Balancing Act...Or Why I Suck At Posting Anything Anymore

When it rains it pours. That's my life story. Last semester I was so sad and distressed about not having a job (I did indeed even go so far as to fill out an application for Yogli Mogli, a frozen yogurt shop) and then all of a sudden *BOOM* not one, not two, but three jobs/internships had fallen into my lap. And like a squirrel hoards nuts, I took them all.

All of the jobs! via

So here's what I've been up to:

1). Data management at CDC's Division of Reproductive Health: this one's unpaid and was the first of the 3 to come along. A friend of my dad's friend found me this position punching in hospital data into a spreadsheet to be used for a health report. It's about 6 hrs a week, super flexible, and I even get my own desk/computer/laminated name card outside of the office. Dream big. It's maybe not my passion, but I appreciate the chance to make connections and explore different divisions at the CDC

2). Library grad supervisor extraordinare: my friend B and I work from 11 am to 8 pm every Saturday checking out books, overseeing wee undergrads and essentially being bosses with our double computer screens. It's a long day indeed and my Saturdays are essentially shot, but lets face it, I never did anything on Saturdays anyway (if I got dressed it was a miracle) and now I make a huge chunk of change and do all my work for the week.

Feel the power

Actually this is what we do all day Saturdays

and lastly, my pride, my joy, and my newfound love
3). Communication intern at CDC's Division of Global Disease Detection and Emergency Response: yes it's a mouthful, but I think I have found my calling. What better thing for me to be doing than playing around with words, making pamphlets, interviewing people, and writing blog posts all in the name of global health?! Nothing I tell you!

And so even though I have no idea what free time is anymore, don't remember what it's like to not wake up without an alarm, and haven't taken a nap in who knows how long, I'm networking and making the cash moneys like nobody's business. Sleep is for the weak! ...Is it summer yet?

You know you're growing up when...

1. You start buying friends wedding magazines to celebrate their impending nuptials

2. You have to worry about repaying student loans (or you just have student loans)

3. Time starts to = money

4. The number of work clothes in your closet starts taking up more space than the number of party dresses

5. You get excited about an apartment that comes with an in-unit washer and dryer

6. Dinner and drinks becomes more about the food and less about the drinks

7. You spend more time obsessing over decorating your apartment than you do about clothes

8. Quality becomes more important than quantity (in friends, relationships, everything)

9. An ideal weekend involves you, your bed, and Netflix

10. You find yourself discussing the merits of having a high quality vacuum (this just happened and it really scared me)

11. You start celebrating the anniversary of your 21st birthday

12. You come home from work too tired to make dinner

13. The antics of the younger generation start to scare you/make you concerned for society

14. And finally...

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Multi-tasker Extraordinare

Before you roll your eyes at me and get all freaked out and think I'm getting all psychadelic and new-agey on you, just hear me out. Buddhists and the rad man the Dalai Lama are all for doing a task and concentrating soley on that single task; this is how we live in the now. Why live in the now, you ask? Because the past is the past (and often a source of depression) and the future is the future (a common cause of anxiety for many); since you can't change the past and there's no point in worrying about a future that hasn't happened yet the best thing is to live fully in the now. This is where we find peace.

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I'm a big proponent of this idea. I noticed it this summer when I was busy waiting tables; with the restaurant packed and all of my tables full, all I could concentrate on were the tasks at hand. Let me tell you, I don't think I've ever been so present in my life as I was when I was waiting tables. Nowadays, I've got a lot of shit going on. We all do. And I've gotten really good at multitasking, especially in class (I've adopted the idea, well if I'm not going to learn anything useful in this class, I might as well make the most of my time here and get something done) and it's definitely helped to ease some of the workload I've felt saddled with these past couple of weeks. But it also makes me stop and wonder: this can't be good for my psyche. I've felt this building up for some time now, all the stress and anxiety that I've been feeling over impending assignments and deadlines, but just last night I realized I couldn't go on feeling so frazzled and stressed. I'm going to have a breakdown if I continue working and worrying myself as I am (and lets face it, breakdowns don't help anyone, ain't nobody got time fo that!).

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Just gotta take it one day at a time (and maybe study/work on assignments a few days in advance just so you don't screw yourself over). I figure, this can't last forever; grad school is my great spring to the finish line of life! If you are interested in finding out more, I'd highly recommend The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. It's a great read that talks about the benefits and necessity of living in the now. Plus, every day's a gift (that's why we call it the present!) so why wouldn't you want to fully live it?!