Corner View : Four-legged

I can't help but be excited about today's topic! I've had pets my whole life- one black lab (Lucky), two chocolate labs (Ceaux Ceaux and Rusty), and one cat (Socks), all outside animals. Now there's little Rufus, the smallest and most social dog of them all, who cannot possibly ever get enough of people and is very friendly with other dogs of all sizes. He's always excited to see you, and I wish I could get half as jazzed about anything as he does about going outside. He loves ice, minty things (is especially good at finding already-been-chewed gum!), or snacks... the latter two of these he finds on his own when we go walking. He's about the most loving ball of fluff you'll ever meet!

Empty Backpack Syndrome

We've all heard of Empty Nest syndrome, when parents feel lonely after their children have moved out of the house for college or marriage or whatever. I believe there's something to such a big life change (and Lord knows I've had my share of those in the past few years!) And the next one on my horizon is nearing-- I finish grad school in just a few months. Sure, ideally I'll be working at a fabulous job that I am excited to go to everyday, that challenges me, that pays me well and affords me the opportunities outside of work that really add to life. Now, if any part of that doesn't unfold just so, what ever shall I do? Well, I've been crazy busy throughout school and I told my friends that I wasn't going to volunteer for anything for a year once I start work. No clubs, no organizations, nothing. My friend Amy said she's looking forward to when I'm no longer the busiest person she knows. I told her that I'm going to come home and stare at the wall and love not being stretched every which way.

...of course, I'd like to be less busy, but literally doing nothing doesn't exactly sound ideal either. Well, not for long. I was talking to a woman in our alumni department recently and she was talking about all of the things she creates at home. I've wanted to learn how to sew, and whipping up a simple, cute skirt or curtains or anything that's well-made, really, would be so nice! That, and I've studied French, but Spanish has become so much more prevalent and useful it seems (especially in a post-Katrina Louisiana, but plenty here in the DC area) that it may be a good thing to study. Perhaps these will be my solutions to my Empty Backpack Syndrome?!

What other things do you do to pass the time? What are your passions that you'd get into if you could? What do you love to learn or would you study if you could get to it?

Corner View : Favorite Fine Artist

Hello, Corner Viewers!

I have been MIA and without internet, but I'm back! And with that, back in school for one more semester. (Anyone know of marketing/HR/management jobs in DC or Atlanta!?) Here goes!

I can't pick my favorite fine artist, as is today's theme. I do like Salvador Dali's Persistence of Memory as well as Metamorphosis of Narcissus - the style is crisp and has volumes of underlying meaning. But truly, I love, love pictures of boats and harbors and masts with sails. I typically dislike photos of flowers, as there are entirely too many and very few are distinctive. Still life pictures remind me of elementary school art class, but architecture can capture my attention for hours. I've often wondered, "what's the big deal!?" when I see the real deal from Picasso or Matisse. However, I think Jeff Koons has some pretty cool pieces, and Frank Gehry even inspires jewelry from Tiffany that I'd wear, though none of these considered "fine" by the trained artist. I usually base what to buy on what grabs my eye as I pass by a sea of look-alikes, and when I've traveled before my one regret has been not bringing back more artwork. Now when I travel again, I'll work on that ;)


To see art from around the world, check out:
jane - ian - bonnie - joyce - kim - trinsch - ritva - francesca - state of bliss - cabrizette - isabelle - janis - kari - jgy - lise - cate - otli - dorte - sophie - mcgillicutty - sunnymama - juanita - daan - ibb - kelleyn - ninja - sammi - theresa - cherry b - cole - grey lemon - lucylaine - lynn - skywriting - anna - dorit - conny - l´atelier - kamana - rosamaría - victoria - yellow door - tikjewit - juniper - annabel - valerie - merel - mlle paradis - wander chow - tally - nadine - don - flowtops - susanna - tania - dana - tzivia - mari - mezza - hinke - susan - guusje - annemiek - barbara

Holiday Recap!

Happy New Year!

I went home after finals to enjoy a couple of weeks with family and friends. While I don't have any desire to return there for my own career/life any time soon, I love being from a small town in a region of its own, distinct culture. I love visiting periodically (hadn't been back since May) and seeing everyone I miss the rest of the year. I love eating, seeing what new things have popped up as well as the familiar.

Left: With the Amandas :)
Right: Jordan and Taylor with Nanny, who brought presents!

I spent a few days in Houston and one of the best parts of that trip was that I took my 3-year old godchild to her first movie (Tangled), and she sat on the edge of her seat the entire time. I ate at Armadillo Palace, which had a giant rodent out front. Back home I saw old co-workers and high school and college friends. I went to the shooting range and managed to avoid the mall. My dad even watched the pooch for a couple of days while I visited Baton Rouge, and if you know anything about my dad or his stance on inside animals, this is a pretty big deal. Overall, I had a really nice time and while I wasn't ready to return to DC, it was a pretty fulfilling time in the South. I even did pretty well for Christmas, which isn't the norm once you're past adolescent years it seems. I may've been most excited about my new gumbo pot (or stock pot, as is the non-Cajun name for it ;), but there were some other goodies to love as well. Now I need to make a gumbo!!!

With one of several first cousins, Garrett

And here it is, 2011. A year that begins with 1/1/11 has to be lucky, right? With graduation and hopefully a new job not far away, I'm planning on just that! One more semester to go, plenty to get done in it, and hopefully a lot of enjoyment to accompany the undoubted onslaught of work. I will sit down at some point this week and rework my flowchart of life and probably make some resolutions to fit it.

What was the best part of your holiday? Do you have resolutions or plans for 2011?

Corner View : Traditions

Hello hello! I was on a blogging break in favor of finals, but am now back in my hometown and about to head out to see some friends... But not before I share with you my favorite Christmas tradition. As long as I can remember, we have gone over to my dad's best friend's house on Christmas Eve. My dad and Uncle Mike (who isn't really my uncle) have been best friends since they were little boys. Uncle Mike has 4 children, three of whom have their own children, and lives next door to his sister, who has three children, one of which has children. Most of the original group of kids are around my age, all of them a lot of fun. Neighbors stop in, as do other friends. It's always such a nice time to catch up with folks (especially as I don't make it home often and certainly don't have an opportunity to see all of these people in the same room unless it's at a wedding or a funeral), relive memories, get updates, share news, enjoy delicious Cajun food, and so on. This year is a little more special because my friend Katie, Uncle Mike's daughter, whom I have baby photos with, just had her own little girl I'll get to meet. I used to start looking forward to the occasion around July! It's also a good time for reflection and how much things have changed since last year, and how long ago, yet not, that seems.

I look forward to seeing how you spend the holiday... or other traditions you share!


For other traditions, check out:

jane - ian - bonnie - joyce - kim - trinsch - ritva - francesca - state of bliss - cabrizette - isabelle - janis - kari - jgy - lise - cate - otli - dorte - b - sophie - mcgillicutty - sunnymama - daan - ibb - pienduzz - kelleyn - ninja - sammi - theresa - cherry b - shokoofeh - cole - grey lemon - lucylaine - lynn - skywriting - anna - dorit - conny - l´atelier - rosamaría - victoria - tikjewit - juniper - annabel - valerie - merel - mlle paradis - wander chow - tally - nadine - don - flowtops - susanna - tania - dana - tzivia - mari - mezza - hinke - susan - guusje

And so...

I know I always talk about school and how hectic it is, so perhaps it's time to talk about what gets me through the mayhem these days. When I was in undergrad, I had a "me" chair. In this lovely papasan and ottoman, whose color and decorative photos were my favorites, I only did things I enjoyed-- napped, chatted on the phone, read for fun. I refused to do school work or anything that was not enjoyable. Said chair is currently at home in storage with dad's cat's hair covering it, no telling where the cute pillow is, much less the frame. I believe it needs to make a return. So without that beloved piece of furniture...

• I've tried self-reflection through clearing specific time to think. Making even a few minutes along a walk between buildings is helpful for perspective. I have a cousin I talk with a lot who went through similar stuff that I juggle.
  
• I sometimes find myself driving with the radio off in order to give my brain some space.
• When the radio is on, however, I can't seem to get enough of the oldies (especially Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby, ELO, Eagles... and the occasional Rihanna and other current chart-toppers.) A few months ago, Taylor Swift could not possibly have played any more often through my speakers. Seriously! Why don't artists these days sing with as much feel as they used to? Listen to the Mandolin Rain, listen to the music on the lake...
• I've been a fan of movies. Not that the 3-hr chunk necessary to enjoy them is common, as I've been to maybe two this semester, but I just want to sit in bed, pop one into the computer (still no TV :), and relax and be entertained.
• I wish there were anything on this earth I got half as excited about as little Rufus does with squirrels; he cannot be contained, goes abso crazy. It's really a refreshing reminder of nature.
• Girls' nights and ice cream dates have been fewer and farther between than I'd like to admit, but having people accessible for support is always a comfort!

The other thing I think about, after my girlfriend Christine recommended it, is instead of a "To Do" list, one stating how much has been accomplished. In a single semester, we've had a mixer with another school, an informal social event between first and second-year students, took part organizing a CEO speaker series, turned the school pink in honor of breast cancer awareness, put together a campus-wide food drive, participated in community service efforts, elected to serve on the search committee for a new dean of the school, presented in front of all faculty monthly, compiled teams for various intramural sports, partnered with the career center for an internal networking event, hosted a luncheon with the local office of an international consulting firm, tutored several students in their papers and presentations and had positive feedback, co-hosted an event with another field-specific student org, made progress on revamping our Web site, sponsored a Town Hall meeting for our grad students, hosted our own successful fundraiser... held a reception for students visiting from Ghana, surveyed students on what they want next semester and put the wheels in motion for several of their requests... Lordy, that isn't even all of it, much the weekly things. Not a bad list for 3 months! And the spring list is certainly ambitious to boot.

Perhaps more suggestions for how to survive the mayhem are necessary! How do you make it through?

Corner View : Anything Goes

Well here comes another week where my only blog is the CV. No time in between to post any goodies! I wish I'd been saving recipes to post. I'll get back to it eventually. Actually feel as though I'm at the right amount of work lately-- not so much or so little that I am not motivated to do or overwhelmed by any of it, but just enough to keep me moving and feeling good about all that's going on.

I've learned a lot this semester both at school and outside of it, but always felt as though I was barely keeping my head above water with everything on my plate. Things seem to be regulating a little bit more now as the semester winds down.

Upcoming things I'm thinking about include the holiday (Thanksgiving in NC and Christmas in La), next semester, moving, and being back in the working world. My concerns with it all are balance at home, fun(ds), enjoying both work and what it allows me to do outside of the 9 to 5, time management, understanding and sticking to what's important. There've been a lot of changes in the past few years-- living abroad, living domestically but far from family and friends, being married, being alone while my husband was in Iraq for 15 months, back in graduate school, in a different city, in student government. All of it carried heaps more responsibility than plenty of folks my age have, some of it wasn't ideal but it has all been a wonderful experience in some way or another. I can only expect the same for the upcoming changes! If you'd told me five years ago what I'd be up to now, well, I can imagine that I'll feel the same way when I look back on now in five years :)

And given today's title, throwing in a photo I took recently outside of the b-school building seems appropriate :)


To see what kind of anythings are going on around the globe, try: jane - ian - bonnie - joyce - kim - kay - trinsch - ritva - francesca - state of bliss - cabrizette - isabelle - janis - kari - jgy - lise - cate - otli - dorte - b - sophie - mcgillicutty - sunnymama - daan - ibb - pienduzz - kelleyn - ninja - sammi - theresa - cherry b - juliette - shokoofeh - cole - grey lemon - lucylaine - lynn - skywriting - anna - dorit - conny - l´atelier - kamana - anne marie - rosamaría - victoria - tikjewit - juniper - annabel - andrea - valerie - merel - soisses - mlle paradis - cacahuete - wander chow - barbara - emily - tally - nadine - matilda - don - flowtops - susanna - tania - dana - ingrid - tzivia - mezza - lollipop - mari

Corner View : Autumn

Well hello from the lovely East Coast! Autumn here is certainly scenic. Although it's prettier as you climb the Eastern seaboard from here (we drove to Connecticut last year mid-October), DC still has some nice colors. And oh the flavors that come out around now-- peppermint (albeit more associated with winter, at least for me) and pumpkin are some of the best things to ever hit your taste buds.

My friend Andy recently came down for a visit. We had a good time during the few hours he was out of the Big Apple. We alert one another each year when Starbucks' Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins make their appearance, and he decided that his *one* for this year he'd have with me. I wish I were as disciplined... We went to three different places to get it, because it's not worth it if it isn't warmed. Here's us being silly on the walk to get the treat. And here's a recipe for pumpkin bread I like to make :)

A friend of mine got some tickets to the White House Garden Tour several weeks ago, so I popped into that for a bit. All due respect intended, it wasn't that great. A cucumber plant in Mrs Obama's garden looks just like one anywhere else, with the exception of the swarms of people photographing it. The flora were nice, but nothing that really blew me away. The lawn looked nice, no doubt, and the putting green was pretty cool. (I recently played golf for my first few times and was surprised at how much I enjoyed the heck out of it!)

Rufus also enjoys this time of year as it's just about the last he'll see of squirrels until after winter. These furry-tailed critters are quite possibly the most exciting piece of his day, with the exception of when my husband or I come home, and he goes absolutely nuts over them-- hops on his two hind feet, restrained only by an owner with a leash, when he sees one on the loose. It's pretty absurd and entertaining. In this photo, he'd gotten up early to peek through the blinds and see if he could find any. You can see the yellow leaves in the crack behind him.

For more autumns around the globe, check out:

jane - ian - bonnie - joyce - kim - kay - trinsch - ritva - francesca - state of bliss - cabrizette - isabelle - janis - kari - jgy - lise - cate - otli - dorte - b - sophie - mcgillicutty - sunnymama - daan - ibb - pienduzz - kelleyn - ninja - sammi - theresa - cherry b - juliette - shokoofeh - cole - grey lemon - lucylaine - lynn - skywriting - anna - dorit - conny - l´atelier - kamana - anne marie - rosamaría - victoria - tikjewit - juniper - annabel - andrea - valerie - merel - soisses - mlle paradis - cacahuete - wander chow - barbara - emily - tally - nadine - matilda - don - flowtops - susanna - tania - dana - ingrid - tzivia - mezza - lollipop

Corner View : Holiday Photos

I've definitely been a backlogged blogger lately!

I have some recipes to share when I get a chance. I'm on student government this year, both for my particular school and then one that's university-wide, which takes 10-30hours per week. I tutor, though that thankfully has been pretty calm. I'm on the committee to search for a new dean, which is amping up. Oh, and I'm taking more than is considered full-time for a grad student. My sweet little dog is definitely a stress reliever when I come home from days full of all of this! I'm not at all complaining, though. A friend recently said he didn't want to serve on student government because he saw how busy last year's president was, and then asked if I enjoyed it. I felt silly not having thought about it, but yes! I really do enjoy it. It's great practice in organization and prioritization, I get to work with folks from all around the school at every level, I have to quickly perceive and understand needs and then communicate responses. It's a pretty exciting, rewarding role. I don't think I could have something this time consuming outside of a career, however, so grad school is probably the best time for it all.

I've recently been doing some self-evaluation, too. I realized that I work a lot. I never felt as though I worked a lot because my perspective is jaded and it's taken me more than a couple of decades to figure it out :) I also have come to understand myself better in that I do what's in front of me, rather than putting in front of me what should be. If e-mail's in front of me, I write them. If my homework is, I work it. If dirty dishes are, I clean them. I've started to write numbers next to items on my To Do list in order to give myself the "okay" to move onto something else. It's about prioritizing and knowing what's important, not just treating it all equally. And one other thing I've noticed is that it's hard for me to feel proud of something unless I've gone overboard. When I work in a group or when I put thought into a gift, I often don't feel as though I've done enough to be proud of unless I've gone over the top, "just to be sure," and have some sort of cushion of overdoing. I'm not quite sure where these latter two things come from, but I suppose the important part is in realizing them.

And so part of what all of this rambling brings me to is that I have my holiday cards for this year in already. Yep! Ordered them in September. Call me a nut who can't prioritize, or an overzealous Christmas card sender, or a bargain hunter (20% off email is what motivated me! That and already having the "Cmas 2010" album with photo options started...), but they've been created, ordered, and are sitting on my desk in the box awaiting addressing and some jolly red and green stamps. I can't spoil the mail for those receiving them, so after all my rambling, you'll still have to wait to see them!


To check out holiday photos from around the world, check out:
jane - ian - bonnie - joyce - kim - kay - trinsch - ritva - francesca - state of bliss - cabrizette - isabelle - janis - kari - jgy - lise - cate - otli - dorte - b - sophie - mcgillicutty - sunnymama - daan - ibb - pienduzz - kelleyn - ninja - sammi - theresa - cherry b - juliette - shokoofeh - cole - grey lemon - lucylaine - lynn - skywriting - anna - dorit - conny - l´atelier - kamana - anne marie - rosamaría - victoria - tikjewit - juniper - annabel - andrea - valerie - merel - soisses - mlle paradis - cacahuete - wander chow - barbara - emily - tally - nadine - matilda - don - flowtops - susanna - tania - dana - ingrid

Corner View : Seven

I missed the re-start of CV recently, whose topic was "school." Perhaps it's best, anyway, as I could've gone on and on about its current influence on life...

Perhaps it's not what the creator had in mind, but when I first read today's topic I thought of the brand of jeans. And boy, I used to be a big believer in jeans for $20 brand new. I got my first pair of Sevens in China for $9, though the US version is $150+. Handsewn pockets to give your booty some lift... this is relevant to some of us...

So to incorporate the last CV with the current, here are Seven things at school heavily influencing my life:
1) student government. Perhaps it should count for two because it's so big. ~30 hours a week is what it's taking me to juggle it all. That's 3x as much as I expected after talking to last year's pres.
3) graduate leadership council. This is all the presidents of the schools around campus who get together. Still haven't quite figured out what they do...
4) ngl. This is an enthusiastic group around DC getting organized and is a great prospect especially for job-seekers and international students and anyone who really wants to stay here after school.
5) dean. The dean of our particular school is retiring, and I'm on the search committee for a replacement. A very exciting honor, and a time-consuming one.
6) classes. Oh yeah. Thinking of them this far down my 7s list is just about appropriate given the semester thus far. Eek!
7) Friends. Elections. Meetings. Intramurals. Fundraising. Event-planning. Sanity-saving. Professors. New students. And everything else...

To see foreign sevens, check out:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, allison, lise, cate, otli, ida, lisa, dorte, kimmie, nicola, vanessa, britta, april, b, kyndale, samantha, kristina, goldensunfamily, sophie, mcgillicutty, aimee, sunnymama, britta, juanita, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, jodi, gillian, travelingmama

athena, pienduzz, kelleyn, demara, mus, ninja, guusje, di, sammi, theresa, cherry b, victoria, lisa, liza, juliette, mulot, lucy, leonor, elizabeth, helene, shokoofeh, cole, jenna, podane, grey-lemon, line, nihal, inner toddler, puna, lucylaine, adrienne, lynn, skywriting, eliane, the wanderer´s daughter, carole, anna, dorit, kenza, sherry, conny, susan, l´atelier, elis, kamana, anne, rosamaría, marinik, elisabelle, victoria, malo, the yellow door paperie, tikjewit, juniper, ocean girl, emily, marcie, annabel, andrea, valerie, karin, michelle, merel, pia, soisses, angie, adèle, latisha, mlle paradis, 24 ruel, cacahuete, wander chow, debra, linnea and emily, barbara, emily, maryline, tally, therese, nadine, matilda, don, cheryl, flowtops, susanna, katy, suzana, castor

Annapolis

In order to get in some "us" time before school starts, we drove up to Annapolis for part of today. The weather was in the 70s, partly cloudy, 10mph winds; in other words: perfect. My hub could've spent all day in the various museums, just not the art ones. I could've walked along the streets, window-shopping and gallery-gawking until the cows came home. So our styles of playing tourist are different, but we managed to have a nice time walking around Dock and Main streets and visiting the Maryland State House, having a sushi lunch.

I have a thing for harbors. I don't know what it is, or why, but anywhere I go that has a harbor I just want to stop, take photos, stick my toes in, and just sit around and observe. There seemed to be more yachts in this harbor than in others where you might expect a lot, but there were also plenty of sailboats, whose masts are what make harbors prettiest to me.

Of course, when you hear "Annapolis," most people think of the Naval Academy. (GEAUX ARMY!) I found a cute photo in a shop window that I loved-- a woman in her Navy whites with her legs crossed in a sea of men in theirs, seated uniformly, assumedly for a school function. You can sort of see my reflection in the lower corner of the shot.

And, perhaps appropriate for such a day spent, given that this photo was on our Save The Date magnet, is the article on the cover of the Times this morning: Nurse Tells of Storied Kiss. No, Not That Nurse.