I was sitting at my desk this morning listening to Adele and it sparked several realizations. Notes contained after points listed.
1. Amy Winehouse is dead and death is very real.
2. The radio ruins perfectly good music, but that does not mean that you cannot revive it later in life.
3. I live in three current states of self: past self, current self, future self.
1. In late April, 2011 I sat in a small café in Barcelona with my friends Alex, Jess, and Drew. We had just walked to see the Segrada Familia and some of Gaudi's other work in the city. We spoke to the waitress of the café who may also have been the owner. I perused the menu to ensure my selection was meat acceptable and mayonnaise free. I don't particularly remember the food but I remember the colorful walls and the friendly service, but mostly I remember the music.
I heard Adele's Rolling in the Deep for the first time while I sat in this café. I did not know who Adele was at this point, so I sat there and tried to figure out who was singing these words. I believe at that time that my best guess was Amy Winehouse. In retrospect, this was obviously quite far off, but not so far, I suppose. Either way- Amy Winehouse died less than 3 months later, July 23, 2011.
I doesn't matter that Adele sang Rolling in the Deep or that Amy Winehouse didn't but that three years ago I sat there listening to and wondering about this song. I didn't know Amy Winehouse but I do know a lot of people and they are all the same (most of them without the substance abuse issue).
One day some song or place or smell is going to remind you of someone you know. It may be your best friend or someone that you met briefly at one point in your life. You may think of them in passing and then three months later they may be dead. This sounds morbid but I mean it in the most inspiring way. Think of them while they are living. Reach out to them and love them.
They say life is short, but it is the longest thing that we do. Your life may be longer or shorter than others that you know. Do not take it for granted. Appreciate and love those that you want to love.
2. Rolling in the Deep was one of the most popular and therefore overplayed songs on the radio in 2011 and 2012 which had probably caused me to resent it. This reminds me of a time in 8th grade when one classmate pointed out how annoying one of our other classmates was. After classmate 1 made this comment I too started to think classmate 2 was obnoxious. I was young and impressionable at the time and maybe I had always thought 2 was a annoying, but never were these thought present until another brought them to the surface.
The radio and this 13 year old guy both made me dislike something or someone that I may very well have enjoyed, both by praise and condescension.
This has brought to light the effect that our environment has on my outlook and opinions. These are less easily swayed than when I was 13 but it is a reminder not to let the beauty or greatness slip through the cracks based off of the values that others bestow upon it.
I have listened to Rolling in the Deep about 7 times this morning and have enjoyed every play.
3. On July first I was talked to my dad and told him that 6 months ago I was sailing around BVI on the yacht week and commented "RIP past happy self". That does not necessarily mean that my current self is not happy or that my future self won't be happy, but I feel now that 6 months ago I felt a different self. Now I am trying to delineate these "selves" and analyze their revolution. Right now I think I can label that as traveling (work-wise) self opposed to lives and works in Houston self.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
CHAMPAGNE AND SUNSHINE
I've been doing some reflecting lately. I've been looking in mirrors and I've been looking into my soul.
All of this so called "reflection" or probably what normal people do to process their daily lives, has lead me to the conclusion that I am very lucky in life in many aspects, and though I do not think that I take this for granted, I am certainly not appreciative enough.
It does not matter if you are walking at a snails pace or traveling at 100 MPH. After 60 minutes, an hour has passed regardless.
I last posted on December 27, 2012. I was a young, hopeful, 22 year old soul.
It is now June 20, 2013. Nearly half of a year has gone by and what have I been doing? I have probably been configuring some SAP solutions, I have probably liked some things on Instagram and I have probably traveled at many different speeds within one hour.
I am a slightly older, yet still young, and ever hopeful 23 year old soul. Recent events have lead to what I would call soul searching.
I have discovered an overwhelming and paradoxically balancing amount of maturity and immaturity in myself lately. In reality I drive a Honda Civic, live in an apartment and go work a desk job. In my mind I live in a world of champagne and diamonds, yachting around the south of France. While most people day dream, it is easy for them to make a clear distinction between their day and their delusion. My problem is the weekends and the time I take off of work. They pseudo bridge the gap between my mindset and my life, and this makes it all the more confusing.
During my recent reflections I have also been assessing my life "problems" but my problem is that I don't really have any. This is stupid but my problems really are the epitome of first world problems. When my biggest decision is summer 2014: Yacht Week Croatia or backpacking SE Asia or visiting South America, it is hard to consider that a problem. I am not naïve. I am not uninformed. I am not unaware. I have just not had to deal with many things in life. This has probably left be quite ill-equipped to deal with life. My actual (and real) biggest problem, is that I probably won't know how to deal with any big problem in my life when it strikes.
Pursuant to conversations on recent reflection, I started to feel weird or bad or something about having not had hardships. Someone told me that I should not feel this way. In my mind the only way to live in reality is to process the hardships of the real world. But should I expose myself to darkness if it isn't necessary?
To sum up all of this nonsense--I think to myself "life is champagne and sunshine" and then I later reflect that life may just sometimes be sparkling water and overcast skies. If I want it to be, life CAN be champagne and sunshine. I think it is just important to know that sometimes you may not have cold bottle ready to pop and sometimes you may have to bring a rain coat.
It does not matter if you are walking at a snails pace or traveling at 100 MPH. After 60 minutes, an hour has passed regardless.
I last posted on December 27, 2012. I was a young, hopeful, 22 year old soul.
It is now June 20, 2013. Nearly half of a year has gone by and what have I been doing? I have probably been configuring some SAP solutions, I have probably liked some things on Instagram and I have probably traveled at many different speeds within one hour.
I am a slightly older, yet still young, and ever hopeful 23 year old soul. Recent events have lead to what I would call soul searching.
I have discovered an overwhelming and paradoxically balancing amount of maturity and immaturity in myself lately. In reality I drive a Honda Civic, live in an apartment and go work a desk job. In my mind I live in a world of champagne and diamonds, yachting around the south of France. While most people day dream, it is easy for them to make a clear distinction between their day and their delusion. My problem is the weekends and the time I take off of work. They pseudo bridge the gap between my mindset and my life, and this makes it all the more confusing.
During my recent reflections I have also been assessing my life "problems" but my problem is that I don't really have any. This is stupid but my problems really are the epitome of first world problems. When my biggest decision is summer 2014: Yacht Week Croatia or backpacking SE Asia or visiting South America, it is hard to consider that a problem. I am not naïve. I am not uninformed. I am not unaware. I have just not had to deal with many things in life. This has probably left be quite ill-equipped to deal with life. My actual (and real) biggest problem, is that I probably won't know how to deal with any big problem in my life when it strikes.
Pursuant to conversations on recent reflection, I started to feel weird or bad or something about having not had hardships. Someone told me that I should not feel this way. In my mind the only way to live in reality is to process the hardships of the real world. But should I expose myself to darkness if it isn't necessary?
To sum up all of this nonsense--I think to myself "life is champagne and sunshine" and then I later reflect that life may just sometimes be sparkling water and overcast skies. If I want it to be, life CAN be champagne and sunshine. I think it is just important to know that sometimes you may not have cold bottle ready to pop and sometimes you may have to bring a rain coat.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Viking's Death
A rich Swede once told me that a viking only goes to heaven if they die in battle.
TO VIKINGS
TO HEAVEN
TO BVI
TO YACHT WEEK
Thursday, December 20, 2012
#2012
Dear Faithful Readers, all 6 of you, and those who may have found their way here through my shameless self promotion via facebook and twitter, welcome! I must first warn you that this is extremely long. It is long because I am trying to cover the whole year in one blog post. It is probably ridden with my etremely dry humor and typos, but I wouldn't know because I don't spell check things.
I had some downtime last weekend for what felt like the first time in about 7 months. I started thinking about this year and how everything is changing but, as to be expected, everything still feels the same. At first I thought that I was sad about no longer being in school, then I realized I miss living a few blocks from my friends and having tons of free time to see them. After about 5 minutes of feeling sorry for myself, I did what any Barney Stinson would do, “stop being sad and be awesome instead” Maybe that is a bit of an overstatement, but I did start to look at the situation differently.
I feel that 2012 has brought me just as much introspection as it has anything else. Often times I tend not to totally acknowledge my current situation for fear or concern that I won’t really like it. 2012 did not provide as much opportunity for sweeping life under the rug.
Many times this year that I found myself thinking, “This is the end of childhood. Now I am an adult.” I haven’t considered myself a child probably in the last decade, but there is something comforting about the idea of youth, and something tiring about the idea of age and adulthood. This year I:
I turned 22
I graduated from one of the top business schools in the US
Two of my best friends from childhood got married and most of the rest of them are engaged
and Gossip Girl ended Last New Year’s I decided to commemorate the year via a Facebook status posted from the balcony of a bar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. It read: “Dear friends, 2011 has been the most ridiculous year of my life. I have seen more of the world and myself than I ever thought possible. I am so grateful to have each and every one of you in my life. It's been good and bad and all emotions in between. Cheers to a new year and a new life.” Don’t be surprised in a few weeks if you see this appear on your news feed: “Dear friends, 2012 has been the most ridiculous year of my life. I have seen more of the world and myself than I ever thought possible. I am so grateful to have each and every one of you in my life. It's been good and bad and all emotions in between. Cheers to a new year and a new life.” I never thought anything would out do 2011 and then 2012 happened. I am so incredibly blessed to have the family and friends and opportunities that I have and have had in this life. Without them I would not be where I am today in any sense. I feel like 2012 deserves a little more than just a tipsy facebook post. So here it is; my attempt to recap the year, mostly for my benefit, but maybe for yours as well. I intended just to write about “highlights” I guess you would call it, but hopefully it ends up as more than that, we’ll see.
The Mosley family kicked off 2012 on a cruise liner. As a life-long fans of the sea, Captain Ron and Jimmy Buffett, I think we were all pretty thrilled. Our first stop was Jamaica, my first experience in a third world country. Little did I know, there was plenty more of the third world to come. We played volleyball with some Jamaican teenage boys who had the most accented English I had ever heard. We visited Grand Cayman and snorkeled in Cozumel. My dad and my brother walked off of the ship with a few gold medals for dodgeball and basketball, and that might have been my favorite part of the trip.
Late January I started my last semester of school at the University of Texas. I had plenty of free time for activities I could only describe as triflin’. One of the best days of January was going to see Avicii with Caroline/Caroline and a load of international students.
I think I spent most of February mentally preparing myself for the Drake concert. Spencer bought 7 tickets for himself and his friends to go see ya boy Drizzy Drake. His friend Kelly flew in from New York to see the show. Later that night she baked YOLO cookies and I posted a drake parody tweet to @Drakedointhings and got retweeted. Needless to say my obscure dream of becoming irrelevantly Twitter famous was accomplished.
2012 was also the year TANYA NOBLE became a star. She packed up and shipped off to LA to film this season of Gordon Ramsay’s Master Chef. It was a weird time for her to leave so close to what felt like “the end,” but what the heck one of my best friends was going to be on TV! Maybe 5 days had passed before I started to miss her and her impromptu gourmet meals, chorizo stuffed dates to be noted . What’s a minion without a noble master?
Also, Zack, I feel like you have directly impacted 2012 through GIF texts alone, and for this, I cannot thank you enough.
In March I was full speed ahead with the interview process for a full time job. It was all fun and games until I had to cancel my trip to San Francisco with Amber McAdams, Mary Dang, Nancy Tan and Christine Hong. Luckily, the interview that I cancelled for turned into a job offer and the reason that I am in Philly today. I can actually pinpoint this as the first time I really felt like an adult, because I felt mature that I was choosing work over play. By mature I mean I called my dad crying about it, but I still made the mature decision.
The next weekend I had my first full-fledged SXSW experience, compliments to the ultimate planner/music guru/best friend Caroline Field. We may have exhibited slight groupie tendencies, but extremely slight
classic thursday night shakespeares
taverna happy hour
i am without words for this one
March, April, and May feel like a total blur. I will attribute this mostly to the fact that I spent Tuesdays at Cains, Wednesdays at the Local improving my corn hole game with old crusty dudes, Thursdays at Shakespeares, and Saturdays at Malaia (RIP!). I couldn’t have asked for a better last semester at UT.
I spent May scattered about the world. I was at home for a bit trying to secure a Visa for India. I was back in Austin celebrating my 22nd birthday. I opted out of graduation for a little trip around Europe.
Caroline and I, both with multiple motives, but under the guise that we had studied abroad at different times and needed to go together, headed to Europe. I mean, we had never been to Europe together and it only seemed appropriate.
I flew to Vienna for a few days and then met up with her in Salzburg, Austria. This may have been one of the highlights of the trip or even my life. If you know me, you know I have a weird obsession with taking pictures of other people’s dogs. It turns out that the World Expo of dogs was in town the same weekend that we were and needless to say, I was in heaven. We went on the Sound of Music tour and had the best time. Austria is such a beautiful country.
Caroline and I, both with multiple motives, but under the guise that we had studied abroad at different times and needed to go together, headed to Europe. I mean, we had never been to Europe together and it only seemed appropriate.
I flew to Vienna for a few days and then met up with her in Salzburg, Austria. This may have been one of the highlights of the trip or even my life. If you know me, you know I have a weird obsession with taking pictures of other people’s dogs. It turns out that the World Expo of dogs was in town the same weekend that we were and needless to say, I was in heaven. We went on the Sound of Music tour and had the best time. Austria is such a beautiful country.
ALSO VIENNA MEANT WE GOT TO MEET UP WITH OUR AUSTRIAN FRIENDS!!! And then we all continued the party in Prague to celebrate Caroline’s birthday. This is the third Caroline referenced by the way. I think we spent around 36 hours in Prague and I slept maybe 6 of those.
Next stop, Berlin. The weather was t optimal, but that did not stop us from seeing the sites or drinking the beer. We had some funny hostel roommates, met some Australian guys, and made many friends on the pub crawl that we joined. We also got to a taste of the Berlin club scene.
After Berlin we flew separately to Stockholm to meet up with friends. I stayed with my friend Hanna who I met while I studied abroad. I stayed at her house with her family and had the best time! Sweden is beautiful and it was so good to see Hanna. We met up with Caroline and Viktor everyday to see the city, the archipelago, eat the herring and live the true Viking life style.
After Stockholm I went back to Vienna and then back home to Texas.
I had three days to do laundry and repack and head to Atlanta to start training for the real world.
I spent two weeks in Atlanta. Rather, I spent two weeks in Peach Tree city, right outside of Atlanta, and a weekend in the ATL. Had a great time and great hosts!
Fort of Agra, one of my favorite sites in India
Amazing friends! At the JW Mariott in Goa, India
Elephant Riding at the Spice Farm outside of Goa
After enough time to adjust back into my regular time zone, it was time to go to India for 5 weeks.
India.
India.
For five weeks.
These five weeks in India turned out to be some of the most eye opening of my life. There were 60 of us there and I made a lot of really good friends. It was a weird mix of summer camp and study abroad and the third world. Disaster/fun ensued. My time was spent between reading powerpoints in the classrooms and random tiny clubs that we took rickshaws to and from the hotel. We spent the weekends making up for the fact that we had been in class rooms and on busses for most of our waking hours during the week. We spent a weekend in South Mumbai and West Mumbai at the JW Marriott and the Taj Land’s End. If you think India smells, check out some Indian night clubs. It was such an amazing experience. The third weekend I went to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. THE TAJ MAHAL. Crazy, right? I liked the fort of Agra across the street better. Both sites were incredible though. The last weekend we spent in Goa. Part of this weekend may or may not have been spent sitting outside of a police station in Goa. I would normally say we do it for the stories, but I didn’t even do anything this time. I was just along for the ride. Upon returning to the states I had to “work”. I was now a full time employee of a multinational company. It’s been six months and my arms aren’t too tired from climbing the corporate ladder yet. The fall semester, because I still refer to life in semesters, was very busy. Three hours after I arrived back from India, I went to Kelsey Koctar, now Carter’s wedding .I worked in Houston for about a month and a half and in late October, I got staffed on a project in Philadelphia.
There was a good month where I spent maybe 1/7 nights at my house. I took a few trips to Austin for football games and to see old friends and to see old friends off. Tanya moved back to Indonesia. Wut?
I also took a trip to Dallas for Texas/OU weekend. The time I have spent in Houston has proved to be quite fun. Caroline has visited frequently and therefore I have more of an excuse to leave the burbs. Remind me why I live in the burbs? I don’t pay rent and the fridge is usually stocked with grapes, that is exactly why.
#BRIDELIFE
November came and went and ended in Bridget Cooper Azzam’s wedding. B Weezy got married. I am still asking myself if this is real, but I could not be more happy for her. She has been a blessing to me for so many years and I know she will be for many more to come.
Also, I do not know how I got through this entire post without directly mentioning my family.. I have loving parents that I get along with and enjoy spending time with. Spence, if you are reading this, which by page 4 I seriously doubt anyone is, I consider you one of my best friends. You’re funny and nicer than me and I fear that you may soon be making more money than me.
Somehow Keith is now 11. Anyone who has known him for his entire life even finds this hard to believe. Most of my friends think he is five or 6 with the exception of Zack Wilburn, who for some reason thinks he is around 40. SIDE NOTE: MY PARENTS 25th ANNIVERSARY WAS YESTERDAY!! Is that real? They are such a blessing and an inspiration. I am happy to know them each as people and especially to have them as parents.
So where does that leave me now? It leaves me at 6:46 EST the the airport Marriott because my flight got cancelled due to weather. Sitting here in my at least partially introspective state, I must say that I am incredibly happy with my life. I do not know how I have been so lucky or blessed or what fortune cookie I opened at Chopsticks as a child that led to this great fortune.
There are less than 2 weeks left of this year, and according to the Mayan calendar, the world ends tomorrow!
In 8 days I am heading to the British Virgin Islands for Yacht Week with Caroline 1&2, Kathleen, Koetting and Shantanu. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO MYSELF!
Well the restaurant is closing now and I have written up to December 20. So, cheers to an incredible year, 2012. You’ve been good to me and I cannot wait to see what 2013 has in store.
t ends up as more than that, we’ll see
I graduated from one of the top business schools in the US
Two of my best friends from childhood got married and most of the rest of them are engaged
and Gossip Girl ended Last New Year’s I decided to commemorate the year via a Facebook status posted from the balcony of a bar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana. It read: “Dear friends, 2011 has been the most ridiculous year of my life. I have seen more of the world and myself than I ever thought possible. I am so grateful to have each and every one of you in my life. It's been good and bad and all emotions in between. Cheers to a new year and a new life.” Don’t be surprised in a few weeks if you see this appear on your news feed: “Dear friends, 2012 has been the most ridiculous year of my life. I have seen more of the world and myself than I ever thought possible. I am so grateful to have each and every one of you in my life. It's been good and bad and all emotions in between. Cheers to a new year and a new life.” I never thought anything would out do 2011 and then 2012 happened. I am so incredibly blessed to have the family and friends and opportunities that I have and have had in this life. Without them I would not be where I am today in any sense. I feel like 2012 deserves a little more than just a tipsy facebook post. So here it is; my attempt to recap the year, mostly for my benefit, but maybe for yours as well. I intended just to write about “highlights” I guess you would call it, but hopefully it ends up as more than that, we’ll see.
I had three days to do laundry and repack and head to Atlanta to start training for the real world.
I spent two weeks in Atlanta. Rather, I spent two weeks in Peach Tree city, right outside of Atlanta, and a weekend in the ATL. Had a great time and great hosts!
India.
India.
For five weeks.
These five weeks in India turned out to be some of the most eye opening of my life. There were 60 of us there and I made a lot of really good friends. It was a weird mix of summer camp and study abroad and the third world. Disaster/fun ensued. My time was spent between reading powerpoints in the classrooms and random tiny clubs that we took rickshaws to and from the hotel. We spent the weekends making up for the fact that we had been in class rooms and on busses for most of our waking hours during the week. We spent a weekend in South Mumbai and West Mumbai at the JW Marriott and the Taj Land’s End. If you think India smells, check out some Indian night clubs. It was such an amazing experience. The third weekend I went to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. THE TAJ MAHAL. Crazy, right? I liked the fort of Agra across the street better. Both sites were incredible though. The last weekend we spent in Goa. Part of this weekend may or may not have been spent sitting outside of a police station in Goa. I would normally say we do it for the stories, but I didn’t even do anything this time. I was just along for the ride. Upon returning to the states I had to “work”. I was now a full time employee of a multinational company. It’s been six months and my arms aren’t too tired from climbing the corporate ladder yet. The fall semester, because I still refer to life in semesters, was very busy. Three hours after I arrived back from India, I went to Kelsey Koctar, now Carter’s wedding .I worked in Houston for about a month and a half and in late October, I got staffed on a project in Philadelphia.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Double Edge Sword
I would consider many things in life a blessing and a curse, a double edge sword if you will.
Take for example Netflix. Netflix is a blessing because I can stream the first six seasons of How I Met Your Mother without having to scour the internet for links to each episode or settle for grainy quality or un-synced audio. Netflix is a curse because I have now been in bed for 60 straight hours watching every available episode.
The second example that comes to mind is my Xanga account. I rediscovered my first two blog accounts today. The first post is dated November 24, 2004. I am 100% sure I thought I was the coolest thing in November of 2004, but looking back, that was certainly not the case. Reading through my posts was something near excruciating. If I were ever in a group discussing the most embarrassing thing that we ever did, I would be hesitant to admit that Xanga is my answer in fear that they may find the URL address. I would probably tell them about the time I dropped my white denim shorts in the toilet in Barcelona and had to walk around the city without pants on. Though embarrassing, that experience pales in comparison.
How then does Xanga fit into my category of the double sided blessing/curse sword?
I would hope that the curse part is obvious. It is written proof of how ridiculous and embarrassing I was as a 14 year old. The posts are littered with misspellings, full of content that not even my own mother would care to read about, and feature surveys that I filled out for no reason. See below.
1. NAME: Julie
2. NICKNAMES:jules3. EYES: blue4.HEIGHT: 5’7
5. HAIR COLOR: blonde
6. SIBLINGS: spencer adn Keith7. do you like to sing in the shower? i don't 8. DO YOU LIKE TO SING IN THE TOILET?: haha
9. BIRTHDATE: May 10
10. fave saying:strange btu wonderful 11. ADDRESS:1914 thats al you need to lknow 12. SEX: famale 13. RIGHTY OR LEFTY:righty
14. WHAT DO YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP? oh a relationship would be nice
15. EVER CHEATED OR BEEN CHEATED ON: no
16. MARITAL STATUS: unmarried 17. DO YOU HAVE A CAR?: uhuh 18 WHAT KINDA CAR YOU HAVE/WANT?: cadillac
******FAVORITES*******
19. Fav. movie? remember the titans, lol 20. SONGS:way to many
21. BAND/SINGER: greenday? 22. TV SHOW:dont watch tv to much anymore
23. ACTOR/ACTRESS:uhhh
24. Food: italian
26. NUMBER: 11 28. DISNEY: character? ariel
29. COLOR:pretty green for today
It is highly likely that many of this were this self centered at that age, but why did I fill out 101 question surveys about myself when no one even read them? Had I never heard of spell check?
Now, to attempt to justify some blessing in this... As dumb as I sound to myself reading over these blog entries, that is who I was. It is an honest look into the days of my life that age, which for most people is pretty rare. Of course you remember the highlights from your mid-teen years, but without Xanga I would never have remembered that on May 15, 2005 this is what happened:
"heck and yesterday i stepped on a staple from a staple gun. it freakgin ghurt adn is still sore. aiie chihuahua.
today i went to Nana's and sewed. pretty soon here i will plug in my straightner adn watch the simpons. oh and i have a new friend."
My foot has healed from the staple, I still say aye chihuahua, and I have no idea what new friend I would have been talking about. There are a lot of comments regarding the end of my freshman year of high school and how it went so quickly and how I can't believe it is over.
Here I am 7 years later having eerily the same feelings about my entire education and college career. I want to be able to look back and know exactly what I was thinking and experiencing at this time in my life. I will always remember the big events, but sometimes it is the details matter too.
So what do I do with this double edged sword of internet blogging? I wield it, obviously.
This time (hopefully) with a little more experience and accuracy. My first goal is to cut back on the spelling errors, but I have a Macbook to back me up on that one. My second goal is to post updates on what I am doing/thinking/experiencing/seeing. I can only hope that these posts include less information on the time that I woke up in the morning and pointless details from my AIM conversations with friends. I'll take a more worldly view, and since I will be be visiting Austria, Czech Republic, Germany/Sweden/Spain/Greece, India, and Atlanta this summer, hopefully I can achieve this goal.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Life Without Google Maps: Destination Unknown
When I need directions, 99% of the time I consult Google Maps.
99% of the time that gets me from point A to point B with no hassle.
Therein lies the problem. What if you don't know exactly where you are going, or exactly where you want to go?
On Google Maps I entered "present" as my starting point and "future" as my destination and strangely I got two different 10 minute routes from a Present address in Falls Church, Virginia, to "Resources for the Future" in Washington, DC. I was expecting something more along the lines of destination unknown, but as is life, you don't always get what you expect.
What happens when you don't have directions?
What happens when you don't know which route to take?
What happens when the road is not marked?
I feel like that I have come to the first big metaphorical fork in the road in my life. I am on the edge of change and I can feel it bubbling under my feet. I am equal parts excitement and nerves, sometimes without a care in the world, sometimes with my boots feeling heavier by the minute.
This past year has been both enjoyable and trying in all aspects of life. I began my last year of University study with hopes of good times with great friends, as well as some fear and anticipation for the future. So far I have had great times meeting new people, keeping up with old friends, and I am 7/9 months finished with the year and basically finished with my degree.
My biggest qualm with Google maps is that it cannot give me direction for the future. Google is supposed to have an answer for everything.
Yesterday was the first time that I felt that I had to make a truly adult decision, and it was a little upsetting. I had previously gone through the process of having to decide between two different interviews on one particular date and I thought that was bad, but it wasn't.
Yesterday I received an email from a company offering me a second round interview this Friday in their Houston office. I am really interested in this company, so this should have been really good news, right? (Gram and Nana, the other info in the email starts here!)
Well I have had a trip booked with 4 other friends to go to San Francisco leaving this Thursday. Despite all of the advancements in technology, no one was come up with a way for me to be in two places at once, and therefore I was left with a decision to make.
Work? or play?
I chose work. I cancelled my flight. I am going to Houston this Friday. I was a bit upset with everything. It is unfortunate that I have to miss out on the trip, but this decision was something much bigger in my mind. This decision felt like my first true decision. A decision I had to make on my own. A decision investigating my values. A decision that could potentially alter the course of my life. That bubbling under my feet turned into a full blown boil, and it started to burn. I realized that this brink of change that I am on is maybe one of the biggest I will experience in my life.
Several hours later I received a phone call with a full time job offer. More boiling water, more head spins, but my boots got a little lighter.
It is only 6pm.
So in the midst of all of this water bubbling and boiling, my boots feeling heavier, lighter, heavier, lighter, I remember a few things.
1. The letter that my Nana gave me for Christmas detailing her family history. My two biggest take aways from this letter were, that no matter what your situation, you can always be successful, and that you should always be gracious with people. It was comforting to know that I came from such stronger ancestors (Nana/Nellie/Gran Nanny Poppins included) and that no what decisions I face, everything will work out in the end.
2. Yesterday would have been my Pop's 84th birthday. I called Gram to talk to her, I don't know if she knew that is why I called, but now she knows. It made me again, realize the importance of family and how precious our time is together.
3. Yesterday was my friend Cameron's 23rd birthday. When I arrived at his house I told him "You only turn 22 once!" not realizing I had done the math wrong. When his roommate wrote that he was turning 23 I freaked out because I realized that I would be 22 soon and that 23 was next.
These three realizations, combined with my upcoming graduation, and the likelihood of my friends and I not living in the same city/state/country again hit me pretty hard. Then I remembered exactly what I had been thinking about... I have an amazing and loving support group consisting of both friends and family, that no matter what path I chose to take, that I am in control, and that our time together, in Austin, or in life is limited, but that is what makes it so special.
I know that Google Maps has not been able to help me on this particular path, though it is a pretty significant one, but I know that I will be able to successfully navigate it on my own. What seem like like mountains now will be ground down to pebbles in the future. These decision seems big now, but I am ready to take them.
99% of the time that gets me from point A to point B with no hassle.
Therein lies the problem. What if you don't know exactly where you are going, or exactly where you want to go?
On Google Maps I entered "present" as my starting point and "future" as my destination and strangely I got two different 10 minute routes from a Present address in Falls Church, Virginia, to "Resources for the Future" in Washington, DC. I was expecting something more along the lines of destination unknown, but as is life, you don't always get what you expect.
What happens when you don't have directions?
What happens when you don't know which route to take?
What happens when the road is not marked?
I feel like that I have come to the first big metaphorical fork in the road in my life. I am on the edge of change and I can feel it bubbling under my feet. I am equal parts excitement and nerves, sometimes without a care in the world, sometimes with my boots feeling heavier by the minute.
This past year has been both enjoyable and trying in all aspects of life. I began my last year of University study with hopes of good times with great friends, as well as some fear and anticipation for the future. So far I have had great times meeting new people, keeping up with old friends, and I am 7/9 months finished with the year and basically finished with my degree.
My biggest qualm with Google maps is that it cannot give me direction for the future. Google is supposed to have an answer for everything.
Yesterday was the first time that I felt that I had to make a truly adult decision, and it was a little upsetting. I had previously gone through the process of having to decide between two different interviews on one particular date and I thought that was bad, but it wasn't.
Yesterday I received an email from a company offering me a second round interview this Friday in their Houston office. I am really interested in this company, so this should have been really good news, right? (Gram and Nana, the other info in the email starts here!)
Well I have had a trip booked with 4 other friends to go to San Francisco leaving this Thursday. Despite all of the advancements in technology, no one was come up with a way for me to be in two places at once, and therefore I was left with a decision to make.
Work? or play?
I chose work. I cancelled my flight. I am going to Houston this Friday. I was a bit upset with everything. It is unfortunate that I have to miss out on the trip, but this decision was something much bigger in my mind. This decision felt like my first true decision. A decision I had to make on my own. A decision investigating my values. A decision that could potentially alter the course of my life. That bubbling under my feet turned into a full blown boil, and it started to burn. I realized that this brink of change that I am on is maybe one of the biggest I will experience in my life.
Several hours later I received a phone call with a full time job offer. More boiling water, more head spins, but my boots got a little lighter.
It is only 6pm.
So in the midst of all of this water bubbling and boiling, my boots feeling heavier, lighter, heavier, lighter, I remember a few things.
1. The letter that my Nana gave me for Christmas detailing her family history. My two biggest take aways from this letter were, that no matter what your situation, you can always be successful, and that you should always be gracious with people. It was comforting to know that I came from such stronger ancestors (Nana/Nellie/Gran Nanny Poppins included) and that no what decisions I face, everything will work out in the end.
2. Yesterday would have been my Pop's 84th birthday. I called Gram to talk to her, I don't know if she knew that is why I called, but now she knows. It made me again, realize the importance of family and how precious our time is together.
3. Yesterday was my friend Cameron's 23rd birthday. When I arrived at his house I told him "You only turn 22 once!" not realizing I had done the math wrong. When his roommate wrote that he was turning 23 I freaked out because I realized that I would be 22 soon and that 23 was next.
These three realizations, combined with my upcoming graduation, and the likelihood of my friends and I not living in the same city/state/country again hit me pretty hard. Then I remembered exactly what I had been thinking about... I have an amazing and loving support group consisting of both friends and family, that no matter what path I chose to take, that I am in control, and that our time together, in Austin, or in life is limited, but that is what makes it so special.
I know that Google Maps has not been able to help me on this particular path, though it is a pretty significant one, but I know that I will be able to successfully navigate it on my own. What seem like like mountains now will be ground down to pebbles in the future. These decision seems big now, but I am ready to take them.
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