1. My job is busy! I work with a half-dozen doctors and about two dozen support staff, doing HR and finance and scheduling duties, and I'm just getting the hang of the job. I was hired just a week before the University of Minnesota declared a "hiring pause" because of budgetary issues. A week after that, the state of Minnesota made official a "hiring freeze". And now the governor of Minnesota has just released a nearly-balanced state budget (which would be a good thing) which cuts the University's funding dramatically (which is a really bad thing). Consequently, layoffs may be coming soon. I'm praying that, despite my lack of seniority, my job will be spared. I cannot, I CANNOT loose this job.
2. I'm going to start taking graduate classes this semester! Finally! One of the many amazing benefits offered by the U of M to employees is FREE classes. I'm going to slowly-but-surely work on earning a graduate degree or two. I want a real career, hopefully within this University system, that will ensure I won't be so professionally unstable as I have been in the past. I learned a lot with all my experimenting, but now I'm ready to learn by staying still - if I can.
3. Minnesota is really cold. There was a week when it was -25F for several days in a row. It's not as cold as Hokkaido, I grant you, but it's still really quite shocking. Thankfully, our trusty little Prius and the Twin Cities Metro Transit get me all over town.
4. I'M GETTING MARRIED! Planning a wedding takes a lot of effort; more than I imagined. I thought that because I am not so concerned about many of the little unnecessary details/purchases involved in an American wedding, therefore I wouldn't have much to worry about. Little did I know how all of society's expectations about what my wedding should be, really affect my planning. I have to sift through so many cultural expectations, and extract the ones that we really want to use to celebrate. This is really part of my re-acculturation back into America.
5. Our President is Barack Obama!!!!!!!! I am overjoyed, hopeful, prayerful, awed, excited, relieved, and grateful. I donated some money and time door-knocking and phone-calling, but I certainly wasn't as active as so many citiczens in this great nation. I am so PROUD of us for choosing such a good person as President! I am so relieved and hopeful that the Bush/Cheney administration are gone (but wish them to prison, most expediently, for their war crimes and lies). I'm proud that our government is relatively stable and peaceful in exchange of leadership. I have cried so many tears in the last months, in gratitude for Obama's election and inaguration. And I'm so happy about the changes that have already happened this week: equal pay for equal work, supporting reproductive choices, raising emissions standards, and keeping to the rule of law regarding torture! Oh, and also, have you noticed that our new Prez is kinda hotttt?
6. Did I tell you we went to Europe over Christmas and New Year's?!? I haven't written much about it at all, and really need to catch up. Thankfully, my dear friend Amber has written a nice account of Christmas in her home in the Netherlands. Please excuse my appearance in her jammies and slippers and bed-hair; a bit embarrassing. But isn't my Goddaughter Gracie cute!?
I'll do a blog post later about our trips to Germany and Belgium. Promise!
1 comment:
Cool blog, Teresa. Congrats on your engagement!
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