Another Stream of Consciousness Post

Wow, I'm dragging today... big time. Stayed up too late last night watching True Blood (on DVD, can't wait for Season 3 to be released!) and buying new music on Itunes (with my stocking stuff gift card- woot!). So today I have zero energy, but I have to pull myself out of this fog because 1) I need to get some stuff done today and 2) I need to go the gym for the first time in about a week. My tummy is noticably, shall we say, "different looking" after two holiday dinners and days of leftovers.

Anyway, yeah, I really need a nap. Can't do a lot at work right now because I'm waiting for an instructional email. Another reason to go ROWE: If I made my own hours I could go do other things (such as take a nap or hit the gym now rather than later) whilst waiting for said email and then spend my evening finishing up this task rather than sitting here killing time and waiting for instructions. Oh well, that's life.

Enjoying my new album from The Kills at the moment. Yay for new music! Should help motivate me to get my sorry butt to the gym today.

Hey, did you hear about the robot English teachers being used in South Korea now? I KNEW my job last year was pointless! (kidding...) The funny part is that the robot's "face" looks like a White female but the voice is transmitted remotely from a Fillipino English teacher. So you have a 3ft tall robot with a Caucasion face and a Fillipino accent. Trippy. Overall a great idea though, especially with the note at the end of the article that the plan is to use the robots in rural parts of the country where foreign teachers won't agree to live. My only complaint is that anglophones aren't doing the voices. The best way to learn a language is to practice with native speakers, not with other second or third language speakers. But one step at a time, right? What a cool way to earn a living- remotely teaching lessons and having conversations with students around the world. In theory, you can live wherever you like as long as you are available to direct the class during school hours in the necessary time zone.

Holy Multilingualism, Batman!

On Christmas Eve, Leigh and I ate our French inspired dinner to the Edith Piaf channel on Pandora Radio. It was through this random sampling of Paifesque musique that I discovered the song "Sympathique" by Pink Martini. I assumed that Pink Martini was the Lady Gaga of French lounge music. I was wrong.

Turns out Pink Martini is an American "little orchestra" that plays a varied repertoire of music in a variety of languages. A glance at their discography on their official website indicates that they record songs in English, French, Spanish and Italian for sure and possibly other languages also. The best part is that the lyrics are clearly pronounced and they even point out the multilingualism in videos by translating some words, so it's actually quite useful for listening comprehension practice and pronunciation (if you sing along). How fun!

Now, for your viewing pleasure, "Sympathique":

Reflections of the past half year.

This afternoon I did a bit of light reading of my blog posts from my final month in Europe and my first two weeks back in the US. It's amazing: I've been in the US for 8 months, a month longer than the time spent in Europe, and yet my memories and my heart pull me back to my time abroad on a daily basis. Usually this is a wondeful biproduct of my time away, but sometimes it's frustrating or saddening. I thought I'd post to address some questions and comments I posed to myself and the world before coming home. Call it "full circle" writing, if you like.

From Antibes, the last week of April 2010: "My greatest fear is that I won't be able to continue the inner journey I started here after leaving the Continent. What if I forget all that I learned about the world and myself?"

Thankfully this has not happened. While my "inner journey" has slowed a great deal, if not come to a complete standstill, I still have the memories of those pivotal moments that spurred me along last year. I have not forgotten what I have learned (the good and the bad), not for a moment, and rereading my old posts only helps me to know that. My only concern is that, because my daily life is significantly less challenging (emotionally and spiritually) and so very "normal," I worry my growth is slow to the point of being stagnant. Hopefully this concern will motivate me to continue challenging myself rather than seeking my comfort zone.

"What if I go back to being the same person I was before I learned these things?"

I don't think this is possible. I was away just long enough to feel settled in a new life, even just for a few weeks. I became so comfortable putting myself in uncomfortable situations, meeting new people, exploring new places, etc that I don't think I could ever go back to being who I was before. Not that I've changed as a person, but I feel the experience has calmed me, forced me to be more thoughtful and calculating in my decisions, and the like. The experience has also further awakened the wanderlust that led me away in the first place, so that while I'm enjoying permanence at the moment (and sometimes wonder if I should stay put for a while), I know that I will have other times in my life when I am nomadic and living as an ex-pat once more.

"What if my life doesn't bring me back here to continue exploring this Old World that I have come to love so much?"

This, unfortunately, is very possible. Due to the European Union and my country's stiff policies regarding immigration, other countries are in no mood to do Americans any favors when trying to live abroad. However, I have a few ideas on the back burner to take me back to Europe in the coming years. For a start, I'm still thinking about grad school in France, but not for another 3 or 4 years. Also, Taize is always a good option for long term stays abroad, though I have to go before I'm 30. Language schools, cultural exchanges, and of course business opportunities are also possible. It will take dedication and work, but it is entirely possible to return regularly throughout my life. Also, Europe isnt' the only Old World: Leigh and I have plans to travel in Southeast Asia next year, so I have much exploring left in my life!

"What if the people I have met, and come to both admire and care for forget me entirely? What if wanting to stay connected just isn't tangible enough for reality?"

Unfortunately I cannot answer this first part of this question, however I can say that I have tried to stay in touch with everyone through email and Facebook and now Twitter. So the answer to the second part is that, in modern times, it is entirely tangible. Sometimes it becomes very frustrating because I want to see my friends more often or speak on the phone. I want our budding friendships to grow more rapidly than is possible at such a distance. Instead I know I should be grateful to have technology so that we can stay in touch at all and know that our paths will cross again in the future. A great example is that a friend I met at Taize told me today she'll be studying in the US next year! Granted, she won't be studying anywhere near me in Alaska, but this makes is more possible to visit at least once while she is in my country.

From the Summer, something practical: "I'm planning to get through German Levels I and II this summer, which is a pretty good chunk of information..."
OK, this didn't happen. I did study a little bit of vocabulary and watched some subtitled films. I still enjoy German a lot and want to learn, but honestly I'm having a hard enough time just holding onto my French. Luckily for Christmas I received three Harry Potter books in French, which are great! I also got a little novel that I'll tackle later on. I really want to keep learning French and I want to start learning German. I just need to make the time and effort and remember WHY I want to learn it!

From early May 2010: "I've never felt quite so homeless before, so much so that my transient life in France looks like a cozy home compared to what I have here."

All summer I wished for a real home or at least a home-base. Now I have one. We have a tiny, dingy apartment in a dull neighborhood, but it's safe and warm and ours. It's well-furnished and the walls are completely covered with prints and photos from our travels. Our life together so far. We can't wait to find a better housing situation, but for now it's quite a relief just to have something of our own. Even so, I can't help but miss that crowded apartment in France, especially when Leigh was there with us, with a view of the sea and the Alps and steps away from opportunity. It's a tough act to follow.

"I am so excited to start my adult life, my career, to try out Alaska full time and see how it goes. I have a lot of wonderful opportunities ahead in the next 18 months. After that, who knows?"

My summer was certainly a challenge and very interesting. It ticked all the necessary boxes and was even a lot of fun at times. I worked hard. I earned enough money to get started in Alaska. I was more fit, more tan, and better fed than I've been ever in my life. The drive to Alaska was long and hard, but I'm glad I did it. I can check that off my bucket list. Now that I'm in Alaska, doing it "full time," I'm really starting to like it here. We're in the dead of winter and I dont' mind. I have plans to learn to cross-country ski and now the days are getting longer. Soon it will be spring and I'll visit Hawaii and then it will be a glorious summer. I'm set for work next year and then I will do my best to find a great job and get a real career started. Then, who knows? I have a lot of "maybe" plans and they're all good, so I can't complain. In fact, I can rejoice!

As I read more through my posts I noticed how happy I was and excited about every little thing. I think traveling and all that comes with it really brings out the best in me. I'm less synical, more excited, more curious, and more creative. Even my writing was so much better then, maybe just because the language I was exposed to every day was more varied because it was spoken by such diverse people in at least two languages. Also, I was so optimistic, like nothing could touch me. I couldn't be harmed. Unfortunately, this isn't actually true and I did face some actual trials during my time abroad, particularly when traveling alone. When traveling with friends I always felt safe, but that of course is a challenge in and of itself. In the end my friendships were better for it and I greatly enjoyed sharing those moments with others. My solo travels were equally important to my experience. I learned about myself. I learned my limits. I learned when to be at ease and when not to be. Even if some of those experiences have left an impression that I wish were not so lasting.

So that's my half year in review. I hope next year is just as full of enjoyment, challenge and adventure, even if it comes in completely different forms! Most of all, I hope anyreader(s)' coming year is equally blessed!

Christmas and Post-Christmas

Well, folks, the holiday season is almost over, aside from New Year's of course. Christmas Eve was absolutely lovely. Leigh and I co-prepared a delicious and decadent French inspired Christmas dinner. Leigh did all the shopping and menu planning and I did the preparations. We hit up our favorite local gourmet grocery store, New Sagaya Markets, to find a lot of the items and used Costco for the more common things.

As you can see, we had baked brie (one with organic honey and one with chorizo), mushroom pate, ham, green beans, carrots, camembert, baguette, and chocolate eclaire cake for dessert. All served with pinot noir. It was a really fun meal because we ate things we love but cannot always justify buying. Such a nice way to celebrate. Late that night I had to take Leigh to the airport to catch her flight back East. I also spent the evening making pumpkin pie and preparing macaroni and cheese for the next day. While Leigh spent all of Christmas Day in the air and airports (ugh), I spent the morning cleaning the apartment and cooking more American style Christmas foods.

Around 3pm a good friend stopped by with her little boy for dinner. We exchanged presents, played with the little boy's new toys (including a few from Leigh and I. Shopping for kids is so much fun!), chatted and watched Cars. By the end of the evening I felt we had sufficiently celebrated the holiday and I felt completely spoiled. Not only did Leigh and I get a gift card to New Sagaya (see above), but I was also the recipient of some nice warm clothes and a beautiful Southeast Alaska framed print!

Then yesterday, Boxing Day, was very lazy for me. I had the apartment to myself and caught up on some TV shows I have on DVD. Today I'm back at work and realizing that, while it was nice to decompress by myself for the weekend, I'm really missing Leigh. This is the first time we've spent even a day apart since I returned home from Europe on May 3, 2010. Over the summer we worked together nearly 12 hours per day and drove from Virginia to Alaska. I'm not saying we are co-dependent, we are fully capable of doing things on our own, but the daily grind just isn't the same without my best friend.

That being said, the sooner Thursday arrives, the better: Leigh comes home that night, I get another 3 day weekend, and we have our Inidigo Girls concert on New Years Eve!

PS: I've joined Twitter. Still not entirely sure what it's for, but I'm learning. Follow me at AKAvocate, if you like.

So Far, So Happy!

Yesterday I allowed myself to succomb to impending illness and went home at 10:30am. This means I cashed in 5 hours of PTO time, not too shabby. This week I will have used one full day of PTO for various personal matters, which isn't too bad considering that it's a holiday week and I haven't had a lot to do. Anyway, I went home and hit the hay immediately. After laying there frustrated for a few minutes I eventually fell asleep and didn't wake up until nearly 2:30pm! I guess I needed it. I downed a few glasses of OJ, did some cleaning around the apartment and then picked up Leigh from work. This morning I feel 95% recovered. Thank goodness for taking time off to recover before a true recovery is needed! Otherwise I likely would have gotten ill to the point of lasting effects.

Today is a great day so far. I got to work to find two presents on my desk: a bag of truffles from a JA down the hall and a card from my 10 judges with a $50 gift card to a nearby espresso place. This is probably my fourth gift of coffee gift certificates. It seems I've made an impression on my co-workers and loved ones of needing lots of caffeine to survive my job, or maybe it's just a lawyer stereotype. Either way I'm happy to have oodles of free coffee, tea, and snacks for the coming months!

Also, Leigh is working a half day, followed by lunch with me, then errands, then I'm skivving off a few hours early so we can hit the gym and still be home with time to spare. We have plans to start our holiday cooking and cleaning tonight so that tomorrow is just relaxing. Super excited to be only a few hours away from a true three day weekend!

That's all for now! Happy Christmas!

Ick

Have not slept properly in nearly a week.

Woke up this morning with a tummy ache, headache, and some joint pains.

Had to go to work today because (1) I hate using my paid time off for stuff that isn't fun and (2) Leigh made me.

Really, really, really want to go home and go back to bed. I don't have any pending projects for the day so I'm actually just sitting here feeling icky and wishing it was the weekend already.

Don't wanna be sick for the holidays. I'm not getting sick, I'm not getting sick, I'm not getting sick.......

Christmas Presents

Every year Leigh and I promise ourselves we will wait for the actual holiday to open our Christmas presents. Every year we fail. In fact, there was one year when we opened our gifts on December 15! Ridiculous, I know. You would think we were children. In our defense we have typically had multiple Christmases because we lived far from our parents. Each year we would typically open our gifts ridiculously early (usually in a moment of stress or winter blues due to final exams, etc), then travel to both of our families houses over the course of our Christmas break. Since we dont' have children there's never been a distinct need to wait until Christmas day to open gifts.

This year we made it until December 19, a record so far for us. We cleaned the apartment, cooked dinner then opened gifts while we watched a movie. It was really fun! Leigh was very pleased with her gifts, which included 3 new Vonnegut novels, 3 pairs of tall Smartwool socks (which have proven very warm and comfy), new pajamas, a sweatshirt, and some other odds and ends. I also got her a gift card to Gap for the after Christmas sale madness so she can stock up on work clothes for her new job. I was utterly spoiled with two new skirts from Anthropologie (one is PURPLE and the other has RUFFLES!), sweaters, lots of new books (two of them in French!), pajamas and some other lovely odds and ends I wouldn't normally buy for myself. I am so pleased and feel the distinct urge to cut my work day short to go home and start a new book (but I won't do that!). Instead I can just enjoy the new skirt and cute argyle tights that I'm wearing :-)

Now I bet you're wondering how we plan to celebrate our actual Christmas after this early day of gluttony. Well, we are having a "French Christmas." I don't mean we are going to cook dishes typical of a French family's Christmas. Instead we are going to indulge in some of our favorite French foods for Christmas. Because it's a holiday we will have a ham, of course, some baked brie, veggies, baguette and the like. We are also going to make Leigh's mother's chocolate eclaire cake recipe. OK, that's not really French but it is French-inspired and one of our favorite desserts so it counts! Basically we plan to spend Christmas Eve cooking and enjoying a day at home indulging in our favorite food memories from our time in Europe. This will certainly include a lot of wine.

Then, around midnight, I have to take Leigh to the airport to catch a 2:00am flight toward the East Coast so she can spend the four following days with her family. I will miss her greatly, but am fortunate enough to have a really good friend here in Anchorage to enjoy Christmas Day with (which, again, will consist of lots of yummy food and wine and giving presents to my friend's 5-year-old boy- too cute!).

So those are my/our plans. Next year we'll do something much bigger, but for now this will do just fine. In the meantime, I should really get back to work!

Holiday Spirit?

Christmas is not my favorite holiday. In fact, if it weren't for the time off from work/school, the excuse to eat yummy winter foods and the presents I wouldn't like anything about it. Now I know it may seem like I just named the best things about Christmas and you might wonder what I DON'T like about Christmas, just think about everything else: the shopping, the madness, the commercialism, screaming kids, stressed out people, Christmas music (yeah, I said it!), the intense focus on buying people presents they don't really want or need and whom you wouldn't normally buy for.

Most of all, I hate the focus on Santa Claus. Oh yeah, I went there.

I believed in Santa until I was about 5 years old, then I noticed that "Santa" used the same wrapping paper and note cards as my parents did. Then I had to decide whether to allow my belief to shatter or whether to allow for the possibility that Santa is a home invader who waits till the last minute to wrap gifts and even steals supplies from my parents to do so. I chose the former option because, let's face it, it's way less creepy.

As an adult my hatred for the "Santa Claus conspiracy" is what it does to children. Parents spend a great deal of time and money carefully choosing gifts for their children. They wrap them, hide them, and wait with anticipation to see the look of glee and surprise on their kids' faces on Christmas morning. Then this guy Santa comes into the picture and the kids no longer feel excited and happy that they have parents who love them enough to go to so much trouble for them, they thank some imaginary fat ass who commits an unheard of number of burglaries(breaking and entering a dwelling house at night with the intent of commiting a crime therein- i.e. stealing materials, eating milk and cookies, possibly damages a fireplace or Christmas tree) in a single night. I want my kids to believe in ME. I'm the one who loves them enough to make sure they have presents on Christmas by working for the money, listening to what they say they want, and doing the shopping and the wrapping. Plus there's the added religious issue. It would be nice if they knew that the purpose of Christmas is to celebrate Christ's birth, not to shower already pampered children with gifts.

My disdain for Santa Claus aside, Christmas can be really fun with the right combination of things. This year I'm having a very quiet, simple Christmas. I'm not even leaving town. This has been making me feel a bit blue. Then yesterday and today it started to sink in that this time of year can be really fun. I've been doing lunch with colleagues, buying gifts for family and shipping them out, planning my baking and cooking, and getting excited about opening the gifts that I know Leigh put a lot of thought into. I'm also really excited for her to open the gifts I bought for her because there's a lot of things she will enjoy and some things she needs. Today was particularly fun because there's a lot of yummy food around the office for snacking and everyone is really happy about the upcoming season. So I guess I can stop being such a Grinch and let myself enjoy this Christmas, even if it's not the perfect combination of things :-)

My Christmas List

I just realized that I haven't made a Christmas list at all this year! How on Earth will Santa know what to bring me?

Here it is:
-My 2011 Bar Dues ($620!!! and a requirement for my profession, what a racket!)
-New lenses for my glasses (mine are pretty scratched up and I've always wanted transitions lenses, but I love my frames and plan to keep those)
-Gloves I can drive comfortably in (I lost my thin gloves and my ski gloves leave me with exactly zero dexterity)
-Remote start for my car ($350, pricey, I know, but it would be totally worth it)
-A new windshield for my car (apparrently I got a little chip on the drive North, which turned into a complete latitudinal crack across the bottom portion!)

Honestly, that's all I could possibly wish for right now. My daily life is pretty basic and I don't want much, but some things I really need I just can't afford on my own. Of course, after Christmas I hope to find some great deals on a few smaller items (new pajamas and basic clothing items like socks, underwear, etc) to keep me comfy and warm, but those things are much less important and I can handle them with any discretionary money I might have in January.

OK Santa, the ball is in your court!

Dear God is it the Weekend Yet?

Oh my gosh I am so tired today. I've been running on empty since Monday, trying to fit everything into my day normally in spite of not resting up enough over the weekend and starting my week with an energy deficit and without being really prepared for my week. Then the last few nights I've either stayed up too late or had to get up too early (for office Christmas party stupidness) or both. Last night I stayed up till the wee hours (11:30pm) so I could watch Rachel Maddow on the Tonight Show (which was very entertaining, I love her. She's kind of dreamy) and this morning had to get up in time to dress, start up the car and stop for breakfast somewhere because we ran out of milk yesterday (dear God!). So it's been a weird week and my body just won't keep up.

This holiday season is proving to be more challenging than I anticipated. Until this year I've been in school, so I had final exams followed by a nice long vacation from responsibility (unless I had to work). So I'd study really hard, take my tests and then relax from about December 15th or so until just after the New Year. This year every day is perfectly normal with work, gym, errands, etc but I still have to make time for things like Christmas shopping, office holiday stupidness, cooking, and dealing with dangerous roads and subzero temperatures. It's exhausting! I'm not even traveling this year and I feel completely out of sorts!

Anyway, it'll be over soon. This evening I plan to complete my Christmas shopping. I need to get gifts for my family back East and get those in the mail ASAP so they make it sometime around the actual holiday. Between being stretched for cash and for time I've managed to put this off to the last possible minute for the first time in my life. I don't like this frantic feeling...

OK, I should get back to work. I really need a nap, or a second coffee, or a vacation, or maybe all three....

Health Care in America

At the risk of jumping on the bandwagon, I'm going to discuss health care in the US, specifically as it pertains to me:

Since September I have been attempting to get Leigh on my work's health care plan. Because our marriage is not recognized in the US I had to show 5 items of proof that we are, in fact, a couple. Our Canadian marriage certificate was NOT a valid form of proof. Go figure. Anyway, I successfully completed this process and was told that, because I cannot claim her as my dependent on my federal taxes (Alaska doesn't have income tax), I would have to pay taxes as thought I earned an additional $560 per month, taxed at about 25%. This morning I found that my semi-monthly paycheck was missing nearly $150! That's more like a 56% taxation!

To make a long story short, it turns out that I'm only taxed on one paycheck per month, so the calculations are correct but it is still completely unfair that I have to pay these taxes. If I were married to a man, my husband's coverage would be completely free because we could file our taxes jointly or I could count him as my dependent if I wanted to. Because Leigh is a working adult I cannot count her as my dependent under any circumstances. Luckily Leigh's new job will offer her a health insurance plan and we can sit down and decide if it's cheaper to pay the $150 per month through my job or for her new company to insure her. Until then, we now have another monthly bill to worry about.

This brings me to the issue at large: I was so excited about Obama's new health care plan. I imagined the US having something similar to NHS in the UK or the French system. But no, Americans can't even look the tiniset bit socialist. We can't even expand Medicare and Medicaid to cover everyone, not just the elderly and destitute. In the eyes of the American public, it would be unacceptable to provide even the most dismal level of care to the population at large, lest we be called "socialists."

Instead we have a plan that requires all Americans to secure some form of health care by 2012. In our privatized health care system this means even the single mom who works 38 hours per week at McDonalds (because at 40 hours per week your employer has to provide you with benefits, so employers refuse to let some types of employees work 40 hours) has to purchase a health care plan for herself and her children. This could cost her hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars per month, depending on her health and her income. Some people don't have that kind of money.

Today a Federal Judge in Virginia ruled this aspect of the health care plan to be unconstitutional. I tend to agree. Since when can the United States require a citizen to purchase something? It's true that a person is legally required to purchase car insurance, but nobody is legally required to purchase a car or even have a driver's license. Meanwhile, we all have bodies and all of our bodies require care. Why can't our government (and our populace) see that everyone needs access to basic, preventative care?

In case anyone cares, here is my wish list for the US Health Care System:
1. EVERYONE gets basic care for FREE (via taxes, of course): this includes an annual check-up, vaccinations (by choice), teeth cleanings, emergent care (accidents, etc), and child birth.
2. If you want to purchase additional insurance privately or through work, you may
3. Incentives to quit smoking, lose weight, etc
4. Preventative measures for children to combat obesity, diabetes, smoking, and eating junk food while promoting sports (obviously the parents aren't doing this sufficiently on their own, so schools and public services should pick up the slack until the country has a change in outlook).

That's all. I would imagine we could find the money for at least some of this amongst our other costs if the American people could get a clear answer as to where our money goes every year. At any rate, I suspect the ObamaCare program will die before it goes into effect in 2012 and we'll be stuck with our old plan, left to fight this battle another day.

Bon Travail!

Things are finally starting to make sense with our lives here in Anchorage. My job is in full swing and I'm really learning a lot. This week I even took on a very in-depth and challenging task and finished it on time and, I think, did a really good job. I get the sense that I'm making a pretty good impression on my judges and I still have another year to continue meeting people and learning about the legal system in Alaska. After the New Year I want to focus on meeting private sector attorneys and maybe even investigating some in-house counsel or business contacts. I like to keep my options open.

But this post isn't about me, it's about Leigh. Two years ago Leigh was laid off from her non-profit job in Buffalo. I suspect some unfair treatment, but the most certain thing we know is that the economy took a hit and her position was no longer funded. She didn't do anything wrong to deserve losing her job, it just happened. At the same time a lot of people in Buffalo were losing their jobs, so it wasn't like she could just easily find another one. Over the next two years she sometimes went months without working, then did some traveling with me, then temped doing everything from working in a greenhouse in Virginia to working for my grandparents' farm in Washington. Since coming to Anchorage she has been pleased to find there is a lot of fair-paying temp work available and she has been working pretty much since we got here.

Last week she had two job interviews, one at a local university and one at a major accounting firm. Yesterday she found out she was hired at the accounting firm! What a victory! After such a long time of being stressed over how she/we will make our bills 3 or 6 months in the future, Leigh has finally been rewarded with a real, permanent job that will challenge her and allow her to grow. She will be working with their tax processing team, assisting their accountants in preparing client taxes. Leigh has always loved maths and number games and in this job she gets to lord over her own database. I think her inner nerd has fully emerged from its hiding place! The best part is that the company she works for now is a Big Four accounting firm, so the perks are really something. Also, her new office building will be about 4 blocks south of the courthouse, so we can start having coffee and lunch dates throughout the week, not to mention using about 1/3 to 1/2 as much gas as we use now for our daily commute.

I'm so proud of her and so happy for her to have this opportunity. We haven't taken the nursing degree plan off the table yet, but we are allowing for more flexibility where that is concerned. If Leigh likes being an accountant then she may want to pursue this as a career instead of getting another degree. In Alaska someone with a bachelor's degree in a subject other than accounting can sit for the CPA exam if they have supervised accounting work experience for one year OR if they take 15 credits in accounting courses. So maybe this time next year I'll be blogging about Leigh taking the CPA exam or maybe about her signing up for nursing pre-req courses or maybe both?!

Yesterday after work we celebrated our small victory against the world by attending a UAA hockey game. The tickets were FREE through a university promotion. The Seawolves lost 4 to 3, but it was a fun outing. Today we have a long list of errands and are determined to hit the gym sometime, but we plan to continue our celebrations by having brunch at our favorite downtown restaurant, Snow City Cafe. I've also promised Leigh some baked goods this weekend. I'm thinking "Cornish" pasties and maybe some cookies to get us through the week.

OK, now my tummy is growling. I think I'll shower and usher us out the door toward our breakfasts!

The Science Behind Motivation

...and why a ROWE mentality is better than a traditional mentality.



Bottom line:

• Money will only motivate us enough to do rudimentary work (i.e. flipping burgers and filing papers)
• Giving people autonomy, mastery of skills, and purpose in their work leads to better results
• A business that focuses only on profits and not on people will make profits but will not have the most talented, loyal workers. These businesses will also be less innovative and, theorhetically, their success will not be as long-lasting as businesses that do promote innovative thinking.
• Lesson: Pay a fair wage and give people the freedom to be adults, make their own choices, and be creative with their work and lives and both the person and the business will thrive.

Thoughts on Work and Time

This is my first year working full time in a normal, adult job. Before now I was either a full time student, a part time employee, an intern or an English teacher (with part-time hours and full benefits). Adjusting to this new American work lifestyle is difficult for me. Not because I'm lazy or dont' like to work, quite the contrary, but because it feels so unnatural sometimes.

Who ever decided a group of people needed to be present in the same set of offices during the same hours every day to get things done? Who determined that this was the best way for businesses to turn a profit or for projects to reach their culmation? Maybe in the days of typewriters and couriers it made sense, but today it just doesn't.

I read a lot about the ROWE (results-only work environment) movement over the last two days and I'm fascinated, to say the least. The concept is that a business or department can strip away all time and space-related constraints around the working day and evaluate employees simply based on their output. Not only does it provide employees with 100% freedom as to where, how, and when they do their work (employees don't even keep time cards unless they are non-exempt), but it also makes glaringly obvious if an employee is just really good at "looking busy." Productive employees are expected to do the exact same amount of work to earn their same salaries, productivity tends to soar and managers have no right to ask employees how they spend their time (to avoid judgments or "sludge"). Further, "dead weight" employees can be identified and fired to be replaced by more motivated, talented employees. It creates happiness, flexibility and loyalty.

Sounds great, right?! At first I wasn't sure, then I thought through some scenarios and found that ROWE would work with any kind of job I might want in my career. In business you focus on a deal or a project for a long time before its final. Who cares if you work from 8pm to 4am or intermittently? Who cares if you work from your office, your home or your vacation spot? Meetings can, and often are, held online or over the phone. In law, even in the land of billable hours, does it really matter where you bill your hours from? We don't use statute books anymore (ever heard of Westlaw?), and documents are scanned and sent electronically anyway. There's no need for a partner to leave a file on your desk when you can access all files via intranet.

Then I started thinking about my own productivity. In my current job I am given a file, I work through the file over time (sometimes this takes 20 minutes, sometimes 2 weeks), taking frequent breaks to account for lack of attention span, and eventually come up with a final product. When I don't have a file I don't produce anything but I still have to be in my office. Granted, my situation is different because I directly assist the judges, but theorhetically I could work from home, receive assignments via email, conference with judges over the phone or in person (if needed), access files via intranet and submit memos and orders via Internet. I honestly dont' think this is best for the Court System because we're a bit archaic, but it could work and would certainly be a more valuable use of everyone's time rather than waiting around for assignments after having finished something.

Looking back on my days as a student the concept is all too clear. As a student I worked for myself. I paid money for the opportunity to learn so I took that opportunity to the extreme. Not only did I attend classes but I also volunteered my time, wrote and edited journal articles, argued for Moot Court, etc. It was like having two full-time jobs, but I managed to fit all my tasks neatly into a given week and still had time for something resembling a personal life. I worked this hard because I wanted to. I produced results because I benefitted from them and, aside from attending lectures, nobody was telling me when to study, where to study, or how long to study. I decided how to use my time because I'm an adult with a goal.

What's the difference now? Am I less of an adult now that I'm in the workforce? Am I less able to manage my time and efforts?

Hardly.

So this gets me thinking, I don't believe I will be able to find a flexible job/ROWE employer in the next five years. Luckily I'm young and able to tolerate these infringements on my life more now than in 5 or 10 years when I might have kids or other complications in my life. So I'm willing to work my ass off stuffed in an office with other people for a few years.

However, I would soon like to live the ROWE lifestyle. Remember my dream of going to grad school in France? I'd really love to drop down to part time at my job while attending school in France and do my professional work in between homework assignments. As long as I meet the deadline and produce high quality work, who cares if I study European business during the day?! Remember me talking about getting a house in Mexico? I'd like to take my work with me to Mexico, hang out in my house for weeks at a time and return to my office if I need to deal with something in person.

As the months go by since becoming a "professional" in this American work culture my ideal lifestyle slowly becomes clearer. It may seem demanding and even complicated, but the bottom line is this: I want flexibility. I want experiences. I want to work hard at something interesting and earn a fair living without giving up my reason for living. In sum, I want options.

It's Survey Time

....because I've hit a lull in my day...

How old will you be in five years?
I'll be 30....wow, 30?!?! Holy Crap!
Who did you spend at least two hours with today?
I spend most of my day with either Leigh (my spouse) or Nicole (my office mate).
What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks?
I have Christmas Day and New Year's off from work, but otherwise things will stay very normal. Also, starting Dec 20 the days will start getting longer, which is thrilling! I'm also looking forward to catching up on some bills and resting a bit easier after the New Year.
What's the last movie you saw?
The Girl Who Played with Fire, in Swedish with English subtitles. It was really good! I've finished the book trilogy now so I'm waiting to see the final movie installment.
Do you prefer to call or text? Text
What were you doing at 12am last night?
Sleeping, duh!
Are your parents married/separated/divorced? Divorced, thanks for asking.
When is the last time you saw your mom? About 2 years ago.
What color are your eyes? Green.
What are you wearing right now? Green sweater and rose colored khakis. Stylin'!
What is your favorite christmas song? I'm not really big on Christmas music, kind of a Scrouge, actually.
Where is your favorite place to be? On holiday somewhere exciting :-)
Where is your least favorite place to be? It's a toss-up between the doctor's office and the DMV.
Where do you think you'll be in 10 years? Geeze, who knows?! Hopefully either someplace warm or in Europe (or both!).
What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? Vampires
What was the last thing that really made you laugh? Leigh dancing in the living room (she intentionally looked ridiculous, so it was OK to laugh)
How many pillows do you sleep with? 2+
What do you like about fall? pretty colors and nice temperatures
What do you like about winter? having an excuse to curl up with a blanket and a book, also hot tea and hot chocolate
What do you like about the summer? Great weather, beach trips, traveling
What do you like about spring? The snow melts and the sun comes out, usually just in the nick of time.
What states have you lived in? Alaska, Virginia, Washington, New York, Washington, DC and Cote d'Azur, France
What was the last thing you ate? Ham sandwich and a coke.
What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich? anything but grape
Do you like Chinese food? Oh yes!
What do you drink in the morning? tea with milk
Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed? I share my bed, so yes of course

So close..so close

It's 1 hour and 30 minutes until the weekend. This week has really flown by, but only because it's been insanely busy and pretty stressful. Nothing of note has happened at all, but I'm so tired and ready for a few days to myself. Maybe I'll be productive, maybe I'll be lazy. Who knows?! Either way, it will be epic.....