does the cold weather have you down too?

More than anything else, I think this move to Boston has made me realize how much I dislike winter. I love the first few snowfalls, cute coats and scarves, and cuddling up by the fire with a cup of coffee, but after a month or so a bad case of seasonal affective disorder sets in! I live for warm weather and am at my best when I can where dresses and sandals, eat outside, and spend time near the water. So summer please hurry up! Here are a few things that might cheer you up (they do for me!) while you anxiously await the change of season...

1. the Matador Network, http://www.matadornetwork.com/ - the most amazing collection of blogs, forums, pictures, ideas, news, you name it; all written by and for travelers.

2. online dress shopping - a cute new dress never fails to put a smile on my face. Here are a few I'm pretty sure I can't live without.

A.L.C. Dropped Waist Silk Dress

Amanda Uprichard Joan Dress

Geren Ford Raw Edge Shift Dress

3. listening to Brett Dennen

4. working out - I always seem to put off working out in the winter but it is actully really nice to sweat when you spend most of the day freezing. Plus it will make swim suit shopping a few weeks so much more enjoyable!

5. turn up the heat and open your windows - the fresh air and breeze will make it feel like spring!

6. head to the spa! If you're like me, your skin hasn't seen sunlight in over half a year and could desperately use some help. Get a facial/massage/mani/pedi. Anything to help that near opaque skin!

7. go somewhere. I am seriously considering booking myself a caribbean cruise - you can get amazing deals, and a few days in the sun would be AMAZING. http://www.cruisedeals.com/

If the world were a village...

If we could reduce the world's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, the demographics would look something like this:

The village would have 60 Asians, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 Latin Americans, 5 from the USA and Canada, and 1 from the South Pacific
51 would be male, 49 would be female
82 would be non-white; 18 white
67 would be non-Christian; 33 would be Christian
80 would live in substandard housing
67 would be unable to read
50 would be malnourished and 1 dying of starvation
33 would be without access to a safe water supply
39 would lack access to improved sanitation
24 would not have any electricity (And of the 76 that do have electricity, most would only use it for light at night.)
7 people would have access to the Internet
1 would have a college education
1 would have HIV
2 would be near birth; 1 near death
5 would control 32% of the entire world's wealth; all 5 would be US citizens
33 would be receiving --and attempting to live on-- only 3% of the income of "the village"

I have always found this so amazing, reminder of just how lucky we all are.

lately...

It’s been over two weeks since I began the temp job at Cambridge Associates and I’m pretty sure part of my brain has already turned to mush. Okay it’s not that bad but I really hoped to be doing something a bit more stimulating after spending 4 years and a lot of money getting an accounting degree. The firm has had myself and two other temps work on data entry/clean up projects that they probably can’t get any of their full time employees to touch. While it is not the most ideal work, I have had fun working with the other two temps and bringing in money isn’t bad either. Plus Cambridge Associates is apparently a great company that I have been told will mean a lot when future employers see it on my resume. I found out today that they have more work for me and want me to stay through the end of February. Yayy?

Some things I have learned from my 'real world' experience:

1. 8:30am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday is a LONG time.
2. I apparently have to pay taxes like everyone else? I hope someone makes good use of that 1/4th of my paycheck, I really didn't want food or basic necessities anyway...
3. The average workplace is not like The Office.
4. I should have spent less time at the library (if possible) and not worried so much about all those A's - now that I have graduated, I was told it is no longer necessary to have my GPA on my resume. I'm leaving it on there anyway.
5. City living is not ideal for someone who gets motion sickness - it makes taking the subway very unpleasant at times.
6. I need to live someplace warm and sunny. All I do anymore is daydream about summer, dresses, sandals, walking outside without XX layers on... Remind me again why I decided to move to Boston?

North Shore, Boston - I finally made it out to see the water!