deep thoughts
If The Bobby Pin was a book, this would be the end
Posted by: | CommentsThe time has come to shut the doors on The Bobby Pin. There’s been a lot of change this year, and I want a fresh start. If you’ve followed me in my journey, I think you — for reals, not for fakes.
I invite you to join me in my new journey to find the best of every day. I’m calling it Make Today Great.
From great finds in fashion to great life moments, I’m wanting to find that hopeful place of excitement. I’m wanting to find greatness in every day. It’s really just the sequel to this journey. Also, I’m out of ideas for the space I created on The Bobby Pin. Between the move, graduation and the year-end, it seems final. I am in a place of change and I need a new place on the Internets. A place of thoughts I agree with — my perspectives have changed a bit since I started blogging 4.5 years ago. Some things that I defended fervently at one time are now things I feel completely opposite about.
And I never want to write a product review post ever again.
True, my blog traffic has never been better, but Ijust feel done. I know what you web savvy people are thinking. But the URL name recognition! SEO! But the pagerank! But this or that! I had a realization this year: that’s not why I blog. I set a goal to double my search engine traffic, and I did. And other than realizing that I knew a thing or two about SEO, it didn’t make me feel any better.
This space will live for awhile — but the URL and RSS feed will start redirecting to the new blog soon. I hope you will join me. To start things out, I posted some pictures on the new blog of the photo shoot we had just before leaving San Diego. Come check it out! at Maketodaygreat.org!
I love Riley
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I went through grad school with a pink laptop. But it’s the storyline we tell little girls — that they need to be saved, versus little boys who are told that they can save the world. It stood out to me when we went to Disneyland. The princessy rides are oriented around finding a man, while the Buzz Lightyear ride is about saving the world.
I don’t know about you, but while finding a great man is awesome — saving the world? Much better.
Not to put anyone who just gave their kids a fabulous Christmas on blast. I’m a lover of all things princess too. It’s just the narrative.
By the way
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I’M DONE! I’M DONE!
It doesn’t feel real, but I am done with school. This is the problem with finishing early and moving. I did the same in my undergrad — I moved out and left before the celebrations because I was so excited to be a reporter. I regretted that and I regretting finishing my undergrad in three years (no one ever told me that you don’t ever get summer or winter break EVER AGAIN), and part of that fueled my desire for graduate school. But then I finished early and left early again. I even tried quitting my job, and take time off, but that lasted about a month.
We’ll take this as a realization that some things never change.
I need to document what I’ve learned and how I’ve changed. It’s both intrinsic and external. Things like being more assertive. Trusting myself. I think more strategically — I ended up taking every strategy class offered. I am better at math than I ever have been. I feel like I should have talked more about it, but every time I tried I didn’t know how to write “hey, I’m getting smarter!” without sounding like a total dork. I also felt like this blog was “the fun place” when I was reading business books all day long. Fun fact: one of the first books I bought post-school was another business book. What am I turning into?
Part of it will feel more real when I don a cap and gown in May.
I think I need to get myself something special, just so that when I look at it, I will remember how good it felt. Be it a picture, a purse, something sparkly, or quite possibly a little tech item that is engraved. I know I’ve said before — it’s not that I’m materialistic, it’s that I am sentimental. And this? This is something I am going to remember.
P.S. This is a cool infographicabout the evolution of the MBA.
Ensuring great moments
Posted by: | CommentsWe are in Utah. We are almost unpacked. The puppy and Cricket are in a power struggle for Alpha dog that is slightly hilarious.
But now, a story.
Friday night was the designated timeslot for the annual Christmas Extravaganza — the husband’s get together with his college friends. We ate at a steakhouse that was selected more for its inbetween locale than deliciousness. At least, I hope, otherwise I will have to have a serious talk to someone about the state of their tastebuds.
We were an hour late. I’m starting at the office — and at just the time I needed to leave to be on time, I got some valuable tech support. Plus, I got totally lost in the parking garage. Maze, I tell you.
Post dinner, we went up to the street to engage in some bowling. Upon getting the choice, I turned on the bumpers. I’m a horrible bowler, let’s be honest here. And while I try my hardest to not be competitive, getting gutter balls all night after a long day at work — and a long week of finishing grad school, moving three states and starting at the office — I just didn’t want a night of gutter balls.
Sure, I was the only person who did it. It seems I am always doing things differently — I also suggested we take advantage of only having four people in our lane and everyone sign up for two games, but the computer caught us.
It caused me thought. I realized that I do this often. If I can guarantee that I’m going to have a better time by paying slightly extra for better seats, or changing an activity to Saturday when I know I will be more rested, I do it. When we went to Disneyland a few weeks ago, we scheduled three days there — ensuring that we didn’t have to wake up early or stay there late if we didn’t want to. We were still able to see everything without stressing out.
It might cost more sometimes. It might mean that I do things after all the cool people are doing it. But you know? I think it contributes to happiness. Do you ever do weird things like that?
By the way, this whole realization contributes to a project I’m working on for 2012. I’m excited to share it!
Boxes are packed, ready to go
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It’s a calm before a storm. My homework is all but complete, just a presentation and paper and I will be graduated. The apartment that we de-wallpapered, painted and lived in for three years is mostly empty. Just memories, many good, some I’d rather forget. We successfully loaded our POD with all that we won’t need for six months. Well, we are using some stuff until Tuesday, like the mattress, then it will be PODded. (I just made our storage unit into a verb. Yes it needs an extra “d” because POD is one syllable.)
The rest will come to my parents house in the car and truck. Ah yes, we are moving in with the parents. To be fair, they planned for this when they built their house. We’ll have our own “wing,” which sounds so fancy when it really is just a portion of the house that is sectioned off for guests. California people, remember homes are bigger in Utah and contain things like basements.
It does mean that we will have access to a washing machine and bathroom of our own. What they thought was genius planning might just be poor planning on my parents part. My own washing machine I can use any time of day, no quarters needed? My mom’s cooking with no curfew? I may never move out.
The idea is that hopefully when we do move out, it is after being in escrow. Whenever I hear the word “escrow,” I want to pronounce it ESK-ER-OH, like Luke’s brother-in-law does in Gilmore Girls. This prospect has me pinning images of homes like crazy.
My last blog post was such a downer, so I wanted to put something up that was happier. Truly, I am giddy happy. But I’m also full of goodbyes right now and honoring that. It is as if I just finished a book trilogy, and while I’m excited to start the next series waiting on the shelf, the words from the previous are still fresh.
Life is scattered, like bobby pins in your bathroom drawer, no? Dance backwards in high heels with me. Let's talk clothes and news. I *love* clothes and news.
