holy crap, check it out!

So what, it's been six months, cry about it :P Ok, in all honesty I've been busy and I'm a procrastinator. Let's see now, shall we?

I still work at the biotech in downtown Seattle. It's still fabulous and I'm coming up on my one-year anniversary on January 25th. Pretty awesome. Regarding other things in my last post: my mother's second surgery went beautifully. She recovered much more quickly the second time around and is doing very well. It is weird to read my last post because I wrote that my grandfather was doing well and was going home soon. Less than one week after I wrote that he passed away. It was very sad and somewhat shocking, yet not exactly unexpected. His service was absolutely wonderful and he will be greatly missed.

And the career clusterf**k continues. A few months ago I decided to scrap the law school plan. After much research, speaking with different attorneys and those who didn't get all the way through law school, I decided against it. To me, the risk is much too big. I'd rather not complete one year, discover that I hate it and get stuck paying down a loan for 20 years (someone I spoke to did this). After making this decision I was convinced that I'd become a complete flake. I was convinced that I would never get out of the house I was living so I made a different type of goal. I decided that I wanted to buy a condo :) I am happy to report that on October 25th I moved into my very own condo! See pictures of my place below. I LOVE it!! It also feels good to have actually followed through with something. Let's hope this starts the ball rolling again on actually doing what I say I'm going to do!

Now that I'm all settled in to my cozy little (uh, very little) apartment, I'm going to start a program at UW. It's called the Editing Certificate Program. It's a one-year program all about how to become a copy editor. It's on Saturdays and online. I figured, I love reading, why not get paid to do it? Even if I don't pursue a direct position as an editor or even a proofreader, it will give me another skill to stick on the old resume and will help me in my work at the biotech. Good times.

a fun trip and a new goal.

This past weekend my dear friend Melissa and I took an overnight trip to Vancouver, BC. It was a lovely drive up in spite of getting ever-so-slightly lost for a short time. This trip was to be her last girls' night out before getting married in August. We had a great time. We went to a blues club which suggested by the taxi driver when we arrived Friday night (may have consumed a few too many) and played some pool until the bar closed. The next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed and drove a bit further north to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. What a spectacular sight it was. Absolutely breathtaking. We traversed the bridge which suspends across the river at quite a length and height (not for the faint of heart). Later we walked among the tree tops and along the cliffs on a plethora of wooden bridges (all more rigid than the former).

On top of it all, the weather was remarkably beautiful. We could not have asked for a better evening and day. The photos do not do it justice.

On anothere note, working at the Biotech has really been and continues to be beyond great. I learn an enormous amount each day and am able to live life in a style other than that of a student. I get to take days off and get paid for them, I get to read whatever books I want and I can drop everything if I want and fly places. I've worked there for just over 6 months, have paid off almost all of my debt, and not a day has gone by where I haven't thought about what my next move will be. I enjoy my position, however I don't intend on being an assistant for the long haul.

It finally dawned on me the other day, what I should do. At first I thought I had sniffed too much sharpie, then the idea has become less crazy as the days go by. I've decided that I would like apply to law school. I'm rather sure I'm writing about it prematurely, however I'm excited because this is the first time I've been ready to really get the show on the road. Every other thing I've thought about doing (besides nursing) has been simply a notion, not a reality. I plan to start an LSAT prep course in August and take the LSAT in October. I hope to do well on the exam (well, who doesn't) considering my less than phenomenal GPA.

An update: My mother is still doing very well. She had her first post-op CT scan last and everything looks great. They've decided to do her next surgery sooner than we thought (for no reason in particular). She will go in for the next on August 18th. I'm not sure what to think. She is glad she's able to get it over and done with sooner, as am I. Also, my grandfather bounced back a bit. He's still in the nursing home however, will be going home soon.

We'll see what happens. I've got a superb support system between work and home with regard to fun, school, and surgery. I'll keep you "posted".

when life gives you lemons...climb a rock.

Hello all. It's been far too long. March was lovely (I turned 24--my goodness), April was sweet (I visited my nephew in Phoenix after all), and May has been a test. First, the fun stuff.

I've taken up climbing again, the activity I put aside once I moved to Bellingham. Spencer and I climb in the climbing gym a couple times a week and I went with he and some friends on my first outdoor trip on Memorial Day weekend to Vantage, WA. That was the most fun I've had in a very long time (and probably ever on a camping trip). We climbed for 3 days straight. It was a great way to test the limits of my body--I found that I've got much more stamina than I thought!

The not-so-fun stuff has been pretty terrible. I'm glad I've got climbing to keep me distracted. Many months ago we found out that my mom had a brain aneurysm. She had a procedure to help prevent the aneurysm from causing a stroke (it's called embolization of a cerebral aneurysm--hers is on her ophthalmic carotid artery). The procedure went well and she has recovered. Although, when the did the procedure, they found that she has two additional aneurysms. She will be going in for the same procedure in 6 months to fix another (the third is too small to fix). The frosting on the cake, though, is that my grandfather (yes, my mother's father) isn't doing very well right now--failing more like. He must go into a nursing home, which is heartbreaking because this is the antithesis of the essence of him. He's the lone horseman with an art gallery in his barn.

I know that these things happen and life cannot be fantastic all the time. Everyone has to traipse through the mud at some point. Gratitude and a positive attitude are where it's at though. Keep going forward!!

passion or apathy?

I've been having a nagging thought lately. Are people happier or more satisfied having a passionate outlook on life or an apathetic one? This is almost certainly an unanswerable question, although no less intriguing to me.

As a teenager I worried about a plethora of things under many subheadings. Believe it or not, one of the things that I worried about most, aside from boys and brain tumors, was not being truly passionate about anything. I liked the idea of many things, however couldn't justify putting all of my energy into full-on devotion. I envied the hippies and the evangelicals. They had these sets of beliefs and as far as I could see, they stuck to them and did not waiver. I now see things a bit differently.

As an adult I've come to the conclusion that it really is ok to not be absolutely devoted to one set of beliefs. In my eyes I think it may actually be better to not. There is a smaller chance for one to become close-minded or short-sighted due to these beliefs that may become irrelevant or stale for one reason or another.

So, now that I've decided that I can live without being "devout" anything, I wonder if it'd be even better if I were simply apathetic to things. Would it be better to not worry about anything and leave the tough stuff, like politics and religion and disease, to people who care? Should I simply live my life and not worry about anything or anyone but myself and do only what makes me happy? I've given considerable thought to this. After all, being passionate about things can be quite exhausting. I then thought about how unsatisfying life would be if I just sat back and didn't care about anything. Yuck.

I suppose when all is said and analyzed, I would consider myself to be on some sort of middle ground. I am passionate about some things. However I will never, EVER try and jam my belief down anyone's throat, or any other open space on or in the body. I also think apathy has it's place for the things I know nothing about - and don't think will really matter in the long run.

All-in-all, I think completely one way (apathetic about everything or wacko passionate) is not beneficial. I think to be well-rounded with equal amounts of passion and apathy is the most satisfying - and effective for that matter! Don't be afraid to change our mind - I promise it doesn't mean you were lying before - you may have just gotten some new facts and reassessed the situation...

time to write again

There's never a shortage of things to write about however, for some reason I seem to take hiatuses -or are they hiati? I cannot say I've been too busy to write, only unmotivated.

I was offered the position as Executive Assistant to the VP of Research and the VP of Pharmaceutical Operations at the Biotech. After 9 days of working as a temporary employee, they decided to give me the option. It's a good position, with great benefits and a hell of a view. It's not a job that I'd like to do forever, but it is one that allows for invaluable connections.

Lately I've been catching up with some friends from the past. On Thursday night I spent time with a friend from middle school. I hadn't had any contact with her for 10 years [see picture below]. Online social networking is unquestionably an extraordinary tool for finding people from one's past. I don't know why I'm often so negative about it. As long as you don't let it control your life, I think it's a great tool.

Ok, maybe "control your life" is too dramatic a phrase. However, I know that many more people carry around cameras than before. The cause is undoubtedly questionable: is it because cameras are cheaper and more people have them? Or is it because people want to capture more of their lives so they can upload it onto myspace or facebook? Hmmm. Weird question. I suppose it really doesn't matter either way. Get down wit' cha pictchas if ya please!

I've had some awe-inspiring thoughts lately (unlike the one just shared). I just can't think of them right now.

ok, a little much

I started today at Omeros. This going to be a great job. I feel like it's the perfect fit for me at this point. A bit more responsibility, a bit more money, and I get to use some things I learned in college!

However ... I dropped my class :(

I think I got a tiny bit ahead of myself with that one. I think once I am comfortable in this new position, I will then be able to start taking classes. Until then though, I'm going to give everything I've got to this new job. It'll be worth it for the references at the very least ;)

a short update and change of plan

Starting tomorrow I will be training for the position of Executive Assistant to the Vice Presidents of Research for a Biotech company in Seattle. Wahoo! I also started taking an Anatomy class last Thursday at North Seattle Community College. It's very interesting, but WOW, I've got alot to learn. I've also decided not to partake in the Master's Entry Program in Nursing at UW. I went to an information session last week and learned that it would not really be to my benefit. It's incredibly expensive and incredibly intense. I'm not in that big of a rush to start nursing, so I've decided to apply for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at UW instead. It'll still be tough, but not insane like the MEPN.

My life in a nutshell at this point :)

I should start meditating...or smoking...one of those. :P