"it's the end of your job as you know it..."

I find it appropriate to adapt a REM song for my blog post title. I discovered an all-90s radio station in Sacramento and it's the greatest most random station ever. Goes from Dave Matthews Band to Mariah Carey to Beastie Boys to N*Sync to Dr. Dre to Amy Grant.

Seriously fantastic. Brings about much joy and car dancing every time I get to listen.

http://www.90sbuzz.com/

My Americorps job is over tomorrow.

Hard to believe it's been a year...and yet what a year it has been.

Struggles, growth, challenges, pride, joy, learning, smells, transition, experience, to say the least.

It's not something I'd recommend to everyone, and it's not something I would do again, but I think it was something that I needed to do. Apparently the ol' G-O-D knows what he's doing. At the moment, he's keeping the next step in my journey a secret (which is always frustrating) but I'm actually finding a bit of a peace in the unknown.

Last night was Wednesday night...one of my favorite nights of the week (and without too many shows to watch....though I am now hopelessly hooked on Psych Ü). And my post-college bible study started back up. Always full of lots of laughter, good discussion, and potluck. We talked about Ecclesiastes. Honestly, I had never thought about it as a depressing book in the bible. It's always been one of my favorites. What does that say about me? I don't know, I just like being reminded that there is a season for everything. There's gonna be good and there's gonna be crappy. I find a comfort in knowing that I'm not alone and it's not gonna last forever. It all really is a "chase after the wind."

(though, the stupid Rebecca St. James song has been stuck in my head since talking about it.)

And now it's in yours.

Apparently, Rebecca St. James still makes music. Good to know. I used to do her 40 days with God bible study.

Somehow, it's nearly the end of August. Luckily, it hasn't been too insanely hot this summer. But that has also helped it not feel like summer. It just sped on by. Kids are back in school. I've got my yearly desire to buy school supplies. The Giants are in the playoff hunt. And there's still a month before shows start again. I have a feeling there will once again be too many hours of television that I want to watch and not enough hours in my day. Maybe I need different priorities....nah....I just need all the good shows to not be on Thursday!

One hour and one day left on the job!

Let's do this.

me gusta futbol

Ah, The World Cup. It's like the Olympics with a singular sport :) It's every four years. And it's those every four years that remind me that I do, in fact, enjoy soccer (or rather, futbol). I grew up in the valley....I've been surrounded by it my whole life. A good number of my Saturdays were spent at the soccer fields at CSUS (before that area became the dorms and a pond) cheering on my friends. It was practically required to play at recess and any other P.E. break at Julien Elementary. And it was fun. Some days were more fun than others but I really did like it. And my most vivid memory of playing soccer was in 5th or 6th grade (so...maybe not that vivid, but still) was when a girl named Nessa got her arm broken during P.E. playing soccer. And how happy I was that it wasn't me. But still....it was impressive, and a well kicked ball.

What else makes me like this sport? I admire the crap outta those that play. Have you tried sprinting around for an hour and a half recently? Yeah...I definitely don't make it as long as I did once upon a time. And goalies are straight up badass crazy....in the best way possible. Love them! Much like I love and appreciate catchers. Catchers are just insane. "sure, I'll squat for a couple hours. Wanna throw a ball 90 mph at me too? Ok, sure. Oh, what's that? You want to come racing at me full speed and tackle me while I hold on to a baseball? Yup, bring it on. Cameras showing close up shots of my crotch while I flash some signs? Why not. Hit in the noggin and other various body parts with foul tips and what not? Yup. I'm game." But goalies are flying all over the place....wearing much less protection than a catcher. "You wanna kick a ball at me full speed while I try to read your mind and cover a 8' x 24' area with my best ninja/jedi-like abilities? Okie dokie"

Why else? I'm a girl. Girls like athletes. My top 3 athletes: 1> h2o polo players/swimmers (best overall body and tan) 2> soccer players (have you seen their legs?! glorious to gaze at) 3> baseball players (arms. forearms. catchers' legs. arms.)

But why do I neglect to remember my appreciation and enjoyment of soccer those 3 years between world cups? Call it my Olympic theory. Every 4 years I'm suddenly an expert in things like synchronized diving (the greatest Olympic event ever, in my opinion) and ice dancing (which is different than figure skating....but don't ask me why for another 4 years). Why? Because I need to be in the know....and I need to cheer on MY country. That's the difference. Only during the World Cup does the USA come together and care about soccer. Because we are competitive. Because we love our country. Because tying England felt pretty much like winning. And because you get miraculous moments like those brought to us by Landon Donovan. That is now my most vivid World Cup memory. My previous one? Sitting at a cafe in downtown Lakeland FL and watching the Zidane headbutt incident. But who cares about that now. I've got a genuine American Miracle Moment to care about. It's those things that bring people together....make people care about soccer....and feel good to be American. Because, even if we feel like we are a powerhouse in the world, we still secretly want to be the underdog because it's only when you're the underdog that you get moments like Landon Donovan scoring in stoppage time after being denied a legit goal (AGAIN!) from refs who for some reason hate America.

America may be out of the World Cup now....but I'm still caring about the World Cup. Maybe I'll attempt to hit up a San Jose Earthquakes game someday....but no matter what, in four years, I'll be straight up obsessed with soccer again. USA.

The Guilty Pleasures of the OOs

Or as I like to refer to it:

The

"I know I shouldn't admit to liking this movie but honestly, if it's on cable, I am totally stopping and watching it every time"

List

Also featured in the list:

"This makes me laugh WAY harder than it should"

and

"That plot line made absolutely no sense" (I'm looking at you, The Lake House!)

and

"Dear Lord, I'm such a girl sometimes"

and

"Yup, stuff blows up and I like it a lot"

and

"yeah, I still own it on VHS"

Here we go...

1. M:I 2 (2000)
2. Bring It On (2000)
3. Center Stage (2000)
4. Coyote Ugly (2000)
5. Dude, Where's My Car ? (2000) --sidenote: my first dvd I ever owned!
6. Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
7. Get Over It (2001)
8. Serendipity (2001)
9. The Wedding Planner (2001)
10. Joe Dirt (2001)
11. American Outlaws (2001)
12. Crossroads (2002)
13. xXx (2002)
14. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003)
15. What A Girl Wants (2003)
16. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
17. A Cinderella Story (2004)
18. The Prince & Me (2004)
19. Win A Date With Tad Hamilton! (2004)
20. 13 Going on 30 (2004)
21. The Ringer (2005)
22. Hitch (2005)
23. The Pacifier (2005)
24. Fever Pitch (2005)
25. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
26. John Tucker Must Die (2006)
27. The Lake House (2006)
28. Tenacious D and the Pick of Destiny (2006)
29. Catch and Release (2007)
30. August Rush (2007)
31. Blades of Glory (2007)
32. Shooter (2007)
33. Music and Lyrics (2007)
34. The Gameplan (2007)
35. 27 Dresses (2008)
36. Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008)
37. Definitely, Maybe (2008)
38. Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (2008)
39. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008)
40. House Bunny (2008)
41. Australia (2008)
42. Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)
43. 17 Again (2009)
44. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
45. Band Slam (2009) -- actually quality tween flick!
46. All About Steve (2009)
47. Fired Up (2009)

Yup. There it is. Out there in the blogosphere. I realize this could potentially come back to haunt me one day...but...tis the truth. I've seen 'em all....and enjoy them! Everybody's got their own list like this, no doubt about it!

I'm excited for new Great, Guilty, and Garbage to partake in!

Bring it on, Hollywood!

rich vs.poor vs. poverty

In the words of the great Steve Martin in the movie The Jerk:

"I was born a poor black child.'

 Now, like Steve Martin, I was not actually born a poor black child. But for most of my life, I've lived at or below the poverty line. Growing up, I didn't really know this. But that's because of the reliance of my parents on the great evil that is credit cards and also because of the charity of others. Quite the combination. But, I was well dressed and there was food on the table. And a VW bus that the sliding door fell off of. My brother would often have to ride gripping the door handle to make sure it didn't fly off. Good times and character building. 

Growing up in the 80s, it was a material world, and that helped me to think I was a material girl. I'm a tomboy and pretty kickback but when I get things, I tend to want the best. I'm cursed with good taste (but luckily not in everything. I'm not ashamed to shop at the dollar store or list Taco Bell as a favorite restaurant). I got into a bit of trouble my freshman year at college. I had a Nordstrom card and South Coast Plaza was literally 5 minutes away. Plus, I was feeding a growing Roxy addiction...hungered by the close proximity to the beach (not that I surfed). 

My sophomore year at college, events happened which led to my dad losing the house and pretty much all of my childhood possessions. I was obviously devastated. Plus, I now had no home to go home to. Pretty rough. But here's the thing, even then I knew that it could be worse. I know that there will always be people worse off than me. Even after I lost my job as Director of Fun and spent 9 months unemployed, I knew that I was still fortunate to have all that I do.

The way I've looked at it, I've been houseless, but never homeless. I've been blessed by people who love me and help me and feed me. What I learned at my Americorps orientation is that means I'm rich in Social Capital. Which is the truth. I'm blessed. 

My new job requires me to live at the poverty line. When I told my uncle this the other day he was positive that it was illegal and couldn't be done. But I understand it. I'm working with refugees who are coming to America with nothing but a small bit of social capital. They've got a friend or family member who is taking them in. But the goal is for them to become self-sufficient. And really, that's my goal too. I miss having money (not that I ever had a ton to begin with). I miss paying all my bills on time. I miss being able to get in a car and drive somewhere spontaneously. I don't always have the right attitude and I've done my share of complaining and stressing, but in the end, I know I'll be a better person having lived this experience. I have my own place, I'm technically employed, I have a car that is still running (through I'm convinced the power of prayer), and I have a computer to be writing this on. I'm infinitely blessed. 

I know it's not Thanksgiving yet, but I'm thankful. Be thankful for all the blessings you have in your life, no matter how small.