Yup.
I still haven't seen my actual offer letter despite the fact that they have managed to send me all my other new hire paperwork, but...EMPLOYMENT!
I'm a little excited and a little nervous and mostly, drooling at the thought of getting a paycheck and being able to a) put money towards my student loans, b) stop panicking any time I spend any money, c) MOVE BACK INTO THE CITY.
Though I'm going to hold off on that last one probably until early-ish 2011. Gotta see how much money I actually end up taking home after taxes before I can make a decision as to where I'm financially able to live.
Even though this wasn't the kind of job I thought I would end up in, I'm still pretty pumped that someone actually wanted to hire me.
Plus, my favorite day of the year, my annual double birthday extravaganza party that I share with my wifer (5th year running!) is in TWO DAYS.
Win!
Some suburban awfulness for you
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Labels:
Our country has problems,
Puppies
I've noticed recently that 2 of my neighbors display the following sign in their yards:
One sign looks just like this one, the other says "NO POOPING!" instead of just the "NO." As if, you know, the little piece of crap hanging out of this dog's ass isn't enough for you to get what the sign is going for.
Look, I get it. My parents live in the suburbs and with the suburbs come a LOT of dogs, and with dogs come the occasional inconsiderate owner who doesn't pick up afterwards. But this, my friends, is capital T Tacky.
Dear neighbors: when people drive or walk by your house, instead of seeing a nice house and a manicured lawn (which may or may not have dog poop in it, I guess), they are going to see this sign. And nothing else. They will pay no attention to what your property looks like because all they can look at is this dog sign and the ACTUAL POOP COMING OUT OF ITS BUTT.
That is all.
One sign looks just like this one, the other says "NO POOPING!" instead of just the "NO." As if, you know, the little piece of crap hanging out of this dog's ass isn't enough for you to get what the sign is going for.
Look, I get it. My parents live in the suburbs and with the suburbs come a LOT of dogs, and with dogs come the occasional inconsiderate owner who doesn't pick up afterwards. But this, my friends, is capital T Tacky.
Dear neighbors: when people drive or walk by your house, instead of seeing a nice house and a manicured lawn (which may or may not have dog poop in it, I guess), they are going to see this sign. And nothing else. They will pay no attention to what your property looks like because all they can look at is this dog sign and the ACTUAL POOP COMING OUT OF ITS BUTT.
That is all.
No, I will not donate to your marathon
Friday, October 8, 2010
Labels:
Arielle's least favorite things,
Gym time
This morning I was having a lovely gchat with my friend Anny. We were discussing an issue that I'm certain most if not all of you have come across at least once since you graduated college.
That issue, my friends, is being asked to donate to someone's marathon.
While I certainly support charitable giving, and I support my friends in pursuing their interests, there are a few things about being asked to donate to a road race that really annoy me.
1. There is no real relationship between running and charity. People run marathons because they like running and want to set some kind of personal goal for themselves, and to get the bragging rights that come with having completed a marathon. No one goes, "Hey, I want to raise money for charity, what's the most efficient way for me to do that? Oh I know! I'll train for months and months to run a long race and raise a few thousand dollars along the way." If they did think that, they'd be morons because running a race is far from the most efficient way of raising money. I put this reason in bold because this one is always in my head even while considering the other reasons.
1a. I would rather give my money to someone who I know is wholly committed to their cause as opposed to partially committed to their cause and partially committed to running a race. For example, to an awesome friend who puts a ton of time and effort into maintaining the non-profit that she started (though I haven't donated to that charity either recently, sorry P! Ha).
2. Not giving money to a friend or coworker's marathon makes you look like a jerk even if you really don't have the money to donate.
2a. People running marathons will always have a few friends who willingly part with $50. As Anny pointed out, $50 is a lot of money for some people, but sometimes those people would in theory be okay shelling out $1, $5 or $10. However, going to someone's donation page and seeing that everyone else is giving the big bucks might make some people balk at the thought of giving a significantly lower amount because, yet again, they'll seem like a jerk. I know that I'd rather give zero than give $1 for fear of having people see my donation and think, "Why did she even bother?" This is terrible because when charity is concerned, every dollar counts (right?).
3. Personally, I make a point of giving to charitable causes when I'm able to do so and in ways in which I feel comfortable. I gave money to my alma mater this year (undergrad, not grad school - they will never see a dime of mine) even though I'm not exactly financially stable right now; it was something I wanted to do at the time. Just because I sometimes have charitable tendencies does not mean I want to donate to your cause of choice at the moment. If we all gave money every time we were asked to do so, we'd all be broke. You have to pick and choose.
4. Running marathons isn't exactly great for your health. Yes, I know that runners are sort of by definition in shape, but marathoning is really hard on your body in more ways than one (or five). If I emailed my peeps and asked for money because I wanted to undertake an endeavor where I drank a shot for every year old I am (26!), no one would do it. But just as sure as I would end up in the hospital long before I reached my 26 shots, some marathoner running in NYC next month is going to end up there too.
I'm wondering if there are other people out there who secretly (or not so secretly) resent being asked to donate to road races (but, I might add, still sometimes do it anyway).
That issue, my friends, is being asked to donate to someone's marathon.
While I certainly support charitable giving, and I support my friends in pursuing their interests, there are a few things about being asked to donate to a road race that really annoy me.
1. There is no real relationship between running and charity. People run marathons because they like running and want to set some kind of personal goal for themselves, and to get the bragging rights that come with having completed a marathon. No one goes, "Hey, I want to raise money for charity, what's the most efficient way for me to do that? Oh I know! I'll train for months and months to run a long race and raise a few thousand dollars along the way." If they did think that, they'd be morons because running a race is far from the most efficient way of raising money. I put this reason in bold because this one is always in my head even while considering the other reasons.
1a. I would rather give my money to someone who I know is wholly committed to their cause as opposed to partially committed to their cause and partially committed to running a race. For example, to an awesome friend who puts a ton of time and effort into maintaining the non-profit that she started (though I haven't donated to that charity either recently, sorry P! Ha).
2. Not giving money to a friend or coworker's marathon makes you look like a jerk even if you really don't have the money to donate.
2a. People running marathons will always have a few friends who willingly part with $50. As Anny pointed out, $50 is a lot of money for some people, but sometimes those people would in theory be okay shelling out $1, $5 or $10. However, going to someone's donation page and seeing that everyone else is giving the big bucks might make some people balk at the thought of giving a significantly lower amount because, yet again, they'll seem like a jerk. I know that I'd rather give zero than give $1 for fear of having people see my donation and think, "Why did she even bother?" This is terrible because when charity is concerned, every dollar counts (right?).
3. Personally, I make a point of giving to charitable causes when I'm able to do so and in ways in which I feel comfortable. I gave money to my alma mater this year (undergrad, not grad school - they will never see a dime of mine) even though I'm not exactly financially stable right now; it was something I wanted to do at the time. Just because I sometimes have charitable tendencies does not mean I want to donate to your cause of choice at the moment. If we all gave money every time we were asked to do so, we'd all be broke. You have to pick and choose.
4. Running marathons isn't exactly great for your health. Yes, I know that runners are sort of by definition in shape, but marathoning is really hard on your body in more ways than one (or five). If I emailed my peeps and asked for money because I wanted to undertake an endeavor where I drank a shot for every year old I am (26!), no one would do it. But just as sure as I would end up in the hospital long before I reached my 26 shots, some marathoner running in NYC next month is going to end up there too.
I'm wondering if there are other people out there who secretly (or not so secretly) resent being asked to donate to road races (but, I might add, still sometimes do it anyway).