I'm a two-faced fundraiser.
I have one foot out the door at The Joyce, where I am only going to be employed for another 13 days. But that foot is stuck in the cement that is my Auction (aka second most exhausting benefit event of the year), and I can't seem to escape. It's fine. I've been doing this for years. It means late night, working weekends, not sleeping, and needing someone to remind me when to eat. It's a process that involves minor mental breakdowns, but always ends up being a great event that I actually enjoy in the end.
But there is something different this time.
That one foot that is out the door at The Joyce is already finding its way to my new job. I've started going to their donor events and being notified about meetings and such. It's actually great to get a feel for the place and meet the staff and Board and such. Just last night I attended an event that was lovely and made me relax. And it was super Irish - a room full of about 25 people and there were two other Maureens there. And they serve Jameson. Love it. But the problem was, I had to go from that evening event BACK to work on the Auction.
I'm exhausted. There aren't enough hours in the day as it is. And I am trying to do two jobs at once. Oh, and train the new person who will be taking over my job in 8 hours spread over 2 days. And write a guide for her to do my job.... all in my spare time.
And so ends my venting session. Back to work.
PS - This is a preview of what I've been working on!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
More updates? Sorta?
Small updates about my 101 list. And a non-update that will serve as a public service announcement.
The Broadway list continues to grow! (#19). Saw Scottsboro Boys last week, with plans to see several more works in the coming weeks (hectic schedule permitting. Seeing an Off-Broadway show tonight (counted) and another one next week (not yet counted). So that's good. Still haven't managed to take anyone to their FIRST Broadway show (#15), but I'm working on it.
This weekend is the weekend away with the ladies in my life (#1, as previously posted) and I am just so excited to get away and relax outside the city!
Aaaand, my PSA about #44: I am not counting this in my list, because it was a very isolated incident, and not something I plan to continue... but I noticed in the drug store the other day that they had green toilet paper! Brilliant! So I bought it, thinking that it is something I am just going to flush anyway, and it could help me be more green. Terrible decision. If you see it in the store, keep on walking and make a conscious effort to find another way to save the environment. A few that have worked out well for me are carrying collapsible bags in my purse so I can use those instead of plastic bags when I am running errands, and recycled coffee filters and paper towels at work. My company has also started using all-green cleaning products, so everything around me smells like cilantro and citrus. But I can't take personal responsibility for that, so I am not counting it. Seriously, though. Stick with the Charmin.
The Broadway list continues to grow! (#19). Saw Scottsboro Boys last week, with plans to see several more works in the coming weeks (hectic schedule permitting. Seeing an Off-Broadway show tonight (counted) and another one next week (not yet counted). So that's good. Still haven't managed to take anyone to their FIRST Broadway show (#15), but I'm working on it.
This weekend is the weekend away with the ladies in my life (#1, as previously posted) and I am just so excited to get away and relax outside the city!
Aaaand, my PSA about #44: I am not counting this in my list, because it was a very isolated incident, and not something I plan to continue... but I noticed in the drug store the other day that they had green toilet paper! Brilliant! So I bought it, thinking that it is something I am just going to flush anyway, and it could help me be more green. Terrible decision. If you see it in the store, keep on walking and make a conscious effort to find another way to save the environment. A few that have worked out well for me are carrying collapsible bags in my purse so I can use those instead of plastic bags when I am running errands, and recycled coffee filters and paper towels at work. My company has also started using all-green cleaning products, so everything around me smells like cilantro and citrus. But I can't take personal responsibility for that, so I am not counting it. Seriously, though. Stick with the Charmin.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
The longest blog post ever.
You had fair warning. This will indeed be a lengthy blog post. Mostly because I have been neglecting my blog in writing, but not in spirit, as I have checked off a number of tasks on my 101 Things To Do in 1,001 Days list.
Let's begin and the beginning of the list, and then go on until we reach the end. And then stop.
#1 - Plan another GODDESS Weekend with the girls
The original GODDESS weekend was an acronym. Something corny that we never really settled on, but it was along the lines of Girls Out Doing Disney Enjoy Silly Situations or Special Seconds... something like that. It was a long weekend trip with me, my mom, and my aunt in Disney World. We managed to hit every park, do everything we wanted to do, and throw ourselves into the biggest laughing fits we could imagine. I consider myself lucky that my Aunt has been one of my closest friends to me since I can remember. My mom was a phenomenal mother when I was growing up, and an even better friend now that I am an adult. The three of us had an amazing time, and it was a break we all needed to relax, unwind, and have an exorbitant amount of fun. In two weeks, I am happy to say that we are taking off again! This time to a cute little town in New Hampshire, along with cousin Donna. I am looking forward to changing leaves, endless laughs, a little R & R, and no tax on alcohol.
#6 - Visit an out-of-state friend or family member that I have never visited before
Andy and I just went on a trip to the lovely state of Maine to visit his (and now, my) Aunt Susan, Uncle Paul, and the one-and-only Grandpa Izzy. We had such a nice visit - relaxing, outlet shopping, visiting Old Orchard Beach, and eating until we were just about ready to explode! It was great to visit without a million other things going on at once, since normally we only get to see this part of the family for weddings, birthdays, or other occasions where there is lots of hustle and bustle. And while those occasions are always a treat, it leaves very little time to sit and talk, which was one of the best things about our trip! Thanks for hosting us, Susan, Paul, and Izzy!
#19 (sort of) - See one Broadway show for every month of this challenge
Perhaps I should have made clearer rules for myself when I began this challenge. The ultimate goal was to see a total of 33 Broadway shows in my 1,001 days. I decided early on that it didn't actually have to be one per month, as long as the total was 33 or higher. What I didn't include in the rules was whether or not to count shows that I had seen before. Or, in some cases, multiple times. Technically, I am still going to see a Broadway show. But I don't know that I want it to count. I am adding a sub-counter to #19 for just this reason. I am also adding to my Just For Fun, Off-Broadway count. All good things.
#56 - Do something amazing and unexpected at work
I am pretty sure this counts... I am changing jobs! The unexpected part came when I resigned from my current position. The amazing part is the job that I am going to be taking on, starting in a little over a month. I have to be honest, this was kind of what I had in mind when I created this goal, but I am more excited about my new position than I can put into words. I am going to be taking on a lot of responsibility, and really exploring Irish culture in a way I've never explored it before. I was thrilled to log into the website of my new theater company recently and see that they have an upcoming show by my favorite Irish playwright which begins in just a few weeks. It will be a big change for me, but hopefully a good one.
#68 - Play hooky from work all day and don't feel bad about it.
I won't go into detail about this one. Suffice it to say it was a while ago (before I accepted my new job) and that it was relaxing and delightful. I don't really take much time off from work for sick days and things like that, so this is out of character for me. But I am glad I did. Everyone should take a mental health day, once in a while!
#82 - Go somewhere that's haunted
Andy and I had a delightful visit to Maryland to spend time with my dear friend, Chris. We had a phenomenal weekend, but would expect nothing less than a glorious time when then three of us are together. One of the things Chris planned for us while we were there was a haunted walking your of Annapolis. If you've never been there, it is a wonderful town to just go walk around as it is. It's picturesque and perfect, with old houses, beautiful views of the bay, lots of boats, and buildings that are steeped in history. The Naval Academy is also there, so lots of chivalrous folks who say "good evening" and take off their hats when they go inside anywhere, and hold doors. And somehow manage to stay clean while dressed in head-to-toe white. I don't understand. But that's beside the point. The walking tour was great - not only because if was a gorgeous evening for a walk after the sun set, but because the guide knew all the history of the families that lived in each of the places we stopped. He was great about pointing out things that are old wives' tales, or things that we take for granted. He stopped our tour when a black cat crossed in front of us on the street and told us it was a sign, since we were standing outside one of the "haunted" houses. He made sure that everyone in the group said "bless you" when someone sneezed, since sneezing is a sign that the devil was on your shoulder, which is why you need people to give you their blessings from God to get him off. He took us into the sickroom of the William Paca house, where his daughter died. And then left our tour group in a cemetery in the the middle of town, where there were ginormous spiders that must have been on steroids crawling all over only one of the graves. It was a great time!
And because of these tasks, I have to contribute to...
#27 - Transfer $20 into my savings account for every goal completed from the list
So, here goes another $120 into my savings account. I think this was a smart "reward system" for me to give myself as I checked off goals from my list, since I like to just leave my savings account alone. But being broke makes this more painful than rewarding. Oh well... I am the one who made these rules, right?
There is more to come, I am sure. I feel like I've told myself several times recently that I had something that I wanted to put in my blog, but I figured I would start with just the list.
Let's begin and the beginning of the list, and then go on until we reach the end. And then stop.
#1 - Plan another GODDESS Weekend with the girls
The original GODDESS weekend was an acronym. Something corny that we never really settled on, but it was along the lines of Girls Out Doing Disney Enjoy Silly Situations or Special Seconds... something like that. It was a long weekend trip with me, my mom, and my aunt in Disney World. We managed to hit every park, do everything we wanted to do, and throw ourselves into the biggest laughing fits we could imagine. I consider myself lucky that my Aunt has been one of my closest friends to me since I can remember. My mom was a phenomenal mother when I was growing up, and an even better friend now that I am an adult. The three of us had an amazing time, and it was a break we all needed to relax, unwind, and have an exorbitant amount of fun. In two weeks, I am happy to say that we are taking off again! This time to a cute little town in New Hampshire, along with cousin Donna. I am looking forward to changing leaves, endless laughs, a little R & R, and no tax on alcohol.
#6 - Visit an out-of-state friend or family member that I have never visited before
Andy and I just went on a trip to the lovely state of Maine to visit his (and now, my) Aunt Susan, Uncle Paul, and the one-and-only Grandpa Izzy. We had such a nice visit - relaxing, outlet shopping, visiting Old Orchard Beach, and eating until we were just about ready to explode! It was great to visit without a million other things going on at once, since normally we only get to see this part of the family for weddings, birthdays, or other occasions where there is lots of hustle and bustle. And while those occasions are always a treat, it leaves very little time to sit and talk, which was one of the best things about our trip! Thanks for hosting us, Susan, Paul, and Izzy!
#19 (sort of) - See one Broadway show for every month of this challenge
Perhaps I should have made clearer rules for myself when I began this challenge. The ultimate goal was to see a total of 33 Broadway shows in my 1,001 days. I decided early on that it didn't actually have to be one per month, as long as the total was 33 or higher. What I didn't include in the rules was whether or not to count shows that I had seen before. Or, in some cases, multiple times. Technically, I am still going to see a Broadway show. But I don't know that I want it to count. I am adding a sub-counter to #19 for just this reason. I am also adding to my Just For Fun, Off-Broadway count. All good things.
#56 - Do something amazing and unexpected at work
I am pretty sure this counts... I am changing jobs! The unexpected part came when I resigned from my current position. The amazing part is the job that I am going to be taking on, starting in a little over a month. I have to be honest, this was kind of what I had in mind when I created this goal, but I am more excited about my new position than I can put into words. I am going to be taking on a lot of responsibility, and really exploring Irish culture in a way I've never explored it before. I was thrilled to log into the website of my new theater company recently and see that they have an upcoming show by my favorite Irish playwright which begins in just a few weeks. It will be a big change for me, but hopefully a good one.
#68 - Play hooky from work all day and don't feel bad about it.
I won't go into detail about this one. Suffice it to say it was a while ago (before I accepted my new job) and that it was relaxing and delightful. I don't really take much time off from work for sick days and things like that, so this is out of character for me. But I am glad I did. Everyone should take a mental health day, once in a while!
#82 - Go somewhere that's haunted
Andy and I had a delightful visit to Maryland to spend time with my dear friend, Chris. We had a phenomenal weekend, but would expect nothing less than a glorious time when then three of us are together. One of the things Chris planned for us while we were there was a haunted walking your of Annapolis. If you've never been there, it is a wonderful town to just go walk around as it is. It's picturesque and perfect, with old houses, beautiful views of the bay, lots of boats, and buildings that are steeped in history. The Naval Academy is also there, so lots of chivalrous folks who say "good evening" and take off their hats when they go inside anywhere, and hold doors. And somehow manage to stay clean while dressed in head-to-toe white. I don't understand. But that's beside the point. The walking tour was great - not only because if was a gorgeous evening for a walk after the sun set, but because the guide knew all the history of the families that lived in each of the places we stopped. He was great about pointing out things that are old wives' tales, or things that we take for granted. He stopped our tour when a black cat crossed in front of us on the street and told us it was a sign, since we were standing outside one of the "haunted" houses. He made sure that everyone in the group said "bless you" when someone sneezed, since sneezing is a sign that the devil was on your shoulder, which is why you need people to give you their blessings from God to get him off. He took us into the sickroom of the William Paca house, where his daughter died. And then left our tour group in a cemetery in the the middle of town, where there were ginormous spiders that must have been on steroids crawling all over only one of the graves. It was a great time!
And because of these tasks, I have to contribute to...
#27 - Transfer $20 into my savings account for every goal completed from the list
So, here goes another $120 into my savings account. I think this was a smart "reward system" for me to give myself as I checked off goals from my list, since I like to just leave my savings account alone. But being broke makes this more painful than rewarding. Oh well... I am the one who made these rules, right?
There is more to come, I am sure. I feel like I've told myself several times recently that I had something that I wanted to put in my blog, but I figured I would start with just the list.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
God? Is that you?
I am not sure if this is a testament to the caliber of people who keeps blogs, or if I am looking at signs from a higher power.
Last night, I had a nice little chat with myself about my beliefs, sparred by a little research I was doing. I asked for my husband's opinion, and even caught my dad online for a quick thought about the overall topic. But it was the underlying issue that I was really grappling with. I am not a particularly religious person, but I live by my own sense of morality and righteousness. I don't preach; just as I don't respond well to others preaching to me. I let myself stew in my thoughts until I am inspired one way or another.
Completely unrelated (I think), I was recently having a conversation with a few of my co-workers about blogger and how you can stumble upon basically any blog in the world that's open by hitting the "next blog" button at the top of the screen and just reading whatever page it brings you to. In light of this recently discussion, I decided to try it out. Next blog: something very religious where the words "damned" and "eternity" caught my eye right away. No thank you. Next blog: something that has Jesus right in the title. GAH! Next blog....next blog....next blog....
SEVENTEEN BLOGS IN A ROW ABOUT GOD. Are people who are fulfilled by their religion just really excited to share their beliefs with the world? Or was I supposed to read those blogs to find out the answer to the question of ethics I've been debating?
Last night, I had a nice little chat with myself about my beliefs, sparred by a little research I was doing. I asked for my husband's opinion, and even caught my dad online for a quick thought about the overall topic. But it was the underlying issue that I was really grappling with. I am not a particularly religious person, but I live by my own sense of morality and righteousness. I don't preach; just as I don't respond well to others preaching to me. I let myself stew in my thoughts until I am inspired one way or another.
Completely unrelated (I think), I was recently having a conversation with a few of my co-workers about blogger and how you can stumble upon basically any blog in the world that's open by hitting the "next blog" button at the top of the screen and just reading whatever page it brings you to. In light of this recently discussion, I decided to try it out. Next blog: something very religious where the words "damned" and "eternity" caught my eye right away. No thank you. Next blog: something that has Jesus right in the title. GAH! Next blog....next blog....next blog....
SEVENTEEN BLOGS IN A ROW ABOUT GOD. Are people who are fulfilled by their religion just really excited to share their beliefs with the world? Or was I supposed to read those blogs to find out the answer to the question of ethics I've been debating?
Monday, September 6, 2010
New Goal
I want to be professionally snarky.
It is no secret that I love some pretty trashy reality shows. My DVR is set to record entertaining gems like Bachelor Pad, Project Runway, The Biggest Loser, Rock of Love, Real World/Road Rules Challenges, and basically anything that will have contestants crying in a confessional booth at least once per episode. While some of these are clearly more grounded in actual subject matter (Biggest Loser) than others (Bachelor Pad), there is a special place in my heart for each of them. I eat that stuff up. Heck, I even put on Jersey Shore last night to find out what happened with 'the note'. I love it.
This love is not only shown through my recorded dedication to these programs (side note: I like more substantial shows also... they are just not as much fun to blog about), but also by my READING about the shows afterward. I wish I had more time in my day to do this regularly, but I get a huge kick out of logging into Entertainment Weekly's online blogger reactions to my favorite reality shows, and reading the snarky play-by-play of the week's episode. I can't even tell you how many times I have had the same reaction (if not a worse one) to the nonsense that goes on during these shows! I can't help but think that if I were able to get paid to write my reactions to TV shows, I would be one very happy girl.
This is my new goal. Become a paid, supercilious blogger for ew.com and share my "are they serious?" moments with the world.
It is no secret that I love some pretty trashy reality shows. My DVR is set to record entertaining gems like Bachelor Pad, Project Runway, The Biggest Loser, Rock of Love, Real World/Road Rules Challenges, and basically anything that will have contestants crying in a confessional booth at least once per episode. While some of these are clearly more grounded in actual subject matter (Biggest Loser) than others (Bachelor Pad), there is a special place in my heart for each of them. I eat that stuff up. Heck, I even put on Jersey Shore last night to find out what happened with 'the note'. I love it.
This love is not only shown through my recorded dedication to these programs (side note: I like more substantial shows also... they are just not as much fun to blog about), but also by my READING about the shows afterward. I wish I had more time in my day to do this regularly, but I get a huge kick out of logging into Entertainment Weekly's online blogger reactions to my favorite reality shows, and reading the snarky play-by-play of the week's episode. I can't even tell you how many times I have had the same reaction (if not a worse one) to the nonsense that goes on during these shows! I can't help but think that if I were able to get paid to write my reactions to TV shows, I would be one very happy girl.
This is my new goal. Become a paid, supercilious blogger for ew.com and share my "are they serious?" moments with the world.
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