Quiz time!!

It's late on a Thursday night and I'm still at work right now. Nights like these are rare (thank goodness!), but yet here we are! So instead of working on the project I have before me, I decided to take a mental break and participate in some quizzes I found online. Fun! Here are the results:

What Flower Are You?
You are a Sunflower. You are spirited and vivacious. Willing to do anything to help others be happy, and ask nothing in return. You always see the bright side of any situation and are the life of the party. It is impossible to feel down when you are around. -- Oh, how nice!

What Office Character Are You? (couldn't resist this one...)
You are Pam. You are sweet and likable, but your shyness makes it hard for you to express yourself sometimes. Regardless, you are always there for your friends and will usually come out of your shell to help anyone. -- I guess that fits...

Which Harry Potter Character Are You?
You are Fred and George. You're a joker at heart, but when push comes to shove, you know what's important.

What Beer Are You? (thought this one would be interesting for some reason...)
You are a Bud Light. You are fun, likable, and rowdy--and you can always be found wherever there's a party. You may be lacking a little in the sophistication department, but who cares, you are cheap and don't really worry about taste! -- not sure how I feel about that one...

Which Spice Girl Are You? (couldn't resist this one, I'm sorry)
You are Scary Spice. No one sets and achieves goals like you. Once you get your mind set on something there is no way you'll fail. You give 110% to all your relationships and to yourself as well. Most people get exhausted just by looking at your schedule, but keeping busy is what motivates you. You are always there for a friend and care deeply for those close to you.

What is your theme song?
Your theme song is "Soak Up the Sun" - Sheryl Crow. You are a very laid back person. You let life happen and just go with it. You are optimistic and think the rest of the world needs to "lighten up" and just take it how it's given to you.

Which Action Hero Are You? (ooooo!! this will be exciting!)
It's a tie!
You are part Chuck Norris. You fight for truth and justice with a custom truck and a never-ending supply of roundhouse kicks to the face! At the peak of your career you had your own cartoon, but what you'll be remembered for is a never ending supply of internet one-liners.
You are part Daniel Craig. Bond, James Bond. Keep up your suave style but don't forget to remain a bad ass. Money and romance is more your style, so don't get your hands too dirty. - hahahahah!!

Which Disney Villain Are You?
You are Lady Tremaine. You're the evil stepmother little girls have nightmares about. Hooray for you, who helped kids learn to love their birth parents and do everything possible to avoid stepparents. Next time, though, be careful not to get in between a girl and her dreams. -- interesting...

Which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Character Are You?
You are Raphael. You have a sarcastic wit, but it can sometimes get you into trouble. -- big disappointment. Raphael is the worst of the four....

Ok, this is the last one. I have to get back to work...

Which Disney Pixar Character Are You?
It's a tie!
You are part Woody. You've got an overall well-rounded character, but your insecurity sticks out like a sore thumb. If you ever want to recapture your past stardom, you're going to have to accept that the game has changed and you'll need some help.
You are part Dory. You are naive and gullible. Wait, that's a good thing. Your ability to trust any stranger is a trait not many people have, but be more cautious next time a stranger offers to buy you lunch or you might find yourself in a fishy situation. -- ummm... I think I like the results?

Ok, for real, the last one:

What Instrument Will Lead You to Your Rockstar Dreams?
You should be a Pianist. You are relatively unassuming and tend not to attract attention to yourself. Level headed, you are the one who always comes up with a solution or compromise to a problem. With a massive amount of focused energy you are able to accomplish many goals with seemingly little effort. Your frequently annoying to others. -- hahah I'm annoying. How sad!

Hope you enjoyed that. I have to get back to work now...

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Fish are not Nature's most simple creature

Over the summer, we had some interns in our office to help with some demographic research our company was doing. While they were here, they decided to adopt a fish from the local pet store. They set him up with a cute little fish tank, some rocks, and a little groovy sea-tree and affectionately named him Schlomo, The Peace Fish. I feel like I've mentioned this before.... yes, I have. Ok, so moving right along... I have nothing against fish, however, this fish has caused me nothing but grief since the moment I got it. Actually that's not entirely true either. He's been pretty good to me, which less than I can say for how I've treated him. You see, a couple weeks ago, one of my co-workers got a McDonald's Happy Meal complete with a groovy little mini-Barbie. While observing Schlomo in his solitary existence within his little plastic fish bowl world, we decided it would be a good idea to give him some company, and what better company than a mini blonde bombshell? So we put her in there. Everything was fine for a couple weeks - Schlomo excitedly swam about her and Barbie's plastered grin never wavered, and all was good in the world. That is until one Monday morning I came into work only to notice that Schlomo's fish bowl was a decidely yucky colored green. Algae covered the walls and rocks - yuck. Something had to be done. And what could've caused this? Barbie. No doubt about it. I tell you, she fools you with her innocent all-American image; she's clearly up to no good. That said, I cleaned out the tank and it looked good as new. Barbie and Schlomo officially broke it off and so he was left again to swim along by himself.

Now that was about a week ago. And for some strange reason, the fish tank is back to that yucky colored green again. I don't know what it was this time, but I tell you one thing, marine biology is not my calling.

The picture doesn't really do it justice though - it seems worse in person...

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The Office

The Office is, hands down, my most favorite TV show. Ever. I'm sure I'm in the company of many others when I say this, but I can't help it, it's great! I could be the absolute worst mood ever, feeling down and dreary, and I put in an episode of The Office and it's like I completely forget myself. Erin, Katie, Ann and I used to do that when I was still living in Arizona. I had gotten all three seasons (there were only three seasons at that point) for Christmas from Lola and so we decided we had to watch all of them. So we did!! And it was so much fun. All the characters are so great, and most of them are quite lovable. My favorites of course are Jim and Dwight. From one of my favorite episodes, here is a picture of Jim dressing up and impersonating Dwight:


I've also decided to spread my Office enthusiasm to, in fact, my own office and purchase the 16 month wall calendar and desk calendar. I'm such a nerd that I'm writing about this, but it's the little things that I get excited about. :)

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Notes on the election

As everyone already knows, the presidential election is over and for the past couple days every political commentator, analyst, and journalist has exhausted their opportunity to put their two cents in on the results, why voters voted the way did, what they predict will happen in the future, etc. That is, except me. :)

Don't worry though, I'll be short and to the point... or at least I'll try to be. As I've heard many other people say since Tuesday, never have I been more proud to be an American, and I say that for a couple reasons. Since elementary school, I remember reading in history books about the great generations before us, those that endured the Revolutionary War and secured our nation's independence; the suffragettes who risked their safety and reputations to ensure women's right to vote; the many Americans that fought for our country in WWII and those that stayed home to provide and support the troops abroad all while maintaining normalcy as best they could at home; the many Americans, both white and black, that fought for Civil Rights; and the list goes on. I was proud of those that lived before me, who risked everything all for a better tomorrow. But thing about all that I read was that it was another generation, not mine. Granted, I'm not really old enough to have a legacy just yet and it is a little difficult to save the world when your biggest problems in life are trying to pass linear Algebra and keeping your room clean, but reading history made me want to leave my mark, whether it be individually or part of a collective group. For the first time this week, I felt as though I was part of something greater that had historical significance and would result in positive and progressive change for our country. We elected the nation's first black president and I can tell my children and grand children that I was a part of it; that's pretty awesome.

Not only was the actual outcome impressive, I was almost more excited about the activity that lead up to the election. Never have I seen (and yes, I do know that I am still quite young, but still) such an interest in a presidential election, or any election for that matter, in my lifetime. When I was younger, my mom would always take my brother, sister, and I to the polls with her when she voted. She would do her thing while we went over to the kids' section and filled out junior ballots, after which we each got an "I voted" sticker, which was what I was actually looking forward to most of all. But what I did notice, and more so as I got older, that voting wasn't really the cool thing to do. Whether it was apathy or a feeling of insignificance, most people didn't see the value in taking the ten minutes needed to cast their vote. However, that all seemed to change in this election. Like usual, campaign coverage started two years ago, typical for a presidential election, but so did the push to get people registered to vote and aware of the issues effecting our country and the world today. And what was even more impressive was the response. Movie stars, musicians, athletes, prominent social figures all worked to encourage people citizens to register and vote on election day. From what I've noticed, young people in the 18-30 demographic had a huge influence in the election, more so than ever before, through campaigning and getting the word out themselves. Whether or not your candidate got elected, it's important to notice that people have finally caught and realized that their vote does make a difference, that it makes a statement. And whatever the outcome, it was so neat to see how loudly and clearly the People's statement was. I honestly got goosebumps while watching the footage of the election, seeing the percentages and updates as they came in. I'm so proud of our country for finally realizing their impact and taking action, for actually caring about the outcome and their future.

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Happy Halloween!!

In general, I wouldn't say I was a big fan of Halloween, at least not any more. Of course like any half-way normal kid, the idea of dressing up as someone entirely different than yourself and going from door to door asking for free candy, and actually getting it, was awesome and seemingly too good to be true. But the thing is, when a good thing is good, don't stop to wonder why, just enjoy it.

Unfortunately, no good thing lasts forever, as is evident in the fact that if I tried to dress up today at the ripe old age of 23 going from door to door asking for candy I'd either be considered crazy or creepy, both of which mean basically the same thing. Now a days, Halloween is seen as a holiday where guys dress up in the most gross costume they can find, either drenched with fake blood or whatever, and girls dress in as little clothes they possibly can while still keeping the slightest resemblance to whatever character it is they were trying to dress up as. That just isn't appealing to me at all and personally it's way too cold here in Boston to even think of dressing up, or maybe I should say, not dressing up.

But enough with the negativity. There are many reasons why I really do love Halloween. I'm not sure when it started, or even how it started, but a tradition began when I was younger and in elementary school when Erin and Katie, and I remember Kim, too, would all get together around Halloween and make decorations, carve pumpkins and, if I remember correctly, baked cookies, or something of along those lines. It was always so much fun, in fact we even made jack-o-lanterns together last year, and I'm sure if we were all within a 45 mile radius of one another, we'd get together and do it again this year.

And like I said, I used to dress up when I was younger, and I fondly remember my brother going as a "dead Confederate soldier" something like four years in a row, and my mom putting my sister in the already-outgrown dragon costume from five years prior. I myself, was a witch for at least three times during my youth, although I don't think it was consecutive years. So ya, we recycled costumes, but there was nothing like coming home that night and trading and bartering candy with my brothers and sisters - I never liked licorice or Twizzlers so I used to pawn it off to one of them in exchange of course for the more highly-demanded Butterfinger or Kit Kat. And then being able to take candy to school with you for lunch, even if you didn't eat your sandwich first, but instead chowed down on a package of Whoppers. Oh, it was good to be a kid!!

For now though, Happy Halloween to my brother and sister and to Erin, Katie, and Kim of course!

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J. Mraz

Earlier this summer, Lola had gotten me tickets to see Jason Mraz in concert here in Boston for my birthday, the concert of which was just this past Friday. He's been one of my absolute favorite artists for several years now. I've been a fan of his since his first album release back in 2002, but I had never seen him perform despite the fact that I lived just outside NYC for four years while in college. But nevertheless, I was finally given the opportunity to see him live and it was so awesome! He has such a stage presence and is amazingly gifted when it comes to writing music and lyrics, it was definitely one of the best concerts I had ever been to - it was so much fun! While I tried to take pictures of him, none of them really came out very well since my camera (which is a few years old now and slightly outdated) couldn't seem to take a clear picture of him in the dark theater. Therefore, I had to hi-jack a picture from the concert from someone on Picasa. I hope that's ok...

Here he is in all his fabulous musical glory:

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It's not very nice, but I couldn't help but laugh.

Publish Post

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Note to self...

Limit the number of years you choose to keep a job that requires staring at a computer all day. I don't want your eyes to fall out by the time you are 28.


I would say that half the days I spend at work, probably less, I am sitting and staring at a computer screen all day. I understand that technology is important in today's society and in actuality there will be a lot more of it in the next twenty years, making it so that most tasks we undertake during the regular day will somehow involve computers, etc. in way. But man, I've been sittting at my computer all day, save for maybe a total of 30-45 min. It's now 4:15P, I got in the office at around 9:30A. I'll make sure my next job will require less computer-screen staring so that my eyeballs don't explode before I'm 30.

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Happy Friday!! :D

I absolutely love Fridays, as I'm sure most people who work M-F, 9-5 jobs do. It's a very liberating day, one that I feel punctuates the end of the week quite nicely. With that said, I'm sitting here at my desk at work not doing work and looking for ways to waste my time. Google Reader is one of the greatest inventions ever as it helps me keep abreast of the latest news in politics, music, movies, books, and most importantly, my friends. Which leads to the idea for this blog. Just a few days ago, my friend Kim posted an entry on names, so being the original person that I am, I decided to copy her. :) Below is a list of names that I would have, based on the formulas Kim provided, if I were of the described personas. Enjoy!

1. Rock Star name: Charlie Spectra (first pet + current car)
2. Gangster name: Strawberry Oatmeal (favorite ice cream + favorite cookie)
3. Detective name: Blue Koala (favorite color + favorite animal)
4. Soap Opera name: Kathleen Casa Grande (middle name + city where you were born)
5. Star Wars name: Wil-Me (first 3 letters of your last name + first 2 letters of your first)
6. Superhero name: The Purple Dr. Pepper ("The" + 2nd favorite color + favorite drink)
7. Nascar name: Jim Robert (grandfathers' first names)
8. TV Weatherman name: Volz Versailles (5th grade teacher's last name + major city starting with the same letter)
9. Hippy name: Apple Redwood (what you ate for breakfast + favorite tree)
10. Rock band name: The Living Thunder ("The" + favorite hobby + favorite weather element)

Ahhh that was fun. A couple things though, 1) I am not proud nor do I tell many people that I was, in fact, born in Casa Grande, AZ. It's a weird thing to have happen since apparently the hospital there was so crappy in the 80s that everyone else I know of who lived in my town went to the Phoenix area to be born. My being born there could explain a lot of my abnormalities, among other things... and 2) I can't really think of a favorite hobby so I just put in the general "Living" for no. 10, but I think the name came out pretty cool anyway.

And just as a fun fact, I was never told of what I would've been named if I was a boy, or even an alternate girl's name I might have had. It seems as though my mom was pretty set on the name "Megan" for me, which apparently she discovered while reading the book The Thornbirds. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story, I believe is about a priest who raises a young girl after she's been orphaned, then leaves to go on some type of religious mission only to come back and find the girl fully grown and that he's in love with her, or something like that (I have never had any interest in watching the movie, which starred the androgynous Richard Chamberlain, or reading the book, since it kind of creeps me out). The girl's name in the story is either "Meg" or "Megan." Awesome. Also, the name served a dual purpose as it is Gaelic for Margaret, which was both my grandmother's name and my mom's name, who I was to be named after. Thankfully it sounded a whole lot better though.

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Geez.

I am long winded sometimes...

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things I want to do at some point in my life

I'm sitting at work now and I'm thinking a lot of things. I'm thinking that I probably shouldn't be posting because I have other things that are much more important and pending and I'll have to make up for lost time later, but that's ok. I'm also thinking that I'm really lucky because, despite how difficult things can be at times, I'm in a far better situation than some other people and so I shouldn't complain and instead should be grateful. I have a job. That's awesome. And I have a good job, and a job that I enjoy, at least for the most part. I also have an apartment, a place to stay that's warm and has a bed. I'm healthy (knock on wood) and I have, hands down, the best family and friends anyone could ever ask for, so honestly, what more could a girl want? So all in all, I'm pretty content with the way things are.

But with that said, I decided to take a moment and reflect on some of the things I would like to do or to accomplish in my life. Some are a little more "unrealistic" than others perhaps, but I think it's about time I started to hone in on more specific goals instead of the generic. So here goes:

1) I want to travel.
This is a biggie. Huge, in fact. This is probably the one thing I want to do more than anything else. If was able to wander and explore the face of the world for a few years, even if I was ridiculously poor and had to work random jobs to get from place to place, I wouldn't care. There is so much out there to see, so many people to meet, so many cultures to experience, so much history to soak in, if I miraculously found a job that would pay me to travel the world, I would exist in a state of euphoria. But even if I don't find said career, I plan on saving for the next couple years so that I can live abroad, or at the very least travel for a few months. Where would you I go? you might ask. I would go every where. Start off in Europe, specifically Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England, Belgium, Italy, Greece, etc. Then I would slowly venture into North Africa, Egypt and so on, and then dip down to South Africa. After that I would explore India and Maylasia, Indonesia, and Japan. Vietnam would be interesting, too, and maybe China, although for some reason I don't find China as interesting as other countries... Then I'd head south to New Zealand and Australia and then circle back up through South America (Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, etc.). Oh man, that would be awesome!!
2) I want to work in the music industry.
I don't really care what it is I would be doing, I just want to have the opportunity to experience live music on a regular basis and to help others access it as well. I would love to be a music scout, maybe for a record company or a TV show or movie or something. I always love discovering new artists and I actually take pride in my music library, as I think it's pretty diverse and I would say at least half full of many bands and musicians that most people haven't really heard. I love it when I find a new song or artist and then a year or so later they're on the radio or being featured in a local venue or something. To work in the music industry would be totally awesome.
3) I want to teach.
I'm not sure what age (elementary vs. high school - I think I would avoid middle school altogether...), but at some point in my life, I want to teach. My parents were both teachers, so I resisted the thought entirely for quite some time, as I didn't want to follow in their footsteps, so to speak. But the more I think about it, the more I would love it. My mom was an amazing teacher and she spread her passion for education and learning to so many people, young and old. Always supportive and always encouraging, she helped many people with their educations, including her children, her husband, her best friend, and countless others. She was a great role model - why wouldn't anyone want to follow in her footsteps? And I'm not sure what subject I would teach (I'm referring to high school level of course), but I think I would enjoy either math or government. English/literature would be fun, too, but I think my passions lie in the former two subjects.
4) I want to be an artist.
This one is kind of vague, yes, and I don't know exactly what type of artist I would want to be (i.e. painting, music, etc.), but at some point in my life I want to create something terribly honest and terribly true to who I am. I want it to be all me, 100%. I don't care if it's on the amateur level or professional, but just to have something that I alone created would be absolutely amazing.
5) I want to write a book.
I've been told by many different people that I should write a book. People have told me, for reasons I don't entirely understand, that I have a talent for writing and expressing ideas, and with the very interesting experiences I've had in my life, I think it would be at somewhat interesting story.
6) I want to become a certified handwriting analyist, and maybe even work as a criminal profiler.
So if the traveling thing doesn't work out and I can't seem to manage to find a job in the music industry, this is definitely the third job tied in first place for my dream career. I don't know what it is, but there is something terribly fascinating about handwriting analysis and graphology. I try to buy as many books as I can find on the subject and I absolutely love it!! It's an amazing tool to learn more about a person you haven't even met, or even someone you have. It's kind of like a secret weapon, or maybe not a weapon, but a tool or a talent that you have that no one really knows about. I love learning about people.

Ok, so this is just the beginning. I just kind of started rambling after a while perhaps, and maybe these are a little more generic than I had expected. However, the list is not over. It's just all of what I could come with on a Friday afternoon at 4:00P while wasting time before I get to go home. And you know, it's not so much that I want to be rich or famous or "successful" as some people like to say, it's just that I want to have experiences. Honest experiences. I love connecting with people and seeing how they tick and I figure the best way for me to start to do that is to figure out myself first. I have this hunger for learning, for exploring, and in case you haven't noticed, sometimes it's difficult for me to sit still or to say in the same place for a long period of time. I just get ansy, I don't know what it is. Call it impatience, call it crazy, call it whatever you want. But I know that right now I am in no mood to sit still or to settle.

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I think...

I think that if I never have to make another flight reservation or any travel arrangements for the rest of my life, I will die a happy woman. I swear I have cancelled and rescheduled so many at work this week that will probably go crazy if I have to do another one. At least I know now being a travel agent is not my dream job.

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sniffles.

Seems like I've caught a cold, but thankfully it's not a bad one. I've always had pride in my amazing immune system, since usually I only get one cold a year, generally around December or January, and then I'm home free until the following winter, but the story is different this year. Two days ago I woke up with a slightly sore throat, then the next day, instead of a sore throat, I sneezed all day. Now it's sneezing and stuffy nose... I think the inevitable is coming.

Luckily, it's not that bad of a cold and the symptoms are pretty minor in comparison to colds I've experienced in the past. And I'm also really happy that tomorrow is Friday, which means the weekend is just around the corner. If I had Internet at my apartment, I might even be able to just have a sick day at home, but I'll probably have to come in for at least a few hours tomorrow. It could be worse though.

My mission for the next couple days: lots of sleep (woohoo! can't argue with that) and lots of OJ (not Simpson, although I read somewhere that they're almost done picking the jury for his most recent court case).

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funny thing happened on the way to Target...

Ok, so it wasn't actually on the way to Target, but while I was actually there. But I thought it would be fun to slip in a Stephen Sondheim reference there.

Anyway... so I went to Target last night. Wait, let me back track for a second. Lola and I moved into our apartment last weekend (YAY!) so we have now officially relocated to Boston. Funny thing is, we don't have much to fill it, with the exception of our beds, making it so that it echoes a bit, but I'm digressing. The other morning though, we had an incident with our toilet, and NO! it's not because of anything that either Lola or I did, the water pressure isn't that great which makes it difficult to flush, etc. etc. So I thought it would be good to purchase a few bathroom items in the event that we have any major problems with the toilet, i.e. toilet brush, toilet cleaner, plunger, and a few other necessary household items, and so I ventured off to Target. Now mind you, I just moved here in January, which I guess is now nine months (wow! I didn't know it's been that long already!), but I still don't really know anyone. When I'm not working, I'm sleeping, and the people I work with are slightly older so they don't typically do things that recent college grads would do and so on - in summation though, I have no friends, I don't know anyone. Ok, so to recap, I'm in Target buying embarassing, yet necessary items for proper bathroom maintenance and am dressed in my most comfortable pair of sweats and one of my favorite sweatshirts because it had been raining that day so it was cold and I just wanted to be comfortable after a long day of work. So I'm scooting my little cart around, walking down the aisle and stop to compare toilet bowl brushes and plungers, when all of a sudden someone strangely familiar comes around the corner. I look at him, recognize him as someone I've definitely seen before, but I can't really put my finger on it and then it hits me - this guy played in one of the games from my work's softball team. He doesn't work with me (thank goodness because that would've been even more embarassing) but he played a few times as a back up player and actually gave me a mini fifteen minute lesson on how to properly swing a bat. My face instantly turns red and I look to see where I can make the quickest and least noticable escape. But it didn't work! We make eye contact and I can feel my face go beet red again. CRAP! Ok, so I calm down, realizing that there's no way I can avoid the situation without at least saying hello, so I do. He says hello then proceeds to tell me we had a class together, Prof So-and-So, but I cut him off before he finishes, only because I'm so embarassed and I'm trying to divert his attention from my toilet accessory filled cart, and tell him that we played softball together. Oh right! he says, you work at Sawyer. Yep, yes I do... so what brings you to Target? Then we proceed to talk about mops since they are on the other wall in the aisle, and he tells me that cloth mops are better than sponge mops, yet I disagreed, but how he couldn't find the refill for the one he has... it was very stimulating conversation. Of course I was entirely preoccupied the entire time with just getting the heck out of there!! Then, the moment I was waiting for, he just so happens to glance down at my cart, clearly seeing what was in it. He makes a face, realizes he's made a face, then pretends he didn't make the face, and then tries to ignore the fact that he looked in my cart altogether. Then he tells me you can get great picture frames at Target for a great price. Great! I say. Ummm.. ok, well I'm going to head out, it was good seeing you! But just as I was about to go, his friend comes around the corner which led to a round of introductions and another five minutes of awkward conversation. Finally, though, and I don't remember how I did it to be honest, I escaped. But I did see them at least five different times after that in various aisles in the store (and at the checkout, but I quickly maneuvered my cart in the opposite direction, pretending I had forgotten to pick something up).

The story is lengthy, yes, I agree. But what baffles me the most is that of all times, on all days, in all places, looking as terribley bummy bohemian as I did, why did I have to run into the one and only person that would ever recognize me in Boston?! And with a toilet plunger in my cart!!! He must think I have a terrible... well I honestly don't even want to imagine what he might think... Anyway, it was completely embarassing, but extremely funny all the same.

PS Stay tuned for pictures of the new apartment.

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completely disturbing, but strangely intriguing...

It's now become my daily routine while at work to check the latest headlines through Google News. Granted I don't read all of the articles, in fact I'd say I probably read less than 1% of them. But I have found that even if I don't read the articles, I can usually get a general gist of what's going on simply from the title.

With that said, I just so happened to read a headline that really peeked my interest, I think it was an article on the FoxNews website. In all honestly, I don't remember what the article was about, but what struck me even more was a link I found just to the lower left of where the end of the article finished on the webpage. The headline referred to what was called the "Montauk monster" but what intrigued me most of all was the picture that was positioned next to it. I clicked on the article and this is what I saw. Now I'm sure many of you might have already seen it, as I'm usually the last to hear/read about anything that goes on anywhere in the world, but I have to admit, it still freaked me out. I'm looking at the picture of the so-called Montauk monster and am strangely perplexed. What could it be? Or more importantly, is it real? And although it's absolutely horrific to look at, it's one of those things that you know you're going to hate, but you just can't help but look at it.

Here's a picture if you don't believe me:

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The Poconos remind me of Dirty Dancing...

I'm back at work now after the three day weekend for Labor Day. It's something that is fondly anticipated for most people, especially those in school and most especially those in the business world, since required vacation days are hard to come by in the private sector. I have to say I was eager, like many others I'm sure, for the great feeling of sleeping in on a Monday morning and knowing that the following work week would instead be an abbreviated four-day-version of the norm. I had plans to travel with my roommate for a relaxing trip to the Poconos in Pennsylvania where I would meet up with my aunt before the bustle that September brings. However, the trip didn't go exaclty as planned and proved to be slightly more stressful than I hoped since we spent the majority of the time driving and in traffic. But it was really nice to spend some time with my aunt, who I don't get to see very regularly.

Even though I wasn't able to rest up as much as I might've liked to, I am really looking forward to the upcoming month. Today, after I get off from work Lola and I are going to pick up the keys for our new apartment. I'm really very excited! I can't believe that I finally have my own place! And so close to work, so that now I don't have to wake up as early in the morning. We're going to take pictures of the empty apartment and maybe move in a few things, but the "big" move will be this weekend. Of course, we don't really have that much to move, and we have no furniture, with the exception of our beds, so I imagine it won't look too different after this weekend anyway. Even still, we're both very excited.

And September is definitely the month of concerts! I absolutely love music and, as I've mentioned before, Boston has a great music scene. I've been to a couple local bars/clubs/lounges, but I'm hoping to explore many more. Lola and I have also purchased tickets for concerts featuring some of the more popularly known artists, including, but not limited to Gavin DeGraw, Ryan Adams, Griffin House/Xavier Rudd, and Jason Mraz in October. We went to an awesome concert back in July at Berklee's Cafe 939 that featured a lot of really great, up and coming folk artists from the Nashville area, which was absolutely awesome, so if you can imagine, I've been on an even bigger music kick since then.

We're also planning on going to the Sam Adams Beer Fest this weekend with some friends of mine from work, which will be a lot of fun, too. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy about the change of scenery and the new and exciting events coming up on the calendar. :)

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I got ninety nine problems...

Ok, I don't really, I've just had that song by Jay-Z stuck in my head for something like three days now... not exactly sure why... I don't even know all the lyrics!!

I'm sitting here at work, wasting time. I should be doing something, I have a list of things, but it seems as though I don't really have any motiviation unless there's a fast approaching deadline. That said, I've been watching my new fish for most of the hours while at work this week.

I recently adopted the fish when our interns who had been working for our foundation project had to leave for the summer and head back to the lives that were waiting for them at their designated universities. Since I was chosen to continue the legacy of the Infamous Summer of 2008, I was thus granted custody of Schlomo, The Peace Fish who is a Japanese betta fish, his namesake meaning "peace" in Hebrew. It is quite an honor and am flattered by the great responsibility bestowed on me. But in all honesty, I don't do much with him except stare at him. In fact, 9 times out of 10 I forget to feed the poor guy, which is my understanding should be done twice a day. Usually my cubicle neighbor Anthony reminds me, or takes it upon himself to feed him. Thankfully he is still alive after him only been in my care for one week. Hopefully I can better tend to him, as he does provide me with countless minutes of blank brain activity...

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Sunrises and Chinese mascots...

So I decided to go with a new layout for my blog. The other one was a little dark, a little crazy, and doesn't really fit my current state of mind. So I spent at least an hour or two surfing blogger layouts while I was work today and finally found one that I think is quite appropriate for the time being. Perhaps I'll change it again when the holidays come around to something a little more festive or I could get bored of it in a little while, but for now I'd say I'm pretty content. That being said, I have recently stumbled upon what I find is one of the most amusing things I've discovered in quite some time. As everyone knows, the Beijing Olympics began early August and recently ended maybe a few days ago. I've never really watched them in the past, but this year I, like many other Americans, rooted for Michael Phelps to win his collection of gold medals and supported the women's gymnastics team during their struggles and so on and so forth. I invested a few hours here and there, more so than usual, and I'd say I rather enjoyed. But probably the best part of the Beijing games was the mascots. That's right, I said the mascots. Granted history was made with Phelps and all sorts of fabulous scandals were uncovered regarding the opening ceremonies, but for some reason I can't seem to get over those darn mascots! First off, I didn't even know that the Olympics has had mascots in the past, which is amusing in and of itself. I mean, just think millions of dollars are spent by each host city when planning for the games every four years, a fraction of the money of which I'm sure is delegated to the committe that not deliberates and designs the image that will represent their take on the games. I can't even imagine what the discussion would be like during one of those committee meetings... But then to see what they come up with is almost just as funny. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not poking fun at the Olympics - I think they're a great way for athletes to exhibit their talents and for all countries inthe world to come together, differences aside, for the purpose of sport and human talent.

With that said, you have to check out this years official Olympic mascots:


Creative? Yes. Cute? Sure. But when I was first introduced to these characters, they were prancing all over the Google emblem (I discovered them when looking to find the closest printing business to our office). I guess I'm mostly amused again by how much time, effort, and monetary resources that went into to deciding what the mascots would be, and of course their names and their mini bios, which can be found on the Beijing Olympics website. It seems as though I find humor in strange things...

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Much love and warmest thanks.

Most days, my mind is going a million miles a minute thinking about things. All kinds of things. Bills I have to pay, errands I have to run, observations I’ve made, thoughts I have, all kinds of stuff. It’s like constant chaotic motion in my head, as I’m sure it is with most people. But just the other day, I don’t even remember what I was doing or where I was, but everything just seemed to stop and I had one of those moments of clarity, or pause, or peace, or whatever you’d like to call it, but it was really nice. And all at once, my mind settled, it didn’t stop, it just kind of was. It was peaceful.

You see, lately a lot of changes have been going on in my life, and an overwhelming amount of those changes have been good, thankfully. And, while I’ve known it for quite sometime, it really set in that I am a very lucky person. Aside from the things we all take for granted such as food, a warm bed, shelter, or health, and so on, I really and truly have the best friends and family imaginable. Everywhere I have lived, I’ve managed to find people that are so loving, supportive, and encouraging to me, and all without any expectation of anything in return. My birthday was just a few days ago and I was overwhelmed with all of the people that sent their birthday wishes and words of love. As corny as it may seem, I feel as though I can do anything I set my mind to, I can accomplish anything I desire simply because I have an army of people who have and continue to love and encourage me. It’s such a powerful feeling and it’s an awesome high – I am so incredibly fortunate! And although inadequate, I’d really like to say thank you.

Lola and I just recently found an apartment in Boston that we’ll be moving into in September (it’s my very first!!) and it really symbolizes a lot for me. Not only is it awesome to have your very own space, but it’s my independence, it’s a culmination of all the hard work and struggles I’ve managed to overcome up until this point, and it’s also a tribute to all the people who have helped me over the years. I cannot begin to express how excited I am about this change! But that being said, since so many over the years have opened their homes to me, it’s now my chance to do the same in return: you are all welcome to come and visit me in Boston and I would love to have you stay at my place, as a thanks for all that you have done for me over the years. I can’t wait to share my new home with you!

I’ll be sure to post pictures of it once I have some. And please, don’t hesitate to take me up on my offer.

Much love and warmest thanks.

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my life is kind of like Pepper Potts...

The last few months have been a whirl wind of changes, but most definitely in a good way. My frustrations with the job search gave way in April when I finally was able to get an interview. Instead of spending countless hours rummaging through job openings and ads online, I decided to submit my resume to a staffing agency in the Boston area. I put it in on a Sunday afternoon, had an interview with the staffing agency the following Tuesday. They had three different options for me right away, but one of them seemed to stand out more than the others. That Friday, I had another interview, but this time with the actual company. Things went well, they called me for a second one the next Wednesday, this time with the man I'd actually be working for. Again, things went really well with the interview and the next Friday I was hired! It all happened literally within two weeks, and to think that I had spent almost three frustrated months sorting through tons of ads - it was great! So you might be asking, "Megan, what is it that you are doing?" and I will tell you what I am doing. My official title is Executive Assistant to the CEO and I work at a real estate management company just outside of Boston. Now, thankfully no real estate experience was required since my job has nothing to do with it - I'm more of a dilluted version of Pepper Potts from Iron Man. There's another assistant that I work with, an older gentleman in I'm guessing his late forties that actually happens to be the former brother-in-law to the CEO, that I've divided responsibilities with whose name is Joe. Joe freakin' rocks - I swear he makes my job twenty times more fun, and I think it's safe to say that my job is already pretty fun. What exactly is it that we do? A bit of it is basic admin work such as scheduling, filing, paperwork, etc., but I'd say a good 60% of it, at least, is anything you could possibly imagine. I have been sent on more random tasks than I could have ever expected. Perfect example, my very first day on the job, I was expecting a glorified secretary position which basically means I'd be sitting quietly at my desk, or at least would be in the office, for most of the work day. But I was very wrong. I get there, meet Joe, meet my boss David again, and off we go racing out of the office. I did my best to trail closely behind Joe only to discover that we were on our way to get a Porsche out of winter storage. A what?! A Porsche?! Did I hear that correctly?! Holy freakin' no way Batman!! This is crazy!! Then, realty set in for a millisecond and I suddenly started to panic: am I going to have to DRIVE this Porsche? Joe was mumbling about how I was riding in his car with him to the place and then we'd have to drive the Porsche somewhere else... who's we? Is "we" you? Or is "we" me? Ummmm.. what if I crash a Porsche on my very first day of my new job - I am sure that I will be forever banished from any type of employment anywhere in Massachusetts, or anywhere else for that matter, for all of eternity if I crashed a crazy amazing sports car... What have I gotten myself into? Luckily, Joe nominated himself to drive it, not only because he would be the more appropriate candidate considering his tenure over mine, but also because I don't know how to drive a manual transmission so it worked out quite nicely...

So yes, over the past three months I have embarked on random excursions and crazy fun and obscure tasks all throughout Massachusetts, but it's great because literally there is never a dull moment. And my boss is awesome. Lay back, wicked nice, and a generally fun guy, he makes my life pretty relaxed and much easier.

The perks are amazing, too. Like I said, this guys is awesome. So awesome in fact that he gave me tickets to a Red Sox game, seats that are along the first base line, three rows back. We were so close, we could've touched Youklis's bum if we really wanted to. I have pictures, which I'll upload next time, but it's too late now to do it.

I have work in the morning, another crazy day ahead of me, but I will be in touch soon. :)

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So many things! Ok, maybe only a couple...

The month of March came and went, my goodness! While my life wasn't exciting enough to post a blog every day, or even every week for that matter, I think there was enough action throughout the whole month that will be enough to post a decent sized blog.

First things first, I freakin' love Boston!! While I am still living in the suburbs and have only ventured into the city less than ten times, there's something about this area, about Boston itself that I find so exciting. There's this ambiance to the city, this culture that's a part of everything here and everyone who lives here. It's weird because growing up I never really heard much about Boston. Granted there was always mention of the history in the area from the late 1700s with the foundation of the country and Revolutionary War history, but that was kind of it. I always heard of the fast-paced and exciting atmosphere of NYC; Chicago always had this cool and sophisticated Mid-Western vibe, and then there were other places like Miami and LA, but nothing much about Boston. And it's interesting because, while I feel Boston kind of keeps to itself, it's probably one of the most welcoming and fun cities I've ever visited. There's this passion that is shared by everyone who lives here, whether it be for the obvious love of baseball's Boston Red Sox, or for a person's own culture and heritage, or even their favorite bar, these people genuinely love living and they love having fun. It's a really cool thing to observe and even more fun to be a part of.

That being said, I went to my first music club a couple nights ago which was so much fun. One of the reasons why I've been wanting to experience the Boston scene is because of the music here. There's such an amazing underground network of musicians and artists. Granted most big cities are similar in that way, but I was attracted to Boston because many of my favorite artists have been discovered here or play regularly in the area. That being said, Lola and I met up with a couple people at this bar/restaurant called Johnny D's. That night, a band by the name of Worlds Collide was playing.

The band was made up of six guys, all in their mid to late twenties and the music they played was a mix of rock, jazz, and funk. The mix might sound a little weird, but the music was so good. It was really laid back and fun, but the coolest part was simply watching the musicians; they were having so much fun by simply playing. I' really enjoy researching artists/bands and being the first to learn about new music, and not that I'm some type of musical expert, I've always prided myself in finding really good and not-so-famous artists. One of my dream jobs would be to scout bands and musicians for record labels (again, it's not like I have any real knowledge in the area, I just think it would be a lot of fun), but while I don't do it professionally, it was fun to have the opportunity to do some research for my own musical collection. It was a good night, probably the highlight of the month. :)

In other news, I decided to go ahead and get a haircut, something really different. I've had the same haircut for several years now, which I've always liked, but I wanted a change. And I kind of figured a new city required a new look. But I'm not gonna lie, it's been a little frustrating lately because I've been mistaken for a teenager several times in the last couple months. Some people I work with thought that I was still in high school and when I asked how old they thought I was, they told me 20 "at the most." Granted, that's only a couple years off, but they seemed to be leaning more toward 16 and 17 years old. Now don't get me wrong, it's not that I want to look crazy old, or even older like late 20s or 30s, I really just want to look my age... is that so wrong? So I decided that the sweet-and-innocent-long-haired-little-girl-look just wasn't cutting it and decided to go with something that was a little funkier (keep in mind, funky for me is mild for most people). I chopped it all off and I think that I still look young, but more mature, but not too much more. What do you think?

The picture is a little silly. I mean, it's not easy taking a picture of yourself - they usually don't look very natural. But I think it'll be ok for this purpose.

So that's kind of the month of March in a very small nutshell. Other things might have happened, but my memory is so bad, or perhaps the events were so minor, that I've forgotten them, at least for the time being.

Update on the job search: still nothing, but tomorrow I am planning on going to a job fair for non-profit organizations in the Boston area, which I'm pretty psyched about. While career fairs have never really been a strong point for me, I'm feeling pretty positive about the whole thing. So wish me luck! And hopefully something will come out of it. :)

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Job searching is not for the faint of heart.

Oy vey. Let me tell you, I really hate looking for jobs. It'd be so completely awesome if there was a job stork, similar to the ones that drop off babies, but instead of little people, they could simply drop off a nice neat little job offer, complete with decent pay, benefits, and paid vacation. Granted, the whole idea of delivery birds is really weird and somewhat disturbing when you really think about it, but the convenience of their service would most definitely be appreciated. I'm sitting here in the library looking through numerous job ads on the computer - it seems all they have are positions for sales, marketing, or management, which frankly do not sound very appealing to me. I think I need something with a little more activity, a little more creativity, and where I don't necessarily have to dress up every day. Call me lazy, call me picky, but after my job as an office receptionist, and even my internship a couple summers ago, I've learned I really don't want to wake up every morning dreading the day to come because I hate my job.

I've been looking on Craig's list and let me tell you, they have some funny ads. I saw one for a foot model. Awesome. I don't know if my feet are pretty enough for that one though... There are some cool non-profit job postings which I think would be a lot of fun, but most of them require a lot more experience than what I have. Ugh.

I was talking to a friend of mine today online and he suggested that I turn the job hunt into something a little more interesting. The idea is to send out applications and resumes to tons of job postings and then see how many rejection letters you get back. hahahahah I think it's brilliant! It would definitely make things interesting. :)

Ok, enough of the procrastinating - I'm going to work on my resume. Concentrate your positive vibes my way and hopefully they'll work their magic.

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Boston, here I come! :)

So, I have arrived in Boston, good ol' Bean Town. Well, technically not Boston specifically, but Canton, one of it's many suburbs. But I hope to move to Boston sometime in the near future, but only after I have secured a decent paying job and saved up some money for rent and security and all that fun stuff. But Canton has served me well thus far, I'd say. Granted it's only been a few days since my arrival, but I've visited many times during college and I love the cute and quaint look of small New England towns.

The journey here was long and arduous, but rewarding nonetheless. It still fascinates me that last week I was in Arizona, the land of sun and desert, and somehow my dinky little Kia managed to take me more than 2,500 miles to the other side of the country. It's crazy cool. And it was also a lot of fun to revisit parts of the U.S. that I haven't been in for a while. Even though it was winter and things are dead and/or hibernating for the most part, it was still really pretty. For example, when I was driving through the Appalachian mountains in the western part of North Carolina, there was a foggy haze over the trees and mountains partnered with some light flurries. It was eerie, but really pretty at the same time. Even though there were several other cars driving along with us on the highway, it still felt partly as though mine was the only car on the road. Another thing that struck me was how friendly people in the Mid-West and the South are. I wouldn't say that people in Arizona are unfriendly, but sometimes they're not as eager to strike up conversation with a stranger. But that isn't the case in states like Kentucky and North Carolina - they'll talk to anybody! And in a way that made you feel as though you had known them your entire life; they're just really outgoing and amiable, which was refreshing I thought. But that's not to say that there aren't parts of the country that I really didn't care for, and I'm speaking primarily of Texas. First of all, that state is GIGANTIC!!! Granted I took the longest route through Texas that I possibly could (unintentionally, mind you, but that's a whole different story), but that state goes on and on and on and on and on... It took us at least twelve hours to drive across it. Unbelievable. And they're right when they say Texas thinks it's a whole other country, which is true in both size and mentality. I don't know how many billboards I saw that said, "Texans like it big" and "It's only right if it's done Texas" blah blah blah, and what's funny is they really mean it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to insult Texas. It has a nostalgia and culture all of it's own, which is nice in a way. But they really are quite different than the rest of the country and I have to say I don't think I've ever been as happy when I saw the "Welcome to Arkansas" sign. But I'm digressing...

So yes, the trip was fun, but after about a week I have to say I was happy to not have to sit a car for ten consecutive hours. And now I'm in Massachusetts and am really looking forward to what's to come. The first few days that I've been here I have pretty much done nothing... well, not nothing... I have been working on learning some chords on my guitar and I would say, and I might be being a bit optimistic here, but I think someone would be able to recognize at least a couple of songs I'm attempting to master. Of course, I'm not a rockstar, but that doesn't usually happen over night, right? And I did some laundry yesterday, watched a bit of jeopardy to sharpen my brain - not exactly productive, but I think I deserve to rest up a bit... :)

Today was the first day I've actually started researching jobs again. While it is overwhelming at times, I'm actually not too worried about it. I think that part of it has a lot to do with all the love and support I've gotten from friends and family. I have to say that I was absolutely blown away all throughout the last week or so before I left Arizona, I don't even know where to begin. It was awesome to hear so many encouraging words and to see so many people take the time to visit and celebrate with me. With such an amazing group of people behind me, I feel as though I could conquer the world! Of course I don't I'd ever really want to conquer the world, it just seems as too much responsibility and unwanted stress... :) But seriously, it's an awesome feeling to know that the people I love have so much faith in me. All I can really say is thank you. With everything that I've been going through lately with family and with the move and life in general, it gave me hope again and caused me to realize that no matter how bad I might perceive things to be, it's not important because I have friends and family that love me no matter what happens. And that is crazy cool. :)

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Demetri Martin

Ok, to take the edge off the somewhat serious tone of the last entry, I've decided to include a clip of one of my favorite comedians, Demetri Martin.

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The big move.

So it's official. Yes folks, the word is out: I am moving to Boston in a little over a week. I put in my two weeks notice to my supervisor a week ago and my last day working at the Global Institute of Sustainability will be this Friday. It's all quite exciting really. A bit nerve racking, yes, but still extremely exciting. It's actually been something I've been thinking about since before I graduated from college. I love NYC and always will. It's a city full of adventure, culture, and life. I'm so lucky to have had the opportunity to have gone to school in the area and wouldn't trade it for the world, but I've also come to appreciate the lay back nature of Arizona. After four years of face-paced craziness, it was nice to come home for a bit to a familiar setting and a great support system made up of my family and friends. I was able to get back on my feet, refocus, and finally get the gumption to go for it, whatever "it" might be. As I mentioned, I had wanted to live in Boston after I graduated, but wasn't sure if it was the right thing for me. But after visiting Lola in November, I soon realized that there was still much to see and do on the east coast and that my time in Arizona would soon be coming to a close. I loved the sights and sounds of the city, the commotion and vitality of it all, but I also appreciate the quiet and quaint suburbs of the Boston area. Having seasons was something I missed in Arizona and I loved the idea of being able to have snow days, even in the event of shoveling snow, and to watch the world awaken after a winter slumber. It's just so magical. But just the idea of a new adventure was appealing to me. I had been in NY for four years, I grew up in Arizona, it's time to explore somewhere else and what better place than Boston?

So with a little luck, and perhaps a little insanity, I decided to go for it, to make the move, and so here I am with less than a week left at my very first post-collegiate job, preparing to take another trek across the country to a new place of discovery. And I'm not entirely sure which career path I'm going to follow, or even whether I'll be choosing one any time in the near future. Obviously I'll get a job, but whether or not it will last for twenty plus years to retirement, we will have to see. The Unknown is pretty scary, I mean, practically my whole life I've had a plan and right now I pretty much don't, at least not for the long term. And that makes me wonder where I will be in a year? Five years? Ten years? But I have to say, I'm ok with that. The suppense is awesome. To think that every day holds the potential to dramatically change your life, that's a pretty awesome idea.

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Excited.

I'm kind of excited. Don't really know why, can't really put a finger on it, but I feel as though there's a change in the wind if you will. And that's kind of nice... and a bit overdue. :)

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probably the best thing ever...

So we all know that Obama and Huckabee won in the Iowa Caucus. And I'm sure you all know that Chuck Norris supports Mike Huckbee, which is probably the greatest thing ever. And I'm also pretty sure everyone has seen this ad already, but I thought I'd provide it here, in my blog, for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!!

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Greetings

At the ripe old age of 22, it looks as though I have now decided to explore modern technology and venture into the world of blogging. Facebook and MySpace are now proving insufficient or perhaps maybe I'm feeling as though they don't provide the necessary means for people to explore the mind of Megan, or shall I say of Ms. Wegan Milkins (courtesy of Ashley Crockett). So this is my first official blog, admittedly quite lame, but still quite necessary. So greetings to all of you. I hope you will be at least mildly entertained by whatever it is I choose to write in this thing (I honestly have not yet decided what purpose this blog will serve exactly, but I haven't put much thought into it either) or on an even more basic level, to give you something to waste away the hours at the office with, which is really what caused me to start this thing up in the first place.

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