I've been out of school for a little over a month, so I suppose it's time for a quick update on how my post-grad goals are going.
1. GET A JOB
Check! I was recently hired by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota as a bilingual health guide (which is just a nice title for call center employee, but still, it's an improvement on Mackin!). I'm a little nervous, because being on the phone for eight hours a day doesn't sound fun, but there are tons of pros: it pays significantly better than my current job, meaning I can afford my own apartment soon; it's right in Eagan, so I won't be wasting the massive amounts of gas I do commuting between home and Burnsville; I'm on the bilingual team so I get to put my Spanish degree to use; it's a health insurance company so I get some pretty good benefits; and it's a big company so there's lots of possibilities for mobility, which is great because I'd really rather not work in a call center forever.
2. START WRITING SOMETHING
Um...still motivating myself on this one. I bought this lovely notebook from Barnes an Noble-it's got a dark purple cover with a black floral pattern- where I can make notes and outlines and character sketches for story ideas, but so far it's empty. I just never feel like writing when I get home from work. Starting next week, though, I plan on spending a lot of time at the library, which I think might be a little more conducive to writing than my parents' house is.
3. PRACTICE SPANISH
Again...not so much. Bad Laura! I did a little before I took my Spanish assessment test for my Blue Cross job (which I aced, thank God), but I should probably practice it in instances when I'm not preparing for an exam.
4. START LEARNING ITALIAN
...Okay, I suck at following through on my goals. But hey, I've only been home for a month! I have PLENTY of time to start. I know the library has language-learning CD's, so I think the next time I'm there I'll pick up some Italian ones and put them on my iTunes. My sister and I are thinking of looking into an English teaching program in Italy too, so that's definitely an impetus to start learning the language.
5. COOK
Okay, to be fair, I haven't had much of an opportunity to do this. My mom meal plans about a week in advance and dinner's usually started by the time I get home. I've been collecting a bunch of yummy-looking recipes, though(YAY stumbleupon!), so I'm going to try out a few of them soon. Once I move out I'll have more of a chance to cook on my own, too.
6. EXPLORE THE CITIES
I've already been to one show in Minneapolis, so I'm off to a good start. My friend Sam and I saw Hamlet at the Jungle Theater, this gorgeous, tiny theater on Lyndale and had a great time. The show was fantastic and we had perfect seats, front and center.
7. EXERCISE MORE
Eh...I've walked to the park a couple times, but that's about it. Now that it's a bit cooler outside, though, I'll probably go a lot more often.
Anyway, besides my goals, life is going pretty well. I've been working at Mackin for about a month, and while it's not a dream job (and I get paper/plastic cuts almost every day), I'm happy to have something that keeps me from being completely broke until I start at Blue Cross. My first day there isn't until Halloween, so I've still got a few weeks left of wrapping books, but it's really not too bad. I'm ALWAYS busy there, so time goes pretty quickly, and the two older ladies that I sit with are both really nice. One of them actually wants me to tutor her twelve-year-old daughter in Spanish when she starts the class next month (she takes online classes and their electives don't start right away) so it'll be nice to make a little extra money and tutor again.
My friend Katie is getting married in a few weeks and I'm a bridesmaid, so I'm pretty excited about that. We've been friends since kindergarten so it's pretty crazy thinking that she's getting married. We're supposed to get together today go get bridesmaid shoes, but I haven't heard from her at all this morning so I'm not sure if that's going to happen. I got the dress a few months ago an it's REALLY pretty-floor length, strapless, navy blue with a ruched top.
I'm taking the week off before I start the new job and I'm either going to Chicago to visit my friend Holly or going to Winona to reunite with my friends there; I'm still not sure yet.
Aaaaand that's about it. We'll see if I update this more regularly than every other month.
UPDATE:
Katie texted and said we aren't shoe shopping after all because she forgot she and her fiance have a wedding to go to. I'm actually okay with this because now I can go deposit my last paycheck, go shopping for work clothes at Old Navy and TJ Maxx, get coffee/something to satiate my sweet tooth, and take my notebook to the park by my house. Man, it's nice being back in Eagan.
