... And then keep going.

In 2004, there was a show on tv called Jack & Bobby- which I really enjoyed. It was about two brothers in present day, with documentary snippets from the 2040s following one of the brother's time as the President. Well, the show has finally made it onto Netflix Instant Play (hurray!) and I was reminded of this great speech from the second episode. Jack and Bobby's mother, a college professor, gave this speech at the university's Moonlight Address, and I thought I should share it here.

Good evening. I want to welcome you tonight to... a renaissance.
For some of you this night marks a return to your college life, for some of you a new beginning. And so, upon the eve of the tremendous journey upon which you are all embarking, I'd like to offer you a thought to take with you. Listen carefully: you will fail here. All of you. College is not the culmination of your high school career. It is the beginning of your adult life. Only it is a slow, sweet beginning that feels nothing like what life and all the attending obligations will eventually bring. So fail here... this is your chance.
Do things you know you can't do, or think you can't do but hope in your deepest most secret hidden heart that you can.
Be bad at things. Be embarrassed. Be vulnerable. Go out on a limb. Or two. Or twelve.
The harder you fall, the farther you'll rise. And the louder you fail, the clearer the distant bell of your future will ring. Failure is a gift. Welcome it. There are people who spend their lives wondering how they became the people they became, how certain chances passed them by and why they didn't take the road less traveled. Those people are not you.
You have the front-row seat to your own transformation. And in transforming yourself, you might just transform the world. Believe that, and embrace the new person you're becoming. This is your moment. Now. Not ten minutes from now, not tomorrow, really now. Know that, truly in your bones, and wake up each morning remembering it. And then keep going.

Unemployment Stories

So, I still don't have a job. Fingers are crossed for another interview this week (hopefully the weather didn't affect that).
So what am I doing while I wait patiently for job news?
1. A t-shirt quilt: I've been saving up old t-shirts for awhile. You know, ones that meant a lot to you but you don't want to wear them anymore? So, this past week, I've been chopping them up into squares. I've also started doing this for my parents and brother. Sometime this week, my mom and I might even begin sewing them together! Anything to keep myself sorta busy.
2. Rearranging shelves/ selling back books: I have way too many books. So while I move books around shelves, I discover books that I don't want any more. I've discovered that I have way too many books. Too bad I end up buying more books when I take my old books to McKays. I've almost unloaded my last 2 boxes of books that are here.
3. Rewatching TV seasons on DVD: I hadn't watched Gilmore Girls in awhile (and I own all the seasons on DVD). So I started with the beginning and I'm working my way through all 7 seasons. I'm almost done with season 3 now.
4. Reading... for fun: This goes along with #2. Now that I actually have time to keep up with my love for reading, I've been taking advantage.

Yeah... I need a job.

Simple things

Just a brief post about simple things that have made me smile the past week:

• Finding that the cotton balls I just bought actually say "Puffy fluffs" on the package.
• Hearing the perfect explanation of a song's meaning on the radio.
• Having a puppy fall asleep on your lap.
• The joy of realizing that I can assemble things by myself (Ikea lamp and Target fan).
• Catching things in books/ tv shows missed the first time around.

I'm sure there are other simple things, but that's what comes to mind first.