stuf

1. Travel

I’ve racked up almost 4000 miles (3737 miles) of air travel in the past 3 weeks.  Plus the hundreds of nautical miles I traveled a couple of weeks ago.  I feel kinda awesome for having done so much travel in so little time.  Not all of it was for fun, though… as a matter of fact, I just got back from a 4-day work trip to Duke University for our New Fellows Conference.  Thanks to a flight cancellation and a 1 hour layover in Cincinnati, I picked up an additional 500 miles on that trip.  I wasn’t too thrilled about the change of plans, but I’ll happily take the extra 500 miles.  My goal is to reach 10,000 miles by the end of October.

I’m at 8388 right now.   Only 1612 left.  If I fly home and take a trip to Atlanta in the next 2 months, I’ll be set.

Oh – and also, I’ve decided that I enjoy flying.  Before, I kinda dreaded it – mostly the take off and landing.  But over the past few weeks I’ve developed this newfound appreciation for pilots and the massive beasts they fly.

2. Friends

Jessica is coming!  TODAY.  Get excited.  While she seems to be pretty lax in her planning, I’m quasi-freaking out (more like thinking nonstop) about what we can do to fill the time.  She’s staying until Sunday, so we only have a short 60 hours or so to take on NYC together.

3. Work

I’ve been at my current job for a year.  I can’t even believe it.  Hooray for me.  Here’s to another year of helping people save the world.

** I promise to write something more fulfilling next time… there just isn’t much going on in my life right now.  Oh well.

weekend recap.

I’ll start with the ending: It went REALLY well.  One of the smoothest weekends my organization has had in several years. 

And now, the beginning.  Don’t worry, I’ll give the reader’s digest version:

Thursday, April 30th.  Astonishingly, all 29 finalists made their way to NYC without problems.  This made me happy because I booked everyone’s travel.  

Go me.  Point for Deva. 

Around 6pm, one of our most important events of the year began: Finalist Night (click here for my cousin’s recap of the event).  Overall, it was a hit.  The food was good, the drinks were flowing, and there was a lot of mixing, mingling and whatever else happens at cocktail parties.  And, most importantly, people were really excited about our finalists. 

Another point for me, and a point for everyone else on staff who made the entire night a success. 

Friday, May 1st.  The day was full of interviews, so I don’t have much to report on – EXCEPT the fact that we started and ended the day long interview fest 100% on time.  In case you don’t know, my organization is NO-torious for running late in almost everything.  I work with very chatty folks.  I’m not sure how it happened, but my team was very excited about ending on time, because we all (finalists, staff and judges) had a very lovely dinner planned at Dos Caminos that night.  

And finally, Saturday, May 2nd.  It was mass hysteria in the morning for about 15 minutes.  Judges were running late (or didn’t show up at all), finalists didn’t know where to go for their interviews, there were several room changes, our catered breakfast didn’t arrive on time… and little ol’ me had to manage all of that ridiculousness.  After being pulled in 529 different directions, things eventually calmed down.  Interviews ended at 12:30pm, then the finalists went to lunch.  Sadly, I didn’t go – I had the privilege of watching the judges, and later the senior staff, deliberate until 9pm. 

Then my weekend was over.  I got home, ate some food, then passed out.

All in all, it was a success.  My very first big event :) I can’t wait to add that to my resume.

finally here.

The last 9 months of my job have been leading up to this upcoming jam-packed weekend.  Selection Weekend 2009.  

We fly in a bunch of people from around the country, and even the world, to participate in in-person interviews with a panel of “judges” (we’re starting to call them interview committee members).  There’s also a big-ish 200+ guest cocktail party the first night of the weekend where all people, rich and poor, come together to celebrate the good work my organization is doing – and obviously the good work of the fellows and finalists too. 

This had better be grand. 

My team has been extra careful to NOT slack off until the last minute, and I’m pretty sure it has paid off.  We’re able to leave on time and no one is stressed.  Not even me.  Not even my boss.  Excellent.

All I want is for this weekend to run smoothly.  It doesn’t have to be perfect – just devoid of major interruption. 

And after this weekend, I will sleep.  A lot.  Get excited.

another failure

I’ll admit – I’m one of those people who eats lunch at their desk.  

As a matter of fact, I’m writing this post while I eat my lunch… at my desk. 

It’s not a habit I’m fond of, and I know it should change.  A total of 14 people work at my organization and the majority of them eat lunch together on a daily basis.  I think it’s great.  It’s time away from the computer screen – and away from work.  

Why do I have to be one of the odd balls that doesn’t eat with the group?  

It was reasonable when I was working a zillion hours a day; I actually didn’t have time to be away from my desk.  But now, things have calmed down considerably and I should be able to spend 30 minutes away from the computer. 

But I know what keeps me here.  It’s the fact that the sooner I get my work done, the sooner I can leave.  And I love leaving work earlier than 6:30pm.  A lot.  

Regardless – I need to be less anti-social and more like my mildly-extroverted self.

workaholism

I work too much.  I know this, and I’m not okay with it.  

Believe it or not, I’m at work right now.  I should be at my tap class, but I’m not – I’m too busy working. 

Honestly, I’d rather be at my dance class, but that’s mostly because I’m so freaking stressed out.  Work is stressing me out.  What else is new?  At least I’m doing an excellent job (I think) at covering up my anxiety. 

In my first job, it kinda stinks to be this bad of a workaholic.  This is setting the standard for the rest of my working life (which could also be the rest of my actual life).  It was bad enough being a quasi-overachiever in college – this is a whole different level. 

I wonder if this kind of stuff looks good on a resume: 

My name is Deva and I’m a workaholic.  If chose to work for you, I will work 12 hours a day AND work from home.  Did I mention I work weekends when needed?  I also have a hard time thinking of things besides work.  

What ever happened to work-life balance?  It’s totally not happening right now.  I don’t want to be a workaholic. 

Someone save me.

deva in da’ house

That’s right, suckas. I’m back. Broken, but back.

The past, umm… forever, has been pretty hellish. You can blame my job for everything. Everything.

Quick run through of what I’ve been up to:

1. I moved to Astoria (loving it)

2. I’ve been working 12+ hour days since February 5th (f that)

3. I found an eye doctor and my vision hasn’t changed! (I know no one actually cares about this – but it’s an exciting thing for me)

4. Beth and Rob (College Park roommate and her fiancee) came to visit (awesome). I got to address their wedding invites :)

5. I took my very first boxing class (so… much… pain)

And here I am today. The boxing class was last night, so I’m still suffering from the effects. Walking down the stairs has never been more painful, and I’m scared of getting run over on the subway. I plan on taking this boxing class until I don’t hurt anymore.

Anyway, what’s on my mind nowadays? Hmm…

In the past 48 hours, I’ve been doing a lot of event planning. Adam, Ryan and I are going to Atlanta. We’re also going to see Watchmen IMAX style. And then we’re going to Europe in May?

Yeah – I don’t know about the Europe thing. Student loans are a real downer. I need to start saving up for my blogger trip to Chi-Town in June anyway. Right now, I want to focus on US-travel.

I’m also planning Selection Weekend (April 30-May 2) at my job. It’s the final deliberation round before we pick our new 2009 fellows. There’s also a cocktail party. Get excited.

So, life in Astoria is about 2 gazillion times better than living in Ridgewood. My roommates are normal and I don’t feel the need to stay in my room all the time. I also have a normal sized shower. On the whole, I’m much happier here.

In other random news, I bought The Lonely Island’s first album, Incredibad. This was probably my first impulse buy of 2009 (I’m really glad it only cost me $9). I can’t say I regret the purchase – how else would I get all of my favorite SNL digital shorts as an MP3 (except “Iran So Far”, sadly).

Yes, I’m a nerd. And I laugh at almost anything.

My two favorites are Sax Max (featuring Jack Black) and Boombox.

PS: I love Andy Samberg.

Okay – this post is random enough for me to call it quits. I’ll come back when I’m a little more focused.

estou mudando

How about a video to start:

So yeah, I’m changing… a little bit.

There are so many things about my life right now that I don’t like or enjoy. The main thing is the lack of regularity. Right now, the only scheduled thing in my life is work. Work, work, work.

That’s sad because God knows I don’t live to just work. I can’t forget to actually live.

It’s easy for me to spend a lot of time at work, because I don’t have anything else scheduled in my life. I get to work early and leave later than I’d like. Then I come home, loaf around, eat, shower and sleep. My weekends are almost equally as boring.

Moral of the story, kids: I don’t want to miss out on life because I spend all of my time working.

So, the changes:

1. I absolutely need to have a not-so-strict/slightly flexible schedule of events that include, but are not limited to – going to the gym, tap dance, hanging with friends, and hobby stuff (reading, singing, TV etc).

2. I have to make new friends (not that my current friends are less than awesome, because they’re not) in this ginormous city. Let me tell you – it ain’t easy. Suggestions are welcome.

3. This is very much contingent on the weather, but I need to get out and do more stuff. Staying inside all day makes me crazy. I’m already crazy.

***Side note: I don’t know how many times I’ve mentioned these mini-life changes in past entries, but with the new move to Queens 2 coming up in a few days, I feel like now is a really good time to start over (again). I’ll try to be successful this time.

stress and harry potter

Between work and my new apartment, I’ve been really stressed this week. I am SO glad tomorrow/today is Friday.

I will start out my day at a coffee shop, deciding the entrepreneurial fate of at least 15 applicants and organizations. It’s what I do (aka. my job). Then I will show up at work around 12:30pm, faced with a messy desk (papers everywhere) and hopefully no more than 10 emails in both inboxes. I will spend a lot of time talking to Peter and Adam on gchat, but I will also find time to get my work done – the part that doesn’t involve reading fellowship applications. Around 5pm, I will be ready to leave work, but I might not actually leave until 6:30ish. What I will do after work is a mystery.

Oh. My. Gosh. I’m putting myself to sleep by just writing this boring boring post. Ha.

On a good note: I’m going to see Equus on Sunday with Adam and Ryan.

That’s right – I’m going to see the Harry Potter (except he’s not Harry Potter). In-Person. I know you all are jealous, and you should be. It will be exciting.

intense Mondays

Tomorrow is one of the most important days of work, ever – the day we close our fellowship application. On the surface, it doesn’t sound like this should be all that significant. What makes it significant (in my opinion) is the fact that I will spend most of tomorrow responding to emails and phone calls from last-minute applicants who failed the eligibility quiz (and are blocked access to the rest of the application).

So far, those last minute applicants are getting on my effing nerves. I’ve been dealing with them for the past 4 days and I’m kinda ready to punch a wall.

I have so much to do in the next 24 hours – I will be surprised if I leave work before 8pm. I REALLY need to get to work by 8am; hopefully my phone won’t be ringing off the hook at that hour. I need to start my day in peace.

By the way, I can’t believe tomorrow is December 1st. Where the hell did this year go? I need plans for New Year’s Eve. And Christmas.

so much catching up to do

I’m back from Philadelphia and utterly exhausted. It was good times.

I’ll write more tomorrow. Right now, I have a massive amount of work emails to respond to.