Life Update and Advice

I really hate that I’m writing the obligatory “I’m Not Dead!” post – but I’m going to.

I haven’t updated for a long time.  But as they say, Who is worse shod than a shoe makers wife?  Not that I am shoemaker with a wife.  Or a shoe maker or wife, period – but you know what I mean.  I’ve been spending so much time working with computers – writing a well-thought out blog post is pretty much the last thing I want to do.

But here we are.

I graduated college in December, and shortly after began working as an online advertising coordinator for a publishing company.  How I happened upon such a sweet gig, I couldn’t tell you -  maybe dumb luck or the always-deadly combination of optimistim and persistence, but either way I feel very lucky.  Lucky not only that I got a job right out of college, but also a job in my field, and most importantly – a job that I love.

Yes, I realize it’s entirely possible that one of my bosses or co-workers could find this post (hi!) but I swear i’m not just saying that I like my job because of that possibility.  I really do.  Seriously – I look forward to going to work.  I feel good about promoting a product that’s doing the world some good, utilize skills I learned in school, and  I Love my coworkers (ok, that last one really was just in case they read this).

All work and no play make Mindy a dull girl – and make her blog posts pretty dull as well.  Since graduating college I’ve had less free time, but now I spend my free time doing things I really like.   I think because in college I didn’t appreciate free-time as much as I do now that I work 9 – 7ish, Monday through Friday.  So Saturdays and Sundays are to be enjoyed to the max.  In the last few months, my friend Sean and I have been doing alot of exploring and adventuring around Connecticut.  Vineyards, Hiking, Kayaking – so on.  Mostly in support of his latest and greatest blog, The Connecticut Weekender.

It’s interesting – now that I’m insanely busy, I fill every minute of my limited free time with awesome things to do.  I’m enjoying life more now.  Make sense?

I’ve been more consistent about updating my tumblr blog.   I treat it more like a combination between my shared items on google reader & twitter updates.  Not as well thought out (not that this post is particularly well thought out), and more sporadic.

I think I’ll end this post with a few life recommendations, based on anecdotal evidence.

- Singing in your car during the morning commute is generally embarassing; however, singing along during the evening commute is great and will put you in a great mood.

- Listening to music as you work will make you happier.   Use Pandora to listen to music you like, and find new music without even trying.  Here’s a link to mine if you’re into it.

- Twitter, much like any social networking tool, becomes cooler the more time to put in to it.

That’s it.  I’ll try update more often, but I make no promises.

A bad neighbour is as great a misfortune as a good one is a great blessing

I’ve always been a big supporter of the notion that you can create positive work environments and create positive group dynamics in teams.

Luckily for me, I’ve managed to get a job where these things already exist.

Very lucky.

Hey Mindy, write this

Hey Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan motivates me to write more than Salinger, Poe and Bukowski combined.

I don’t know why, but writing copy is more exciting to me than creative writing in other forms – like short stories, poems etc. Probably because i’m a nerd.

Snuggle Buddy

I’m moderately obsessed with my dog.

answering my own question.

iTunes gets album information through CDDB (hosted by Gracenote.com) which finds the artist / track names etc. by associating the number of tracks against the length of each track in their CD database.

This is why if you have made a mix CD and import it into iTunes, you don’t get the track details; obviously, a custom-made mix won’t be in the CD database of commercially sold albums.

I’ll sleep better knowing I answered this.

questions needing answers, vol. 2

Liz: How does iTunes know what CD this is?

Me: I have no idea.

Liz: What?! You’re supposed to know everything!

————————–

Because I need to somehow answer every question that’s asked of me – I’m relaying it to the internet.  How does iTunes get the tracklist from a CD being imported?

Comment or Email Me with answers / advice / therapy because you know I do this kind of thing all the time.

write things worth reading or do things worth writing

I took one creative writing class, one time.

I was a sophomore in high school, and technically, I shouldn’t have taken it.  It was for seniors, but I wanted to and the deciders of these things gave me the o.k.

It was a bad idea really.  I had no idea what I was doing.  I think creative writing calls for a degree of self-awareness, or conversely the awareness that you have no idea who this “self” is supposed to be, that I just didn’t have as a sixteen year old.  I was the worst kind – the sixteen year old who thinks she’s self aware, but actually has no idea what’s going on just yet.    It wasn’t working for me.  This, tied with the fact that it was a class of seniors who I didn’t know, made me very self conscious.  I wasn’t comfortable with other people reading my work, therefore my work was no bueno.

I wish I had taken some creative writing classes in college.   I think I would have had alot of fun with it.

I feel like if I were to sit down and write something that isn’t something i’ve been trained in writing, I’d do it “wrong.”  Which doesn’t make any sense really.  That’s what eighteen years of formal education will do to someone I guess.    Also the fact that my best friend is currently working on her MFA in Creative Writing from one of the most highly regarded schools in the country makes me think there’s at least a little formal training needed.  Just a little.

I just called my mother and told her this.

“I wish I had taken a creative writing class in college.”

“Min, you did alot.  Almost everything you’re interested in you’ve studied.  Just give it a rest already.”

touche, salesman.

Advice, 1.0

“You know what you really enjoy doing, and it’s no coincidence that that’s what you’re good at.  Just find something that let’s you do it.   The context of how and where you’re doing it can change, that doesn’t matter.  But what you really, sincerely enjoy doing – that’s forever.  That’s who you are.  Don’t settle.”

This was good to hear today.

I know, I was there.

In 2008 I began to really appreciate the fact that I have friends who actually like seeing me for extended periods of time, literally seven days a week.

I’m talking about the kind of friends who you see so much they can’t tell you anything about their lives because you’re always there when it happens.

Friends who after 12 hours of classes and meetings ask you if you want to go out for dinner.

Friends who after working 9-5:30 Monday through Friday ask you to hang out on Friday night.

What makes it extra-great is when you still want to hang out with them too.  And you say, “I missed you” when you didn’t see them  for more than 24 hours – and you mean it.

It’s the best.  I feel really lucky to have such amazing friends.   Double extra lucky that most of these people are / were co-workers and friends from school who I worked with over the years.

Today was another reiteration of these relationships existing.  They’re great.  You should get at least one.

I hope in my post-college-graduate life I have relationships like these.

“I hate puzzles!”

This week I’ve been helping my good pal Christina move in to her new apartment.  Earlier, I assembled a coffee table, and tonight I assembled a bed frame.  Both from Ikea.

I did this for two reasons:

1. I love Christina.

2. She is easily frustrated by furniture assembly.

My father is also infuriated by furniture assembly.

I understand that it’s tricky sometimes and you have to be very patient with aspects of it -  pieces have to line up perfectly and there’s a whole mess of screws to figure out, but I actually kind of like putting furniture together.  It’s like a puzzle.  But it’s a puzzle you can put your coffee cup on or you can put your new fun mattress on once it’s done.

I’m just wondering now though – am I the strange one for enjoying this, or is it just coincidence that the people I surround myself with loathe putting together furniture?

I also really liked playing with Lego as a kid.  Maybe there’s a tie in with this too.