Four Tens, instead of Five Eights?

Today I barely survived a  deathly boring 8 hours of Orientation, and “traditions”, and policies, and procedures, and safety, and Core values, and ahhhhhh. We were stuck in one room for breakfast, four hours of presentations, lunch, and four more hours of presentations. Oh, and it wasn’t air conditioned. Oh, AND we are in the desert. It was really fun. Really. It was.

No it wasn’t.

I was actually not a pleasant person at 4 o’clock when it was over. Not. at. all. The only interesting pieces of information presented to me were pictures of the brand new section of the hospital (whoa, gorgeous! nice work architects and construction-people! Kudos to you.). And some good stories here and there of how the oh-so-wonderful staff have used the Core Values to make some magic happen. In all honesty, good stories.

Anyway. It’s over and I made it. I was one of two summer interns, and we were among about 15 other people there who were “permanent hires”. They tried to tell us that we had to come back to the same room tomorrow at 9 a.m. to fill out paper work and I almost had to get violent. Noooo way. Turns out, we the “interns” actually didn’t need to come back, but need to report to our departments tomorrow at 8 a.m. Whew, close call.

So, when I got home I called my department to get some details. Well turns out that they were wrong too. Instead, I have to be there at SEVEN a.m. Ehhhhh. That’s very early. Oh, and I work until 5:30. And my response (inside my head, obviously. No need to freak out via phone call…) was….umm…whaaaat?!

I happily professionally responded “Oh, OK. Yah! That’s fine!” Then was told that I could wear scrubs, which honestly makes everything better. Because who doesn’t want to wear scrubs?! It’s like getting to wear comfortable pajamas with sneakers to work every day. And while I do like looking snazzy in cute “business casual”, nobody can pass up the opportunity to wear comfy scrubs. Seriously. Awesome.

I had to ask….”So, will my schedule be 7-5:30 every day?”. Here’s what I got…

“Oh, no. On Thursday you’ll come in from 9-7:30.”

Okay, I see. 10 hour days it is then. And apparently on Thursdays I get to sleep in until about 7:30 like a normal person. Oh, and I get to wear scrubs! (trying to focus on positive things here….)

At first I wasn’t excited about the 10-hr day starting at seven in the morning. So…four ten hour days, instead of five eights….

Then, the more I thought about it, the more I like the idea of three day weekends, every weekend. And a week that only consists of four days. I think I can handle this.

At least I’ll be able to catch “What Not to Wear” once a week, right?  And lay on the deck in the afternoon reading (and sipping on tasty drinks) for three whole afternoons every weekend. Alright, at least I have time for my priorities.

Day 1 on the Job

I spent about two hours today doing paperwork, giving fingerprints and blood (MMR test), and getting a TB skin test (ewwww). Luckily the little bubble went away, and I’m hoping that means I do Not have TB. But thanks for checking hospital-people.

I’m a little scared to actually be working in a hospital for the first time. I know it has to happen eventually, but it’s weeeird. I’ll be around sick people, all the time. Some really sick people, some healing people, some little people, some old people. That’s a lot of people. At least I’ll be delivering them food, so they’ll (hopefully) be happy to see me when I waltz into their room unannounced on a daily basis.

I realized something today–every job I’ve ever had has been for a decided period of time. Does that sound weird? I mean, I’ve always known when it will end. All my jobs have been one of three things–a summer job, an internship, or a school-job (only lasting until graduation). The longest I’ve ever been at one job is two years, and that was at the library. When they hired me (right before our Junior year) I remember them asking what year I was….and then saying “Oh good! We’ll have you for about two years…”….and I had a little mini panic attack in my head. Two YEARS?! That seemed sooo long to me at the time.

Here I am, yet again, starting a ’summer’ job. There’s a clear start, with an end in sight. I know there’s not much I can do about this. I do have to start ’school’ again in the Fall, and that’s just how it is. I just wonder….when I have to go out, and get that Real job, what will happen inside my head? Will the idea of no time-line–of the job being “indefinite”–cause mini-panic attacks over and over? Will I get restless?

I know (or..umm….I hope!) I’m not the only graduate who feels this way.

And until I actually have to face this, I’m going head first into Job #1 post-college. Wish me luck!

Traveling with Owen

I put my bag over-head and plopped down in my coveted aisle seat. Yet despite my position, I found myself sandwiched. Mom & baby by the window, man with a cat across the aisle. And I’m thinkin…hmmm, this could be a loooong four hour flight….

As we took off, the cat took her position under the seat in her little cat-carrier (that thing better be comfortable, because awww pooor kitty!). We didn’t hear from her for the rest of the flight. Impressive.

What’s more impressive? Owen didn’t cry once, not once!, the whoooole flight.

Who’s Owen? The 14-month old traveling in the window seat next to me. Actually, traveling in his mom’s lap & the middle seat & the floor between me and his mom. All the while plotting an escape under my legs and into the rest of the plane-world. Sorry Owen, not gonna happen.

But seriously? Barely over a year old, and probably a better traveler than half of the adult-people on the flight. He was perfectly content with his “Count the ladybugs” and “Dino puzzles” books, and his race car, and my iPod headphones, and pushing the on/off button for the overhead light, and repeatedly handing me the seatback magazines (always curious to see the new(?) things in the Skymall, right? ehhh) so that he could take them out and put them back in.

So.freaking.Cuuuute.

He had staring contests with me and he was relentless. Those big baby blue eyes did not blink once. Not once! Nice work little man.

Before we took off I was mentally preparing myself for a few screams, some tantrums, some ewwww smells from the diaper, etc. I was not expecting the little guy to make my flight much more entertaining. I also wasn’t expecting him to stick my headphones in his mouth, but we had to compromise.

One more trip

Today marks the last leg of the journey. I am finally headed to the airport to go home. 

The last 2+ weeks have been spent doing a lot of moving, packing, unpacking, traveling, etc. I hate (hate!) living out of a suitcase, so I make sure to get everything out and get “settled” wherever I am.  

I’ve gone from PA–>FL–>Jack–>back to PA, and now I’m headed across the country to the Southwest. Gah. It already feels like it’s been at least a month (instead of only 2 weeks) since graduation, and moving and all that jazz. Makes me wonder how “old” I’ll feel next Fall when I make my first trip back for a football weekend. Ehhhh. 

 

On another note, I’ll be spending approximately 3 hours in the Chicago airport today.  I don’t really mind lay-overs, mostly because big airports have a lot of places to explore and weird people to watch.  As long as I can resist spending ridiculous amounts of money on a snack or a magazine, I’m good to go. 

Today I’ll be looking for a Sports bar, so I can sit down, have a drink and possibly watch my cousin on ESPN. Why would my cousin (13-yrs old) be on ESPN? Well, well. Interesting story. He’s in the semi-finals for the National Spelling Bee for the, ummm, 4th? year in a row. Every year the finals are televised Live by ESPN, and every year I am baffled by this. Are people really spending their afternoons watching this? Is there honestly nothing more exciting that could be covered by a Sports Network? Apparently not. And I’ll be that person, actually watching the Spelling Bee. Oh man. 

Oh yah, and it’s Friday? I feel out of the loop. Buuut I do know about one thing- Sex & the Cityyyy!

Happy weekend!!!

 

I will always want Ruby Red slippers

And are they really slippers? I think they are ruby-red pumps, and Dorothy was just a little ahead of her time..

Last night Jack & I watched “The Wizard of Oz”.  It was one of my favorite movies growing up, and my halloween-turned-dress up costume for yearssss. The dress came fully equipped with those famous slippers and a basket that perfectly fit my mini-Toto.  Seriously, it was fashionable. I even had arm-candy to trick-or-treat with; my mom’s best friend’s daughter (10 years older) went as Glenda the (good) witch of the North. Good times.

It’s amazing what I still remember from the long lost days of watching that movie every single morning. I know the lyrics to (almost) all the songs, and will gladly give you the sing-along experience.  I remember the munchkins popping out of the eggs and walking out of the hut doors that even they had to duck to go through (um, weird).  I remember the poisonous poppy plants and the snow that woke Dorothy, and I remember the “horse of a different color” along with the classy Salon that pampered the famous four-some. I still get creeped out by the flying “monkeys” and the guards wearing two-ft tall furry hats with the deaths spears.  I still love the opening scene where they are on the farm, and the closing scene where you realize that her friends from Kansas made up the characters in Oz.  And I still want my own pair of Ruby-Red slippers. 

What do I not remember? Surprisingly, quite a few things. I don’t remember her friends (”Hunk”, “Zeke” and “Hickory”) talking about things in the first scene that will define their characters in the world of Oz.  For example–Hunk is the Scarecrow in her dream, the guy who wants his own brain. While Dorothy is complaining about the neighbor disliking her little dog, he says (something along the lines of) “If you had a brain, you would just avoid her house on your way home”.  Ooh, so clever. 

I guess as a 5 year old you don’t pick up on little clues like that, you are much more concerned with that evil witch and the fact that Glenda keeps showing up in a bubble. And learning the words to all the songs so you can make your little sister play along while you get to be Dorothy (of course) and she will play all the other characters to even things out.  

Back to Reality

Vacation time is over.

A get-away week with the fam in FL was much needed, not so relaxing…because Disney could never be “relaxing” (too much to do!!!)….but veryyyy fun. 

And now it’s back to reality-and out of that ‘magical’ world.

I flew back to PA today into some beautiful 70º sunshine. Em did her lovely thing where she picks me up from the airport, because she’s awesome. We proceeded to completely unload my car and all my crap stuff down into her basement, which is my make-shift storage for the summer.  I really can’t believe all the things one person can accumulate in four years. Whoa. 

Tomorrow morning I’ll be braving the Memorial Day traffic and visiting Jack for the week. Then it’s allll the way back to the desert to work and be home and save some $$$ until August. 

Reality-this is the last “summer” break I’ll have. Scarryyy. Hopefully I take advantage of it and actually stop and take it in every once in a while.  I know I’ll be busy working, and it will go by fast, but in the meantime I hope that I also have some of these things here & there….

E.P.C.O.T

Epcot is one of the four parks that make up “Walt Disney World” in Florida. Here’s a little history for ya….

It actually stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. As usual, Mr. Disney (aka Walt) had quite the vision in mind.  He wanted the property to be circular (huuuge), and split right down the middle. One half of the park would consist of an actual community, while the other would consist of facilities used for research to further our knowledge and use of technology.  He literally wanted the community to be in the know, and moving forward.

The final plans for the park turned out quite differently.  Clearly it is not actually populated, and therefore not an actual “community”.  However, it is still split into two very different themes; Future World, and the World Showcase. Half of the park revolves around things happening now, emerging technology, and things that have yet to happen (i.e. a trip to Mars, via the ride “Mission:Space”).  The other half is just what it sounds like-a world showcase.  Set around a circular lake, there are 12 different areas that represent 12 different countries/regions from all over the world. Walking around, you start in on one side in Mexico (where the food is aaaawesome, take it from somebody who knows!!) and end on the other side in Canada.  In between, you walk through Norway, China, Africa, Germany, Italy, America, Japan, Morocco, France and England.  It’s quite an experience.

So today, I traveled “the world” and saw the “future”.  We had some delicious Mexican food, indulged in some fudge from Germany, ate dinner on the Boardwalk, had drinks in Morocco and France, and ended the night with the amazing fireworks show “Illuminations”.

Packed between dinner and drinks and fireworks we did some serious people watching. Partly because we were exhausted from the day, but partly because in a crowded park…it’s hard to resist. Let me tell you, some interesting things are witnessed at these parks. Three little girls spent about half an hour in a condensed area playing “hide and seek”, and driving their parents craazzyyyy while they were trying to enjoy some frozen margaritas.  A little boy was on one of those oh,so-attractive leashes disguised as a stuffed-animal-backpack (I don’t think that fools the kid….) and he walked in circles tangling himself up. Very entertaining. Then he jumped around while his dad (and the leash) tried to keep up. Another group of, um, elderlies….had a motorized-wheelchair train going. Yes, a train. They were literally stacked one behind the other, with a walker sandwiched in the middle. We may have laughed out loud as they passed, ehhhh.

Next stop-my faaaavorite….the Magic Kingdom.

A day in Hollywood Studios, FL

Day 1 in Florida has been spent exploring Disney’s “Hollywood Studios”. This particular park seems to be geared towards the older audience, which is probably why it’s my second favorite.

The best rides are the “Rock’n Roller Coaster” (aerosmith themed, sweeeet), and the “Tower of Terror”.  And they are right next to each other, which means less walking and more awesome-ness.

It wasn’t too hot, it didn’t rain, and we hit up all the good stuff in the park. The night was capped off with my faaaavorite night-time show at Disney, Fantasmic. I seriously cannot get enough of this show. As soon as the music starts I am completely content and watch it with the enthusiasm of a five year old. Good stuff.

This is me, displaying (but not thinking about) how I am clearly a college graduate. Because they wear Mickey ears and enjoy it. Right? Right.

This is the group (”kids”) waiting for the show to start. Post-ice cream. Which means we are happy.

I guess I’m an… alumn?

This is weird.

I walked across the stage, and shook a lot of hands.

I picked up my diploma, and thought about all the classes I took to get it.

I came back to an apartment full of families, food, and people relaxing.

I went out to dinner one last time in Stage College.

I packed up my room, and looked back at an empty space.

I said my ‘good byes’, and even thinking about that now makes me want to cry.

I drove out of town, and realized I don’t know when I’ll be back.

At our ceremony they said “Welcome to the Penn State Alumni Association”. That doesn’t sound right yet, but I guess I’m an “alumn”. And now I’m part of one of “the most powerful networks of college graduates”. Thanks, Penn State.

Now I’m en route to Florida for a family vacation.  We love us some “Disneyworld”, and I am pretty exciiited. I hope it helps to block out this whole “graduation” thing, because reality hasn’t hit, and I don’t want it to. So instead, I’ll spend my week at the Happiest place on Earth, having a Magical time.

Senior Year: Part 1

I got a little taste of what this year would be like over the summer. I finally turned 21, and began introducing myself to the bar scene that is downtown. I couldn’t wait for my best buddies (aka roomies) to be back so we could hit the town together.

We started off strong, the football season was looking gooood after a victory over Notre Dame in the first ever FULL stadium White Out. It was beeeautiful. Em & I even bought ourselves a Jersey for the occasion.

Ohio State may have beat us, but the experience wasn’t lost.  The whole day was spent at the Hanson’s tailgate–eating, warming up, drinking, eating, and preparing ourselves for the game. It was the first and only Late night game I went to in Beaver Stadium, and it was quite the experience. This is my favorite picture of all of us.

For most of the 07′ Season we enjoyed some gorgeous game-day weather, tailgating, and some Wins here & there. It took us to the Alamo Bowl in December, which I got to enjoy with the fam in San Antonio.  The last game we attended in Beaver Stadium as Students was sad, we sat until the very end and savored the experience.  I can’t say I’ll miss standing up for four hours every game, but I will miss being a part of the BEST Student Section in the Country (yea, that’s right.).  “We ARE……PENN STATE!”

Football weekends were crazy as usual; we quickly learned you can’t move (or breathe) in most bars unless you get downtown earlyyyy and mark your spot. On the off weekends, we explored the different bars, found a lot we liked and a few that we didn’t.  I introduced Larisa to “Lulu’s”, and she was never the same. We spent every Saturday there, with DJ Killa Kaos and $1 drinks.

My parents came to visit, I said good-bye to friends who graduated early, and I narrowed my options down to the internships I wanted to apply to. Last fall seems like so long ago already. It went by way too fast, and before we knew it there was snow on the ground and we were studying away for Finals.  We had our “Second Annual Classy Christmas Party”, and after learning from a few mistakes on the first round, it was no doubt a success. We celebrated the fact that we survived, and still had one more semester to go…..