Possums!

I'm so proud of myself! I waited until 10a to do my workout this morning because I scheduled it with a workout buddy from WOWY. Not only did I do Turbo Jam's Cardio Party Mix 1 (a 40min intense workout), but I did the Ab Jam too (20min ab workout)! I felt so good afterwards! But let me tell you, I was struggling at one point during CP1, around the 20min mark, prolly because I'm not good at the kicks and lunges section. But I put a smile on my face when Chalene reminded me to and that really helped! It's awesome how just smiling can make things feel better, if only momentarily.

I remember I used to smile a lot when I was a kid. Now, it seems like I only smile 10% of the day. How sad. :(

See. There we go again.

I wonder what the Softserve Swirl and The Ventriloquist look like

Find your own pose!

I fiddled with the answers to see if I could get another result, and after a couple of tries, my sleeping pose became The Colon. Not surprisingly, I'm satisfied with my first result.

Bonus link! The Lonely Planet Guide to My Apartment

Blame it on the pay, yeah, yeah.

I quit the job...and I blamed it on my dad. It was my mum's idea. I'm such a pussy.

I finally called her at 7.45p and told her that my dad and I had a long talk and he told me that I'd have to get a full-time job that paid at least minimum wage to be able to save enough money for Uni. In addition, my dad had secured me with a very promising job interview tomorrow morning at 9a, so returning tomorrow wouldn't be an option.

I feel really bad, because the kids are really cute and fun. But I wouldn't even be able to buy a full tank of gas with that kind of money. I told her that I was so sorry and if I could, I'd still work for her, but the best I'd be able to provide was occasional baby-sitting, if she would still hire me.

She asked me every question I feared she'd ask:
"Could you pick up an evening shift somewhere?"
"Where's the new job your dad is arranging for you?"
"Are you sure you have to quit?"
(of course there were more, but in the guilt-induced daze, my memory couldn't keep up)

She even requested that, if the job interview fell through, I let her know so we could work something out.

Yet not once did she offer to pay more.


Oh, and my dad didn't mind -- he gave me a high-five! My parents are awesome!

Preparing my resume and cover letters

After talking it over with my parents last night, both agree that I should quit this new job...today (after my "shift"). My dad thinks I should tell them that "after giving the position a second thought, it'd be best that I find a job that pays at least minimum wage to fully save for college."

Or just say that "although I love baby P, it's just not working out."

Let's just see if I have the courage to go through with it.

I get off work at 4p and will have just enough time to deliver a resume and cover letter to an assisted living facility in town that's hiring an administrative assistant. Then I'll hop on by the theatre and drop that application off (I mentioned this job like two weeks ago and still haven't turned the application in! I'm such a slacker!). Tomorrow I'll be able to go to the Daily Sun News to find out about "volunteering".

Maybe she actually said "per hour" and I misunderstood

I got a job today. I answered an ad in the paper for a baby-sitting position and went to the interview tonight. I'm not excited about it because it only pays $20 a day. Yup. You read that right. $20 a DAY...for working from 7a to 4p. And me being the idiot I am actually accepted the offer...AFTER she told me the rate.

Of course, I can work there until I find a new job, but that's going to prove difficult. Why? Well, in addition to me being non-confrontational, the parents were both students in my dad's 8th grade class and two of their three children were students in my mum's kindergarten class. So, by NOW turning down the job that I already accepted, not only would I hurt my name, I'd hurt my parents' reputation as well.

Meanwhile, OL went on an interview this afternoon and is taking a pay cut by accepting the $8 an HOUR job. Needless to say, I'm not feeling sorry for her anymore.

Easter Bunnies

Courtesy of Kim

Easter Candy

Well, eating well went on holiday for the holiday. By 4p all I had eaten was chocolate. I was actually jittery and had trouble cutting paper. I blame it on my mum and the awesome Easter basket she gives me every year! (There was more candy in it when she brought into my room at 9a.)

Believe me, I felt it this morning after my workout. Let's just say that, after a day's worth of chocolate, 40 minutes of high-intensity cardio did not leave me refreshed.

It felt like the time in high school when I ate a huge bar of Swiss chocolate our exchange student gave me in one sitting and regretted it for days.

Pushing play

This morning I'm going to work out. I've missed the last two mornings and, according to the goals I've set, this means that I've used up my two non-workout days. The only problem is that I'm really hungry right now (it's 6.40a) and I'm not planning on working out until 8a (the time that my parents will finally be out of the house). Once I eat in the morning, I'm really sluggish about pushing play and end up skipping the workout. But I fear if I don't eat, by the time I'm supposed to start, I'll be too hungry. I'm trying a new Turbo Jam dvd today (Punch, Kick & Jam) and I want to be able to make it through the whole thing. Ah, screw it. If I eat now, the sluggishness should wear off in an hour, right?

I think I'm more "Tea Chest 6103 semi-gloss"

Since I left my shampoo at A's apartment the last time I was in Seattle, I went to the store today to buy a replacement, as well as conditioner. While there, I quickly realised that, while the store carries the amber to maple shampoos, they didn't carry the moisturizing shampoo or conditioner for light brunette hair. While trying to maintain my composure (for some reason unknown to me, this haircare line is hard to find at many grocery stores in my area), I calmly explained to my dad why the chestnut to espresso moisturizing shampoo wouldn't work. My hair is light brown, right?

Not so, according to Dad. Conveniently placed directly above the shelf I was focusing on were a couple dye kits. He picked up the aptly titled chestnut product, held it up to my head and gave me the news that I am, in fact, darker haired than I had thought.

Huh. Now that I think about it, I haven't had my hair highlighted since I was 19.

Kinda reminds me of last year, when I realised that my eyes were blue instead of green. (What's sad is that I'm actually serious.)


In other news, I took The Princeton Review Career Quiz tonight.

My "interest colour" and "usual style" results are both blue.

People with blue Interests:

• like job responsibilities and occupations that involve creative, humanistic, thoughtful, and quiet types of activities.
• include abstracting, theorizing, designing, writing, reflecting, and originating
• often leads to work in editing, teaching, composing, inventing, mediating, clergy, and writing.

People with blue styles:

• prefer to perform their job responsibilities in a manner that is supportive and helpful to others with a minimum of confrontation.
• prefer to work where they have time to think things through before acting.
• tend to be insightful, reflective, selectively sociable, creative, thoughtful, emotional, imaginative, and sensitive.
• thrive in a cutting edge, informally paced, future-oriented environment. You will want to choose a work environment or career path in which your style is welcomed and produces results.

Notable among the recommended careers based on my results are:


Editor
Philosopher
Photographer
Political Scientist
Book Publishing Professional
Professional Researcher
Journalist
Writer
Public Relations
Consultant


Also interesting was the inclusion of disc jockey, florist, set designer and stripper.

Goals and free movies!

Today my parents and I discussed my finances come September, where I'll reside while attending University and what my goals are from now until then.

I'm not sure yet how much financial aid I will receive, which partly determines the choice in housing, so I've just decided to list my goals:

1. Find a job by the end of April
2. work at least 20 hours a week until September
3. Decide on a major by August
4. Exercise 5 days a week to start, at least 20 minutes a day (that's the shortest Turbo Jam workout) from now until July (my brother's wedding)

I was exercising daily for about two weeks, but last Friday I became much more lazy and, since I was in Seattle for three days, didn't exercise then or since I've come home. Eight days is too long of a break. Plus, I received the Maximum Results package in the mail on Thursday!

Tomorrow, I'll start my workout regimen again.

Oh, and one of my mum's students is the daughter of the manager at the local movie theatre (hey, it's better than Wal-Mart), so I hopefully have an in there. My mum called the student's mother for information and apparently the mum was really excited about my interest.

And, even if the job sucks, the job isn't that taxing...plus, FREE MOVIES!

This time I WILL get the license plate border

The moment I set my purse down on the table when I arrived at home from Seattle today, my cell phone rang.

All morning, I waited for the call from Candace (see recent posts). I drove the entire way back hom with the phone on my lap, just in case I didn't hear the ring or couldn't fish the phone out of purse in time. When I got home, I took the phone with me for the 20 second trip to check the mail. Nothing. I was starting to think that she had overestimated the time it would take to review the paperwork. That maybe it would take three days instead of two.

It's been approved! I'm reinstated! Number 0132504 is back, people!

I'll be out of the quicksand that is Sunnyside in September. There is hope again! I just need to find a job now to save up some money!

No news yet and a major decision

Yesterday's meeting with Candace, the undergraduate advisor in the EOP program (see last post), was good, I'd say. I won't state what the outcome is to be yet, because I won't "officially" know the results until at least tomorrow (Wednesday). I should be hearing from her then, after a panel of three counselors review my statement and paperwork.

I've been thinking about majors I'd be interested. Looking at course outlines and such for each major, along with admission requirements, I've come up with a few ideas:

Comparative History of Ideas (kind of a mix between history, english and philosophy)
*admission is to students in good academic standing

Comparative Religion (an option within the International Studies major)
*admission is to students in good academic standing

Communication
*admission is competitive, based on application packet, cumulative GPA, grades in COM 201 and/or 202
*minimum 2.50 GPA guarantees consideration, but not not necessarily acceptance

English
*admission is competitive, minimum 2.00 GPA, minimum 2.50 English GPA and completion of 10 credits in any English literature course

History
*open admission, after the following are achieved: minimum 2.00 GPA, completion of 10 history credits with 2.50 GPA and completion of 10 writing credits with 2.0 GPA

I'm leaning greatly towards History and Comparative History of Ideas, though I'm sure that if either of those programs were competitive, they wouldn't be as appealing.

I really hope that things turn out like I'd like. But there's always Hawai'i...hopefully!

Down with EOP? Yeah, you know me.

Tomorrow, I head off to Seattle to talk to an undergraduate advisor from the University of Washington's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) about my possibilities to return as a student. What's interesting is that the EOP is within the Office of Minority Affairs and, according to its website, "The program is open to underrepresented minority students from American Indian, Native American, African-American, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander backgrounds, and to economically disadvantaged students of all ethnicities whose parents do not have 4-year college degrees." Why is that particularly of interest to me, a supposed member of the EOP? Because I am a European-blended, to-the-nth generation American, and my parents both have master's degrees. My last name doesn't even sound remotely ethnic, either. Yet when I was admitted to university, I received a letter stating that I was a member of the program.

The only reason I can think of that I'd be included in such a program is that I come from the Yakima Valley and as one can see here, the university has a "Gear Up" program servicing the valley. However, I was never a member, as far as I know.

I don't mind being included in the Educational Opportunity Program...it's just somewhat awkward going into an office obviously intended for the ethnic groups listed above and feeling like I'm taking advantage of the system (which I'm definately not!).