Wednesday, July 12, 2006

what making an effort will give you

my new year's resolution was to Make an Effort. i thought it would be a good way to end complacency, laziness and get my life in order. who knew that Making an Effort would be quite so effective?

i look at my calendar now and whimper. my free and open spaces are beginning to disappear with the alacrity of conservatives reacting to michael moore.

my current boy situation aside (which actually isn't that big a deal since expectations were so low - in short, he didn't want to meet my friends and act like a normal grown up), this week is going to give me a stroke.

work has, to put a fine point on it, exploded all over me like a flaming bag of poo. i stepped into my new position officially last week and, man, is the learning curve fast and steep. our government affairs contact said to me, as she handed me her copy of the IL general assembly directory, 'don't worry. in a year, you'll be great. flashcards are useful.'

holy crap. flashcards. and - a year?!

i have to learn names, committees, titles, interest areas - for city, county, state, and federal level officials (elected and appointed).

what the hell. those past 7 years of frolicking were nice. who needs friends, family and boys? not me.

i have the illinois general assemby and the cook county board to keep me warm.

(of course, i'm secretly thrilled. it's like i'm in my own personal episode of 'west wing.' love it.)

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ding,

Don't knock the flashcards. They can be really helpful. I'm a software engineer, and as you know, the only folks who like TLA's (three-letter-acronyms) more than the government are software folks. I *still* use flashcards sometimes to help me keep some things straight.

I'm sure it does feel like you're in an ep of the West Wing. That is one really cool aspect of your job :-).

Good luck! Remember when you're told to sink or swim, "just keep swimming." :-) Yes, I watch way too much Disney with my kids... .

Delia Christina said...

a woman once told me that professional growth happens when you keep asking for projects that stretch you just a little bit farther than before.

i'm definitely there. stretched, i mean.

i'm back in school, it feels like.