All Grown Up
So I've been living in Wellington for just about a year and a half, and for the time being, at least, my waitress/barista days are over. I work in an office now, joining the throngs of professionals marching down Lambton Quay every morning. The job itself is pretty cool - I write promotional and educational material for students about why it's important to study maths and science. Most importantly, I'm actually writing for a living instead of developing software, which makes me very happy. But all the same, returning to office life is kind of weird.
Among the oddly grown-up habits I am developing since taking this job are 1) drinking too much coffee, 2) wearing lots of black and grey and pinning up my hair, 3) reading library books on the bus, 4) grabbing the World section of the newspaper during morning tea, and 5) getting caught up in politics. All of which are perfectly fine, but 18-year-old Me would make fun of 28-year-old Me for being old and stodgy.
Of course, I also 1) live on a marae with a bunch of pot-smoking hippies, 2) ride a bike instead of driving a car, 3) go out dancing all the time, 4) get caught up in liberal politics, and 5) have plans to travel to new places, New York City and Tokyo being near the top of the list.
18-year-old Me can piss off.
I happened across an article called "The Progressive Politics of the Millennial Generation" while I was messing around at work (yes, this is how I mess around at work these days, because I am stodgy), and it kind of appeals to me.
"The Millennials are an unusual generation, not like young people we have seen for a long time ... they are not individualistic risk-takers like the Boomers or cynical and disengaged like Generation Xers. Signs indicate that Millennials are civic-minded, politically engaged, and hold values long associated with progressives, such as concern about economic inequalities, desire for a more multilateral foreign policy, and a strong belief in government."
I honestly hadn't thought of that. It's encouraging.
Among the oddly grown-up habits I am developing since taking this job are 1) drinking too much coffee, 2) wearing lots of black and grey and pinning up my hair, 3) reading library books on the bus, 4) grabbing the World section of the newspaper during morning tea, and 5) getting caught up in politics. All of which are perfectly fine, but 18-year-old Me would make fun of 28-year-old Me for being old and stodgy.
Of course, I also 1) live on a marae with a bunch of pot-smoking hippies, 2) ride a bike instead of driving a car, 3) go out dancing all the time, 4) get caught up in liberal politics, and 5) have plans to travel to new places, New York City and Tokyo being near the top of the list.
18-year-old Me can piss off.
I happened across an article called "The Progressive Politics of the Millennial Generation" while I was messing around at work (yes, this is how I mess around at work these days, because I am stodgy), and it kind of appeals to me.
"The Millennials are an unusual generation, not like young people we have seen for a long time ... they are not individualistic risk-takers like the Boomers or cynical and disengaged like Generation Xers. Signs indicate that Millennials are civic-minded, politically engaged, and hold values long associated with progressives, such as concern about economic inequalities, desire for a more multilateral foreign policy, and a strong belief in government."
I honestly hadn't thought of that. It's encouraging.