Time Flies...

Hard to believe I haven't written in three weeks. I guess I just didn't have it in me to top the last entry. I still don't have it in me, but I've given up hope for my muse to inspire me further.

New job...

The new gig isn't so new anymore, I guess. Today marked the start of my third week, and things are finally starting to pick up. The first week was slow--I was only supposed to follow around the two producers (I mark the third employee at this television station) and brainstorm ideas for my own five minute segment.

Last week rained ... a lot. And we don't take the cameras out in the rain. I got a couple shoots in eventually, but I was able to find time to memorize the manual for my Canon Rebel as well as send a lot of text messages to anyone who would respond.

This week looks like it will be interesting. I spent two hours this afternoon filming the US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Tournament. Tomorrow I'll spend my morning filming local road construction for some show about public works. Wednesday I'll spend most of the afternoon in a canoe on the Big Sioux--still not quite sure what I'll be doing on that assignment.

It's almost too bad that this is just a temporary position--almost. The whole process is super slow. What I used to do in a day in news isn't due for two or three weeks at this station. And I'm not the happiest camper about being part of government-funded media.

Living life...

I'm thisclose to being done unpacking. The move went well--I absolutely love the new crib. We've done a great job of making this place our own. Soon enough the rest of the furniture will be delivered and we'll be all set.

I've connected with my local friends. We've gone out for drinks or dinner or lunch and everyone knows I have arrived (so to speak). I do feel like something is missing. This will sound very hypocritical after my last entry, but I think I want to date. Something hit me tonight--I'm not sure why, but part of me is convinced a real date would be great fun. New city, new start, right?

The "D" Word

It's time for a little discussion about the "D" word--dating--and why I don't do it.  Listen up.  You may never get so many answers again.

Excuse #1

I am a very, very busy young woman.  I am career oriented and find that gentleman and jerks alike are absolute distractions.  In lieu of awkward dinners at Applebee's and money wasted on Friday night flicks, I chose to spend my college years creating a fantastic resume.  

Two years were devoted to writing, and eventually editing, The Collegian, my college's independent student-run newspaper.  My time in the Union's dungeon has proved to been a valuable investment.  I was able to earn an internship with the NBC affiliate in Sioux Falls, KDLT-TV, which turned into a four and a half month stint as a part-time reporter during my senior year of college.  

Those unusual experiences made me an asset to the South Dakota Senate in January.  I landed a coveted position, working for the Senate Minority Leader.  So far, this position hasn't led to further employment, but I did gain important insight into the political realm that I'll be able to use when I get back into journalism.

My time as a reporter has also earned me professional accolades.  As editor-in-chief at The Collegian, I was awarded First Place in Breaking News as well as Third Place in Non-Daily Newspapers at the Society of Professional Journalists regional Mark of Excellence Awards.  Just a few weeks ago, I found out I won First Place in Video News/Sports and both First Place and Honorable Mention in Video Feature in the AP's Student Journalism contest in the Dakotas.  

Sadly, all my work has not yet paid off in the immediate, but I blame the economy.  Getting a job anywhere is tough, but journalism is tougher.  The Internet, while I love it, has put the industry in a pickle.  Soon, though, the future of media will become a little less hazy, and I'll get back into what I love to do.

I don't think I would be as poised for success if I had to worry about my boyfriend.  My time was free to focus on me, and I'll never regret using this time in my life to be selfish.

Excuse #2

I am tired.  Keeping a high GPA whilst completing all those things I listed above was an energy suck.  On top of that, I had an amazing group of talented, successful women in my inner-circle, and I wanted to surround myself with them as much as possible.

I still have those women in my life, and I credit by boyfriendless status for that blessing.  I once heard the comment "I didn't go to college to find a husband.  I went to find my bridesmaids."  I couldn't agree more.  I graduated without a ring on my finger or the prospect of a proposal, but I have a solid support group for when those days--as well as less happy ones--arrive.

Now that school is in my past, I anticipate having more energy for dating ... eventually.  Right now, I'm working two jobs in a brand new city.  I will need some time to adjust, but eventually, I'll be ready to give it a whirl.  However, it could be awhile until I decide I want more than a free dinner on Friday night.  I'm still very, very young--I have yet to sow my wild oats.

Excuse #3

I can sum up a lot of my hesitation to date in two words:  bad experiences.  During the little bit of time I tried dating, I learned a very important lesson.  I make poor character decisions.  

The men-like creatures I did go out with turned out to be low quality people, let alone boyfriends.  I settled for less than what I deserved and learned that I don't want to do that again.  I had a few first dates with some nice boys, but I felt no spark and with some, I quite honestly felt sorry for their lack of social skills.  It was clear we were both very uncomfortable, but for different reasons.  So, I haven't dated since.   

Call it fear, call it thoughtfulness--I don't care.  It's probably a little of both.  Regardless, I want to take some time to get to know a man, his goals, his past, his present, and his view on life before I consider falling for him.  I want to make sure I end up with someone I consider to be my intellectual, physical, and moral equal--and someone who sees me in the same light.

Respect for me and women in general will be huge, and his ability to keep an open mind will be a major factor in my decisions.  I don't care what kind of atmosphere he grew up in--social ignorance is unacceptable.  

Excuse #4

All of us worry about the future--money--or lack there of, love, lust, confidence, success, and so on.  I worry about all of those things, but when it comes to dating, I worry about maintenance.

I have seen so many relationships in my life fizzle for the simple reason that one or both people quit trying.  They took the love they had for granted, and lost.

When I finally fall in love, I want the wild, crazy passion you see in movies.  I believe that kind of love does exist, and I will find it.  I want to wake up every morning feeling completely, utterly blessed in my good fortune and the mate God created for me.  

I want to be sure we are both ready for what life has in store, and that we're ready to ride out the bumps together.  I'm looking for a man who is self confident, but not cocky.  I want a man who is successful independently, isn't afraid of my success, and who believes we are better together than apart.  

I want someone who won't hold either of us back.  He has to have dreams, and he has to be willing to let both of us be the best individual we can be.  Only then can we be the best team.

The Bottom Line

Quit asking me about my love life.  I'll let you know what is going on when I am ready to, or at the least, when there is something to report.  For now, I'm enjoying a loving, selfish relationship with myself and I don't anticipate that changing in the immediate future.     

Summer Fun

Oh, how I love crazy summer nights.  It's not even June and we've scratched the first camping trip off of the list.  Granted, it was a pretty spontaneous thing, but it was official summer fun nonetheless.

RibFest...

RibFest kicked off in Sioux Falls on Thursday night, and the event's big draw has hit The Lob hard.  I don't think I've ever seen a Friday night so slow.  Luckily, that meant I got cut early, so I invited the tribunal down for the Kory and the Fireflies concert.  Most of the members didn't want to worry about driving back to Brookings after the show, so they got a camping spot in Sioux Falls.

It was literally in the heart of industrial Sioux Falls.  But, when we got there, we realized we were in a very shady part of town, and all the spots were concrete--perfect for campers, horrible for tents.  In light of our discovery, the tribunal decided we were switching locations, and we ended up at Jellystone Park, just off of I-90.  

The concert was fun, but very short.  The band didn't start playing until 9:30 and were off the stage by 10:45, and everything else shut down around 11.  I suppose it's nice for the people who live near the Arena, but it seemed so strange that an outdoor festival would close up shop so early.  

Bonding time...

Camping was also a blasty-blast.  Four of us fit snugly into a four-person tent in the middle of a family-centric campground based on the adventures of Yogi Bear.  Beer and good laughs will forever be a summer staple.  The night was chilly, but the bugs weren't out.  

Sadly, no matter how much alcohol is flowing through my veins, my body refuses to sleep on the ground.  Today I am working a split shift, functioning on very little sleep or hydration.  I may have learned my lesson about being hungover at work, for the time being at least.

Plans change...

As with almost every plan I've come up with during the past few months, my moving plans are changing as well.  While I did request Saturday off from The Lob so I could move my junk to the city, I was not given any day on the weekend off.  I'd never accuse him of it, but I wonder if my boss scheduled Thursday as my day off as a form of punishment for taking another job.

So, now I'm moving on Thursday.  I won't have Julie or Mike to help, but I may have wrangled up other assistants, at least for the unloading part, anyway.  Two male friends from The Lob have offered their ability to lift heavy things that afternoon/evening.  Now the only question is how to load the damn furniture into the truck.  I'll figure that one out, though, even if I have to rent a furniture dolly from Ace.

Blessings...

I feel very blessed to have so many offers of help from so many people.  When it was going to be next weekend, I had both friends and family offering their assistance.  Even now, with the very sudden and somewhat unwelcome change of plans, new friends, who really didn't need to feel obligated to even offer me help, volunteered their services without even a hint of plea in my voice.   

I am very excited about starting a new life in Sioux Falls.  I suppose it's not completely new since I have been working here in a variety of positions since last June, but it will be nice to partake in more social activities.  I'm really looking forward to getting to know my friends and coworkers in the city much better and to making new memories with them.  

  

Big Changes

As my life in Brookings slowly winds down, I barely have time to appreciate the years I've spent here.  Packing for next week's big move, commuting back and forth to work, and preparing to start a second job have my thoughts too far gone to really reflect on the past four years.

Pack, tape, label...

Boxes of all shapes and sizes, filled with all the junk I own, fill up the fourth bedroom of my Brookings apartment.  Granted, a few of them aren't mine, but most of them are.  I'm trying to get through this move as cheaply as possible, so I've been working on collecting boxes wherever I can find them.  Two of the stacks are made up of Topsy Turvy boxes Dad saved for me at Ace, while another two stacks are Rubbermaid totes I either got for my high school graduation or purchased for the big move to Brookings long ago.  

Sadly, I filled up all the totes and free boxes last week.  I went to about six different stores yesterday on my day off looking for more free boxes, but anything available had been soaked in the previous night's inch and a half of rain.  The Ace in Brookings told me to come back tomorrow, freight day, and they would have plenty for me.  Hopefully I can get some more of those Topsy Turvy boxes--they worked perfectly.

I wasn't quite ready to give up on using my valuable free time for packing yesterday, so I broke down and bought a few at the UPS Store.  Luckily, all the moving boxes were 50% off as part of a fundraiser for Relay for Life, so I don't feel too guilty swiping my card for cardboard.

Renting my first U-Haul...

The plan is to rent a U-Haul trailer next Saturday and have Mike pull it behind his pickup.  All I really need it for is the furniture, but I have a lot of furniture, so my need is dire.  Our lease actually starts on Monday, so when I drive down to Sioux Falls for work, I plan to take a car load of packed boxes with me.  I figure I shouldn't waste a trip down.  

I really want to get all of my furniture (my bed, desk, tables, book shelf, couch, etc.) to the big city in one trip so we don't have to pay an arm and a leg for gas in the pickup.  I also want to get it all done in one trip so we don't have to waste the entire day loading and driving.  I would really like to have Julie and Mike there to help get all the furniture settled and to help unpack a few things.  There's no need to make this day more stressful than it already will be.

Baby steps back into broadcasting...

I just found out yesterday that I got the summer internship with the City of Sioux Fall's television station, provided I pass a drug test.  This is a full-time broadcasting job through the end of August, so I don't have to worry about losing my photographer's touch for the next few months, nor do I have to worry about not paying the bills.

I plan to stay on part-time at The Lob.  I really do enjoy the job itself and most of the people I get to work with (minus Tony), plus I get my health and vision insurance through the company.  They've put a lot of time into training me, so I don't think they'll have a problem keeping me on board, even if I'm not there as much as they would like.  

It would be nice to keep The Lob as a fall back job.  What if I finish the internship in August and no one in town has any reporter or photographer openings?  At least I wouldn't be starting over at square one; I would only have to find a second job to bring in the money.

I still need to tell my boss about the internship.  I had warned him a few weeks ago that I had applied, and then that I had interviewed.  He seemed disappointed, but made it clear that he wants to try and keep me on for a few shifts.  The new job starts June 8 (a Monday), so that shouldn't put too much pressure on his schedule yet, either.  He'll still have me full-time next week, and then I'll be cut back.  

I'm hoping to work two closing shifts each week (preferably Monday and Wednesday) as well as every other Sunday lunch shift.  I still want to be able to have a somewhat normal schedule, complete with an adequate amount of time off.  

 

Now I'm a Big Girl

Commencement...

Well, commencement has come and gone.  I successfully walked across the big stage in Frost Arena without tripping, received my diploma holder, and wished good friends farewell.  And now, after completing all those difficult steps, I am officially a grown-up--a grown-up who wishes she wasn't. 

My family made it to town late Friday night, so I didn't get a whole lot of Tessa-time in that night, but I got to have almost all of the next day.  Mike and I went downtown both Friday and Saturday night, and we even got my parents to come hang out with the "babies" Saturday night.  Of course, I had to tell them it was okay because the Lt. Governor was there, but the important part is that they came.  We didn't get Mom to the Lantern Lounge, but I suppose that's okay.  She probably doesn't need to see the slums.

...and cakes.

Tessa's 4th birthday was Saturday, so the poor girl had to spend most of her morning watching 500 people (out of 1500 graduates) receive their diploma holders (we'll get the actual diplomas at the end of July).  We had lunch at Cubby's downtown, and then went to my cousin AJ's house for his reception.  After naps the party began, complete with pink cake, balloons, and pizza.  

As you can see in the pictures below, Mike and Julie, Barbara, and I all pitched in and got Tessa her very own Barbie Jeep.  It's actually a used one we found at a garage sale in Sioux Falls.  It used to be white, but we didn't like the faded stickers, so we repainted it, giving her a custom paint job.  Pimp my ride, right?

She loved it, although she doesn't quite understand the concept of steering.  Also, she's not allowed to dive it on the "high" setting yet--she almost took out a real car.  The poor girl did have to spend this week without her new wheels; it wouldn't fit in Mom and Dad's car, so Julie and Mike are bringing it home on Friday when they come home for Barbara's high school graduation.

Current situation...

For the time being, I'm still at Red Lobster.  My boss told me this morning that I have the highest guest ratings of all the hosts.  I felt like that might be a good time to warn him I put in an application for a reporting internship with the city, but that I still wanted to work a few shifts each week.  He wasn't thrilled about the prospect of losing me for a few shifts, but he seemed excited about me getting back into television.  

Oh, irony.

So, as I sat down for lunch today at the Empire, I couldn't help but feel a little sad for myself, not finding my job yet.  Then I got an email from my former boss, telling me I had won several awards at the AP student competition.  I'm an award winning journalist, but I'm still unemployed (at least in the field, anyway).  Lame.  

I know things have to pick up, and these will be fantastic to add to my resume, but I just want things to be okay now.  Right now.  I don't like having to be patient any more than I like having to be a grown-up.  

 

Commencement and Cakes

A few snapshots from Tessa's birthday and my graduation.

So tired...

Things are going pretty well.  I'm between shifts at The Lob right now, so I thought I'd make the best of my downtime in Sioux Falls.  Actually, I would much rather be taking a nap right now, but that won't be an option until I move here in June.  

I've been dead tired all day--thank goodness business was really slow at lunch.  I probably shouldn't have spent all of Saturday night in Clear Lake (after working a split shift in SF), but I just couldn't say "no" to fun on my last weekend as a college student.

Playing up north...  

A few of us went up to the bowling alley/hotel/restaurant/bar in Clear Lake for an evening of small town fun and karaoke.  My future brother-in-law works up there and stays in a company house, so we knew we had a place to sleep.  The bar itself was lots of fun, but no singing this trip.  We were even able to convince a local that Mike knows to come road trip with us after last call.

I do realize "road tripping" and/or "booze cruising" are very foolish late night activities, but our driver hadn't had much to drink and the rest of us were in no state for making smart decisions.  Besides, it's South Dakota's past time.

The last project...  

Needless to say, I got very little sleep Saturday night when we finally got back to the house, and we woke up early Sunday morning to drive back home to sleep in our own beds.  I couldn't sleep, so I got back out of bed and finished the final paper of my undergraduate career.  Graduate school is definitely in the future, just not right now. 

I will admit that it's very weird not taking a single final during finals week.  All my friends are studying and enjoying the downtime between tests--I'm just working.  This is a pretty normal week for me.  I do get Friday-Sunday off for my graduation, and then it's right back to the Lob for a few more days before Barbara's high school graduation. 

I'm still having some trouble accepting that this is my last week as a student.  I'm still waiting for the realization to hit me that I won't ever get to have this time in my life again.  Friday afternoon is my reception and then Saturday morning is the culmination of the past four years.  I know all of this, yet I'm still feeling pretty numb. 

Sharing big days....

Saturday is the big day--I get to walk across a big stage in Frost Arena wearing a silly black hat and robe adorned with blue and white and gold cords.  But it's not just my day.  Tessa turns four the same day.

Julie and I are pretty pumped about getting to host her birthday party in Brookings.  We're going to decorate Julie's apartment with balloons and streamers in her favorite colors (whatever they might be this week; last we knew it was yellow).  I'm baking her cake on Friday afternoon--this should be an adventure. 

Coming to fruition...

More than anything, we're excited to give her her birthday present.  The three of us sisters and Mike all pitched in and we got her a used Power Wheels Barbie Jeep.  It was pretty faded and dirty, so Julie and Mike cleaned it up and spray painted it pink and purple.  Last night I sat down with my acrylics and customized the paint job with the new Barbie logo and a few flowers.  

We have been planning on doing this since before she was born.  Half of the fun comes from knowing that Tessa will have another big toy to annoy Mom with.  The other half comes from wonderful memories--Julie, Barbara, and I had two Barbie convertibles to share when we were growing up.  

Finding the Jeep was tough.  I spend a month placing bids on Ebay, only to lose to people with bigger budgets than ours.  We were getting desperate, and at one point I suggested we get her a sparkly Disney Princess bicycle instead of a car.  But then we realized that she really hates riding her tricycle.  What kind of kid doesn't want to ride a bike?