Sure signs that I'm a grown up:
One of my oldest and closest friends had her first baby! Congratulations on your new baby girl :)
Engagements and weddings all around. I've gone to two weddings this year and there are two more to come. Congratulations to the happy couples (and a special congrats to Liz and Fred)!
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Time flies when you're having fun. Highs from the last two months are my two really different, but really great vacations:
New York City - 4 days - the hustle and bustle, the heat, the subway, endless walking, the lights at Times Square, the culture...a whirlwind of activity...
- The Met, Guggenheim, MoMA at Queens
- lining up for an hour to get to the top of the Empire State Building
- meeting up with old friends and family
- Chinatown, Little Italy, Financial District (Ground Zero), South St. Seaport, Queens
- Dirty feet and Chinese slippers
- Shopping and pedicures in SoHo
- Bombay Dreams on Broadway, Central Park, Grand Central Station, Bryant Park
- good eats - Sushi Samba, Panang, Puglia, Serendipity, Stardust Diner, Dervish, Dylan's Candy Store, ice cream
The Sunshine Coast and Vancouver, British Columbia - 7 days - an entirely different state of mind, a chance to relax and enjoy nature...
- visiting family out west
- 3 days of fishing, crabbing, oyster picking, clam digging, kelp harvesting and enjoying sunsets on the pier
- learning how to can salmon and make Shirley Temples
- a hike to the Skookumchuck rapids and whirlpools
- Granville Island, a walk in Stanley Park, admiring the animals at the Vancouver Aquarium, a ride up to Grouse Mountain, getting our culture fix at the Museum of Anthropology (UBC) and Vancouver Art Gallery
- Ferry rides, Victoria and Butchart Gardens
- Crazy drivers in Richmond, "ga-lay-gai" and the kid who wouldn't stop singing "Everybody dance now"
- good eats (always a must) - Chinese food at my uncle's restaurant, Sushi buffet, hot pot, Thai food in Yaletown, wine bar, dim sum, noodles, ice cream and of course our freshly caught seafood
The verdict? NYC is definitely a one-of-a-kind place. This was my second trip there and there is still so much to see and do! I'll be back again to visit for sure...but notice the "visit". I don't think I could get used to so many people and so much go-go-go...
On the flip side...Shaky wants to retire to the Sunshine Coast. I would definitely not be opposed to that idea. I just hope the Coast doesn't end up all touristy like the Muskokas...
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Time also flies when you're not having fun.
My biggest low in the last two months has been the loss of my job. Getting laid off must be one of the most demoralizing events that a person has to go through. Working for a non-profit really has it's rewards, but sometimes the financial struggle is diffult to bear. To keep the organization afloat, both my boss and I (we are the only full-time staff) agreed to a temporary layoff of one week, plus part time work (as in very part time - 1 day/week) for the next three months. With some hard work, we should be able to get back into full-time mode by the beginning of November.
I believe in what I'm doing, plus my boss and I have put a lot of work into visioning out the organization for at least the next 3 years and have done so much work already to realize that vision - if I leave, the programs will definitely fall by the wayside. I don't want to leave it all off now and not accomplish all the things I want to do and put the organization in a good position for the future. It just sucks that we have to rely on the whims of those who sit in comfy offices with little or no idea of the day-to-day struggles of a non-profit decide on what projects to fund or not to fund in a (what seems to be) more or less haphazard way.
I'm afraid of the financial burden that I'm putting myself in (especially since I went on two big vacations recently...but at least I got to go...if I'd found out about being in this situation before I booked my flights, I wouldn't have even gone...and would have missed out on the fun) and I also question my logic sometimes. I really do think I have my heart in the right place, but at times I think that I'm also afraid to launch myself into something new and exciting (whatever that may be).
And so my days pass by...
posted by Sonia @ 2:09 p.m.
1 Comments:
Your job is all guts and no glory but that doesn't mean that it's not worth the trouble. Every cause needs a champion and it's people like you that everyone else depends on.
Your days may pass by but I'm by your side...
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