It's been too long...

I was thinking about this blog today and realized I hadn't posted in awhile. Things have been fairly busy and will hopefully remain busy for awhile. Since school got out, I've been fairly busy. Other than work, friends, and traveling, I've been trying to read more. I'm about half way through The World is Flat. I must admit, I'm surprised this was a best seller. I'm loving the book but only because I studied business and economics. I can't imagine many people enjoying someone's global analysis of outsourcing and insourcing, comparative advantages, zero sum theories, etc. I've wanted to read the book for years but have been too intimidated because of how lengthy the text was. I cheated; I bought the audiobook (I am reading two actual other books though!). Some of the ideas are so great that I often find my mind wandering. I'm going to listen a second time so that I can get a better grasp of what the author is saying. If you're interested in globalizaion, it's a great book. If you want to listen to it, let me know and I'll burn you a copy on CD's! :)

Other news: I quit my job at the doggy daycare. It was a fun job and I really enjoyed it... at first. Working around dogs for 8 hours a day, several days in a row was just too much for me to handle. The job is absolutely exhausting. Dogs bark all day; some even nip and bite! Many also try to escape and kennel techs constantly have to chase them, grab their collar (unless they have a yellow collar; yellow collars represent dogs that bite when grabbed by the collar, ugh), and put them back into their designated area. On my last day, which was last Sunday, a very cute Rhodesian Ridgeback, Sutter, escaped into the leash area. I tried to pull him back into the large dog play group but he wouldn't budge. I had him by the collar when he put both of his front paws on me and pushed me into the gate. I'll be showing off a large, lovely scab on the back of my shoulder this Friday at J.P.'s wedding. I also have a lovely bruise that is a similar tint as the dress I'll be wearing at the wedding. :P I must admit, I do miss the dogs (most, anyway). At least I'll now have holidays off to visit family and friends. I'm quite sure, had I stayed, I would've been required to work Thanksgiving and Christmas and wouldn't have been able to spend either holiday with my family (or even Luke, depending on where he would've decided to go). Anyway, I'll miss the dogs and my co-workers but maybe not the job. Summers are extremely busy but I plan on bringing Mushko to daycare once a week once it calms down a bit. He doesn't like a full house much, he's a sensitive guy.

How will I afford to get by? I have another job. One of my professors actually arranged for me to work with the Econ department. I've been assigned a task to work with two local businesses. A sewing business, http://www.leftinstitches.com/, and a hair product business, http://www.jessicurl.com/. I'll be creating value stream maps and process improvement recommendations for each business. Neither project should take too long and each will pay very, very well. I've also applied for a position at the school that would start in August. They said it'd be 4 to 6 weeks before I heard back but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I've looked at other opportunities but haven't found anything too exciting. I know, work isn't supposed to be exciting. I guess I'm a little bit spoiled. I wanted to work at Starbucks; it seems as though it'd be fun. Unfortunately, their white, black, and khaki uniform requirements don't work with my desire to wear jeans everyday. I also thought about working retail again. We have a Ross, Borders, and Petco. I've vetoed Ross because I think I'd spend more than I made. I worked for Borders and enjoyed being a cashier but hated restocking shelves. I wonder if I could get a job at Petco bathing dogs, I have experience!? Wish me luck. If I'm unable to get a job, I'll be okay. I have enough money to make it through the summer and can live on student loans when school starts. I'd like to work but not working will definitely allow me more time to take on more school activities (I'm interested in joining clubs and would also like to work closely with a few professors). Wish me luck!

Good news - Luke moved in last week! He was only able to stay a few days and is currently at his parent's house helping out as his dad just had knee surgery. He'll be back in Manila soon when we'll start camping, biking, kayaking, hiking, beaching, and traveling (Oregon, Colorado, San Diego). I'm so excited to have an open schedule this summer. Andrea will be visiting me in Manila soon and we'll be doing outdoorsy stuff as well. We're definitely going to camp at the beach near my house. We're also going to hike Redwood Park. I want us to do the "Doggy Paddle" next week (a kayak organization rents two-seat kayaks to people with dogs so that each person can take their dog kayaking in the bay). I'll be nervous sitting on a kayak in the bay where a Great White could eat me but will wear hot pink clothes so that I hopefully don't look like a seal. I believe sharks are colorblind but it can't hurt! Andrea and I are also going to hike the Rim Trail in Trinidad because the trail has a great view of seals, sea lions, and potentially grey whales (they migrate through June). Rim Trail is near Agate Beach where people find dozens of Agates (stones) daily. I'd love some more pretty rocks. Other than that, we'll probably just do more camping, hiking, and beaching. She's bringing her dog - I can't wait!

Anyway, I think that about covers everything. I need to get to bed. Goodnight all!