Here's to moving forward

It's been a rough couple of weeks and it's only January. But you know, there are still eleven months to go, so there's no where to go but up!

It's raining again in Portland. I dropped out of culinary school. I discovered one of our friends is crazy and some people will never grow up. My place of employment is no longer a fun and desirable place to work in. Technology is not always your friend. Trusting and confiding into people are no longer a priority. Finding the need to run away from my problems. And wasn't being broke supposed to end after college?

But of course there are always positives. I have more time to find another job to pay off some bills. I am looking for a new place to live. I chopped 7 inches off my hair, instead of moving-it's cheaper. There are still two friends that I have here. Taco Bell will always be on my list of comfort foods.

It's important to keep moving, as long as you keep moving forward. So, the job may suck now, but it's a great company that allows for career development. People will always come and go through your life and it's important to keep the ones that mean the most.

Becoming an adult

As silly of a resolution as it may seem to want to become an adult, it's on my list.

So what constitutes being an adult. And I'm pretty sure I've written about this before, but here's another go.

 At first, I thought being an adult meant, being on your own, completely on your own. No parents there to bail you out, no living on your buddy's couch to make it to the next month, and having the funds to make ends meet.

Then I thought being an adult meant having a full time job because having a full time job meant that you had lots of money coming into your pockets. You could then make more friends through work and full time means benefits! And benefits are something adults have so that they can provide health care for their family.

With a full time job, many times you get paid time off. Well of course this makes you an adult because you can take your PTO and go on vacation...and get paid to be on vacation. And if you work for a company like the one I work for, you also get some pretty sweet deals when you travel. So of course, having PTO makes you an adult because there are so many perks!

And then I thought being an adult means you have all this power to do things. Power to get better jobs, to make better decisions. The power to remember to throw away the rotting milk in the fridge and the power to remember to pay your bills on time with all that money that you've made through that full time job.

Being an adult means responsibility. Financial responsibility, responsibility for my well-being, responsibility to myself. So, working on the financial and as for the other stuff....I have a problem. When things get a little tough, I get scared and I run. So now, now I have a responsibility to myself to tough it out. Things got a little tough these past few months and I got scared and in this moment I want to run. I've started looking at new schools on the East Coast and even in the South, so I can knock off a few more states off the list.

But, in order for me to be more financially responsibility, there shall be no running for four months. So we're toughing it out. This will make me a better person. And who knows, maybe things will get better and Portland will start to grow on me again.

Tip for the Day: Getting close to a state of permanence is scary as a friend has just reminded me. Flexibility helps with finding our way. But flexibility does not mean running. So stop running for a little bit.

Cooking School drop out

Well, another adventure done for the time being. As of this year, I am a culinary school drop out. And yes, I understand that some of you are disappointed and sad but this is not to say that I am not going to finish. The Portland LCB through many rumors and actual contacts has lost their accreditation. Some people say they are looking for a new one, some say they lost the accreditation that wasn't really the main one, some people say they never lost it. Regardless, something is not right. And to be totally honest, getting a culinary degree from a place that spends an hour on what a whole number is and has students pick out the verb, noun and preposition in the sentence should not be accredited to begin with, in my opinion.

And on top of all of that, I used to be a teacher, so just let me transfer credits over for an interpersonal communication course. Instead of giving your students the run around and asking them if they know what the big words mean...make me happy. I'm paying you $35,000 to teach me something I don't know.

So, I dropped out of culinary school. I'm still employed and learning more at my place of employment than at school. And I am still going through crappy things and learning from them. I am contemplating moving again to find myself some more new adventures and to find another school to finish my second degree. I now have less than five years to make it to the remaining states on my list and what better time then now. I will finish school, but for now I will be that cooking school drop out.

Tip for the Day: Don't let people try to convince you that what you're doing is wrong or that you should do something because they think it is right. Do it because you want to because you'll have fun and you'll learn something new and exciting.

For the New Year

Ah. Well here's to the start of an all right year.

For my New Year's Resolutions (because I'll hold true to them until probably the end of the month)
- No more fast food...unless with K. Dub or if someone buys it for me...Puddin' and I have defined fast food as food that you wait less than 20 minutes for or have a drive through. Thus meaning, we have allowed the burrito cart and all of the other food carts in town.
- No more pop/soda/coke or whatever you want to call it
- Become an adult

With the new year, I have made several once again, live changing decisions. All have been based on my own well-being and pursuit of happiness and have not been influenced by any person or persons. Wouldn't it be nice if we lived life like this guy...

So until next time!

Tip for the Day: I've got nothin'

The End of 2010

And our year comes to a close!

After a rocking start to 2010, we are ending on a little better note. After leaving behind a decent life in Wyoming for the rainy PNW in Portland, I feel like I am in a much better place finally. With a new beginning and new job, I almost feel like a big kid!

I am very thankful for all of my family and friends and what this past year has brought us all. So, good luck with all of your New Year's resolutions and here's to you and yours and to a fantastic 2011.

Some more new beginnings

This past week has seemed to just fly by! It's crunch time at the M and we are starting to squeeze every venue for monies.

This past weekend we traveled to Wyoming for B & R's wedding bonanza in the ever beautiful Cheyenne. After some much needed family time, Love Actually, and a 12 minute rush to get ready, we headed to the church for their ceremony.

The ceremony was a very nice and was completely entertaining by the small boy sitting in front of our party. Though this little boy was totally out of control he made me realize that kids really aren't bad, they are truly a reflection of their parents and the parenting skills. So in reality, I don't dislike kids, I dislike people. This kid was spanking his mom, in the Catholic church, screaming no and jumping up and down on the pews and chewing a wad of 9 pieces of gum in his mouth. If this had been one of us...someone would have been smacked, told to knock it off or taken out of the church.

After the ceremony we headed to the train depot for the reception and some fun times with friends. Needless to say, it was a fantastic time and I'm glad it's finally the holidays.

 

The dancing, the drinking and the spillage of the spirits all led us back to memory lane. It was great to see everyone again for such a joyous occasion and hope that there are many more to come. And thank you all, for once again putting up with the Day aka my craziness.

So, here's to new beginnings for our friends.

Tip for the Day: As the priest said, "You get mad at the ones you love the most." And remember it's only as good as you put in, so take and be happy and enjoy it with your friends and family.

Vitamin D in the PNW

Since the rain and gloom have graced Portland with it's annual presence, it would seem to be that time of year when everyone starts talking about how to not stay depressed in the PNW. One of the most common ways to avoid depression and biting off someone's head that I have heard of is to take some daily Vitamin D. Another is to hit up the tanning beds for a few minutes and in some places, such as the M, they have the UV lights to provide some much needed "sunlight" to get that calcium and Vitamin D we all need.

Now, I understand that some people are more depressed and deficient than others; however, what the doctor may prescribe sometimes seems a little ridiculous. I work with several people who have been prescribed over 2,000 mg of Vitamin D...DAILY! I mean holy cow, if you have to take that much...sheesh, y'all need to think about vacationing in the sunny parts of the world instead of staycationing here. Obviously, the Vitamin D is not just to help with depression but to help make up for some of that calcium loss during the gloom.

So, if you're planning on coming up for a visit, be prepared for little to no sunshine and some of your friends may be popping little chewable Ds, so don't be alarmed. And it's days like this that we have to enjoy, it may have been cold but it was sunny and beautiful. Thank you Mother Nature.

Tip for the Day: It is always a good idea to forecast out where you want to live next. Be sure to look at all seasons and the typical weather, no just location, schools, transportation and such. We will see if this panda bear makes it through a wet winter...