Welcome To Unique Opportunities

This past week I was in Hawaii with my significant other. How you may wonder did I manage to go on a vacation to Hawaii? To put it simply, I saw an opportunity and took it. My Sig Fig had to go to Hawaii for work and I decided to tag along for my vacation. I have to say that it was awesome!

The first weekend, we stayed at a resort hotel right on the beach with tons of pools and activities. I honestly could have spent the entire week there, but alas I am still just starting out and don't have quite that much financial stability just yet. We then stayed at a hotel his work provided. This second lodgings was partially why I was able to go. The second reason was that my dad generously gave me a ton of points to fly out (when I looked at plane tickets I about died). Sure I had to sit in the dead center for 7 hours for one leg of my journey, but I did get first class for 3 glorious hours and yes I did order a mimosa.

Some of my sig fig's friends were entertained by the fact that I wasn't worried about entertaining myself while he worked. To be honest I was a little nervous as I was unfamiliar with the area, but after I panicked for a few hours, I put my big person pants on and figured out a plan of action.

Since I am fairly used to traveling on my own, here are some ways to find opportunities when you have no idea what you are doing.

1) Figure out the public transportation system. I grew up outside of a large city with a metro. Once I understood which stop took me where it was easy hop on and off all day. The same thing goes when traveling. Local buses and trains are a lot cheaper than taxis and often offer passes for daily or weekly use.

2) Call friends or family in the area. If I know or am related to someone in the area I will be in (or a friend of a family member) I will occasionally call them up and ask them for ideas of things to do or beg them to take me places. If they do take me some place, I try to take them out for food or fill up their gas tank.

3) Make friends. You can make friends anywhere and it is something I am pretty good at. However if you make friends with people on the trip, be sure to still play it safe. Always tell someone who you are with and for how long. If you get uncomfortable have a check in time to let people know you are okay. You should never be afraid to make new friends, but still make sure you remember that you have no idea who these new friends are until you started talking to them.

4) Walk around. It will give you a chance to get the lay of your surroundings in case you get lost. It's always good to know where some landmarks are to find your way back.

5) Don't hesitate to go out of your comfort zone. Unless it looks like a really bad idea (something that could cause you mortal or psychological harm), try it. You might be surprised at what happens. Get lost or go somewhere you wouldn't think you'd like.

I might not go on epic adventures in Narnia, but I can still daydream. For now I'll be content to explore the opportunities I have and that includes any trips that might pop up. They might be extravagant like a trip to Hawaii or dressed in overalls (as my grandma used to say) like pulling weeds for an older family member and ending up with awesome references.

If you enjoyed this post, or it really pissed you off, please comment or share with friends, family, or your worst enemy. I love hearing from my readers and I know you guys are there. Until next week.

Welcome To Romantic Relationships

Complicated doesn't begin to describe it...

My Significant Other, often referred to as my Sig Fig, is an amazing person. My Sig Fig knows how to spoil me rotten and make me feel like the most beautiful girl in the world. I am very lucky and fortunate.

We met in college, but didn't start dating until after we both graduated. I was a class year younger. We got back in touch when I moved to the same state (abate about an hour away). We started dating in August and it's been wonderful.

It isn't perfect though. I admit that I am very independent, stubborn and a bit absent minded. My Sig Fig is studying to be an army doctor and doesn't have a lot of free time. I always worry that if we spend too much time together we'd end up hating each other, but when we have had the opportunity to spend (the rare) extended time together, it has been okay. Though my organizing skills could turn in to an issue. 

I wish we could spend more time together and I fear the first time one of us looses our temper for the first time (trust me I have a nasty one). My Sig Fig is an amazing person and I want the best for both of us. I'm scared for the future, but enjoying the present. 

If you enjoyed this post or really hated it, please comment or share with friends, family or worst enemies. I know I have readers and I love hearing from you. Until next week.

Welcome to Spring

It Appears To Have Finnally Arrived

Spring seems to have finally shown up. There is definatly a thick layer of yellow pollen on my car. I'm sneezing more  and I don't need to have my air conditioning nor heater on (saving on bill yay!). 

Spring is definatly a more mild season than winter. Sure we've had more rain than usual and a sink hole opened up in Baltimore and swallowed like 20 cars. That was both terrifying and somewhat hilarious at the same time. I think I need to check on what I think is funny.

Honestly the biggest thing about spring is that it's not too hot and too cold (usually). However, this area seems to go from extreme winter to extreme summer in two days. There is no slow transition. We used at have a saying at my old college. "Welcome to Williamsbuge where the weather's made up and the seasons don't matter."

Spring also means I'm another year older and supossibly wiser (not really, but it's a nice thought). It used to mean the end of the school year and the start of FREEDOM, but I only get three weeks now (it's a French company). 

Spring is here, but I'm not as interested as I was for winter. I just hope my area doesn't flood.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please share or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers. Until next week.

Welcome To Keeping Track

I have discovered that it becomes difficult to keep track of all the things that need to get done in a day, week, month and year. Ovcasionally it's not so much that I forget, but just didn't read the fine print, lost the due by date, or just procrastinated on purpose because I just didn't want to do it (this one usually leads to me forgetting to do whatever it is I put off). So here are a few things that I have started doing (or should be doing but haven't started yet - if ever).

1) Make a list of everything that needs to be done and keep it in a location that you will always notice. I usually have one hanging above my computer at the office.

2) Set an alarm. This one is usually good for the reoccurring weekly and monthly items on your list. Be careful it's still just as easy to hit the snooze button.

3) Have all bills in one location. This way you won't forget to pay one.

4) Ask someone to help you remember. I typically reserve this one for despritely times, however it is also flawed. If it's not at the forefront of their mind, it still might not get done.

Bonus: 5) Tie a string around your figure. This ridiculous old school method does indeed work, because you are usually constantly aware that you have a stupid looking string tied around your fungure.

Just remember that everyone is forgetful, after all we are only human. Most things we forget are easily corrected. When you can't fix a mistake, you move on and continue focusing on the future.

If you enjoyed this post or it really pissed you off, please comment or share it with friends, family or your worst enemy. I love hearing from my readers and I certainly apriciate the fact you guys seem to think I'm interesting enough to read. Thank you!

Until next week.

Welcome To Emails

You need to know how todo this properly!

I turn 23 soon. I don't feel any different. I did find a song to be my theme this year. "What's my age again" by Blink 182. Trust it works.

One of the most stressful parts of my job is one I do all the time, it's writing emails. People, especially young tech savvy people, might not realize how important it is to write a proper email. It is very difficult to convey tone through an email and it can be very easy to offend someone when you don't mean to. My boss tries to help me whenever he can to improve this skill because believe it or not it's not a skill learned in school.

Some tips for writing emails:

1) Don't use text speak. You should make sure everything is spelled and grammatically correct.

2) Check to make sure you are sending it to the right person or persons. I've already sent several emails to the wrong people. It is highly embarrassing and can get you into real deep trouble.

3) Never put anything negative in an email. My boss is constantly telling me this one and he is absolutely correct. If it's in writing and in cyberspace anyone might spot it and report it. That is my warning. Don't do it!

4) tone is difficult to convey - except when you type in caps. When someone types in caps it makes the reader think the writer is shorting at them. Ergo don't write in caps unless you want to piss someone off.

5) Reread the email before sending it. Make sure the email is clear and the person receiving it will understand what you are talking about. Otherwise this might cause more problems than solve.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please comment or share it with friends, family or your worst enemy. Though I will not tolerate cyberbullying. I'd also like to thank all my readers for the 1000 hits on my blog. Thank you all.

Welcome To The Laws Of The Jungle

The Odds Are Not In Your Favor...

This week was an emotional roller coaster for me. My cable company decided they were giving me too many channels for the price I was paying and took away about two thirds of them. I will miss TNT, TBS, Travel Channel, BBC America, and ABC Family, but it seems the cable company in question has me in a chock hold over how much the internet is worth. 

Now before I start getting an earful about what an entitled little millennial I am, I would like to point out that I am a) just starting out on a tight budget, b) my cable bill is almost always higher than my utilities bill combined (not counting January, February and March of this year with all the freezing weather), and finally c) the internet is required for me to do my job if I ever have to work from home. Believe it or not, sometimes I have to work from because of personal issues, complications with the internet at work (yeah this happened too), or I climate weather. Now I could go to the public library or coffee shop for internet service when I have to work from home, except when snow hits everything closes and I am still expected to work. Here lies my problem. 

Now there are a lot of self help website out there explaining how to "get the most out of your cable company", these morsels of advice only work if there is competition in your area. Since my apartment management apparently has an exclusive contract with one cable company, I have no means of competition to work with. I am stuck in a localized monopoly that seems top league the majority of the nation. Is this fair? No, but this is the way of life. 

I guess I was lulled into the fallacy that I live in a "free market capitalist society" where competition keeps prices low and consumers have choices. I guess I was wrong. There are very few things I can do to change these circumstances, though I am looking at my options carefully (writing the local politicians and national senators seems like a good yet useless endeavor). 

I think what I am most displeased with is my lack of choices. I like having many options that I can choose from and still keep a level of security. If life has taught me anything since leaving college, it's that the world is an expensive place to live in and that it's just not fair. People and companies lie (no a corporation  is not a person no matter how many loop holes they have to make it appear otherwise). I also have learned that I like having choices and get very cranky when these choices are taken away from me. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please leave a comment or share it with your friends, family or worst enemy. I kindly ask that you do not leave mean and spiteful messages as this will be seen as cyberbullying and I will be blocking, reporting and committing your name to memory (I will leave you to your imagination with that).

I would also like to take this moment to thank my readers. I am almost to 1000 hits on my blog in less than a year. I feel amazed and am grateful to all my loyal readers. Perhaps without all those channels I will finally buckle down and write those novels. 

Until next week.

Welcome To Weddings

Before I begin tonight's post, I would like to take a second to let everyone know that I received a very nasty message on Facebook today about my blog. Now this message did somewhat hurt, however, this troll actually took the time to read my blog before messaging me. This tells me that a)this person who trolled me has no real life and b) I must be doing something right if someone out there took the time to try to Cyberbully me. So I am going to keep writing and if anyone else decides for whatever reason to send nasty messages they shall be reported, blocked and ignored. I find trolls dull. They need more hugs in their lives. So moral of this cyberbullying is bad.

Anyway, on to the subject of weddings.

I have a friend from college and a coworker who are both getting married this summer. This is both wonderful and terrifying. It's wonderful to see how happy my friends are, but it's terrifying to think that this is the stage that my life is at. I've been to weddings in the past, but this is the first that it is a college friend getting married. I feel much older because of that fact.

Wedding educate is also a lot different now that I'm older. Before I didn't have to worry about the gifts or how to act and dress. My mom just told me what to do and I did it. I was always on my best behavior. It just feels different than from when I was a little kid.

I admit to fantasizing about getting married and living my life with my significant other. However I also admit that I personally have no idea what I want in life. I am currently content to keep seeing what happens right now. I have always lived by planning my next step. Right now i like not knowing the future.

I will just have to make double sure I remember the wedding present this time. I left part of the wedding shower gift behind. Oops.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) share it with friends, family or your worst enemies. I love hearing from my readers, though less so the trolls and cyberbullies (that is why to be famous you need such a thick skin). Please let me know your thoughts or if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes.