Had a Bad Day?

If you had a tough day, feel free to laugh at mine. 

45 minutes before I was supposed to meet a friend for happy hour, I get sent out on a shoot for an upcoming news program. I had already had to cancel going to a yoga class for work, so I was not very pleased with this request.

It was cooler than the day before, but by that I mean you didn't immediately sweat upon going outdoors. More like, 5. Carrying a tripod to move locations, I heard "plop, plop." I've heard this sound before. More than the average person, I'm sure. I look up and my fears are confirmed.Crowded on some street lights were not one, but two rows of pigeons. The suckers had hit my beloved Longchamp and dress in one plop.  

Our shoot took longer than expected, but we have finally gotten the shots we want. Just as we started looking for a cab to take back to work, we got a call saying that the material had to be sent in 40 minutes to go on air. We kept trying to catch a cab to no avail. Finally, we decided to start moving toward the office while keeping a look out for any open cabs. 10 blocks of fast walking while awkwardly carrying a tripod and I was sweaty. I could feel the sweat dripping down my back, and I started debating how large pit stains had to be to no longer be considered pit stains. 

Finally, finally, a beacon of light and we jumped in a cab. Though I was thankful that it was much cooler and I no longer had to lift weights while jogging (soft j*), I had one major problem. And that was that I have a tendency to sweat in the most inconvenient of places. That's right. When I stood back up after climbing out of the cab, I had a solid butt sweat mark. 

The cameraman handed me the disc, took my tripod, and I sprinted to our office, bird poop on the side of my dress, a sweat stain on my butt. A correspondent hung up the phone to say "I was just calling you. And, uh... looks like you got a workout afterall."

Thanks, guys. 

If you don't think the news is very exciting these days, try working in it. 

*Please refer to Anchorman for the correct pronunciation.

Note: My friend was patiently waiting at happy hour, where I was able to relax over a glass of wine, chilled tapas and a very fun exchange of upcoming travel plans, so it didn't end all too bad. I just made sure to shower the moment I stepped through my front door. 

So, I'm a Bridesmaid.. anxiety ensues

Ever since graduating college, my mailbox has had a steady stream of wedding invitations and all the pre-wedding event invitations that go with them. I think that I could cover a mid-sized fridge with all of the magnetic save the dates I currently have in my possession. However, it wasn't until this year that I was asked to be in one.

I am completely ecstatic to be a part of this friend's wedding. We met in the sorority and shared some crazy girls' night outs including a fantastic weekend in Whistler. Those were of course fun, but then there was after graduating from college, when she came to Japan to visit me, when I third wheeled her and her (now fiancee) boyfriend's trip to Oceania, when I went down to California for our now yearly meetup and now I'm going back to CA to stand by her as she says "I do" to the guy I met for the first time at the airport so we could start our journey (that I was third wheeling).

Now since I like a good panic, as happy as I was for them, there were just as many things that I was a bit anxious about (even though this is not my wedding).

1. What do bridesmaids do? As far as I was concerned until now, they showed up in matching outfits and smiled all day, which kind of reminded me of sorority recruitment. 
2. There is no maid of honor. So who's doing all the planning? Wait. What do MoHs plan?
3. What do I wear? I would not like to ruin the first wedding I'm in because I showed up in fancy dress instead of a fancy dress. 

Do I have more anxiety about this wedding than the bride? 

Probably.


*I should add that this is not real, should be worried about anxiety. I cannot possibly be more excited for my friends to be tying the knot or more honored to be a part of it. It just made me realize that I know nothing about weddings other than how to show up*

On Work

I absolutely adore that Yogi Teas are not only organic, but come with a short, yet sweet quote. 

"Work, but don't forget to live"

This quote is kind of funny to me right now because I'm currently funemployed (except for the occasional translation) and in general, looking back at how I've lived my life since graduating from university, you'd see that the advice that this tea should really be giving me is "Live, but don't forget to work." 

Though working contract and/or volunteer positions are not the most stable or lucrative, I must admit that I've loved every job and I'm very grateful for the opportunities (especially the opportunities to travel) that these positions have given me. This doesn't mean that I never doubt this path. AT ALL. Especially when I'm funemployed. During these periods of no paycheck and a future that's completely up in the air, I spend every waking half-moment doubting every decision I've ever made concerning my career. 

I was recently at a dinner with some friends (one old, one new) and we were talking about our current anxieties when it comes to our professional careers. From my point of view, they are very much on track for a successful career and I really admire them for the work that they've put into getting where they are now. What absolutely blew me out of the water, was hearing them say that they really respected how I currently choose to travel and take opportunities that allow me to work on personal development through seeing the world. I think that my favorite was when they described me as the grandmother who would round up her grandchildren and say "when grandma was 25, she took up sword fighting with baguettes and rode only camels as a source of transportation." Ok, so neither of those are true, and they didn't say that exactly, but it was along those lines. 

Sometimes I have doubts about choosing this road (still often less taken) so I'm especially grateful to have friends both old and new, who remind me that it's a good one, and one to be grateful for.