(no subject)
So much since my last substantial entry...
The Office. I love it. I couldn't imagine a better place to go off into the world to. Our main office space used to be an art gallery, and all the desk are hidden in little corners, but nothing feels closed off. I worked there for a month or so, feeling the buzz of the office around me, occasionally escaping to the duller hum of the coffee shop. In October, I moved upstairs into what used to be a one bedroom apartment. The communications team now share our headquarter with the kitchen. This means I have constant access to food (and office coffee, which we have now initiated), but also means that I have to spend one day about every two weeks finding what smells in the fridge. I've gotten used to the irregular work day. It took coming in on a Saturday afternoon to work and encountering about 2/3 of the staff with the same idea, and staying until 9pm or so to finish some things up and not being the last person to leave the office, or even the second to last to realize that an non-standardized work day didn't mean anyone worked any less. I now work from 10:30am-7pm on a regular day.
Americorps. Is mostly a pain in my ass. But it pays the bills. And I found out recently that because it's federal service my living stipend isn't treated like real income for food stamp qualification. This means I automatically get full benefits! I look forward to that kicking in in January. Trainings continue to be demeaning to my intelligence, but hopefully once we start doing peer trainings, that will change. Boone peer training is going to be on small wind technology. It will be rad.
My work. Is sometimes fun, sometimes tedious, usually worthwhile. I wear about 10 hats, and juggling all the things I'm supposed to be in charge of plus the slack I pick up around the office plus overhauling inefficient systems and trying to work with an editor who changes his mind about every 10 seconds and who only communicates with us via skype can get a little frustrating... But hanging out with volunteers and eating pizza on Tuesday nights, writing the front page feature for each issue, and seeing the things I work on become increasingly efficient is enough to keep me going with a smile on my face.
My co-workers. My family. They make sure I'm fed, that I'm safe, and happy. They make sure there's always a pitcher on the table, and that you get home alright. We've danced together, passed out in the office together, swapped clothes together, talked about boys (and girls) together, sang songs together, yelled at TV screens together... It took a while to settle in, but really I couldn't ask for 12 better human beings to share my days with.
My honey. I miss him. Even far away, he is one of the most important things in my life.
Being away/coming back. I went home for five days in November. It was the first time I had ever been to Minnesota that it wasn't my home. I saw the places I had settled into this summer, the wonderful people I've surrounded myself with for years. It was a pretty good feeling, if faintly nostalgic. I couldn't help being jealous that their lives continue in the places that I love, that they share memories I could have been a part of... At the same time, I can feel the new perspective going away and coming back have given me, and I appreciate it.
The future. I decided to delay applying for grad school for another year. I want to have this year under my belt before I decide to do next. I also want things to be open to possibility for a little bit longer. I don't know what will happen with me and Lance, for example, but I know I want to be able to explore the promise I feel in my bones when I think about it.
I've thought a lot about becoming an investigative journalist recently. I think it marries well my propensity for research, my critical nature, journalism, and the kind of information I think needs to be part of news media. If I follow that track, I think I will find myself in Appalachia again. This is where they need that attention and a critical eye turned on the environmental devestation and corporate greed that goes on everyday.
The Office. I love it. I couldn't imagine a better place to go off into the world to. Our main office space used to be an art gallery, and all the desk are hidden in little corners, but nothing feels closed off. I worked there for a month or so, feeling the buzz of the office around me, occasionally escaping to the duller hum of the coffee shop. In October, I moved upstairs into what used to be a one bedroom apartment. The communications team now share our headquarter with the kitchen. This means I have constant access to food (and office coffee, which we have now initiated), but also means that I have to spend one day about every two weeks finding what smells in the fridge. I've gotten used to the irregular work day. It took coming in on a Saturday afternoon to work and encountering about 2/3 of the staff with the same idea, and staying until 9pm or so to finish some things up and not being the last person to leave the office, or even the second to last to realize that an non-standardized work day didn't mean anyone worked any less. I now work from 10:30am-7pm on a regular day.
Americorps. Is mostly a pain in my ass. But it pays the bills. And I found out recently that because it's federal service my living stipend isn't treated like real income for food stamp qualification. This means I automatically get full benefits! I look forward to that kicking in in January. Trainings continue to be demeaning to my intelligence, but hopefully once we start doing peer trainings, that will change. Boone peer training is going to be on small wind technology. It will be rad.
My work. Is sometimes fun, sometimes tedious, usually worthwhile. I wear about 10 hats, and juggling all the things I'm supposed to be in charge of plus the slack I pick up around the office plus overhauling inefficient systems and trying to work with an editor who changes his mind about every 10 seconds and who only communicates with us via skype can get a little frustrating... But hanging out with volunteers and eating pizza on Tuesday nights, writing the front page feature for each issue, and seeing the things I work on become increasingly efficient is enough to keep me going with a smile on my face.
My co-workers. My family. They make sure I'm fed, that I'm safe, and happy. They make sure there's always a pitcher on the table, and that you get home alright. We've danced together, passed out in the office together, swapped clothes together, talked about boys (and girls) together, sang songs together, yelled at TV screens together... It took a while to settle in, but really I couldn't ask for 12 better human beings to share my days with.
My honey. I miss him. Even far away, he is one of the most important things in my life.
Being away/coming back. I went home for five days in November. It was the first time I had ever been to Minnesota that it wasn't my home. I saw the places I had settled into this summer, the wonderful people I've surrounded myself with for years. It was a pretty good feeling, if faintly nostalgic. I couldn't help being jealous that their lives continue in the places that I love, that they share memories I could have been a part of... At the same time, I can feel the new perspective going away and coming back have given me, and I appreciate it.
The future. I decided to delay applying for grad school for another year. I want to have this year under my belt before I decide to do next. I also want things to be open to possibility for a little bit longer. I don't know what will happen with me and Lance, for example, but I know I want to be able to explore the promise I feel in my bones when I think about it.
I've thought a lot about becoming an investigative journalist recently. I think it marries well my propensity for research, my critical nature, journalism, and the kind of information I think needs to be part of news media. If I follow that track, I think I will find myself in Appalachia again. This is where they need that attention and a critical eye turned on the environmental devestation and corporate greed that goes on everyday.