I am not old. I don't think anyone who is still in their twenties or thirties should even begin to consider themselves old. But today I got a little reminder that maybe I'm not quite so young: my first ever Social Security benefit statement. That's right, if I were disabled today, I'd get benefits. And a decent amount at that. Something to be said for starting to work at age 16 and going full time at 18 I suppose. But it made me feel old, and on top of my "real world" job, it made me stop for a second and think.
But I didn't worry about it too long, and as vindication of my un-aged status I was given a little encouragement tonight. While working our way slowly to the door at the Scottrade Center after the Bills game, Brendan was trying to finish his big expensive beer. With about 4 good gulps left he handed me the cup. I began to chug it down when the usher looked over and said, most seriously, "are you old enough to be drinking young lady?"
I stared him down while I slammed the rest of the beer, and almost thanked him. Apparently I'm not too old if I still pass for not-yet-21!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Who Wants to Get Married at 8:30am on a Wednesday?
I made the poor decision of cutting through downtown and driving down the riverfront today as I got stuck in traffic for this spectacle. Not the prettiest sight given the traffic jammed road that cut off the "ceremony" from the Arch, and the gray slush that these wacky brides in their bright white gowns were trudging through.
Needless to say, I wasn't the only one a little late to work. Which is only getting better, I might add. I had my first real project today, and I am excited to be getting into things. I also got my business cards!!! How official, right? :)
Needless to say, I wasn't the only one a little late to work. Which is only getting better, I might add. I had my first real project today, and I am excited to be getting into things. I also got my business cards!!! How official, right? :)
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Snow Day
My second day of work only lasted about an hour and a half. Thanks to lots of sleet and oncoming snow, I got to leave early. It took almost a half hour to get home, but I can't complain about getting paid to sit around in my polka dot fleece pants and hoodie, now can I?
While wasting time on the internet, I came across a blurb saying that Missouri is getting new license plates, AGAIN. The current ones were barely 10 years old, and we have to pay an extra fee for them. However, the powers that be claim their new stickers (or tabs) will be less likely to be stolen because now they will be made specifically for the new plate. It sucks when those things get stolen, too, because you don't usually realize it until you get pulled over. Licence plate theft is one of the biggest crimes in STL, so I do hope this will make a difference.
In the meantime, you can vote for your favorite of one of three riveting designs here. Democracy at it's best, right?
PS: Spellcheck on the blog wants me to capitalize "internet." I think that's wacky. It's not like we need to capitalize words like House and Office and Shopping Mall. Just because it doesn't physically exist, does that mean we need to give it all the attention of a true proper noun?
While wasting time on the internet, I came across a blurb saying that Missouri is getting new license plates, AGAIN. The current ones were barely 10 years old, and we have to pay an extra fee for them. However, the powers that be claim their new stickers (or tabs) will be less likely to be stolen because now they will be made specifically for the new plate. It sucks when those things get stolen, too, because you don't usually realize it until you get pulled over. Licence plate theft is one of the biggest crimes in STL, so I do hope this will make a difference.
In the meantime, you can vote for your favorite of one of three riveting designs here. Democracy at it's best, right?
PS: Spellcheck on the blog wants me to capitalize "internet." I think that's wacky. It's not like we need to capitalize words like House and Office and Shopping Mall. Just because it doesn't physically exist, does that mean we need to give it all the attention of a true proper noun?
Monday, February 12, 2007
First Day
So the much anticipated first day of my "real job" has come and gone. I'm completely relieved that all of the nervousness and planning and worrying is over because I am more than ready to move on with life.
It went well. Very well. The people I met (two of the head honchos are still out of town from a conference last week) were all incredibly nice. The job itself seems perfectly interesting, even with plenty of data-entry to get things caught up and running more efficiently. I am glad that the position is new because they are just so happy that someone is there to help lessen the load and there isn't a set standard of what I have to do every day.
One of the guys wants to sit down and discuss the whole housing concept with me (he read my paper I wrote on affordable housing that I included with my resume), and he seems like he is going to make sure that I have every opportunity to learn about the decision making they do and the reasons why the fund exists. I also get to attend weekly meetings with their software developer as they work on an updated version of the asset tracker they created and use.
I think its going to be really cool. It's totally casual, I may even get away without heels, which would be fantastic! I have a desk kind of out in the open right now, but I will eventually get a bigger desk that will be sort of cubed in. I also will be getting a brand new computer with a 17" monitor...fantastic given the amount of time I will be staring at it!
I have keys to the building and office, a parking pass, business cards on the way, a super comfy big office chair, and all the Ronnoco coffee, soda, and juice I can drink. I doesn't get more office-y than this. I also found out that we get paid every other Friday, just like at Target, so I won't have to rearrange my bills or anything. I also get paid THIS Friday! And Monday is a HOLIDAY. And it's possible that tomorrow could be a snow day, or at least a late start...and we get to wear jeans when it's bad out!
All in all, I'm pretty satisfied. It felt strange though, working at a desk and realizing how different it will be than retail. I mean, obviously there are huge differences. Retail is constantly going and if you stop you get in trouble or you get some obnoxious person pleading for your help. At an office you can take a mental break whenever you need to without a million people literally waiting for you when you snap back into it. I like working on my own, too. I like being able to think things through without constant supervision and opinions. I think this is going to work out quite nicely.
And it is all proof that everything really does happen for a reason.
It went well. Very well. The people I met (two of the head honchos are still out of town from a conference last week) were all incredibly nice. The job itself seems perfectly interesting, even with plenty of data-entry to get things caught up and running more efficiently. I am glad that the position is new because they are just so happy that someone is there to help lessen the load and there isn't a set standard of what I have to do every day.
One of the guys wants to sit down and discuss the whole housing concept with me (he read my paper I wrote on affordable housing that I included with my resume), and he seems like he is going to make sure that I have every opportunity to learn about the decision making they do and the reasons why the fund exists. I also get to attend weekly meetings with their software developer as they work on an updated version of the asset tracker they created and use.
I think its going to be really cool. It's totally casual, I may even get away without heels, which would be fantastic! I have a desk kind of out in the open right now, but I will eventually get a bigger desk that will be sort of cubed in. I also will be getting a brand new computer with a 17" monitor...fantastic given the amount of time I will be staring at it!
I have keys to the building and office, a parking pass, business cards on the way, a super comfy big office chair, and all the Ronnoco coffee, soda, and juice I can drink. I doesn't get more office-y than this. I also found out that we get paid every other Friday, just like at Target, so I won't have to rearrange my bills or anything. I also get paid THIS Friday! And Monday is a HOLIDAY. And it's possible that tomorrow could be a snow day, or at least a late start...and we get to wear jeans when it's bad out!
All in all, I'm pretty satisfied. It felt strange though, working at a desk and realizing how different it will be than retail. I mean, obviously there are huge differences. Retail is constantly going and if you stop you get in trouble or you get some obnoxious person pleading for your help. At an office you can take a mental break whenever you need to without a million people literally waiting for you when you snap back into it. I like working on my own, too. I like being able to think things through without constant supervision and opinions. I think this is going to work out quite nicely.
And it is all proof that everything really does happen for a reason.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Highway Madness
Everyone knows it's coming. What they don't know is what exactly life will be like once the old Highway 40 starts shutting down, not to be fully functioning again until 2010, from whence it shall be called....The NEW I-64.
Whatever, right?
I have been scoping out the official website from MO-Dot on the whole shebang, and it seems like a whole hell of a lot to get done. I will be holding my breath, that's for sure. Oh wait, I live almost entirely east of the project. And if things go as planned, I'll be completely out of it's reaches before they even think of closing my dearly beloved Oakland Ave. access ramps.
If you commute on 44 and you think you will be in the clear, well think again. Obviously this is the best alternate route for most people. And thanks to all those additional cars (and semis!) anticipated, they will be restriping the highway in both directions from Grand to 270 in order to add a fifth lane. AND the speed limit will be reduced to 55 MPH. 44 is already a speed trap is some places, so I imagine it will only get worse. It will all get worse, but just sayin...
My advice
1. MOVE. Eastward. There are many wonderful neighborhoods in the STL city limits. Check out the crime map if you don't think it's really safe. It IS. Besides, most crimes are those of opportunity, meaning don't be stupid and give a bad guy an easy break. This moving option would be especially smart if you either work from home or work somewhere far from where you live in an eastward direction. Like Clayton or Downtown. Next week when I start my new job I will be using 40 to commute, but that's just because I live right next to it. I could just as easily skip the highways, shoot down Manchester/Chouteau and be at the riverfront in no time.
2. WALK. If your car is already going to be in overuse mode because you have to go a wacky way to work, then think about just letting it sit awhile when you do get home and walk or bike to where you need to go around town. Clearly not a good plan when going on a grocery trip for a family of 7's weekly stockup but if you are just going to the bank and the post office or something, I think it would be a good idea to consider a nice calorie burning method of transport instead of the fossil fuel burning type.
3. Public Transportation. That's right folks, I bring it on again. I am even more excited about this method now because my new office is RIGHT NEXT to the Landing Metro stop. Which means I can hop on a bus up the block from my apartment, shoot over to the CWE Metro stop, and be at work in a relatively short amount of time. And during my commute I will have burned no gasoline, read a chapter in a book, listened to my ipod, burned a few calories walking to/from the stops, not gotten road rage/speeding tickets/stuck in a traffic jam, etc. If you live anywhere remotely close to a stop, I encourage you to use the trip finder at Metro's website just to see how long it would take you to commute this way. Even if you do it just a couple times a week, it could make a big difference.
4. At least just think about what you are going to do/how you will get along without a quick access to the Galleria/Crate and Barrel/Whole Foods/Trader Joes/Cardinals Games/Work/Grandma's House. It might still seem a long way away, and I hate being an alarmist, but I do think that most people are going to be pooping in their pants when it finally happens, and it's not that far away. I guess I worry about it a lot since I do live so close to the heart of action on 40 and I see the daily crush, I mean near standstill traffic that backs up rain or shine for hours every day. All those people are going to have to go somewhere else. It ain't gonna be pretty.
Whatever, right?
I have been scoping out the official website from MO-Dot on the whole shebang, and it seems like a whole hell of a lot to get done. I will be holding my breath, that's for sure. Oh wait, I live almost entirely east of the project. And if things go as planned, I'll be completely out of it's reaches before they even think of closing my dearly beloved Oakland Ave. access ramps.
If you commute on 44 and you think you will be in the clear, well think again. Obviously this is the best alternate route for most people. And thanks to all those additional cars (and semis!) anticipated, they will be restriping the highway in both directions from Grand to 270 in order to add a fifth lane. AND the speed limit will be reduced to 55 MPH. 44 is already a speed trap is some places, so I imagine it will only get worse. It will all get worse, but just sayin...
My advice
1. MOVE. Eastward. There are many wonderful neighborhoods in the STL city limits. Check out the crime map if you don't think it's really safe. It IS. Besides, most crimes are those of opportunity, meaning don't be stupid and give a bad guy an easy break. This moving option would be especially smart if you either work from home or work somewhere far from where you live in an eastward direction. Like Clayton or Downtown. Next week when I start my new job I will be using 40 to commute, but that's just because I live right next to it. I could just as easily skip the highways, shoot down Manchester/Chouteau and be at the riverfront in no time.
2. WALK. If your car is already going to be in overuse mode because you have to go a wacky way to work, then think about just letting it sit awhile when you do get home and walk or bike to where you need to go around town. Clearly not a good plan when going on a grocery trip for a family of 7's weekly stockup but if you are just going to the bank and the post office or something, I think it would be a good idea to consider a nice calorie burning method of transport instead of the fossil fuel burning type.
3. Public Transportation. That's right folks, I bring it on again. I am even more excited about this method now because my new office is RIGHT NEXT to the Landing Metro stop. Which means I can hop on a bus up the block from my apartment, shoot over to the CWE Metro stop, and be at work in a relatively short amount of time. And during my commute I will have burned no gasoline, read a chapter in a book, listened to my ipod, burned a few calories walking to/from the stops, not gotten road rage/speeding tickets/stuck in a traffic jam, etc. If you live anywhere remotely close to a stop, I encourage you to use the trip finder at Metro's website just to see how long it would take you to commute this way. Even if you do it just a couple times a week, it could make a big difference.
4. At least just think about what you are going to do/how you will get along without a quick access to the Galleria/Crate and Barrel/Whole Foods/Trader Joes/Cardinals Games/Work/Grandma's House. It might still seem a long way away, and I hate being an alarmist, but I do think that most people are going to be pooping in their pants when it finally happens, and it's not that far away. I guess I worry about it a lot since I do live so close to the heart of action on 40 and I see the daily crush, I mean near standstill traffic that backs up rain or shine for hours every day. All those people are going to have to go somewhere else. It ain't gonna be pretty.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
WHAT?!?!
I'm sorry, but since when has the rock and roll guitar NOT been a sort of phallic extension? It just is, for pete's sake!!!! Anyone who has ever been to a rock show knows this, understands this, hell, they don't even need to mention it because it just IS. It's rock and roll!! It's a performance. It's not like he was trying to get all up on the guitar. That is just EXACTLY what ever other rock guitarist looks like when they are playing (albeit sans the "symbol" shaped guitar, but nonetheless). And after all the hoopla that went down with Janet, and then the fact that you could tell all the performers this year were all securely fastened into their not-so-revealing ensembles, they come up with this?
AND THEN, the Snickers Ad is getting all kinds of bad press. I understand this was a bit more risque, however lets be honest, it was effortlessly predictable. I think next year they should make a commerical with obviously gay actors. Then they will get all the wacky religious righters boo-hissing and it will just prove to the country again: damned if you do, damned if you don't. To me, advertising is all about stereotypes. Actually, anyone who has ever taken a basic business or marketing class should understand that as well. It's the end-all-be-all to reach your "target market" and you can only do that by stereotyping either the target group, or that group's antagonistic adversaries. Society constantly condones it...we allow ourselve to be surrounded by targeted advertising at all times. But when millions of people are all crammed around the boob-tube at the same time for a highly anticipated glut of marketing magic, well that's when things finally get noticed.
Finally, I want to briefly mention another instance of sterotyping offending the masses...the now-infamous local Barbie email forward (and it's ensuing Post-Dispatch review). It has apparently annoyed most every group it defined (although whoever was behind the Soulard Barbie needs to take a little trip to see what it's REALLY like...animal prints and nosejobs aren't quite the reality). It also proved, via the dichotomy between St. Louis and Metro-East versions, that people in St. Louis proper have little to no clue as to what life is like across the river. For the most part, it's a suburban mecca much like their own. Yet for all the complaints coming from soccer moms across the metropolitan area, the last line in the article just kills me: "The Barbie has on a sweatsuit and is driving a minivan. I was in our local paper last year, and you guessed it — I was wearing a sweatsuit. I also must admit it: I drive a minivan."
I'm moving to Switzerland. That's all I can say.
AND THEN, the Snickers Ad is getting all kinds of bad press. I understand this was a bit more risque, however lets be honest, it was effortlessly predictable. I think next year they should make a commerical with obviously gay actors. Then they will get all the wacky religious righters boo-hissing and it will just prove to the country again: damned if you do, damned if you don't. To me, advertising is all about stereotypes. Actually, anyone who has ever taken a basic business or marketing class should understand that as well. It's the end-all-be-all to reach your "target market" and you can only do that by stereotyping either the target group, or that group's antagonistic adversaries. Society constantly condones it...we allow ourselve to be surrounded by targeted advertising at all times. But when millions of people are all crammed around the boob-tube at the same time for a highly anticipated glut of marketing magic, well that's when things finally get noticed.
Finally, I want to briefly mention another instance of sterotyping offending the masses...the now-infamous local Barbie email forward (and it's ensuing Post-Dispatch review). It has apparently annoyed most every group it defined (although whoever was behind the Soulard Barbie needs to take a little trip to see what it's REALLY like...animal prints and nosejobs aren't quite the reality). It also proved, via the dichotomy between St. Louis and Metro-East versions, that people in St. Louis proper have little to no clue as to what life is like across the river. For the most part, it's a suburban mecca much like their own. Yet for all the complaints coming from soccer moms across the metropolitan area, the last line in the article just kills me: "The Barbie has on a sweatsuit and is driving a minivan. I was in our local paper last year, and you guessed it — I was wearing a sweatsuit. I also must admit it: I drive a minivan."
I'm moving to Switzerland. That's all I can say.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
It's Official
I start on Monday.
I am NOT ready.
But I really can't wait to start working again. I am starting to feel really stupid and lazy. I need a paycheck so I can pay off my credit cards and start going grocery shopping regularly again.
I have to force myself to endure some serious shopping this week, though. I keep putting it off, but I honestly don't think I own enough work appropriate clothes today to get me through a single week of work.
I am NOT ready.
But I really can't wait to start working again. I am starting to feel really stupid and lazy. I need a paycheck so I can pay off my credit cards and start going grocery shopping regularly again.
I have to force myself to endure some serious shopping this week, though. I keep putting it off, but I honestly don't think I own enough work appropriate clothes today to get me through a single week of work.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
I GOT THE JOB!!!
That's right! I got the job I wanted, the best job I've interviewed for with the best people, the best location, and hell, even the best money!!!!
I was on the phone with the recruiting place, talking about the position I interviewed for yesterday. It was a decent sounding gig at a local bank, but nothing that blew my mind. After my interview, I knew I'd get an offer from them for sure, but I was hardly interested because I had been holding out for the Equity Fund.
Literally two seconds after I hung up with them, the phone rang again. I was hoping it wasn't the same place, wanting to bore me some more with their canned lines about my "goals" and my "expectations." It wasn't. It was the two girls I'd interviewed with at the fund, and they were so excited!
I honestly can't ask for a better deal. It's almost too good to be true. Great pay, full health benefits, 401(k) with 5% match, 2 weeks vacation, free parking, casual dress code, an awesome building on the landing right next to the metrolink. And they just need me to start by the 20th. I am thinking of taking next week off to get myself and my apartment all ready, and then starting on the 12th.
I can't wait!!!! I have been a smidge bored, and I am getting broke. But now, I will be able to pay off my stupid credit cards once and for all. And quite possibly get a new car. But regardless, at least I will be in a MUCH better situation than I was at Target. This is amazing!!! Time to bring on the bubbly!
I was on the phone with the recruiting place, talking about the position I interviewed for yesterday. It was a decent sounding gig at a local bank, but nothing that blew my mind. After my interview, I knew I'd get an offer from them for sure, but I was hardly interested because I had been holding out for the Equity Fund.
Literally two seconds after I hung up with them, the phone rang again. I was hoping it wasn't the same place, wanting to bore me some more with their canned lines about my "goals" and my "expectations." It wasn't. It was the two girls I'd interviewed with at the fund, and they were so excited!
I honestly can't ask for a better deal. It's almost too good to be true. Great pay, full health benefits, 401(k) with 5% match, 2 weeks vacation, free parking, casual dress code, an awesome building on the landing right next to the metrolink. And they just need me to start by the 20th. I am thinking of taking next week off to get myself and my apartment all ready, and then starting on the 12th.
I can't wait!!!! I have been a smidge bored, and I am getting broke. But now, I will be able to pay off my stupid credit cards once and for all. And quite possibly get a new car. But regardless, at least I will be in a MUCH better situation than I was at Target. This is amazing!!! Time to bring on the bubbly!
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