Colorful October Days

Lots of major things happened this month, and I apologize for not updating in a while!

Most of these milestones have involved running, strangely... but in a very good way. I started the month with a successful 10K in Grant Park to benefit Chicago HIV/AIDS research foundation. Then, 2 weeks later, I ran(crashed) a 5K in Montrose Park with my sister to celebrate college alumni weekend and wear our Illini gear. And tomorrow... I'm doing another 5K to benefit UNO Charter School Network in Pilsen, called the "Carrera de Los Muertos." People are dressing up and everything, so I'm really excited! Running has become such a great hobby of mine, and I'm wondering if I'll be ready for the Chicago Marathon next year. 26.2 miles. Maybe.

I'm officially employed for the holiday rush season, and after finally finishing my first week at the new job, I would like to iterate how I think all teenagers/college students should experience at least one job that doesn't involve a 3-piece suit. Looking at my past 10 years on payroll, I've noticed that my job titles have mostly fallen into two big categories: Education and Food Service. It's the sort of thing that gives you a lot of perspective, interacting with people face-to-face, rather than with a computer or a phone. It teaches you how to be honest, how to present yourself with confidence and to own up to mistakes you make without feeling like a failure. It teaches you to understand the way people think so as to connect with them and start a conversation.

For the holiday rush, I'm working in retail, and I've realized that more than anything... I enjoy interacting with people. Real people. Those who need advice on a product or just an opinion on a purchase they are about to make. This past week I was working overnight shifts with the staff to get the store ready for the holiday sales, and most of the time, I was taking trips back and forth to the storage room to retrieve pillows, candles, and kitchenware from shelves and shelves of merchandise to bring for the displays. When you spend hours just walking around aimlessly in a warehouse of shelves... you start to go a little crazy. I would sing to myself! That's when I noticed I need real people to get through a job with my sanity. The people I work with are also so energized and fun -- and I've noticed how much you need a sense of humor to get through the tedious work. I'm excited to be employed in the city!

Anyway, another milestone... I got accepted to the DePaul University's graduate program for Counseling! I'd applied for the sake of having a backup plan for Chicago, in case I didn't find a full-time job in the city, but I also considered this as an opportunity to take my background in Counseling to a more marketable level. It's exciting but also very nerve-wrecking because I know that to do this well, I will need to commit a hundred and ten percent to it. Which means I'll have to retire that dream of becoming an animator - at least for the near future.

So... I don't know. I'm going to enjoy what I have this weekend with Halloween festivities and think about it a bit longer. And I'm going to enjoy the fall weather in Chicago while it lasts!



What's coming up in November?
- NaNoWriMo! I have a chick-lit idea. The girl is a single-but-happy professional stunt-woman who just celebrated her 30th birthday skydiving. She gets a call from her long-time-single mom, and besides saying the usual "happy birthday," mom has some news: she's getting married again! How will this influence the girl's thoughts of love, marriage, and single hood?

- Running & Dancing! No racing officially, but I'm continuing to run along the lake for personal time, and I'm loving the time I spend in a dance studio for hip hop class.

- Tutor training! I'm going to be a volunteer ESL tutor in Chicago once a week, and I'm really excited because I feel like I'll finally get to put my tutoring skillz to good use again.

- Lincoln Park Zoo! I just discovered this place, and didn't realize how close it was to my house up until this week when I walked along the park. The place was almost closing, but I managed to visit the Gorilla house. I was almost in tears of amazement as I saw them doing human-like actions... like straightening their blankets out to take a nap. Animals amaze me.