Here & Now

How to Measure a Year

Two things happened this time last year that have now greatly affected my life - so much so that it makes it seem like how could it only be 365 days that have led to where I am at right now?  Contemplating the anniversary of these life-changing events, I cannot help but think of the Rent song "Seasons of Love" and its line that asks "How do you measure a year in the life?".  For me, the past year can be measured by these two things.

1. During the first week in August of 2007, I hosted a meeting in Woodbury with a brand new project team. In a moment of blind ambition two weeks prior, I had volunteered to take on a new project when a project manager left the company. It was an HR project, and I was eager to get my foot in that door. I met the project team on my turf that week without any idea what to expect. Certainly, I did not anticipate that I would connect to members of this group more than I had any other team. I did not know at the time that this team would take me across the country, expand my knowledge tenfold and, most of all, introduce me to future friends, collegues and eventually co-workers and managers. As of 7/1, I am now a permanent part of the recruiting team at Assurant, a direct result of my taking on this HR project . I found in this group - a group I feel like I have known for several years, not just one - people I wanted to work with, who made work enjoyable. I had dinner tonight with two of these individuals, one year later, and, on La Grolla's patio, we reveled in the path I have taken since August 2007 when we first met in Woodbury.
2. It was also around this time last year that I made my first trip to Atlanta. John and I toured the city the weekend before my work commitments and were surprised to find that we quite liked this southern town. It was those first impressions - among other things - that entered our thought process when we decided last month that, as part of my new job at Assurant, we would relocate to Atlanta. No way I saw myself doing more than business in Hotlanta in 2007 - and now, I am considering how we will make our home there.

A year it has been indeed.  It is exciting to look back and be able to connect the dots and see exactly how I ended up where I am right now. The future isn't so clear -- except for moving vans in December -- but I have faith in it working out when I see how these events of 2007 unfolded.

Goals: August

I've decided to set a few goals for myself this month (my hope is that this continues beyond August).

• Exercise at least 3 times per week.  So far, so good.  Summit Avenue in August is a great gym. 

• Be on time.  I've acquired a reputation lately for always being a little late. Everyone's time, not just my own, is important, so I am going to try to pad myself with 5 extra minutes when I am due somewhere. 

• Make healthy, good meals.  For the two weeks I am at home this month, I want to be sure to using my kitchen to its fullest.  Tonight's goal maker: Asian Stir Fry Pasta, courtesy Penzey's.    

• Get in touch with friends.  My goal is to share life updates and get life updates - whether it be over drinks and dinner or email.

At the Beginning of Something Great

I did something this past weekend that I had never planned on doing, but something that I found to be pretty darn cool. Even a few days later, I'm reveling in it.  On Friday, I stood at the headwaters of one of the great rivers of the world.  Way up north, in Minnesota's Itasca State Park, the Mississippi begins its journey towards its delta at the Gulf of Mexico.  The river, just a few feet wide at its conception, streams over a line of boulders from Lake Itasca, interrupted by many feet such as my own, to make its way to greatness.  A small marker and a large crowd mark the spot, which is lined by lake on one side and forest on all others. Days later, I am still not sure why I found this to be such a great experience.  A hundred metaphors flutter in my brain, but in the end, seeing the headwaters wasn't about some philosophical meaning.  Plain and simple: it was just really really cool to think the fourth largest river in the world starts in Minnesota's backyard.

Rethinking Green

John tossed a magazine into my lap tonight that took a new angle on the topic of saving the earth. While I had never read anything out of "Wired" previously, I was intrigued.  The cover read: "Attention environmentalists: keep your SUV, forget organics, go nuclear."  In neon green letters, this was a cover meant to challenge.  A few pages in, I knew why John said this was a must read.  The magazine's in-your-face cover led to interesting - and somewhat revolutionary - thoughts on saving the world, going after what is calls environmentalism's "sacred cows."  This was an article about rethinking green.  Thought suburbia was better for the earth?  Think again; cities are kinder to the planet due to the reduction of driving. Thought organic chicken saved the world?  Regular chicken is more earth-friendly in the process to raise it.  Thought A/C was a waste?  In reality, heating is what hurts the earth and homes in Arizona cost the earth less than those in Minnesota.

The bottom line of this article (found here) is that we do need to save the earth - and soon.  But we also need to learn and understand how to really do so effectively, from the macro to the micro level - and it might mean tossing some preconceived notions out the window.  I'll be pondering these thoughts a bit the next time I consider myself doing something "green."

Books Galore

I've realized in sorting through my apartment a bit this week that I have a lot of books.  Now, this is nothing new - I have been an avid reader for many years.  However, in considering the titles laying around my apartment, I do not think that I have ever had so many waiting-to-be-read piles of books.  I have - no joke - four different piles of books in my 800 square foot home.  This includes one stack that is about 10 books high.  The sorry thing is that the book currently occupying me is going on its 4th week of being read.  At that rate, these piles are going to remain high for a long, long time!

Delicious Times

It has been all about the grilling (on the Weber charcoal grill, of course) over the last few weekends.  We've broken out John's rotisserie and made chickens with his parents, we've sampled fresh-caught Salmon from Alaska (thanks, Mike!), we've made steaks with friends and we've made my favorite Weber delight: grilled pizza.  Good eatin'!

Happy Mail

Getting mail is one of my favorite things.  Lucky for me right now, Colleen is into making and sending some awesome "snail" mail.  These postcards are hand-sewn (!) and only one of many mailed treasures I have received over the past few weeks.

Dakota

One of the perks of a faster camera is being able to capture Dakota as she bounds around ....

Vivid Memories

I am in my 2nd year of "adult life." I have lived alone for a year and a half.  Given the time that has passed, I was surprised today to find myself with a longing to be spending time with my college roommates.  And yet there it was: a deep desire to see and hang out with my roommates as I drove home from work.  I thought of the drinks that don't happen, the dinners that are hard to coordinate, the fun times that just cannot seem to happen now that we are adults (and many of us living far apart).  I wanted in that moment to be able to stick my head out of my room and call out to chat with someone.  I wanted to pour a glass of wine and gather in the kitchen of 2097 Fairmount and I wanted to ask someone to take an impromptu walk.  I wanted to share and laugh and be together.  Two years later, the memories are still vivid enough to seem like yesterday.  I wish today that I could pull us together for a small revival of those times, even if only for a few hours.

 

Bright Lights, Big City

While I find Kansas City, MO, to be a city that feels like it has long ago boomed and busted, with only some sliver of what must have been its original appeal lingering today, I am quite surprised to find myself enjoying this city at first light from the 34th floor of the Hyatt Regency this morning.  The city, looking much like one from the computer game SimCity, was bathed in the warm light of sunrise, and I drank up the expanse of the view.  Something made it easy to imagine this city as a hub in the pioneer days of our country. 

Later in the day, I find myself peering out over the city again.  I am on the phone at 9.30pm when I hear a burst of noise from the streets.  I rush to the window and find that, in reality, it is a burst of light and sound rising into the sky; for some reason, on this Monday night, the building across the street is sending fireworks shooting into the sky.  I am nearly parallel with the show, and it is a long and spectacular one, rivaling those I saw on Independence Day.  If there is one thing I did not expect to see today, it is fireworks. 

I don't think Kansas City, MO, is on many people's list of places to see.  But as I ponder on my views of this city today, I realize that in some way, I am pleasantly happy to to be in the heart of the Midwest plains this week.