Tuesday, November 18, 2008

And another...

Interesting article I found...

Finally, some people are showing signs of having some common sense, here’s a
thought for ya…

“Frustrated by the failure to overturn Roe v. Wade, a growing number of antiabortion pastors, conservative academics and activists are setting aside efforts to outlaw abortion and instead are focusing on building social programs and developing other assistance for pregnant women to reduce the number of abortions.

Some of the activists are actually working with abortion rights advocates to push for legislation in Congress that would provide pregnant women with health care, child care and money for education -- services that could encourage them to continue their pregnancies.”

So, news flash, for those of you who are anti-choice (or pro-life, however you like to spin it), almost all (if not all) pro-choice people are anti-abortion as well.

We would LOVE to see the number of abortions reduced!

HOWEVER, we will not stand for allowing that option to removed because under abnormal circumstances we may choose that for ourselves as the best option.

So, yes, please, provide services to encourage women to allow their pregnancies to continue to full term, but do NOT tell me what to do with my body.

My choice is to never have an abortion.

That may not be your choice.

And, in all honesty, that is my choice under normal circumstances. I have no idea what I would decide under different (i.e. – rape, endangering my life or the life of the baby, or if I would have become pregnant 15 years ago, etc.) circumstances. A similar response, I would image, that most other people (if they were honest) would also have if faced with a difficult situation.

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye." [Matthew 7:1-5]

Monday, November 17, 2008

HFCS...

So....just because I'm seeing all these commercials around here making parents who are concerned about High Fructose Corn Syrup seem like uninformed idiots, I just want to post the following info about HFCS so there is no confusion:

There are a number of relevant studies published in peer reviewed journals suggesting a link between high fructose diets and adverse health effects. For example, studies on the effect of fructose, as reviewed by Elliot et al.,[1] implicate increased consumption of fructose (due primarily to the increased consumption of sugars but also partly due to the slightly higher fructose content of HFCS as compared to sucrose) in obesity and insulin resistance. Chi-Tang Ho et al. found that soft drinks sweetened with HFCS are up to 10 times richer in harmful carbonyl compounds, such as methylglyoxal, than a diet soft drink control.[2] Carbonyl compounds are elevated in people with diabetes and are blamed for causing diabetic complications such as foot ulcers and eye and nerve damage;[3][4] Furthermore, a study in mice suggests that fructose increases obesity.[5] Large quantities of fructose stimulate the liver to produce triglycerides, promotes glycation of proteins and induces insulin resistance.[6] According to one study, the average American consumes nearly 70 pounds of HFCS per annum, marking HFCS as a major contributor to the rising rates of obesity in the last generation. [7]

A 2007 study also raised concerns of possible liver damage as a result of HFCS in combination with a high fat diet and a sedentary lifestyle.[8]

1. Elliott, Sharon S; Nancy L Keim, Judith S Stern, Karen Teff and Peter J Havel (April 2004). "Fructose, weight gain, and the insulin resistance syndrome1". Am J Clin Nutr. 79 (4): 537–43.
2. Soda Warning? New Study Supports Link Between Diabetes, High-fructose Corn Syrup
3. "Diabetes fears over corn syrup in soda". New Scientist (04 September 2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-17.
4. Theresa Waldron Sugary Sodas High in Diabetes-Linked Compound
5. Jurgens, Hella; et al. (2005). "Consuming Fructose-sweetened Beverages Increases Body Adiposity in Mice" (abstract). Obesity Res 13: 1146–1156. doi:10.1038/oby.2005.136, http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/abstract/13/7/1146.
6. Faeh D, Minehira K, Schwarz JM, Periasamy R, Park S, Tappy L (July 2005). "Effect of fructose overfeeding and fish oil administration on hepatic de novo lipogenesis and insulin sensitivity in healthy men". DIABETES 54 (7): 1907–1913. doi:10.2337/diabetes.54.7.1907. PMID 15983189, http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/cgi/content/full/54/7/1907.
7. Mariniello, J. Martin (2007-11-28). "Weight Loss — Revealing The Hidden Secrets" (in English), Obesity Factors In Current Society. Retrieved on 28 November 2007.
8. “Supersize Me” Mice Research Offers Grim Warning for America’s Fast Food Consumers

Monday, November 10, 2008

THIS is how awesome my city is...

Here is the scene in one area of Seattle right after Obama was declared the winner (and yes, that is Don't Stop Believing blasting from speakers on one building's roof):



And here is the scene in downtown Seattle, mostly around Pike Place Market:



And, as another blogger pointed out, a miracle occurs - a drunken Capitol Hill hipster crowd sings the National Anthem, and means it:




NOT to mention the fireworks throughout the city, and even random "parades" of jubilant people through the smaller neighborhoods, mine own included!

New Bookkeeping Business in Seattle


If you are located in Seattle or surrounding areas and own your own small business or know someone who does, feel free to forward my contact information. I have a new company, Dedicated Balance Bookkeeping, in which I provide full-charge bookkeeping services to a wide variety of small businesses.

Determining profitability, appraising tax position and evaluating budgets are the very elements that Dedicated Balance Bookkeeping helps you bring together. Understanding your position is an absolute necessity to ensure that your business not only remains viable, but grows.


Contact me for rates!


Summer Lutton
summer@dedicatedbalance.com

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Freestyle...

So....
This is a momentous occasion.
That sounds trite.
This is a history-changing occasions.
And those of you who know that I am history major KNOW that I do not take that statement lightly.

I am speechless.

Yet I am filled with so many words I do not know which to throw out there first.

There is so much pride in my country for electing such an amazing person.

There is so much pride in McCain for giving the concession speech that should have been his Republican convention speech because it was so fantastic.

There is SO much pride in that we did NOT let the Republican ticket's pandering to us as women decide our vote. Instead we voted with our heads and hearts.

There is SO much pride in that we FINALLY made a decision that makes the world sit up and take notice.

WE ELECTED A MAN WHO IS HALF BLACK, HAS A MIDDLE NAME OF HUSSEIN, AND UNDERSTANDS THAT THE ECONOMY GROWS NOT FROM TRICKLE DOWN, BUT FROM THE BOTTOM UP.

Yay us.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Ummm...

So, this is only vaguely political (I could bring *gag* Sarah Palin into this conversation, I suppose).
However,
Is is too much to expect that I can have both an education and career along with a husband and family and all of us be happy? Am I being a Polyanna in thinking that's possible?
Note: I AM willing to make compromises...compromises I've already made in that I no longer plan to be a Foreign Services Officer with the State Department and that I've tried to look at which job would be available to my (potential?) lifelong mate at the places I want to go to grad school...
Tell me!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Vice Presidential Debate Drinking Game

For those who can't make it to my oh-so-entertaining vice presidential debate party on October 2nd, here is my oh-so-entertaining drinking game. Feel free to suggest others!

Vice Presidential Debate Drinking Game


Take one drink if:

A candidate goes over their time limit
A candidate says the name of a U.S. state or foreign country
A candidate says “terrorism”, “Islamic extremists”, or “September 11th”
Sarah Palin says:
that she is a hockey mom
that she lives right next to Russia
that John McCain was a POW
that she is the only candidate that has executive experience
that she said “thanks, but no thanks” to Congress about the “bridge to nowhere”
that she or McCain is a maverick and/or a reformer
that she took on the “good ol’ boys network”
“Gwen” (the moderator's name)
“Hilary Clinton”
“nukular”
her husband is referred to as "the first dude"
Joe Biden says:
that he rides the train to work
the word “change”
something about his mother
the term “Washington insider”
the term “Four more years”
he has been the chairman of the Foreign Relations committee
that McCain has voted with Bush 90% of the time

Take two drinks if:
A candidate mentions a foreign leader or U.S. governor by name
The network cuts to ad break in the middle of a Biden tirade
Joe Biden calls Sarah Palin out for claiming that she said “thanks, but no thanks” to that “bridge to nowhere”

Take three drinks if:
The moderator stops a candidate for a rule violation.

Finish your drink if:
The candidate back talks to the moderator for calling the violation.
Joe Biden calls Sarah Palin “pretty” or “attractive”
Joe Biden says the word "lipstick"

If you find this slanted somewhat against Palin, that is (1) my personal bias coming through, and (2) because she's just so much more quotable than Biden!
:)
Enjoy!

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Warning...

Ok...So, I've sucked with keeping this blog up to date, but I'm just gonna warn you all now...I will most likely be turning this blog into a political forum for the next couple of months. I welcome good spirited debate (Josh, that is absolutely directed at you...I expect some good comments!), I actually plead for it, however personal attacks are not welcome. If you post well-thought-out comments, I will respond. If you post "that's stupid" comments, or some variation thereof, I will not post, and just simply delete.
Thanks!
Summer

Friday, June 20, 2008

Life Changes: School and Work Insanity


So, wow, interesting week and a half, lemme tell ya…


First:

I GRADUATED!!!!


Wahoo! I am officially a college grad…and only .04 GPA below graduating cum laude :( C’est la vie, oui?



Yeah, that graduation thing was an experience…between the sheer insanity of trying to get my family and friends organized to get to the various events on time and then my poor mother falling during the ceremony and splitting her knee open…well, let’s just say that I definitely enjoyed the whole relaxing on the beach while drinking margaritas on Sunday for my grad party.


Second:

Remember my blog a little while ago lamenting the fact that I don’t have a job after the 17th? Yeah, well that didn’t really happen.


After I finished my audit on the 17th, my replacement comes up to me and says that he really needs to tell me something and that it’s just between us (well, and now the whole world, but whateva…). As he closes the door to my office I think he’s going to tell me that Tom talked to him and told him that after the audit today he was going to let me go.


Turns out..not so much…


He was pulling me aside to let me know that he had given his notice the night before.


Huh?


Yeah, well, apparently he hit that brick wall that I’ve been bashing my head against repeatedly this last year and a half and decided he just wasn’t the masochist that I apparently am and decided to leave now.


Good for him, I say.


So, fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), I am still employed at my job.


So, I still have a steady income for now (the fortunate part) along with the time off for my two trips: the Alaskan cruise my mom got me for graduation (we leave tomorrow!) and the trip in July to Texas to meet part of my dad’s family.


Of course, this also means that the time off that I was beginning to look forward to isn’t going to happen now (the unfortunate part).


I’m sure Matt’s happier about the steady income part though!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Getting old

I think I have just discovered what it feels like to get old.

I think it's something like:

Staying up until midnight to work on a paper

Getting up at 6:30 to go to work

Feeling like I have a hangover

Even though I didn't have a sip of alcohol yesterday


All the pain...none of the pleasure!

Monday, June 9, 2008

So close...


One final down...only one more to go! Woohoo!!!

So.
Very.
Close.
Almost.
Done.

Then....


















!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Reading Nirvana

And, no, I'm not talking about an unauthorized biography of Kurt Cobain.

I don't often recommend books because half the time I am reading academic books for classes (only for one more week though!) and the other half of the time I am devouring brainless novels for the sheer escapism of focusing intently on something that doesn't challenge my poor beleaguered brain.

However, this time I seem to have found a happy medium.

After my travels to Italy, a good friend of mine recommended "Eat Pray Love" to me. It is a story about "one woman's search for everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia".

I'm generally not a huge fan of non-fiction books because I find that they either aren't remotely applicable to my life and/or are not remotely entertaining. Amazingly, this book is both (for *me* at least).

There are parts of Elizabeth Gilbert and her experiences that I identify with so strongly that my eyes are widened with shock as I nod my head up and down so vigorously while reading. Of course, there are also parts where I thank the good lord that I'm NOT like her. And in between giggles and tears, there are the parts that make me look within myself and ask if I could ever let myself be as vulnerable as she is making herself by writing this book; if I could ever let myself really look at the root of my thoughts and insecurities and grow with them and past them.

And I'm only halfway through the darn book!

So, I guess I'm just throwing it out there that I am engrossed in this book, and maybe, hopefully, you can be too. It's one of the very few non-fiction books that I have found that manages to keep me entertained while at the same time challenging me without making my brain hurt. :)

Friday, June 6, 2008

June is HERE!

As my job winds down, so does my school career.

Today I picked up my cap and gown!

(and nifty UW Alum license plate holder that will have to wait until I have a nicer car!)

I am definitely excited about FINALLY graduating (only took 13 years!) but I am vacillating between wanting to nail my finals next week, and just not caring about them at all. I suppose you could call it the last remaining vestiges of senioritis, but part of it is that I feel like I have so many other things that are far more pressing.

I don’t have a job (after the 17th).

My car is on the verge of dying.

I can’t buy a new car because I don’t have a job (after the 17th).

I still have debt from my trip to Europe last summer, combined with extra debt that has accrued during the past year of being a student and part time worker living with someone who is a full time worker and not used to living the life of a college student (any more than I am).

I don’t know if I’ll be able to pay towards that debt in a month because I don’t have a job (after the 17th).

My boyfriend is getting frustrated with me because I’m so stressed about the fact that…

I don’t have a job (after the 17th).

Oh, and my best friends aren’t coming to my graduation. Minor nit…still sucks…

Thankfully, some things to HOPEFULLY take my mind off of the employment situation:

I’m GRADUATING!

I’m going on an Alaskan cruise for a week with my mom (I’ve never been on a cruise before, so I am SUPER looking forward to the prospect of not having to do ANYTHING for an ENTIRE WEEK!!!)

And, though I’m not sure how I’m paying for it now, I’m going on a trip in July to see my new family down in Texas and also spend a few days in N’awlins chillaxin’ with my boyfriend. I’m sure I’ll be able to save up enough cash to pop into Café Du Monde and get some warm, fluffy, sugary beignets and café au lait. :)

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Well then...

So, let's see...what has happened since my last post...
So...
Have been turned down for three jobs.
Have been told at my current job that they "don't have anything" for me to do after graduation.
Don't know how I'm going to pay my bills for the next two months.
Looking forward to my girls-night-out this Saturday.
Only have one homework assignment and short paper for my independent study plus two finals before,
I.
AM.
DONE.
yes.
happy.
So...anyone know anyone that can put me in touch with someone who can give me a job?

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Crunch time

Ok, so I have gone into full "must. get. job. soon." mode. I have submitted for four jobs at the Gates Foundation, three at PATH, one at Volt Employment Agency (which I THINK is for the Gates Foundation) and one at Impact Capital. The reality is, this process can take some time, and I really don't have the money saved up right now to be able to survive without a paycheck for more than a couple weeks (the hazards of being a student for the past several years).
It is so very scary looking for a job right now. One, the economy is not exactly booming, and two, I haven't been through a job interview in almost four years! Yikes!
If anyone knows any open positions, or knows someone who knows of open positions, that are at a non-profit organization, preferably with a global focus, feel free to pass the information along!

Monday, May 12, 2008

The Leap

So....I've taken the leap. I've put my application in for a position at the Gates Foundation.
Even though people keep stressing how difficult it is to get a job there right now, I am going to remain positive darnit!

I WILL get a job there!

It is PERFECT for me!

...
...
...
...
Damn I'm scared...

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

WTF Mate?

So, this blog was just going to be about it snowing in Seattle in mid-April, but it has expanded since then, so here are my WTFs for the week:

1) Snow in Seattle - we are lucky if we get snow in January, but here's the view from my front door in Ballard on Friday, April 18. APRIL?? WTF?!?

2) Our *cough*venerable*cough* president has apparently made prime time his hangout of choice now. He has now made appearances on both Deal or No Deal and American Idol. You can see him here and here. WTF?
Of course, this is timed perfectly to coincide with the new movement to name a fitting memorial after our *cough*venerable*cough* president in San Francisco.

3) Um, hello world? Yeah, that would be a handbasket you're in. And, no, that's not global warming making it hotter...WTF mate (explicit language warning!)?

4) And, finally, CARLY!?! REALLY?!? WTF???!!!???

OH! Wait, THIS explains it!


Thursday, April 17, 2008

Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey

Ok, well, maybe not as entertaining as Jack Handey, but you subtract out the bears-as-uncles and really, what do you have?

These are just my thoughts...So, though I recognize logically and reasonably that there is no one in the world that has the same thought process, ideas, and observations that I do (not to say that there aren't people similar to me, such as my boyfriend, my best friends, my mom, probably some people I've never met...) I am still continually surprised how DIS-similar from myself some people are.

I am shocked when I sit an audience of my fellow students and the host of the Dalai Lama event asks that everyone stays sitting until the academic processions finishes...and yet crowds of students continue streaming out of the doors.

I am shocked when I am at work and I hear someone yell and complain about how people in this company play the blame game...and then that person proceeds to blame something on someone else in the same breath.

I am shocked when people don't understand that when I cry it doesn't mean that I'm weak or that I'm sad, it's just an expression of my utter frustration and impotence at changing my surroundings.

I am shocked when people expect that my life is/should be devoted to my job...this does NOT mean that I don't have a work ethic, just that I think my life should be MORE than the 8-5, sitting in a cubicle, creating procedures and policies. This is also why I'm changing my profession. I want to CHANGE things. HELP the world somehow. Obviously, I am only one person, but I think I can contribute. That being said, I AM devoted to my job when I get something out of it...some positive feeling...something constructive.

I am shocked when people allow themselves to become so wrapped up in the negative that they forget to embrace the positive in their live. I mean, really, if we want to play that game, I can play it pretty well. But I don't. Instead, though I bitch about my job, when push comes to shove, I recognize that this company has given me many opportunities that I would not have otherwise had, and has richly rewarded me when I've done well. Not to mention that I have an extraordinarily (notice, Danielle, I didn't say "incredibly"!) supportive mother and grandfather, an amazing boyfriend, phenomenal friends, and so many opportunities in my life that I feel so very fortunate to have.

I am shocked when people make commitments and then don't follow through; no reasons or anything, just don't show up.

I am shocked when I meet people that don't like 80s music! Ok, not really, but I felt I needed to lighten the tone...

This list makes it seem like I'm going through life with my perpetually shock-widened eyes. While this is not quite true, I do feel like I learn something, and have to adapt to a new situation, daily. As I said, I realize logically that most people do not think like me, but emotionally I am continually surprised when they don't.

Of course, conversely, I am even more heartened when I see people let people in front of them in traffic, or when friends are overwhelmed with work and personal life but still take the time to send an email explaining why they haven't responded sooner, or when people are having a particularly rough point in their life but completely ignore the negative aspects and focus on the beauty that they find, or when people accept the blame for the mistakes they make. Not that I follow all of these precisely every time. I am no saint. Hence, the reason I am so gratified by these actions :)

Overall, I feel that I am blessed in my life, and I only wish that everyone felt like that. I have not had a textbook perfect life by any means. However, I feel that I have ended up ahead.

I could focus on the fact that I never had a father. Instead, instead I choose to focus on the fact that I had an unbelievably supportive mother and grandfather.

I could focus on the fact that other than some cousins, no one in my family has gone to college. Let alone had a job that was more than mid-level management. Instead, I went to college and I'm graduating with honors, and I reached mid-level management by my late twenties BEFORE I even got my degree.

I could focus on the fact that almost every man in my life has let me down. Instead, I focus on my grandfather who is more of a father figure to me than my father has or could ever be. I also focus on my boyfriend who treats me better than anyone else ever has, and puts up with more of my crap than I should ever ask him to.

I realize these imperfections and shortcomings in my life, and yet, I recognize the fact that my successes and benefits more than make up for, if not exceed, them. I also recognize the fact that these experiences have broadened, deepened, and expanded my life and my beliefs, and without them, I would not be the person that I am today, even with all MY imperfections and shortcomings.

Sorry, I know this is a bit of a rant and verbal diarrhea, but that's what my friends are for, listening to my rants, my complaints, my successes, and my dreams. I also believe that I fulfill this role for my friends. If I have not, then please let me know, because it is definitely something that I strive for!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Forget the sound of one hand clapping...

What is the sound that a girl makes when she can't find her friggin' Dalai Lama ticket??

I'll give you a hint: it's somewhere been a sob and the sound that a cat makes when he is in heat. It ain't pretty.

So, after digging through the trash, loudly bewailing my loss and my neighbors throwing a shoe at me to shut me up, I eventually found it at 2pm!

Of course, this left me exactly 45 mins. to drive to the U-District (15 mins.), park my car (5 mins.), and walk to Hec Ed Pavilion (usually between 30 & 35 mins. from 52nd and Brooklyn). Yes, that adds up to more than 45 mins. However, after sweating through my wool coat in 50 degree weather, I finally made it EXACTLY at 2:45. And I was just in time to watch the pro-China demonstration. Good times. As someone commented, it sounded like they were yelling very angry communist chants...who knows...

I entered the building and made my way with the masses of other students to our seats. What followed was two hours of insightful observations made by a man who has been the spiritual leader of his people for 58 years.

His discussion on compassion, how we practice it, and how we inspire it in others was beautiful. He is a very simple speaker and gets directly to the point. He also related several personal stories to emphasize his points. My favorite was one he told of a boy in Ireland.

Several years ago, he made a trip to Northern Ireland to meet with some of the victims of the violence there. He said that when he walked in the room there were almost no smiles and extreme tension prevailed. However, he noticed this one boy who did actually smile. The boy had been hit on the forehead, right between his eyes, with a rubber bullet during the fighting when he was thirteen and was blinded instantly. However, the now grown man told him, when he woke up in the hospital after the incident, he didn't feel anger or hatred at those who had harmed him, instead, his first thought was sadness that he would never again see his mother's face. So, unlike his fellow victims who clung to the pain and the anger, he released it, and was grateful, instead, for being alive. When the Dalai Lama returned to the same place two years later, he saw more smiles, and he saw that young man again, this time with a beautiful wife, and two beautiful children.

I thought this story was a lovely example of the beauty that can be in our life when we release, or at least subdue, the anger, hurt, frustration, and self-pity that can sometimes result from being beat down in our lives by those around us. When we accept it and move on, everything that we wanted can still be ours, we just have to recognize that it may come in a different form than we thought.

So, some words on compassion to contemplate. As was said during the reading of his honorary degree citation (he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Human Letters at UW), the Dalai Lama has taught us that humanity is one. Suffering is our common lot. Happiness is our common goal. Love is our most fundamental need. Compassion, therefore, and most importantly, is our universal duty. Compassion is not just recognizing the feelings of your fellow man, but is instead a rational and logical conclusion of what pain is in the world and making a concerted effort to better it.

On a lighter note, when asked by one of the students how he thought we should encourage other nations to become more involved on the war on AIDS, he responded "I believe that is a sexually transmitted disease, yes?" After receiving affirmation, he simply responded, "well, we just get them all to wear rubbers!"

I almost died laughing!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

I love the internets...

Specifically, I love linkedin.com! Even though I don't know anyone who knows someone that works at the Gates Foundation, linkedin let me know that I know someone, who knows someone, who knows someone that works there! It just lets me expand my network by one more person! Woohoo!

That is all.

Thanks for listening!

Friday, April 11, 2008

Update on the job search...

So, yeah, TOTALLY found my ideal job...anyone know anyone that works at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation? :) I don't necessarily have the experience, but, hey, it's all about who you know, not what you know, right? And I'm a fast learner! ;)


Position TitleSpecial Assistant to the President - Travel
DivisionGlobal Health Program
DepartmentAdministration
LocationSeattle

Responsibilities

The Special Assistant to the President, Global Health Program staffs the President’s international and domestic trips and events with other global health leaders. This position is responsible for planning, trip logistics, and follow-up for external meetings, speeches and public events.

The Special Assistant acts as liaison between the office of the President and the program areas in Global Health, working closely with directors and program officers to ensure appropriate, consistent follow-through after external meetings and events.

Reports to: Senior Project Officer to the President, Global Health

Responsibilities:
• Travel with the President of Global Health, attending meetings, speeches, and other events, tracking commitments made and opportunities for follow-up. Debrief with the President and other foundation staff in attendance as appropriate.
• Prepare and issue trip reports that succinctly capture salient elements from discussions and clearly identify follow-up actions. Disseminate within global health and maintain a trip report archive.
• Manage follow up activities that result from external meetings. Assign to foundation staff as appropriate, assemble ad hoc teams when necessary; ensure that each activity is completed in a reasonable manner and timeframe after the completion of the trip. Provide regular progress updates to the Senior Project Officer to the President.
• Contribute to the development of an annual travel strategy for the President that maximizes the achievement of foundation objectives and manages grantee relationships.
• Manage all travel logistics during travel with the President, trouble-shooting and resolving conflicts as they arise, interacting with logistics and security personnel and other members of the delegation traveling with the President.
• Monitor key relationships between President of GH with government, the philanthropic sector, and other key foundation partners and allies and leverage trips/events to schedule meetings and conversations to further develop these relations.
• Maintain positive, productive working relationships with staff in the office of the President, Global Health Policy & Advocacy staff, other Global Health Program staff, security and logistics personnel, and external contacts.
• Negotiate consultant contracts and coordinate work as it relates to trip planning and execution from time to time.
• Travel up to 50% both domestically and internationally, including travel to the developing world.

New Blog and New Professional Direction

Blogging...hmmm...

I post blogs on myspace that are usually just funny little videos or observations.

I posted a few entries on another blogspot blog while traveling in Europe (that fell apart quickly...amazingly enough, I was far too busy actually DOING stuff to write a blog).

Now, I thought this may be an interesting way to just talk about things going on in my life. This is mostly designed for my friends, but I don't have any issues with other people reading it.

I will attempt to keep this current, but as most people who know me realize, my schedule is a smidge insane.

So, now that I've put all that out there, let's chat...

I'm beginning to realize that I've been a bit of a hypocrite recently. I've adopted this snobby superiority to my fellow students when it comes to graduation. When they start obsessing about what they are going to do after graduation, I throw my nose up in the air and in a very adult-like voice acknowledge their fear and then condescendingly tell them that I don't have to worry about that fear since I've already been in the work-world for the past 8 or so years. I have NO fears about finding a job after graduation because I already have one! HA!

Karma is a bitch...

As many of you know, I haven't been exactly fulfilled in my current job. Writing procedures and auditing isn't exactly enthralling work for me. In addition, there have been several coworkers that I have not completely enjoyed working with. Moreover, my college major and future professional plans are completely unrelated to my current job. So, I always knew that I would be leaving, the question was only when. I had been taking my time figuring out the answer to that question. My boss had given me a deadline of the end of April to tell him what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, that deadline became immeasurably shorter last week.

On Tuesday, my boss called me into his office. He told me that the customers were expressing some concerns over the fact that my company only had a part time quality manager and wanted to know when/if I was going to be full time. "So," he said, "I need to have your answer by tomorrow."

TOMORROW?

Ho-lee crap...


Suddenly, that turmoil faced by my fellow students was smack-dab in my face.

I frantically called my mom after I left the office begging for answers. I spoke to my boyfriend, asking him for advice. I called a friend of mine whose opinion I trust explicitly in job-related matters.

Finally, I made my decision.


I walked into my boss's office the next day and asked him if we could speak. After receiving his assent, I calmly sat down and told him that I agreed with our customers, we did need a full time quality manager. Since I was only there part time, I missed a lot. However, as he was already aware, I need to focus on getting a job in my chosen area, in this case international relations, and working full time for him would preclude that. Since I did not want to leave him in a bind, though, I would begin working full time after graduation, but I would need to leave by mid-August to search for work elsewhere.


He looked at me, nodded, and said "OK, we'll start the search immediately."

So, this is where you find me now: faced with employment uncertainty in an increasingly unstable economy. Terrifying, and yet liberating at the same time. I know that this decision was for the best, but I'll be darned if I can remember that when I look at my credit card statement!