Thick Skin

I have a confession:  I am easily frustrated by people that are overly sensitive or have a thin skin. I am not talking about people that are hurt when people are cruel or are unmoved by the struggles of others. For the record, I was a very sensitive and emotional child.  I am still a very compassionate person.  I cry at the ASPCA commercials. I give money to pretty much every homeless person I see. I like babies and flowers and glitter.

BUT, I have also not had everything handed to me in life. I have not been coddled.  I have had to listen to hard truth at times.  And I have one big and important message that I wish everyone could understand:

LIFE IS NOT FAIR. 

Sometimes I hate that life isn't fair, but the fact that I hate it won't change it.  So there are 2 choices: whine about how unfair life is, or suck it up and just keep on living...and maybe learn something in the process.

Sometimes people will tell you things that you don't want to hear.
Sometimes an idiot will be your boss.
Sometimes you won't get the pay, or promotion or opportunities that you feel you deserve.
Someone will always be prettier, nicer, funnier, richer, thinner,or  more talented than you are.
Not everyone will want to be your friend.
Other people will cheat or lie to get ahead and at some point, you will likely get thrown under the bus.

Don't take yourself to seriously. 
Don't let anyone else determine your opinion of yourself.
Be good to others, but don't forget to be good to yourself in the process.
Integrity should be placed in high regard.....it's who you are when no one is looking.

I will be the first to admit that I throw semi-regular pity parties for myself.  They usually last no more than 24 hours and include some sort of cake. But you can be damn sure that after 24 hours, I still emerge with my head held high. And this is my wish for everyone.

Now, in an effort to not allow you to think that I am standing up on my ivory tower, here is proof that I am actually in my living room, wearing a gas mask. (Or was just having too much fun with my webcam.)

Celebrating America's Independance

Here we are in one of the most amazing cities in the world, and our lack of friends and knowledge of area attractions has seriously wounded our ability to celebrate holidays appropriately. Back home, July 4th consisted of parades, BBQ's in the park, outdoor games, sparklers, family, and watching the fireworks display over the city of  St.Paul.

This July 4th consisted of sleeping in, doing laundry, watching the classic Civil War film, Glory, and naturally, dining at a German restaurant. :) But don't you worry, the night was capped off with several competitive games of Angry Birds between DH  and I, and a nice televised viewing of the Macy's Fireworks display in NYC.....just 9 short miles from our home. The lameness has reached a whole new level!! 

In other news, this Tuesday I had a meeting with the organization I have been in the interview process with.  I don't remember if I shared, but last week they told me that they thought I was overqualified for the position I originally applied for, but told me they thought I would be a great fit with the organization, and gave me two other job descriptions to look over, and basically told me to pick one!  I spent the weekend thinking it over, and brought some questions with me on Tuesday. I was able to settle on a position that I am really excited about!  Now I am just waiting to hear final details!  As I have shared, the whole interview process has been interesting....from the Zombie apocalypse interview question, to the light sabers in the conference room, to one of the staff showing up with a dodge ball.....well on Tuesday the interesting event was that there was a gas leak in the building about 10 minutes after I got there, so we had to be evacuated.  There I was in my business suit and heels, hiking down ten stories while fire fighters hurried to clear the building.  Needless to say, the meeting was cut somewhat short......which leads me to this: 

Mint Lemonade.

What, you may ask, does mint lemonade have to do with anything?? I will tell you:  It is the most refreshing summer beverage EVER, and after hiking down ten stories in highly uncomfortable wedge heels, I was in need of something thirst quenching, and this is what I settled on. SO.FREAKING.GOOD.  I now have an offical summer go-to beverage. And that makes me happy. 

My Week in Pictures

I am so sorry for the long delay in posting. There is an explanation, which follows, in My Week in Pictures. Enjoy!!!

BUT, in an effort to see the silver lining in everything........a recap of my Saturday night:

You're Welcome. :)



Smorgasboard

Is that how the word is spelled?  If you aren't Scandanavian, you probably don't know, or care. Basically it just means a miscellaneous assortment of things - in this case, subject matters.

First, I would like to introduce you to this guy:

He lives inside my head between my eyebrows, and starts swinging that damn club around like a maniac everytime I am stressed, (as in, now).  My head is throbbing, and I just issued a cease and desist, but as you can see, angry troll doesn't pay much attention to such demands.

I am stressed the eff out because I recieved a cryptic phone message last Thursday from the organization I have been interviewing with. It basically said that they would be contacting me on Friday (last Friday), or very early this week to "discuss my candidacy as well as some other positions at the organization that we feel you may be suited for." GAH!  I am very open to options. I would LOVE to work for this organization. I am less open for debate on what constitues "very early" in the week. Thus, angry troll is swinging away in there and I am suffering through the aftermath.

Secondly....can we discuss this for a moment??

I fully admit that saying you are going to see this movie for the storyline is like saying you read Playboy for the articles.  I don't care. I fully admit that Friday cannot come soon enough. If this movie was being shown in Imax 3D, it would be even better.  As my dear friend Mary (happily married for more than 20 years) likes to say: "There's no harm in window shopping, as long as you don't bring anything into the dressing room to try it on." A-men. 

Likeability

This week I had my final interviews with an organization that I would LOVE to work for. I honestly can't recall a job that I have ever wanted more. This is basically my dream scenario, because it combines my past experience and expertise in nonprofit and public policy, and my passion for certain social issues that are extremely important to me. 

I began the process with this organization back at the end of April, and since that time have met with 8 different people at the organization, the last of which was the Executive Director. The more people that I talked to, the more I wanted the job.  Everyone was just so......likeable! Plus, the organization seemed to facilitate my appreciation for all things random. In addition the the Zombie Apocalypse interview question and the light sabers in the conference room, this week's interviews included the scooters parked in the conference room, my would-be-boss showing up carrying a dodge ball, and a conversation with the Executive Director about the Wu Tang Clan and the movie Step Brothers. Seriously?!?!?! Dream Job. I could not have imagined the interview going better, but I also don't know how many people they are bringing through the process. I am cautiously optimistic, and dangerously hopeful that I will receive an offer sometime next week.

One of the things that I appreciate most, is that the Executive Director mentioned during our conversation that the reason they had me meet with so many people was in part to make sure that I had the skills and smarts to do the job, but also to make sure that I fit in with the group dynamic, and that I was likeable. To me, that speaks volumes about the team atmosphere, and positive energy of the organization, and I truly hope that I can be a part of it.

Perspectives

I am a pretty tough cookie overall, not super easily rattled, thick skin, like challenges, etc.  That said, I am a total princess when it comes to acceptable temperature ranges.  I am extremely temperature sensitive. My house needs to be between 68 and 72 degrees or I die. Anything less than 68, and I will be bundled under a blanket wearing mittens, and anything over 72, and I will be naked, covered in sweat, sucking on ice cubes. Outdoor temperature are somewhat more manageable for me, based on wind speed, percipitation, available clothing options, and the like.

Yesterday was a doozie here in NYC. It was 95 degrees with 55% humidity. Like a moron, I took the dog on a walk in the morning, thinking it would be manageable. It was so humid that the rocks were glossy with condensation. Against my better judgement, we completed our normal 5 mile hike, and were ridiculously grateful when we made it back home and into our air conditioned apartment. Not more than 2 hours later, the air conditioning kicked off, and I couldn't get it back on. DAMN! I turned off all the lights in the apartment, turned on both fans, and kept the windows closed to try trap in the cool air. This was a worst case scenario to me.

Then, a bit later, I was checking up on Facebook and saw this status: "It is HOT. That is all."  It was from my friend from elementary school that is currently in Afghanistan. Aaannddd that my friends, is some perspective. The heat in Iraq was described in a book I read (by a Veteran) as getting dressed up in basically a snow suit, packing on 60 extra pounds, getting into a black car in Arizona in the middle of the summer, driving to a parking lot, rolling up all the windows, and turning on the heat. I guess I can be grateful for only 95 degrees, an apartment sheltered from the sun, a few fans, and the ability to contain some cool air.  I love perspective, because it upends my attitude every single time.

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day which means mandatory grilling. Unfortunately, my dad, the master griller, was 1200 miles away, and J's grilling expereince is limited to turning on the propane. I don't know that he has ever flipped a burger in his life. Maybe that experience will come when he is actually a dad....

Fortunately for us, J's partner from work invited us to come out to Long Island, along with his other teammate and his wife, and the 6 of us spent the day on the patio, enjoying the sun, sangria, and all sorts of grill-ables. I love Long Island. I haven't seen that many trees since we left Wisconsin almost a year ago. It was so nice to get out of the city for a day, and spend time getting to know new friends.

That said, by around 4pm, J and I had both most certainly contracted skin cancer. We are SO burnt! I have this awesome 1/2 leg burn that formed around the leg that was crossed over the top of it, and J looks like he dipped his face in red paint. We look ridiculous.  I tried to take a picture, but the glare coming off of my leg didn't photograph well. :(  This is not us, but one of the best sunburn pictures I have ever seen:

Today I got the word that I have a final interview tomorrow with the organization that I have been in process with. I am excited, nervous, and trying to remain optimistic. In an attempt to find a witty meme to accompany the ever-exciting job interview portion of my blog post, I stumbled across this winner, which has nothing to do with my job, but made me LOL.

And now, a couple of miscellaneous things that made me laugh today: