So I had a few ideas that I wanted to write about but they don't all necessarily deserve their own post so it kinda got amalgamated (see, I'm prepping for the GRE) into a like and dislike list.
I don't like-When all the boys in my YSA branch get candy bars for Father's day. Now, it's not that the girls didn't get anything. They did. I was just absent that week. And if I were there I would have totally protested. I think it's dumb to honor the boys when they are not the reason we have that special day. I flipped out a lot yesterday when they announced the passing out of candy bars after the closing prayer. Someone told me "Well they are going to be fathers someday." Cool. But they AREN'T right now. And not all of them will be. It's not a guarantee. And they're not MY father. It's not honor men day, honor people who hold the priesthood day or whatever. I can see handing out treats to a family ward to all the males, hey, I like to include people. But in a Singles Branch?!! It goes for girls too. I am not a mother. I am not your mother nor will I ever be. Someday I hope to be a mother, but don't go throwing candy at me for something I didn't do. Keep it for the real moms. If it's about having respect for priesthood holders or motherhood/womanhood and you are trying to do that in a singles branch there are other ways.
I don't like-my uterus. Some days I wish I could rip it out and throw it at the wall. TMI? Whatever. I'm a girl, so deal with it.
I don't like-my brother leaving me. Now I am an orphan. I had him for a month. Vaya Con Dios.
I like-babies. Baby Jace specifically. I got to snuggle with him on Saturday and he fell asleep in my arms after being unsuccessfully held by someone else. Ha ha. I was proud. He knows who his Aunt Megio is.
I like-summer. Happy First Day of Summer tomorrow! And summer solstice. Light out until 9:30? Yes, please.
I like-singing in the shower. It has the best acoustics and my voice sounds really great in there. And loud. Except I only do this when I've been awake for awhile before I shower. Some of my roommates could probably tell you that I do this. I hope it was entertaining. I even do show tunes, Lion King, Aida and Wicked work the best. Singing in the car is the next best place. All the sound does is bounce around inside the car so you can hear everything really well. If I am driving by myself on a long road trip my throat gets sore by the end because I have sung myself the whole way home. I'm pretty good entertaining myself with my iPod.
I like-planning parties. I am currently ruminating on a garden party in my backyard. Like all Martha Stewarty with fancy plates and tissue paper flowers. It has the potential to be fantastic, but it needs a little moolah to get it how I want, so I'm debating. Also, I was looking at the guest list last night, and in order not to offend anyone, I am now up to 20+ people. ...it may have to be a potluck.
And finally, I like and I don't like the new HP trailer. The movie itself will be amazing. I think I'll have goosebumps the whole time/cry/be antsy. But I don't like it because then there will be no more Harry Potter movies, ever. Que triste. If you haven't seen it, you should probably watch it. If you don't, then you are unamerican. Yeah, I went there.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
the end is near
That's the slogan of the new HP 7.2 movie. I am super excited to see it. But at the same time, I feel like a huge part of my life is over. I don't read the books anymore before the movies because then it's really fresh in my mind how the story goes and I get really mad when they change it. I'm still debating over whether I want to go to the midnight showing or not. I want to have that whole experience, but I also want to stay awake and enjoy the movie. Also, I need to buy another t-shirt for the premiere, but I can't decide. There's two I like.
Which one should I get? Or maybe both. The Voldemort face kind of scares me. Some people know that I have problems watching 7.1 because it scares me. All I got to say is that when I do finally get to Harry Potter World I will have an entire wardrobe ready to wear there for an entire week.
And I think after I see 7.2 and take the GRE then I will commence reading HP 1-7 all over again for the jillionth time. It's my summertime tradition. Also I'm still waiting for them to make Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit. Don't laugh. They have a Lord of the Rings edition. My roommate Audrey and her family play it and actually know the answers. And LOTR would be hard because you'd have to know elvish and stuff. HP Trivial Pursuit would blow my mind.
And I think after I see 7.2 and take the GRE then I will commence reading HP 1-7 all over again for the jillionth time. It's my summertime tradition. Also I'm still waiting for them to make Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit. Don't laugh. They have a Lord of the Rings edition. My roommate Audrey and her family play it and actually know the answers. And LOTR would be hard because you'd have to know elvish and stuff. HP Trivial Pursuit would blow my mind.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
this makes me scared for america
I've discovered something lately. I am valuable in my job for two reasons. 1. I can follow directions. 2. I can actually complete my task. What I do isn't that important in the grand scheme of things, but I figured out several things in a new task I'm doing, and it was news to the person who is teaching me said task. And they've been doing it for several years.
Also, the other day I overheard two coworkers discussing the greater than/less than symbols (> and <); being confused as to which one was which. "Wait, the alligator eats the bigger number?" And I work in a MEDICAL CLINIC. Seriously?!
So because I can understand and follow directions I have some weird kind of job security.
Also, the other day I overheard two coworkers discussing the greater than/less than symbols (> and <); being confused as to which one was which. "Wait, the alligator eats the bigger number?" And I work in a MEDICAL CLINIC. Seriously?!
So because I can understand and follow directions I have some weird kind of job security.
Monday, June 6, 2011
baby steps
Guess what? I signed up for the GRE. Yep. I'll be GREing on July 18th at 8 am. Wheee! I've been looking over stuff, it won't be hard necessarily but I am worried about getting my brain turned on by then. It's pretty much been dormant for the past 18 months. And I haven't done math in like six years...so that'll be fun. But, hey, at least I'm making motions to get my life going somewhere. And they tell me I can GRE once every calendar month.
baby steps sign up, baby steps study for test, baby steps take the test, baby steps apply to grad school? (WTF)
baby steps sign up, baby steps study for test, baby steps take the test, baby steps apply to grad school? (WTF)
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
so sad, but so true
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The brutal job market brought on by the recession has been hard on everyone, but especially devastating on the youngest members of the labor force.
About 60% of recent graduates have not been able to find a full-time job in their chosen profession, according to job placement firm Adecco.
And for those just entering the workplace, a bout of long-term unemployment can affect their career plans for years to come.
Meghan O'Halloran was one of those who had her career derailed by the timing of her graduation.
She left Cornell University with a degree in architecture and six summers of internships at top firms in New York, Milan and London.
"I thought getting a job would be a snap," she said.
But after graduating in December 2008, just as job losses in the economy were reaching a high point, she was confronted with a very cold reception into the labor force.
She followed her boyfriend to China for a year, and found architecture work plentiful in the building boom there. But when she returned home at the end of 2009, not much had improved, and no one was hiring.
"I've applied for temporary work," she said. "The answer is always the same, 'We wish we could hire you.'"
She's decided to leave behind her hopes for a career as an architect and has started her own business making custom fabric, carpets and furniture.
O'Halloran's experience is not unique. Last year, the unemployment rate for college graduates age 24 and younger rose to 9.4%, the highest since the Labor Department began keeping records in 1985.
One reason is because recent hires with limited experience have the toughest time competing in a job market flooded with experienced candidates.
"We know that young people coming out of college have the least experience," said Kathy Kane, senior vice president of talent management at Adecco. "And these entry-level jobs can be the easiest for companies to reduce."
But long stretches of unemployment are only part of the problem young job seekers face.
Adecco also found that 18% of recent grads have been forced to turn to full-time jobs outside their field of study, often jobs for which a college degree is not required.
Many others are underemployed, or working part-time or temporary jobs and internships.
And the lack of steady income can also delay the start of their lives as independent adults. About a third of recent graduates are still living with their parents, Adecco found, with 17% saying they are financially dependent on their parents. Almost one in four say they are in debt.
Brittney Winters, 23, graduated from Princeton University in 2009 and can't find a teaching job, despite graduating from a top school.
"When you go to an Ivy League school, you figure this degree will mean something -- that it will guarantee you a job," she said.
Winters has taken on other "survival" jobs to get by, including working at a video rental store.
She now works for a public relations firm in Chicago. But the job is a long commute from her parents' home, and she's struggling to fill the gas tank each week.
According to one study performed by Till von Wachter, an economics professor at Columbia University, the drag on income lasts for 10 years, on average.
The outlook could be even worse for the class of '09 or '10, von Wachter said, since the worse the recession, the longer it takes to get earnings and a career back on track.
"In the bad recessions in the past, the graduates recovered in 10 to 15 years. But we've never had such a strong recession," he said.
Princeton grad Winters said she's finding an increasing number of job openings she can apply for this year, but she's still having trouble explaining her résumé of the last two years.
But she's hopeful she'll soon have her career back on track.
"I like to think it was only a minor detour, not a roadblock," she said.
I think it's really sad that this is the state of things, I graduated in '09 and now live at home with my parents, getting a less than stellar paycheck just because my job field is doing so poorly right now. I'm just thankful that I was able to graduate without any debt, I don't know where I'd be if I had to worry about paying off student loans. It stinks because you'd think that a college degree would be worth something, but it's not as good of a thing as it once was. I also think you need to be really smart about what you study, because some fields are really easy to find careers in, and some aren't. My degree isn't necessarily worth a ton, so it's left me in a tough spot. But I do know a lot of people struggling to find jobs or having to move back in with their parents, my situation could have been a lot worse. It's rough out there.
About 60% of recent graduates have not been able to find a full-time job in their chosen profession, according to job placement firm Adecco.
And for those just entering the workplace, a bout of long-term unemployment can affect their career plans for years to come.
Meghan O'Halloran was one of those who had her career derailed by the timing of her graduation.
She left Cornell University with a degree in architecture and six summers of internships at top firms in New York, Milan and London.
"I thought getting a job would be a snap," she said.
But after graduating in December 2008, just as job losses in the economy were reaching a high point, she was confronted with a very cold reception into the labor force.
She followed her boyfriend to China for a year, and found architecture work plentiful in the building boom there. But when she returned home at the end of 2009, not much had improved, and no one was hiring.
"I've applied for temporary work," she said. "The answer is always the same, 'We wish we could hire you.'"
She's decided to leave behind her hopes for a career as an architect and has started her own business making custom fabric, carpets and furniture.
O'Halloran's experience is not unique. Last year, the unemployment rate for college graduates age 24 and younger rose to 9.4%, the highest since the Labor Department began keeping records in 1985.
One reason is because recent hires with limited experience have the toughest time competing in a job market flooded with experienced candidates.
"We know that young people coming out of college have the least experience," said Kathy Kane, senior vice president of talent management at Adecco. "And these entry-level jobs can be the easiest for companies to reduce."
But long stretches of unemployment are only part of the problem young job seekers face.
Adecco also found that 18% of recent grads have been forced to turn to full-time jobs outside their field of study, often jobs for which a college degree is not required.
Many others are underemployed, or working part-time or temporary jobs and internships.
And the lack of steady income can also delay the start of their lives as independent adults. About a third of recent graduates are still living with their parents, Adecco found, with 17% saying they are financially dependent on their parents. Almost one in four say they are in debt.
Brittney Winters, 23, graduated from Princeton University in 2009 and can't find a teaching job, despite graduating from a top school.
"When you go to an Ivy League school, you figure this degree will mean something -- that it will guarantee you a job," she said.
Winters has taken on other "survival" jobs to get by, including working at a video rental store.
She now works for a public relations firm in Chicago. But the job is a long commute from her parents' home, and she's struggling to fill the gas tank each week.
A long recovery
With hiring on the rise, this year's college grads will find a somewhat better job market awaiting them after graduation. But those already hurt by the recession might not bounce back so quickly.According to one study performed by Till von Wachter, an economics professor at Columbia University, the drag on income lasts for 10 years, on average.
The outlook could be even worse for the class of '09 or '10, von Wachter said, since the worse the recession, the longer it takes to get earnings and a career back on track.
"In the bad recessions in the past, the graduates recovered in 10 to 15 years. But we've never had such a strong recession," he said.
Princeton grad Winters said she's finding an increasing number of job openings she can apply for this year, but she's still having trouble explaining her résumé of the last two years.
But she's hopeful she'll soon have her career back on track.
"I like to think it was only a minor detour, not a roadblock," she said.
I think it's really sad that this is the state of things, I graduated in '09 and now live at home with my parents, getting a less than stellar paycheck just because my job field is doing so poorly right now. I'm just thankful that I was able to graduate without any debt, I don't know where I'd be if I had to worry about paying off student loans. It stinks because you'd think that a college degree would be worth something, but it's not as good of a thing as it once was. I also think you need to be really smart about what you study, because some fields are really easy to find careers in, and some aren't. My degree isn't necessarily worth a ton, so it's left me in a tough spot. But I do know a lot of people struggling to find jobs or having to move back in with their parents, my situation could have been a lot worse. It's rough out there.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
"I love weddings, drinks all around!"
Went to the wedding of my two friends Brent and Jenny on May 7th at the Draper, UT temple. That time of year in Utah the weather can be a little iffy but thankfully it was a gorgeous day. Windy, but I hear it's always windy up there no matter what time of year. Brent and Jenny are the kind of people you can really get excited about getting married, they dated for a long time and you know they are perfect for each other and that their family is just going to be awesome. They were always really nice to me and not weird to be around like other people who are dating or engaged. I also love the Molen family, they are hilarious. And I got to see a lot of old friends and roommates. I also love Brent and Jenny because they had a dance party at their reception and totally danced it up (and it wasn't the normal boring mormon dance party). I was the DJ and we had awesome music to dance to. Now some pictures.
Jenny and Brent
Me and Jenny
Brent and Me
Jason and Me
I love the Molens and they are so nice to include me on their special day.
Friday, May 13, 2011
the calculation
I came up with this one during a chat with one of my oldest friends the other day. He and I were discussing how we all have expectations for our lives and how we envision things going and the desired outcomes. There are certain things we think we should do/be/achieve/accomplish because of a mental calculation we do when trying to plan out our lives. It goes something like this:
Mathematically, it makes sense. You take all your knowledge and stills and multiply it by your efforts and then you have your accomplishment or outcome if you will. I think I'm pretty knowledgeable, and I was raised to pretty much believe I have the skills and capacity to do almost anything. But it's the effort part of the equation that frustrates me because it's the area where I lag the most. And if you look at the equation, it shows, a small amount of effort will not help bring about a very big accomplishment. Simple algebra. It also shows me that if I take an accomplishment or outcome and see that I haven't gotten there, it's usually my effort that is keeping me back. It is my own darn fault. Then I (we) beat myself (ourselves) up because it's so true that many of the things I've (We've) wanted to do or achieve were only halted by my (our) own lack of effort. I don't think I'm particularly lazy or good for nothing, but there is definitely a lot more I could have achieved in my life. Sometimes I unwittingly try to put too much emphasis on the other part of the equation, my knowledge and skills, (I've got too much smartness for my own good). But I think there is a good lesson to be learned that it takes all three, especially effort, to bring about any outcome. At least that's what I learned anyway.
(Knowledge + Skills) X Effort = Accomplishment or Outcome
Mathematically, it makes sense. You take all your knowledge and stills and multiply it by your efforts and then you have your accomplishment or outcome if you will. I think I'm pretty knowledgeable, and I was raised to pretty much believe I have the skills and capacity to do almost anything. But it's the effort part of the equation that frustrates me because it's the area where I lag the most. And if you look at the equation, it shows, a small amount of effort will not help bring about a very big accomplishment. Simple algebra. It also shows me that if I take an accomplishment or outcome and see that I haven't gotten there, it's usually my effort that is keeping me back. It is my own darn fault. Then I (we) beat myself (ourselves) up because it's so true that many of the things I've (We've) wanted to do or achieve were only halted by my (our) own lack of effort. I don't think I'm particularly lazy or good for nothing, but there is definitely a lot more I could have achieved in my life. Sometimes I unwittingly try to put too much emphasis on the other part of the equation, my knowledge and skills, (I've got too much smartness for my own good). But I think there is a good lesson to be learned that it takes all three, especially effort, to bring about any outcome. At least that's what I learned anyway.
Shawn Johnson-someone who achieved a lot in her life
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