Today, I made a statement...

Today I marched in the Peoples Climate March in New York City.  This march, along with other sister marches done in solidarity around the world, was done to bring change and communicate the urgency just days before a UN climate summit.  In New York alone, it was estimated the march brought around 400,000 people.  If you want to read more about it and see lots of photos, click here.

As I sit here, very tired, head and whole body hurting from a long day, I am overwhelmed with emotion in realization of the magnitude of what was done today.  I was a part of a movement making a statement that we are willing to fight for our world.  We're not willing to accept that our children may have a future earth akin to the likes of Mars.  We're not willing to accept plants/species dying, sea levels rising, contaminated water/air and continuous addiction to fossil fuels.  The time for drastic change has come.

I remember this last spring in my low-impact design class my teacher mentioning this march.  I thought to myself... well I will be over there...  Today it became a reality and I marched for a better planet. And even though I'm just one person, each of us together today created a movement, a march.  Just like it's been said before, a rainstorm starts with just one drop.  What are you doing for the earth today?

Changes will come from the power of many; but only when the many come together to form that which is invincible, the power of one.

My View

This is my view.

I am pretty blessed.  The matron of the yard is the biggest sugar maple I have ever seen.  I have chosen to call her Bea.  (This of course would be in honor of Bea Arthur of the Golden Girls, a lady and show I hold dear.)  Bea has pins holding her multiple trunks together so the limbs don't fail and I believe she has a hose that may have once been used to tap sugar.  Her canopy stretches across half of the back yard.  She's quite impressive.

I am now a resident of Ashfield, Massachusetts.  I have a downstairs apartment which is just the basement of a home referred to as a "cape" style.  The back yard feels like my own private oasis when the owner's family isn't here.  It's peaceful.  Ashfield is a rural community that is mostly farms.  Most of western Massachusetts consists of long winding roads dotted with farms, small towns and homes with stands on the front lawn selling harvested vegetables.  It's lovely.  It's a bit humid but completely tolerable which makes for a nice comfortable feeling to lounge in.  At the moment, it's great to be able to take advantage of all the local produce at the mini stands or at farmers' markets as they are just lovely.

I am here to go to the Conway School of Landscape Design which is 20 minutes away.  School starts tomorrow so I thought I would take stock and prepare for what is ahead.  Today my girlfriend of 7 years returned back to Seattle after moving me over and helping me get settled.  This is devastating.  At the moment, it's hard as I think of being alone this year and not having my girl Fynn as well.  The amount of changes that have occurred within the past couple of months, the amount of trials has just been unbelievable but I have come out on the other side.  And at the moment, I have the rare luxury of enjoying the summer warmth while not having anything to do besides put bug spray on and read an assigned book that should be done by now (oops).  It's beautiful, peaceful, and difficult all at the same time.  But how could we not appreciate that beauty if we didn't have the struggle?  So tomorrow starts a new chapter officially, as I move forward in achieving my dreams.  Scary, depressing and exciting all at the same time.


<breathe>

Happy National Dog Day!

Yesterday was National Dog Day so in honor of that, I would like to call out the two important kids in my life, my dogs.

Milo

This brave little guy just accompanied us on our trip across the United States as I just moved to western Massachusetts for a year of graduate school.  On a side note, to describe the last couple of months, it has been very stressful emotionally in our home as we were dealing with moving and dog issues.  So to add the change in home dynamic to driving for 6 days straight and staying somewhere new each night, it definitely was difficult for him.  But he managed it with a bit of ease and is now an east coast dog.  He's settling in, misses me during the day but is maintaining his good guard dog status as he warns us of any potential intruders.  What a trooper, Milo!

Fynn

The other dog in my life is Fynn.  She's my baby, if you haven't noticed, but this past month and a half has proven to be a difficult journey.  For a long time now, Fynn has been having a lot of mobility issues.  Her back legs were giving out and making it harder for her to walk, especially up the few stairs we have to get into the yard.  Her quality of life was suffering incredibly, so on August 8th we put Fynn down.  It was the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life.  In the end, she knew what was happening and showed us that she had been fighting to move and work through the pain more than we knew.  There are so many things that would not have been possible like moving across the country with a dog that could no longer get into the car on her own.  The important thing is that now she is no longer in pain and is able to be with her mom and pops, running on the beaches of heaven.

I miss her every day.  Every day things get easier but there is still a large hole in my heart.  She was such a big part of my life, my baby girl.  She always knew when I was sad and would get up and come and check in with me.  She was a comfort, a friend, and the best dog a girl could ever ask for.

Your mama loves you, Fynn.

PSA - Applying for a Job

Written for Valerie, a cohort-in-arms.

As my time winds down at my current position before heading to grad school, I posted my job last Friday to Craigslist.  I am an office manager at a law firm and as such, I wear many many hats, including the head of HR!  So, I am now going through resumes and cover letters of all the applicants.  The moment they started to trickle in, I noticed an issue immediately - people not reading/following directions.  But first, let me take a moment to discuss something.

In working out the job description for my position with my boss, I championed a few things.  I feel strongly that for administrative positions, a bachelors degree is not necessary (like other postings require) and that experience is far more important.  I can tell you that my education in college didn't prepare me for work in the administrative realm.  I personally believe administration is a quality you are born with and it's not easily trained.  Because of this, I wanted to break down the potential barrier to good applicants who wouldn't meet the education requirement.

Is this inability to follow directions an indicator of lack of education or possibly a symptom of the generation that is applying?  Regardless of the answer, I feel it necessary to list the four top things to consider when applying for a new job.

TOP 4 THINGS WHEN APPLYING FOR A JOB

1. Read the job description.
Read through it in its entirety, including all the way to the bottom.  Does this job fit you?  Do you meet the requirements?  If you don't have the minimum experience required, does your work experience or do your references speak to your ability to tackle this new challenge?  If not, then this is not the job for you so please don't apply.

2. Follow directions.
When the job posting states at the end of the post to please submit a cover letter and resume, that is exactly what is required.  What does that look like?  Preferably, this is short email introduction describing your attachments and expressing interest in the position.  And you have two attachments, one being the cover letter, the other being your resume.  You can put this all inline in your email or use your email as the cover letter but it is better to do as instructed.

3. Be enthusiastic and polite.
Simply put, sell yourself but in a nice manner.  Don't just respond with an attachment and no text in your email.  This is your chance to show who you are and the niceties of that first email mean a lot.

4. Have your cover letter reviewed prior to sending.
Most jobs require writing skills and the cover letter is your chance to show your grasp on the English language.  Huge red flags pop up when I see sentences that don't work.  There are places out there that can help with this so take advantage of that if you plan to apply to a job that requires writing.


Case in point: My position listing stated a required skill is "attention to detail" and yet I have about a third of the applicants with no cover letter submitted.  This just isn't going to fly folks.  It's so simple but so easily done wrong.  God bless all those folks who are applying and whatever their situations are.  I'll be joining you soon in the ranks of those looking for employment.  Just know that it takes more than just replying to a post to land a good job!

Let your hair down...

Because it's almost Friday...

Because I've had a rough week (major deadlines as the quarter winds down, stressful at work yada yada)...

Because I'm having trouble staying awake...

Because I'm having trouble putting sentences together...

It's time to post one of my all-time favs - Gloria by Laura Branigan.

Ah 1982, I remember it like it was yesterday... this song never gets old.

So sit back, enjoy the gold glittering leos and fabulous dance moves with a glass of wine in hand and get down with the jam!

Song for a Friday...

So... heard this on the radio this morning and it had a pretty good beat.  Well, to be honest, anything after "Wasted" by Tiesto sounded like a good thing.  I'm driving around taking care of some errands on a nice Seattle morning and I hear this song come on.  The main lyric of the chorus is "I like us better when we're wasted".  So of course, I automatically get defensive and pissed because although it has a good tune, I'm rather frustrated with the message.  To its defense, I looked up the lyrics when I got to work and the song has more to it than just that small part.  It's a tiny bit deeper but I have a problem with the fact that it will likely become an anthem for summer graduation keggers all over the country, helping all the youngins feel justified in their inebriated chaos. Lovely.

Anyway, back to this other song.  Good beat... I was hooked.  So I came to work and looked the video up and found this lovely bit.  Please take note of the innocent cheetah cub poster in the first sequence and of course, let's all applaud the granny who is absolutely brilliant.  So, for all of you who have had a crazy week (mine has been crazy busy with stress of work and school, then finding out I got into grad school yay!), here's your entertaining and amusing video of the week accompanied by a song with a fantastic beat.

"Original Don" by Major Lazer ft. The Partysquad

Happy Belated Administrator's Day!

So, to not only lighten the mood from my last post but to also recognize, I am wishing a belated Administrative Professional's Day to all those hard working folks out there!  In the ode to my fellow grunts last year, I shared a snapshot of my life in the administrative sector.  Let's face it, we keep the world turning.  And as I sit here at 9:20 PM, working until 11 or so, it's clear what we do.  Yes, my boss is a far cry from the one from hell (cheese-picker-offer) and is currently supporting my school career by letting me have flexible hours.  And yes, he does get me flowers every year for my birthday which always seems to happen right around this fabulous day (this year, same day).  But every year, I tell myself the flowers are in appreciation for being the Office Manager Extraordinaire, a title I've seriously considered signing off with in all correspondence.  We all need some appreciation.

So this one goes out to all the folks who wear so many hats.  For me, it's receptionist, accountant, paralegal, executive assistant and business development/marketing manager.  And props to all of us who realize how important we are to the life-blood of the business and choose to work through the pain of migraines, sleepiness and sickness.  My favorite is when I have a cold, answer the phone, and then get asked if I have a cold.  When I respond yes, they immediately feel sorry and express their condolences.  Let's all ignore the white elephant in the room, please?  Oh I could go on but bottom line...

We, administrators of the world deserve appreciation.  So hats off to you!