturday in Orchard Park/Buffalo for the wedding of some college friends (and an early escape from the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh). Very busy weekend, but it was good to see friends and family. We celebrated my birthday with my parents and relatives on Sunday and then headed back to the 'burgh.

Yesterday was my actual birthday, and it was great...just a quiet, but great day. I received lots of phone calls and messages from my family and friends, one of the departments that I work for took me out to lunch at Point Brugge Cafe (mussels in white wine and shallot sauce and an apple-walnut pastry for dessert)...mmm...) and then I came home to flowers and the BEST dinner at Legume (three-squash ravioli with braised pork shoulder and sage and a cardamom pot de creme for dessert...this is the dish that I want to be served on my deathbed.) Nothing too crazy, but just a very happy day. Thank you to everyone who gave me some love :o)

Working Girl

Oliver, looking quite handsome

September 2009

Some days, I wish I had a job that I found fulfilling. It seems horrible to complain right now, with such a high unemployment rate in the US, but...I'm going to anyways. It's not that I dislike my current job--I actually work with some great people. Some days though, I sit at work and think, "why did I go to college, if I was only going to make pennies for a salary?" And then I just keep going to school and getting more degrees, but I still don't know what I want to do, so I sit at my job and do all of the work that no one else wants to do. Next Tuesday I'll turn 26, and this definitely was not where I thought I would be or where I wanted to be, job-wise. I have to confess, I'm very afraid of getting to 30 and realizing that I've wasted my 20s on jobs that drained me, rather than jobs that I felt proud of and excited about...because really, the majority of my waking hours are spent at work, so I should love what I do, right?


I want a job that makes me think, where if I'm tired, it's because I've been working so hard on something that I'm passionate about. I want to be proud when I talk about my job, instead of feeling like I have to qualify it with, "well, I'm going to grad school, so that's why I've been an admin for the past few years." I don't know what to tell people when they ask what I'm planning on doing when I'm done with grad school, because right now, I can't see that far and when I try to look, it's all very fuzzy.



On a much happier note, the new Pearl Jam album is awesome, and I will see them in t-minus 39 days.

Fall Kickoff!

Yippee!! I heart football season.

(On a total side note...I want one of these chalkboards. Either the quotable one or the today one...birthday idea? Yes, I think so.)

Oliver

Oliver's first day at home
August 31, 2009

This is Oliver. We got him from Animal Rescue League last Monday after meeting him the day before. His previous owner(s) left him tied to a tree with a note saying that he got too big. Wellll he's not to big for this joint. He's about eight months old and he loves to play and go for walks. He's a smart cookie, and when he wants you to play with him, he whips a toy at your leg (or, if you happen to be sitting, he has extraordinary aim and can smack you in the head with said toy). He loves to be around us, and if only one of us is home, he follows that person from room to room. If both of us are home, he runs back and forth between the two, not wanting to miss any excitement.

Sigh.

I have always wanted a dog of my own. I grew up with dogs--my parents currently have five. I couldn't wait for the day that I could finally get one. Now that that day has arrived, I feel...pressured? I'm not sure what I feel yet. I think that part of the problem is that the past few weeks had already been so hectic--packing up the old apartment and cleaning, coordinating a move, moving in and unpacking, home and back for Chris and Jillian's wedding, beginning my MBA, and a very busy time at work with the beginning of the school year. I've felt as though my head has been spinning lately, and this just made it go at turbo speed.

I hesitate to write any of this, because I do love this dog. He's very sweet, and needed a good home, and I'm so glad that we can provide that for him. When I look at him, I can already tell how happy he is. In fact, as I write this, I can see him sleeping in his big blue bed, and he looks so peaceful. It's just the matter of how much extra everything this adds on to life--extra time, extra effort, not to mention extra money. A part of me is yelling, "what were you thinking?!" The other part though, is telling that part to grow up. And maybe that's what this is about.

Oliver wakes up around 6:50 am, like clockwork. It doesn't matter if it's the weekend, he is UP and ready to go for his morning walk. As his owners and sharers-of-the-bedroom, we no longer have the option of sleeping in until 10 am (or even 8, as far as he is concerned). It doesn't matter if it's chilly outside, or if we didn't sleep well the night before, or if we have a million and a half things on our plates for the day--his needs have to take priority over all of that. There's nothing like a dog to magnify your selfishness...

And so, I will continue to love this dog. I will wake up in the morning at take him for a walk (you know, unless PJ wants to let me sleep in for a few...). I will play with him and let him know that he is with people who want him and who don't think that he's too big to take care of.

Gotta go...Oliver wants to play!