what's this? a journal post???
Yes friends, after a 13 month, 6 day sabbatical, the livejournal is making a mighty comeback. At least for today (no need to get overly optimistic). I'm going to attempt to list some highlights (and lowlights... kinda like in hair...) since my last post... p.s. no current events review, we're just talking about my life... because afterall, it is my journal, right? :-)
-After Iowa, I went to Oklahoma, Tennesee, and Georgia with the campaign. Overall, the campaign was as great experience for me (terrible pay and obscenely long hours in your first job out of college makes everything after that seem great!). No seriously, I made some wonderful friends, met a lot of cool people, and did the crazy-job-right-out-of-college rite of passage. But it's done and over, and I wouldn't be a field organizer ever ever ever again.
-Moved back to Tampa after the campaign. Spent 6 weeks as an unemployed vegetable watching the Price is Right. Sounds like fun, but after 2 weeks, trust me - it's not.
-Worked for Betty Castor's Senate campaign for 2 months doing "call time." Basically sat with Betty while she made calls to donors. I dialed the phone. Thank God for a Wake Forest education - might never have been qualified for the job without it.
-Upside of working for Betty - made some great new friends (even though now they have all moved back to DC, sad)
-Peaced out of the campaign when I got an offer from the Dewey Square Group to work in the Tampa office. Better pay, better hours, nicer bosses, a permanent job, and in Tampa. And the campaign manager was confused as to why I wanted to leave. Freak.
-After knowing I was staying in Tampa for the forseeable future, I decided to be a counselor with the Hyde Park UMC youth group. I'd been an intern in college and was so glad to be back. It has been SUCH a blessing in my life to be involved there. I do mid-high on Sunday nights and facilitate senior high Sunday school on Sunday mornings.
-In September, I got myself a birthday present in the form of a cat from the Humane Society. His name is Stanley (after the Lightning winning the Stanley Cup), he is almost 2 years old (in February), and he is fat. He doesn't look fat in the picture, but trust me - he's a fatty. I've been trying to put him on a diet ever since my friend told me that her fat cat developed Type-2 Diabetes - scary!
-In October, I was able to avenge the loss of my Bruce Springsteen ticket in Sept of '03 (b/c of moving to Iowa), by going to the Rock for Change concert in Orlando. Betty (Palios, not Castor) came with because she was in town for her cousin's wedding. Bruce, John Fogerty, Tracy Chapman, and REM. We had floor tix and were about 15 people back from the stage. Rocked my face right off.
-Novemeber, uh, sucked... but like I said, no current events review here.
-Oh but Thanksgiving was awesome - went to LA with the whoooole fam to visit our relatives out there. Went to the beach, Santa Monica (my favorite), the OC (wheeee... but no sign of Seth Cohen), Hollywood, Beverly Hills, etc etc. My uncle is in real estate and therefore knows where everyone famous lives, so he took us on the obligatory star homes tour. His neighborhood would have been enough - across from Dennis Quaid, down the street from Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas, and around the corner from Rob Reiner (who has a lighthouse-shaped mailbox... he owns CastleRock films). It's a different world out there. Nice to visit, but not sure I could live there.
-December started out kinda sad b/c all of my Castor campaign buddies left me, but then lots of fun old friends started coming home, so that has been super fun. Had a crazy reunion at MacDinton's a few days after Christmas with people I hadn't seen since graduating high school... surprisingly fun and not stab-me-in-the-eye obnoxious. New Year's was also muy fun, as Jennifer and I (and med school and work friends of hers) hit Channelside. I had low expectations but it was actually a really fun night.
So if you're still reading, kudos (remember those? yum)... I think that's more than enough for one post. More later... hopefully... :-)
-After Iowa, I went to Oklahoma, Tennesee, and Georgia with the campaign. Overall, the campaign was as great experience for me (terrible pay and obscenely long hours in your first job out of college makes everything after that seem great!). No seriously, I made some wonderful friends, met a lot of cool people, and did the crazy-job-right-out-of-college rite of passage. But it's done and over, and I wouldn't be a field organizer ever ever ever again.
-Moved back to Tampa after the campaign. Spent 6 weeks as an unemployed vegetable watching the Price is Right. Sounds like fun, but after 2 weeks, trust me - it's not.
-Worked for Betty Castor's Senate campaign for 2 months doing "call time." Basically sat with Betty while she made calls to donors. I dialed the phone. Thank God for a Wake Forest education - might never have been qualified for the job without it.
-Upside of working for Betty - made some great new friends (even though now they have all moved back to DC, sad)
-Peaced out of the campaign when I got an offer from the Dewey Square Group to work in the Tampa office. Better pay, better hours, nicer bosses, a permanent job, and in Tampa. And the campaign manager was confused as to why I wanted to leave. Freak.
-After knowing I was staying in Tampa for the forseeable future, I decided to be a counselor with the Hyde Park UMC youth group. I'd been an intern in college and was so glad to be back. It has been SUCH a blessing in my life to be involved there. I do mid-high on Sunday nights and facilitate senior high Sunday school on Sunday mornings.
-In September, I got myself a birthday present in the form of a cat from the Humane Society. His name is Stanley (after the Lightning winning the Stanley Cup), he is almost 2 years old (in February), and he is fat. He doesn't look fat in the picture, but trust me - he's a fatty. I've been trying to put him on a diet ever since my friend told me that her fat cat developed Type-2 Diabetes - scary!
-In October, I was able to avenge the loss of my Bruce Springsteen ticket in Sept of '03 (b/c of moving to Iowa), by going to the Rock for Change concert in Orlando. Betty (Palios, not Castor) came with because she was in town for her cousin's wedding. Bruce, John Fogerty, Tracy Chapman, and REM. We had floor tix and were about 15 people back from the stage. Rocked my face right off.
-Novemeber, uh, sucked... but like I said, no current events review here.
-Oh but Thanksgiving was awesome - went to LA with the whoooole fam to visit our relatives out there. Went to the beach, Santa Monica (my favorite), the OC (wheeee... but no sign of Seth Cohen), Hollywood, Beverly Hills, etc etc. My uncle is in real estate and therefore knows where everyone famous lives, so he took us on the obligatory star homes tour. His neighborhood would have been enough - across from Dennis Quaid, down the street from Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas, and around the corner from Rob Reiner (who has a lighthouse-shaped mailbox... he owns CastleRock films). It's a different world out there. Nice to visit, but not sure I could live there.
-December started out kinda sad b/c all of my Castor campaign buddies left me, but then lots of fun old friends started coming home, so that has been super fun. Had a crazy reunion at MacDinton's a few days after Christmas with people I hadn't seen since graduating high school... surprisingly fun and not stab-me-in-the-eye obnoxious. New Year's was also muy fun, as Jennifer and I (and med school and work friends of hers) hit Channelside. I had low expectations but it was actually a really fun night.
So if you're still reading, kudos (remember those? yum)... I think that's more than enough for one post. More later... hopefully... :-)