Mediocrity Part Deux

Okay, so I bring it on myself. When mediocre boy from Wednesday seemed enthused to meet a second time, I told myself that I should give it another chance. If he saw something there, maybe I just missed it or something.

You know what's worse than a mediocre first date? When you go on a second date and realize you're in the middle of a bad date. Why does it turn bad? Because you've already asked your rolodex of small talk questions. "So did you grow up in Edmonton?" "any siblings?" "So, you said that you travelled alot - how was that?" "So... how long have you been on lavalife?" "So! Do you ever get excited or like to talk about anything ever!?"

ok, so the last one isn't so standard. And if it ever becomes standard, that is the day I need to give up this dating thing entirely.

And I am going to try from now on to not talk about specific instances in the melodramatic dating life of this single girl. If I keep doing it, I'm going to have to try to keep this blog a secret from my dates. I've never been all that good at keeping my own secrets. Though most likely entertaining to my faithful readers :P, it's not so good for the cause that I like to call 'Get Stephanie a Boyfriend'

Lata!

Environmania!

So Alberta Environment is looking for public input as to the future stance and policy it will have towards environmental legislation. Wow! Alberta is acknowledging the environment! This is an amazing day.

Rob Renner is the Environment Minister right now, and I got to meet him a number of times over the past year because he used to be the minister of Municipal Affairs. (Yeah, I’m kind of a big deal – I even have a picture with him) He’s a great guy and the fact that he is taking a stand and believing the research reinforces to me that he is a politician I respect.

Okay, time for that advocate for the devil to rear his head. The research is there. He believes it. Regular Albertans don’t know the research. Why are they consulting us on this? Even if a bunch of redneck Albertans who don’t know what they’re talking about come to these open houses and scream and holler about the recession in the 80’s, it shouldn’t matter. If Rob is truly concerned about Fort Mcmurray having the climate of Medicine Hat by the year 2080, then he shouldn’t listen to the people who got their information from the farmer down the road who got their information from a cbc radio news report that they kind of remember from 4 years ago.

Even though I don’t think they are moving as fast as they should, the fact that there is progress happening at all is great news to me and I am encouraged by Minister Renner. I hope everyone can go to these sessions, get information and give some feedback.

The one in Edmonton is on April 18 at the Westin from 6-9. I’ll be there and you should come too. All the cool kids are doing it. You know you want to. And there are sessions all around the province. It doesn’t matter where you are, there will be one in your neck of the woods.

Click here to find out where your closest session will be!

Mediocrity

There are alot of people who you can have a mediocre date with. I am shocked sometimes at the percentage of mediocrity in the population.

I just got back from a date. Was it great? No. Was it bad? No. It was mediocre. I have been on so many of these things that it's getting kind of annoying. I don't want to stop trying - I'm not a quitter! - but they can start to zap your energy.

Seriously, what happened to the funny, intelligent, analytical men in this world? I'm pretty sure they exist.

Oh, and if anyone has a pack of matches they could lend me that would be awesome because right now I'm in desperate lack of a spark.

Dream Homes... so Dreamy

Today Mandy and I took a trip to Cameron Heights to see the dream homes in the Full House Lottery. These homes are worth $1,000,000 dollars each and they are huge, like 4138 square feet huge. Mandy and I walked around them saying "My kitchen could fit in half of this closet. My apartment could fit in this bathroom." No exaggerating. They actually could. I could probably fit 8 of my apartment into one house. Actually I just did the math and I could actually fit 7.8 apartments into the house. Mandy could fit 11.5 of her apartments into the one house. HUGE.

I like my apartment. I don't need anymore space than this but when you see those houses it makes you think that's what you want. Bigger! Fancier! More Superfluous! Do I need an office, a four seasons room, a theatre room, a games room and a great room? No. Are they pretty? Yeeeesssss. Okay, one concession. I REALLY want a kitchen that looks like I could host a cooking show in.

I keep asking myself why people decide they need that much space. One of the houses was a 2 bedroom - they expect 3 people to live in that amount of space! So much of it adds up to the consumptive lives that we lead. Personally, I'd rather spend a million dollars on a penthouse loft near Whyte or Dowtown because it would be so convenient. Nothing about those houses says convenient. There's more to clean, more to mow, more space to try to use, more to buy in order to fill the cupboard space, more distance to get to a grocery store (or anykind of store for that matter), more ways to avoid your neighbor, more furniture.....MORE!

Okay, so I still bought a ticket. But if I want that convenient loft downtown, then selling one of those houses and getting all that free furniture is a great way to do it!

Here's hoping I don't win a Grand Piano!

Maybe I'm a good luck charm...

I went to the Oiler game tonight. After 12 straight losses, I wasn't sure how great it would be to be there, but the tickets were free so I couldn't go wrong.

After a pretty dismal 1st period, the Oilers managed to find some energy that they had lost for the past month and pulled it together. Lupul, though he played like crap for most of the year, scored a tying goal with under 2 minutes left in the third period. It goes to overtime! Nothing! It goes to a shootout! After 4 rounds, not one team has scored a goal! Finally on the 5th round we get it in and the Avs don't. By the end of the game, it felt like a real hockey stadium again. I'm really happy for the Oilers right now - they really needed this and Edmonton needed to believe they could still do it.

I think they won because I was there. Do you think they'd give me free season tickets next year because I'm a good luck charm?

It Is Your Destiny - I Have Foreseen It

The older I get, the more aware I become of how in control of my life I am. The world takes care of me? That's crap. Everything I do is in some way a choice made by me and I take full responsibility for it. People who play the victim and say "Well, I could be happy if ____ happened." or "Why does the world hate me? If only the world didn't hate me, I would be happy." Complete bullshit.

I've been grumpy, annoyed and not as happy as I should be for the past few weeks. I kept waiting for something exterior to myself to break me out of my funk and let me figure out where my life is heading after my internship finishes.

Yesterday and today, I took my power back. First, that negative dialogue that started in my head when I wasn't getting along with my boss is out the window. Everytime I catch myself thinking those negative thoughts about factors in my life I can't change (and I was thinking alot of them), I stop, tell myself to stop thinking it and try to think of something positive instead. Second, all that second guessing I've been doing to myself about getting a new job/relationship, I did the same thing I did with #1.

Third, I went for a pep talk run. It's the opposite of my patented angry run. During a pep talk run, all you do is talk to yourself about how awesome you are and how no one else in this world should ever be able to get you down on yourself. "How dare they try to do that? Do they even know who I am? I am strong and capable and awesome, and nobody puts baby in the corner! I'm going to go psychologically kick their ass all over the office tomorrow, proving how awesome I am!"

Ok, so it sounds a little bit schizophrenic, but I guarantee results!

In conclusion, I am the master of my own destiny. Happiness comes to me if I want it to. Not if this happens, or this date passes, or once I have it figured out. I am the only one who cares if I have a good day, and you better believe that I care.

Do yourself a favor: No matter what happens to you tomorrow, have a great day. I know I will.

D.O.M.S.

I just learned a new term today. Good ol' Wikipedia teaches me that Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness or D.O.M.S. (ie. ow, my muscles hurt alot 2 days after I exercise hard) is not caused by lactic acid.

I always thought that lactic acid was the damned chemical that caused my muscles so much pain, which led me to believe that if I keep exercising, that the acid will work its way out of my muscles and I"ll feel better. Not true.

Apparently, the burning sensation that is causing me to avoid straightening my arms due to pain is caused by many small little tears in my muscle. Or the pain could be caused by my muscles responding to the tears by swelling, becoming stronger and putting pressure on my nerves.

That ripping and swelling process? It's entirely possible that exercising more has no effect on it. ie. if I work out alot over the next couple days my pain will go away faster. Not true.

I'm a little more educated, but my arms still hurt. Somehow, it doesn't help. Harumph.

St. Paddy

Who is this St. Patrick anyway? And why does everybody seem to think he's so great?

As far as I can tell, most people here in Canada tend not to care. All they know is that it's boozin' time! Woo! WooWOO!

But guess what? I stood in the beautiful sunshine in front of O'Byrne's for about a half hour today, got in, snagged a great table, had a beer with Ms. Fitz (the real Irish one) and watched some 5 year olds perform Irish Dancing. Soooo Cute!

So what did this old guy do that was so important? I don't care. But it's a great excuse to hang out in the sunshine, at a bar over a pint with friends and take in some culture.

New Toy

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. I won the newest top of the line, $700 Blackberry while I was at a conference this week. It's the raddest thing EVER!

Beginnings, Endings and other 'Circle of Life' Crap

So I have had one of the most amazing years of my life. My life is finally starting to take a shape and I found a career that really suits me. It keeps me challenged, it makes me feel like I'm making a difference and the people are pretty amazing.

The hard part is that this internship is ending. I'll be out from the protective wing of municipal affairs and will now have to convince people to place their trust in me. I'm pretty sad that the internship is ending, but as a wise songstress wrote, "The hardest part of a broken heart isn't the ending as much as the start." (It's Feist, by the way). I'm starting my career and figuring out which direction to choose. I have to convince people they should hire me; even create a position for me.

I am most interested in policy planning/analysis, community and economic development. These positions are NOT the ones being created right now. In an economy where organizations are struggling just to keep their heads above water, they hire the people that will continue to keep them afloat. In municipalities, this translates to planners, development officers, admin staff and public works. All that other stuff that I want to do falls into the 'would be nice to have' category. If I wanted to do other people's typing or process building permits all day, I could have a job tomorrow, but it doesn't really further ummmm... ANY of my career goals.

I'm young, unjaded, and want to make a community better. I'm a hard worker and an overachiever at most stuff that I really care about. I want to buy into an organization and pour my enthusiasm into the job. You'd think people would try to have the foresight to realize the injection of energy that a young person, such as myself, can bring to an organization, especially with all this talk of succession planning everywhere I go.

Do I just say that to people? "As long as I'm engaged, and feel like I'm affecting a community, I don't need don't care what I'm doing. But I'm fun to have around the office, want to learn everything I can and will want to take on more tasks and responsibilities as time goes on. Hire me!" That doesn't sell well to alot of HR people, which displays the unfortunate lack of foresight on their part.

Okay, so this post has really moved away from the introspective beginnings and endings and has turned into a bitch session about me trying to find a job, but whatever! I'm frustrated and kind of hungover, so a bitch session it is.

In conclusion, if one more person tells me how many jobs there are out there, I'm going to punch them in the face.

Choose Your Own Adventure

Remember how awesome reading Choose Your Own Adventure books were? Wouldn't it be awesome if you could have that same enjoyment in TV form? About a year ago Mandy and I thought it would be a great idea for a tv show. Have a giant cliffhanger ending every week then allow the audience to vote as to which way it would end. LOST meets American Idol: It's a recipe for success.

Car jumps off of bridge!!! What Happens now?!

1) Car makes it to the land on the other side and lets the bad guy escape
2) Car lands in river with bad guy trapped inside with the lost treasure of Atlantis

I was talking about this idea at a book store today when some stranger comes up and asks me what I was planning on doing with this idea. Having no plan, I had little to say. However, he happens to be a director/producer looking for an idea to take to this Pitching Festival in Banff in a few months. He thought this idea sounded like something people would really go for nowadays, gave me his email and asked me to write down the idea and send it to him to be developed and pitched.

So, it looks like Mandy and I are about to make wheelbarrows full of money.... well, ok. It's a crazy long shot, but still pretty freaking cool.

Here's where you come in: Mandy and I are pretty good at coming up with crazy ideas, but do you have any extra? We're going to hash it out next weekend and put some things on paper, but do any of you have ideas? Plot lines? Characters we need to have? Suggestions for awesome cliffhangers?

Ready.... GO!

Drums!

I just had the most interesting Friday night. After hitting up Falafel Fridays with Andy at Cafe Mosaics, we cruised down Whyte Ave to find ourselves at a Djembe Drumming session.

What is a djembe drumming session? Well, this peppy girl who markets herself to companies as an Enthusiasm Expert teaches you 4 different corresponding parts to a West Indian or African drum line. As you learn the parts the group splits up and by the end of an hour you're all playing a different part, sounding like one complicated rhythm (hence the corporate team building spin).

It's really fun and if you ever have the chance to do it, I highly recommend it. Jammin' with a room of strangers and just findin' your groove or messin' with the beat is a pretty memorable way to spend a Friday night.

Highly enjoyable, and kudos to Andy for finding that session.

Andy and Steph say "Be happy kids! If you're not happy, you're the only one who can change it."

Later Dudes,

Steph!

Economic Development

Have you ever made the assumption that the Canadian Tires and Tim Hortons close to you just happen because they decided to move into the city? That all the businesses that exist where you are happen to be there by chance?

I've learned otherwise over the past few months. There are people hired by cities and towns just to attract and retain the businesses and services that a community wants or needs. So why does business and government working together always seem so seedy? Abuse of the system is obviously bad, but what is wrong with the government advocating on behalf of its citizens to create a commuinity that has the services it needs?

Business is not an entity that we need to suck up to, nor is it the great evil that many make it out to be. It is the workhorse that allows us the quality of life we expect. You get your pay from business. Even if you work for the government, you are being paid with tax dollars from business or from private citizens, who got their money from business.

So next time you make a generalist comment on the evils of business or profits, think of that money in your bank account, where you got it and where you actually spend it. The answer is business.

PS. WalMart is evil.

Blogging? Wow

So here I am, figuring out how to express my thoughts to the world. I have no roomate anymore, so I think the need to share my inane thoughts and updates has taken a new form. Now absolute strangers can know what is happening in my life. Aren't you all so lucky!

So where do I start? Well, I'll begin with a general state of the union of my life. That way you have the proper background to continue reading my blog.

1) I am trying to find a job that matches my career goals. It sucks and is easier said than done. Also, entering the real world with real responsibility is a little scary.

2) I'm trying to sell my car but am having little luck due to the fact that I'm currently working 60 hours weeks. I have a prospective buyer and have no time to actually phone him back or meet with him.

3) I'm working 60 hour weeks. Sux!

4) I'm rereading 1984. So awesome and still one of my favorite books.

5) Still on lavalife. I somehow doubt my ideal mate will be found on the internet, but I'll never know if I don't try! Plus it generally makes my life more interesting.

So there's some things that I may be writing about in the future. Should be interesting to see what I end up writing on here. I know you're all waiting with bated breath.