05/06/2008

Finishing Up  (Work, Career, the Future, )

It’s the beginning of Finals Week, and I’m already half-way done. I had my first test early this morning and I feel pretty good about it. After collectively spending around 10 hours in the library this weekend, I definitely knew my stuff. Now it’s down to one more exam on Wednesday, and I’m done. With college. Whoa.

This whole, being a senior thing, is really different. After Wednesday I’ll just be waiting around for the family to get here and then waiting to walk across the stage and get my diploma. In a week I’ll be considered an “alum.” A “college graduate.” In past years, I’d be studying for four or five tests (only having two is a record LOW for me), and trying to pack my suitcases to go home for a little bit. It’s so weird to think back to how differently I’ve done things each year.

Freshman year was crazy. I had four tests, and wasn’t going to be finished until 5 p.m. Friday afternoon. My dad was coming to help move me out and bring me home. All I remember about that week is being SO excited to leave this place. I needed a break, I needed to be home. I needed a huge serving of “real” Mexican food. I had my summer job lined up, where I would get to work with my younger sister, and I was so excited. The only question I hadn’t answered yet; where was I going to store all this stuff I had accumulated over the last two semesters?!? Ehhhh, oops.

Luckily, my Dad and I found a storage space that was about 15 minutes from campus. As long as I could remember the place and unit number for next fall, we were good to go. So, my advice to you: If you live far from where you go to school, find a storage unit around three to four weeks before you move out. That is definitely something you want to have lined up in advance. I’ve even heard of people who have cars at school that leave their car in the storage unit. That way you don’t have to pay to park it anywhere. Brilliant. Do what you gotta do.

My sophomore year I decided to do an internship that would require me to live somewhere else for the spring semester. This was kind of a crazy time for me, it cut my year in half and all of a sudden I had to move myself out of my dorm. Again, I wasn’t done with finals until Friday, so I had all week to stress out about packing up all the things I had unpacked only a few months earlier. That didn’t happen until Thursday night. Yes, I procrastinate. Luckily, my roommate is also my best friend, and offered her house as my next “storage unit.” This worked out perfectly, as I had no car and no way of actually moving my stuff from point A to point B. Her aunt gave me a ride to her house, and I flew home from there for Christmas break, putting college on hold until the next summer. My advice to you: when you know you will be moving in/out/in/out multiple times in one year, minimize the things you have to the things you need. It will make your life a lot easier.

By my junior year I had finally learned a few things. We moved into our apartment in August, and it would be the fourth place I had lived in 10 months. That’s a lot of moving. And let me tell you, I have never been more annoyed with the amount of things I own. Where does this stuff all come from?! Anyway. We decided to renew the lease for this year, which meant NO MORE moving for us! Oh, what a beautiful thing. The only packing I’ve done since then are the two (um, HUGE) suitcases that I bring home with me for breaks. You’d be amazed at what I can fit into those things. Seriously, master-of-packing. Right here. Roll your shirts and pants (instead of folding), and you can fit twice the amount. 

Now here I am, faced with the fact that my things have not moved, but have accumulated for two years. I don’t want to box them up, for more than one reason. It’s so weird to think I’m done here; this is not where I “live” anymore.

My best friends won’t always be my roommates. My apartment complex won’t always be full of other students, and there won’t always be housing events like “Free Breakfast” during finals. 

I’m still working on where I’ll be living next year, while trying to ignore the fact that I’m finishing up here.

 

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04/29/2008

Internship Update!  (Work, Career, the Future, Internships, )

So, I have some pretty big news…..

I found out last Sunday that I got accepted to my top choice internship/graduate program. I’m SO excited!! There are tons of “pros” that go along with this, aside from the fact that I obviously love the program itself (otherwise it wouldn’t be my top choice, right? Right.)

It’s not too far from where I go to school now. Which is great because it means I can get a storage space here, and not have to haul everything I own across the country this summer, just to do it again next Fall. Although I’m even sure that’d be possible, the car would probably refuse to move.  This also means that I can visit for football weekends, roommate reunions, etc.!

I’ll still be on the East coast, which I’m strangely excited about. I thought as soon as I was finished with school I’d be right back in that warm desert sunshine that I know and love. I thought I’d be over this whole really-cold-winters and short-lived-warm-season thing that they’ve got going over here. I thought I’d need to be closer to my family. That would be wonderful, but I’m surviving.  This will give me a chance to explore some of the cities that I haven’t seen yet, and revisit the ones I haven’t seen enough of. Who lives on the East coast for four years and never goes to see NYC around Christmas time??!?! Oh, me. Let’s fix that. And see a Broadway show while we’re at it.

I know one other girl from my school that is going there too. There are eight interns total, so the odds of “knowing” somebody was slim.  Nutrition isn’t really a huge major, so we’ve had a lot of classes together in the last three years.  We aren’t really “friends”, yet, but it will be SO nice to have a familiar face around.

So, I only have one issue. Where should I live? The town I go to school in now is super small, a little “University Bubble,” if you will. It’s not necessarily a city, and is completely centered around the school. Most of the apartment complexes are close to campus, and house “students” only. Basically, I’ve never really had to think too hard about the whole living situation. I did the dorm thing for two years, and I’ve been in the same apartment for two years.

Now that I know where I’ll be next year, I have to figure out how to actually be there.  This has consisted of constant searches on sites like apartmentguide.com, realtor.com, Craig’s list…..you see where I’m going. In addition to that, I’ll be extremely close to (if not IN) a big city. I’ll spend a lot of time with public transportation, and interstates, and carpools.  Not the campus bus, or leisure walk to class that I’ve gotten so used to. Hello, real world.

I’ve been in contact with another intern so we are trying to find something together, which helps. This is one of those things that we’ll figure out the hard way, look back on, and think: Wow, that could have been SO much easier. Alas, that’s how you learn.

And my life after college begins….

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04/22/2008

Summer Plans  (Internships, )

In college, the summer takes on a whole new meaning. Some people see summer as an opportunity to save up the spending money they’ll need to get them through the next school year. Some people see it as an opportunity to gain valuable work experience and load up that résumé.  Some people see it as an opportunity to catch up on classes and make sure they don’t fall into the Super-Senior plan.  And then, there are those who see it as the opportunity to do all of the above. We won’t go there.

For the last two years it has been pretty easy for me to decide my summer plans. I spent the entire Spring semester of my sophomore year doing an internship.  It was one of the best experiences I’ve had, but it also meant taking a semester off.  I used the next two summers to catch up on classes so that I didn’t have to spend any semester taking 20+ credits (which is possible, but not preferable).  So I spent them here, in a suddenly empty college town, working part time and staying in school mode.

Times have changed.  I have (almost) completed every requirement, earned all the credits, and will be graduating in three weeks. Plus, I just found out last night that I have been accepted into my Top Choice Graduate/Internship program!! It’s so rewarding to know that four years of this college life has taken me where I want to go.

There is only one problem.  While I’ve had the same job on campus for two years, and I’ve continued to work for the company I did the internship with (promoting and recruiting new students each semester), I have no clinical work experience.  Part of my internship next year will be a 16-week clinical rotation, working with a dietitian, and prescribing diets for patients.  I’ve never worked in a hospital. I’ve never worked in a clinic.  I’ve never worked with a Registered Dietitian (RD).

Ehhhh…

So, the only answer was to fix that. While I was home for Spring Break I weighed the options.  It hadn’t occurred to me that I could actually be HOME for the summer, as this hasn’t happened in three years. It was enticing, but also felt like I’d be leaving behind my college life so quickly.  My other options would be to stay here again and work (no!) or live in a nearby city, work, and sublet an apartment (expensive!). The choice was pretty obvious…. 

Our regional hospital has a specific number of spots open for summer interns. They require that you are in a healthcare major, and registered as a full-time student. Check. Check. I filled out an application, and wrote the cover letter stating my career goals and future plans.  You can work in any department, depending on your interests. I want to work with the RD on staff. I don’t know yet what that will actually mean. I’ll probably job-shadow for a few days to get an overall idea of what the job is like; visiting patients, analyzing diets, prescribing diets, working with the food service staff, etc.  Then, I’ll probably move on to smaller projects and odd jobs. I’m SO excited about working in a hospital.  A year ago I thought it was something I would never want to do. I’m not real sure what happened between then and now (lots of learning in class? Hmmm…), but I’m definitely ready to learn more through “hands-on” experience.

Plus, I get to hang out with my family, save money, and have the perfect job to prepare me for next year. All the while, enjoying what will probably be my last summer.  When it’s over, I’ll be headed right back up to the East coast for the next chapter in my life.

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04/15/2008

Steps Toward a Possible Career  (Work, Career, the Future, )

Last summer my friend, LB, had an internship doing public relations. Two of the people she worked with had a little secret: they “blog.” She came to visit me for a weekend and let me in on her own little secret….she started blogging. My initial reaction was…..surprised? I thought it was interesting, and brave, but not something I could ever do. I’m not a blogge”. I mean, it’s really personal right? Like an online journal or something? What if people you know read it? What if you reveal too much about yourself?

Well, I started reading her blog, and I really liked it.

*wheels start turning…*

I had always said I wanted to be a writer. Not as in short stories and novels, not as in flowery fiction romantic whatevers, and not as in memoirs or biographies. I wanted to be a writer as in, I Love this web site and I want to write stuff like That! And it hit me; if I want to write for a web site, why not start by writing for my own??

That’s basically what these blogs are, right? This is MY page. My web site. This is me, now. I put whatever I want on this blog. I even control how it looks (umm…to an extent. Hi, I have no idea how to write a CSS or HTML code, but I wish I did!!). Sure, it’s not going to show up if you put my full name into a “Google” search, but it’s here and it’s mine. Some people who know me know about it, but I’m not passing out fliers to advertise it.

I will admit it took me a while to actually do it. It scared me that my writing would be accessible to the public. It’s here for all to see, which also means it’s here for all to criticize or to love. But that’s the reality of writing, is it not? If I want to have opportunities to do it in the future, I have to have something to show for it, right? I have to know that I’m okay with knowing that anybody can see these words. That’s the point of having web sites and magazines in the first place. You want people to read them!

So my personal blog was born. It started off a little rough, but I’ve gotten used to writing about the everyday things and the cooking things and the little weird things about me. I don’t go too in depth about anything personal, and probably never will. I’m not sure why, maybe it’ll come at some time.
Now here I am, a few months later, and I blog because…..

…now I have had the opportunity to take the next step! I was contacted by someone who saw my personal blog and now I write for JobWeb once a week, about my life now  and over the next year or so. Graduating, job-searching, baking, working, shopping, running…..the things I learn and want to pass on to you in the process.

…Now I am addicted to writing and reading a lot of other great blogs!

…I love what it has allowed me to do with my writing, and I love how my writing has changed because of it. I also love that I actually write. I find myself going through each day thinking about what topic I want to do next! When something weird/entertaining happens to me, I think…. “I should blog about that.” I guess in many ways it has turned me into a story-teller. 

 I was even able to mention my blog in an interview I had for my top-choice graduate program in January.  It was an example of how I’m learning to use technology, and how I think it can be used as a valuable tool for education.  Almost every company, big or small, has a web site.  This would mean they have to hire people to manage, create, and write for that web site. It can say whatever they want it to, and portray whatever message they choose; much like this little blog of mine. 

…It allows me to meet some pretty fabulous people, and exchange fabulous e-mails! Because really, who isn’t addicted to e-mail? Don’t lie. I also met someone who gave me tips while I was training for the race, plus she loves Stacy & Clinton as much as I do!

Anyway. Hi, I’m Heather. I’m totally a blogger.

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04/08/2008

It’s Crunch Time!  (Work, Career, the Future, )

The semester is winding down and the numbers are in:

41 days (until graduation)
6 homework assignments
6 quizzes
3 exams
2 papers
2 finals
1 presentation

It’s crunch time! It’s that time of the year where everything seems to pile up.  You suddenly have test after test, followed by assignments out of nowhere and a 15-minute presentation on something you will supposedly “know” everything about.  Today I overheard two people talking about how we only have four weeks of classes left.  My internal response: Um, what?!? How did that happen?!

The last few weekends have been so busy, and gone by so fast.  I’ve traveled at least one day out of all of them, cutting each one short. Then I’m jam-packing homework into a Sunday afternoon without the ability to concentrate because I just want to watch the crappy TV and lounge around.   I would like to say that the “nice spring weather” is also adding to the mix, but that has been somewhat non-existent.  It’s coming though, not to worry!

Soon the apartment pool will open up, the restaurants downtown will set up patios so we can have a beer in the afternoon instead of a 50-minute lecture, and the grass will be green and inviting.  It will be warm and relaxing and even sunny on the good days.  It will be all the things that remind us that summer is quickly approaching, and school is almost done.  All the things that make us want to forget about the numbers above and slip on that “I don’t care” attitude, because in a few weeks we won’t have to.

As students, it doesn’t get any better than this. Instead of looking forward to a three-week “holiday” break, we look forward to three months of summer. We have time to get out of school mode, make some money, and enjoy weekends that aren’t plagued with deadlines. But as seniors, it couldn’t be more bittersweet.  We’ll relax and bask in our laziness, knowing that we’re doing this all (hopefully) for the last time.  Yet we know that the end of the next four weeks is actually the end of the last four years. 

For now, I have the strategy of getting things done early and having time to play. And by early, I mean what every student does: completed before midnight the day it’s due. We’ll see how that goes.  I’m not guaranteeing anything, except that it will get finished somehow.  And I will enjoy myself!

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04/01/2008

13.1 Miles  (Work, Career, the Future, )

On Saturday I finished my very first half-marathon in 1 hour and 49 minutes. I ran under clear blue skies, in what was eventually a gorgeous afternoon with a high around 45 degrees.

My friend, LB, and I arrived a little too early to pick up our race packets, and proceeded to freeze in the unexpected chilly morning temps.  We went against our better judgment and assumed that we'd be warm while running, and the cold 35 degrees wouldn't bother us one bit. Ehhhh. We were wrong. I wore the stretch pants that I've been training in, which was smart. But I paired it with a cute sports top I bought from Target on Friday, which was sleeveless. Not smart. I had a sweatshirt on (that I put in my bag before we started—there's no way I could've run in it), so I had no other option but to hope that my arms didn't fall off.  Luckily LB saved the day and gave me her gloves because she had sleeves to hide her hands in.

As we lined up to start the race, I went to get my iPod ready. Turns out it was cold too. The touch pad was hardly working, and I couldn't get it to "select" or "scroll down."  Ahh! After trying to warm it up and messing with it for about five minutes, I finally got it onto my “exercise” playlist and prayed it would stay there, which it did.

Race officials warned us that within the first half mile there was a big hill; don’t start off too strong and save some energy. As we started up the incline I could feel my left sock slowly coming off with each step. Awesome. I stepped off to the side to quickly pull it up, and within two seconds it was off again. All right, sock, I'm not looking to play games here. You want to be difficult and hang out just off the heel? Fine. And that's where it stayed the entire race.
So with the iPod being moody and the sock deciding on a different position for the day, I'm off to a great start right?

I found my pace, and after about four miles I looked around and realized that these are the people who will be running the rest of the race with me. I'll pass them a few times, and they'll step up and pass me every now and then. But we're all on the same page, and running in step with each other. One girl, wearing light pink pants with a black long-sleeved shirt, had a loose pony-tail that drove me crazy. I hate when my hair moves more than I do. She seemed okay with it. One guy, who looked about 55, had on a thick grey shirt and black sweatpants. He was barely picking up his feet between each step, which made it appear that he was running much slower than he really was. This made me think I should be moving faster than he was, and sometimes that was the case. But he always came back to join me. One lady was breathing so hard that I could tell when she was close to me because her exhale was louder than JT in my headphones. Another lady raised her hands to the sky every so often. Apparently gospel music helps her keep on keepin' on.

When I saw the 10-mile marker, I felt elated. My pace went up a notch because I was thinking, “All I have left is a 5K….easy!” I wasn’t tired yet, and I still had three miles in me, no problem.  I already knew what lay ahead, because we had passed through the finish line at the end of the first loop. I had a few small hills, twists and turns, and a speed bump to conquer before it was over.

My music finally died at mile 12, unexpectedly, in the middle of the song I had been waiting for. I was left to my own thoughts for the last 1.1 miles….

How did 12 miles go by that fast?? How did the last four years go by even faster?  When you realize you’re (only!?) halfway through, you feel exhausted. It’s the same old routine: classes, papers, exams, breaks, and then starting all over again knowing what’s ahead. When I started the second loop of the [half-marathon] trail, I knew what to anticipate. I knew where the hills would be, and I knew where it would be flat and smooth.  But when you come around the last corner, you have no idea what you’re in for. All of the training that you’ve done in the last four weeks, or learning for the past four years, comes together.  You know there’s one mile left—or one semester—and it’s nothing like what you expect. Instead of being bored and tired, you’re excited and pushing yourself to finish. You know that when you finally cross the finish line, the feeling of accomplishment you’ll get makes everything worth it. 

The night before, I set a goal for completing the race in less than two hours, figuring that was reasonable. I sped up around the last corner and I saw the end. As I got closer the timer came into focus, and it read “1:48:40.”  I did it!! I felt the adrenaline and sped up.

Sometimes in the rush of all the school stuff, and the going out, and the studying, and the activities, you forget to do things for yourself. I did this for Me.

A minute later I crossed the finish line, and I’ve never felt better!

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03/25/2008

Stepping Toward “Adulthood”  (Internships, Interviews, )

There have been many times throughout this college life of mine that I’ve wondered…

When will I be considered an “adult?” When will I think of myself as an adult? When will I be treated like an adult?

Once you turn 18, you are “legally” considered an adult. Once you graduate high school, move away, and are finally in college, you want to think you’re an adult. Once you turn 21 and can finally buy drinks for yourself and go to bars, you think you’ll feel like an adult. Once you finally plan and take a trip with your friends, books flights, hotels, and transportation, you want to be treated like an adult (if only while on the trip). Once you have to deal with rude landlords and useless secretaries at the apartment office, you want to be respected as an adult.

However, in my experience, none of the above situations will result in the outcome you hope for. You are looked at as a “college kid.” Just a student. You clearly do not have the life experience or intelligence, to know what you’ve gotten yourself into.  No. No. You still have lots of learning left to do.

So as I enter into my last semester of college, I’m still left wondering when that moment will come….

Well, I found my moment. 

It started with “the call.” With someone on the other end of the line sounding eager and excited to talk to me, telling me that my [internship] application packet looks great, telling me that she “would love to schedule an interview.” At the end of this…very…week.  So I schedule the interview, and I’m excited, and I’m nervous, and I’m ready.

No this wasn’t a “first.” I’ve had plenty of interviews in my 20+ years of life. But they were all for jobs that held little or no significance to me. Part-time jobs. Jobs that bring in the cash, keep me busy, and give me some “experience” to list on the next résumé. But this is different. This is an interview for my top-choice graduate/internship program.  This interview is for something that will determine things in my near future. Where I live, where I network, where I get a job, where I start my career. This interview requires some preparation.

I spent the day before the interview doing a lot of different things; buying a business suit jacket (Sidenote: When you buy black pants, just buy the jacket too! Because it is nearly impossible to match a jacket to pants, especially pinstripes. Seriously. Impossible. I had to abandon the pinstripes and settle for just black.), putting together my portfolio, practicing my answers to questions like “Is there anything else we should know about you?” and the like, and printing the directions for going there AND coming back. (Yes, it’s important to do both. Simply reversing the directions from one way does not work, FYI. Believe me!)

I left for the interview super early to allow myself at least three hours to get lost and find where I needed to go. Which, sadly, was completely necessary. But I made it! I felt good about my presentation and my answers. I knew I did well. I drove back to my apartment just in time for a night out and some drinks with my best friends.

That’s when I felt like an adult.

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03/24/2008

About Me  (About Heather!, )

I’m Heather. I’m studying Nutritional Sciences at a large university on the East Coast and I’m almost done. I’m from the southwest, and have mixed  

feelings about the East Coast. I’m still not a big-city person, but I do love having so many cool places within a few hours.

I have the best roommates in the world and will miss them dearly when this is all over.

I love to travel, cook (and bake), read, write, create, learn, run, shop,do crosswords, make cards, drive, make music mixes, and do the family thing.

I’m a dork, and I own it. This explains me pretty well. 

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
-Walt Disney

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Okay, I Admit...  (About Heather!, )

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When You're a Nutritional Sciences Major, You Cook!  (My Major, )

As an avid reader of (and hopefully future writer for) Kraft Food & Family magazine, I eagerly await the fresh new recipes, articles, and tasty treats featured in each new issue.

My interest in these mini-magazines started at home when my mom began receiving them in the mail. This was far before I had acquired my interest in food, nutrition, and cooking; the days of browsing colorful pictures of Kraft mac-n-cheese variations and dreaming of those Jell-o pudding pies. The days when all I knew about cooking was how to boil water… and of course add the butter, milk, and cheese packet to those macaroni noodles. Also the days when recipes for innovative appetizers, simple lunch ideas, family dinners, and fresh new twists on classic deserts carried the magazine themselves.

Don’t get me wrong, this magazine is still full of all these things, and they’ve even expanded the wide array of what are labeled “Healthy Living” recipes. Yet, these staples tend to stand in the shadows of brand names for every ingredient, full page advertisements for crackers and pizza, and even two page spreads of “What’s New” on the market for brands that are now within the Kraft family.

For those who may not know, Kraft is the #1 food company in the United States. Somebody’s doing their job right! They’ve expanded to include Jacobs, Milka, Nabisco, Philadelphia (cream cheese anybody?), Oscar Meyer, and Post. (Source: Yahoo! Finance) Not that I wouldn’t brag if my company was #1 in the U.S., but when I’m looking for a fun new recipe to try and cook for my roommates sometime soon (yes, roomies, always thinking of you ) I don’t want to see a full page ad telling me how easy & delicious frozen pizza will be if I just heat it up!

Alright, Kraft…I can only be upset for so long. The truth is that even if the magazine inflated to 100 pages (with half of them being advertisements), but kept its heart of fabulous foods, healthy options, decadent deserts, quick-tips and up-with-the-times articles…I’m 100% content.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to fold in the corners of those irresistible recipes that I fully intend to cook for those lovely roommates of mine…soon…

Another wonderful resource that Kraft has set up is their web site: www.kraftfoods.com 

Check this out! I can’t say enough good things about this site! You can search everything from 20-minute dinners to crafty seasonal deserts. You can set up your own “recipe box”, essentially “bookmarking” those dinners that you know you’ll make…someday. Users can also rate recipes so you know which to try and which to pass-up, or maybe change-up to your own likings.

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Breakfast!  (My Major, )

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Chili  (My Major, )

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S'more Brownies  (My Major, )

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Getting Ready for a Phone Interview  (Interviews, )

8:30 a.m. Going for a morning run before a phone interview to relax. It’s pouring outside, so I head down to the gym. I’m thinking a nice little 30 minute jog, nothing too crazy, just to get the legs going.

What my brain failed to inform me this morning was that it was going to go ahead and have a little ADD today.

Once I get to the gym, I notice that the treadmill I usually use is “Out Of Order.” Great. The only other two treadmills available are right in front of a mirror. I hate that. I can’t ever decide where to look, and when I watch myself I get dizzy because my brain tries to process that I’m running, but not going anywhere. Weird. Guess what this leads to…..Gym ADD (aka, not being able to think about one thing for more than 2 seconds. Thus making a 30 minute run feel like houurssss.)

Start off at a slow pace. Warm it up. Prepare the sore thighs.

Girl next to me is wearing a sweatshirt. On a treadmill, what’s that about?

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