MAAAAAH FACE

Bored and not bored

I'm at home. It is nice. I spend most of my days looking for jobs or schlepping through the Internets in search of fun things to read, potential projects to create, and amusing stories of my friends while they are doing fun things all over (this really just means obsessing over facebook). I should probably go swim in the pool more often, or go running with my dog : you know, healthy things. I haven't been reading as much as usual, but that is not a huge deal - though I have some good books on the shelf. So things are not so boring some days and more boring on others. I should probably have a better tan than I do. Anyone else would be.

I've been spending quite a bit of time in Austin as well. Hanging out with two of my sisters that live there.  We go on adventures, eat at fun restaurants, but this is not very helpful on the money saving side of life. I'm getting to know Austin more and more and loving it a lot. I wish it wasn't so hot there and that they had good public transit - these would be things that make it perfect. I can't live in a city without a public transportation system. I hate driving.    

But I'm happy to be taking things a little slowly. Taking a little time to take a deep breath before I do start working and need to move to another city. There is something to be said about having a little space from everything.

Funny update : Got a ticket from the San Francisco toll system in the mail the other day. Evidentially, we didn't pay a toll on the Golden Gate bridge. It happened at 2 AM when we had decided to drive from Tanya's party to the city at the spur of the moment. I was sleeping in the back of the car, as I had had too much to drink at the Indian food extravaganza.

whirlwind

home, home, home.

I haven't blogged in ages. Honestly, I've been pretty busy moving from France, hanging out in New York and visiting with my sisters to even be on my computer.

I'm really happy that I'm home and it has been really nice being around my sisters. I feel grounded when I'm at home with them, and it is hilarious to be part of our family (even if we sometimes behave like a bad family sitcom or drama!). I have been away for so long, but I love coming home and being part of my big, wonderful, disorganized family. I like being there to go on walks around the lake, go out to dinner at fabulous Austin restaurants, and just be here. 

Some things that have happened since I left France with 3 sixty pound suitcases, one large bike and a 22 pound carry-on:

• stayed with Lana in New York with her family. We had delicious hand cut french fries (as made by her momma), we out to yummy restaurants, and saw two great movies (UP and Away we go). It was nice seeing her and Edwin (who had to get shaved while we were there - he looks like a loser). We talked about new adventures, me moving to New York, and other life things.
• went to see Austin's Girls Rock Camp showcase. It was amazing seeing 9-14 year old girls rock out with such confidence, talent, and ambition. My little sister was a camp counselor and it was mighty good to see her excited about her band.
• received an email confirmation that my iphone is in the mail! Woot! This means that blogging will be going mobile.
• arranged things for upcoming road trip. Booked a wigwam in Arizona, campsites in national parks, and have been anxiously waiting for the Germans (and French) to arrive!
• started the job search, and updated my resume. Things are ready to go! 
• Planned 4th of July pool party with my family! Our new pool is ready for its inaugural pool party! Veggie burgers, hamburgers, corn on the cob and other exciting delicious items are on the menu!

I'll be posting details about the road trip asap! :-D

Need to pack all of this into 3 suitcases

Packing, Packing, Packing!

This is pretty much the saddest thing ever as I am letting go of a lot of things that I like. I do not like to let things go. EVER. 

I'm pretty much a classic packrat, I enjoy having my things around me and even more, I like little whimisical and hilarious items to be near me at all times. This does not a clean, organized bedroom make.

I really want to bring my bike home to the US, but I have limited arms and legs.
What is a girl to do?

Done.

I finished my undergraduate degree on Tuesday at 18h22. I defended my thesis and was told that I will get a good grade, and that it was interesting.

This is delightful and exciting news. I really did it. 5 years and now done. DONE. DONE. DONE.

Things I've done....

• Finished five years of school. Two of which were spent in France.
• Interviewed more in French than in English as a result of doing a six month internship in Paris, France.
• Received a French and American undergraduate business degree : Magna Cum Laude
• Wrote a 89 page thesis on e-commerce and web 2.0 (in French) 
• Found my interest in the Internets during my first internship (love at first site!) (pun! O_o)
• Planned a trip for 100 international business students in Italy for IBWE
• Wrote a weekly newsletter for my school during this entire year, in French and HTML.
• Biked 750 km to Venice during a week of vacation to IBWE.
• Traveled to cities all over Europe and Africa! (ok just Morocco)
• Made lasting friendships with people who are going to be all over the world doing wonderful things
• Developed the self-confidence and resilience necessary take me to my next adventure 

So there you have it. A small overview of me. College. What has happened. The magnitude of it all is still hitting me. But I can feel the small drums of excitement beating through me. The reverberations signaling the promise of new things to come. I'm scared, excited, and nervous all at the same time, but I'm ready for something fresh. Working world, look out, I'm coming...

A few things

Ho hum drum.

• I'm starting a new elective entitled "Global Leadership", that most likely is going to be pretty boring, but we shall see. It's the first day in like 2 hours so I need to keep an open mind. I am obligated to take it by Northeastern's rules, but who knows maybe I will be surprised. 
• The series finale of the best television show around is happening on Friday. I'm going to miss watching Battlestar Galactica on Saturday mornings and I am glad I have a bunch of the seasons with me. If you haven't watched it yet, do it. It's worth everything hour. It is a tad on the nerdy side, but honestly the story is what gets me. It's powered by emotion and a celebration of people in hard times and it brings forth a lot of subjects like religion, redemption, and keeping order in a time of crisis. I could go on and on about how amazing it is, and it's really true.
• I've made a lot of progress of my mémoire! Had two interviews and so things are going well.
• Been applying to jobs and programs left and right - we'll see how everything pans out. Keep your thumbs crossed for me.
• Went on a 30 kilometer bike ride on Sunday, our destination was a farm where you can pick your own veg. The daily pick was leeks and spinach - we passed on that. But we sat and ate peanut butter sandwiches (we packed) and drank fresh apple juice from the farm. It was a great morning.

That's it for now. More fun later.  :-D

A meme I completed today on Facebook : 25 things about me

1. My first train ride was caused by a Air France strike in Paris. So I got lost in the French airport, eventually found the train station part and hopped on the train to Lyon. But oops for some reason I forgot to pick up my luggage...well I was only 15, alone and very flustered. (Luggage arrived two weeks later).

2. I have never been to California (or anywhere past NM for that matter), but I think I might like to live out there.

3. I like cooking, but I lack the very necessary patience to make extraordinary things. I count on one day finding that patience.

4. I am really bad at reading watches. I currently own a hot pink plastic watch that announces the time when I press a button. I <3 it.

5. At my first internship, one of my projects was interviewing potential superheros! Probably one of my best professional moments... ever.

6. I was scarred for life when, at five, I snuck into my sister Ashley's sleepover and watched the movie The Witches with them. I still have nightmares of Angelica Houston peeling off her skin.

7. Speaking of nightmares, shortly after this, my mom came into my room and picked me up during one of these nightmare episodes, and I peed all over her.

8.I wanted to go by my middle name when I went to college. I had big plans of being called Alexis and burying the Brittany hatchet. But sadly, when it came to my first introduction - I forgot. D:

9. I have an obsession with eating with my knife in my right hand. I even don't know how to use only a fork anymore, because I can't seem to get things on my fork without my knife.

10. My roommate Lana and I named the kitten we adopted after the street that we got him on, his name is Edwin and he is perfect. I had to teach Lana how to hold him as we carried him home. She looked like she was strangling the little guy!

11. I have dreams of one day being some kind of educator.

12. When I was little I always wanted my little sister to sleep with me, because I was afraid of the dark. I always made her sleep on the side that was closest to the door.

13. My three sisters and I look nothing alike.

14. I love eating in grocery stores. There is nothing more delightful than going to Whole Foods EVERY SINGLE DAY.

15. I am a very bad speller (spell check is on all of my computer applications), but for some reason one of my favorite parts of cranium is gnilleps (group spelling backwards).

16. I generally think I am a very shy person, but somehow I have always been considered bold.

17. I have a tendency to make things up if I don't know the answer. Some may call this lying, but I feel bad if I don't give an answer to people. I like thinking that they have some kind of comfort. I'll give directions to anyone!

18. I am terrified of escalators. Going up or going down - it doesn't matter. I have no explanation for this fear, but I know that my heart hurts when I can't see the top from the bottom of an escalator.

19. I have fought against being late all my life. Growing up, my family as a whole was always late to everything. But even with all the trying in the world - my sense of Blackmon time triumphs over all.

20.My school burnt down when I was in fifth grade. My Beauty and the Beast songbook did not survive the fire, and so I never learned how to completely play Tale as Old as Time.

21. My favorite artist is Botero as a whole. But oddly my favorite sculpture, The Appeal to the Great Spirit, is found in front of the MFA in Boston and not done by Botero at all.

22. I discovered my first polaroid land camera in a flea market last spring in Paris. I have been a fan ( I have three now) of them ever since.

23. I dream in both French and English and have for the last 5 years. But oddly enough, the people (like my parents) who normally speak English, speak French in my dreams.

24. When I decide that I like something, it always becomes heralded as THE VERY BEST THING, I HAVE EVER (insert verb here). I have inherited this from my Grandfather, who (when I was growing up) was always pulling out news clippings and talking about the BEST THING HE HAD EVER HEARD OF. I do that too, only I send them by email ;-).

25. I have an awkward obsession with home goods, and crafty projects. I could look at the IKEA catalogue for hours, and DesignSponge is one of my favorite blogs!

A list of reasons why my life got better today

• I started my marketing majeure. This is pretty excellent on many fronts. It's a subject that makes me want to participate in class and participate I did today - answering prompted questions and even asking my own. I feel so much more confident in marketing, and it's a subject that gets me pumped up and actually EXCITED to learn about. I'm looking forward to all the speakers we will be having in the next few weeks AND our awesome branding project on M&M's.
• I booked tickets to Marrakech, Morocco this evening! That's right, at the end of February, I am totally going to ride a camel in the desert! WOOT! And I will also be buying amazing scarves! Everyone who goes to Morocco comes back with gorgeous scarves!
• We cleaned our kitchen/bathroom/living room when we got home. There was chocolate everywhere - on the floors, on the counters- from a saturday cake baking extravaganza. And we got out of class early today so we got home a half an hour earlier than usual, which totally brought up morale and made us ready for a cleaning frenzy! Next up: my bedroom! Eeeks!
• I've lost a kilo (2.2lbs) since I've started my working out business. I've also been paying attention to what I eat, but all in all, progress has been made! This has me even more excited for hitting the pavement and staying away from aforementioned cakes ;-).

Today, I watched history in the making.

Good luck, President Obama. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do. I'm hopeful, happy and ready for change. I know that a lot of things are not in your control, but I have faith that you will do what you can.

Here's to hoping my friends. :-D

Hey you, 2009

I've never stuck to my resolutions and honestly, haven't really ever done them before. But this year, I feel like i need to make some serious changes to my life, mostly because a lot of big changes are afoot.

So here we go for 2009:

• I am going to loose a minimum of 25 lbs.  After stepping on the Wii fit at my parent's house, I knew that I was ready for a change. I'm going on a 750 kilometer bike trip in April, and Idefinitely do not want to be carrying all my extra weight over the Alps. So I'm going to do it. I bought an iPod nano with nike+ and I am planning on hitting the pavement at least 3x's a week.  I will also make an effort to eat better and less. 2009 is going to be the year of me getting my weight under control.
• Find a job that I love. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it totally isn't. I don't want to be forced into a situation that is out of my control. I want to be paid well and also enjoy what I am doing and live in a new and exciting place. I am going to be on the search for my post-grad job starting in Feb, and I am going to find a really awesome job.
• Work on my French grammar. This is something that needs to happen. Not only because I have to write a 100 page paper, but also because I really love French and I want my French to kick ass. I'm going to actually start reading my grammar book and get cracking on it.
• Work on my English grammar. It's something that I am weak on and I know it, but also has a great deal to do with the fact that I don't take the time to reread.  And so I make this promise : this blog will be less hard to read by the end of 2009.
• Be better at writing on my blog. I want to post at minimum once a week. Because this blog is written as much for me as the next person. I love going back and finding out what I did over the last year. So I need to make a big effort to write more often. I also want to feature more of the food I am eating and other fun things going on. So look out internet, this year you will be hearing a lot more from me.
• Finish my CESEM scrapbook by the end of the year. Scrapbooks are something one should not mess around with. The longer you take to do them, the odds that they never happen gets larger and larger.
• Be neater and more organized. I have got to get my life more organized. I bought an agenda for 2009 so here's to keeping records of all of my comings and goings this year. 

Fingers crossed and here we go!

Next on the list for melodramatic...

The sad truth about graduating from an international school is that come July, we will all be going our separate ways. 

No one want to talk about it. It's the ever looming elephant in the corner - if we talk about what our future holds there is just the silent ever growing distance, our promising futures in all different parts of the world.

I hate saying that I am going back to the states next summer even if I am excited for what the future holds. I mean, I'm pretty excited for my prospects: working for a new and exciting company, finding a new city and finally making my way in the world. At the moment it is almost certain that I will go back to live and work for awhile to start my career and become a real person. So I don't know why I feel that sick feeling akin to failure when I admit that a one way ticket to the US is in my future. 

Why does it feel so much like giving up?

I stayed for the second year. I'm one of the ones who made it and then made the choice to stay and battle out the memoir, and take a whole new battery of tests. That was supposed to be my challenge.  Now looking to the future, I see myself challenging myself to stay again, but maybe this time it's for the wrong reasons.

Maybe it's because I know how much easier things will be in the states : I'll be speaking my own language, I'll be working in my desired industry, and I'll be closer to my family - or at least reachable in an easy inexpensive phone call.  After a year and a half of constant struggle, maybe I don't feel like things should be easy anymore.  What if I'll miss the struggle, the foreign and awkwardness, the pain in the ass cultural differences? Because like it or not, who I am right now has been founded on the fact that I am rarely ever in my comfort zone and that I'm always trying news things.

And I know, I know there will be challenges along the way - challenges I can't see clearly right now or that don't seem as significant right now.

So I guess maybe it's just that I'll feel less special next year. It's an idea that I will have to come to terms with.  There won't be the looks of surprise at my accent or my fluency in their native tongue. Being normal is a very different experience then what I am dealing with right now. Everyday I am noticed, where it be negatively or positively, and I am treated differently.   Some may see this as altogether negative side effect,but I'm used to it.  I'd even go as far to say, I like it. But the big fear of going home is that I'll just be one of the many, and maybe that is not what I'm ready for.