my first cubicle.

At work on Monday I got moved from the 14th floor computer lab to my very own 12th floor CUBICLE. Whoo hoo right? I should be excited because I am clearly moving up in the office world, but really I just see it as I lost my sweet corner office view in exchange for a standard, grey cube of which I am not a fan. For one, I don't enjoy staring at a grey wall all day long and really believe that it is stunting my brain activity. Do they really think that staring at a blank wall will inspire intellectual creativity and promote innovative employee work? Secondly, the homogenous sea of grey boxes is just plain depressing. People seem to try and individualize their cubicles and make them homey with pictures of their family and friends, tropical beaches, and their favorite extracurricular hobbies but for a lot of the employees they are just pictures of people they no longer have time to see and activities and places that they have had to give up all in the name of work. And sure these people probably make a decent living but many of them put in 50+ hour weeks, not to mention the other 10+ per week they probably spend commuting to and from the office. Is it really worth it? I guess many think they have no other choice and some actually like it, but I have noticed that the majority seem like they hate their lives. Anyway, only one more week left at the job! I have recently started a new project that actually requires some use of my brain and has me utilizing things I learned in school, so for that I am thankful.

my old view

old desk at the computer lab, 14D

One week left in Boston! I am going to be sad to say goodbye because Boston really is such a cool city. I am disappointed that I didn't get to explore more of it due to the never ending winter I experienced in the five months I was here. It has just recently started warming up (50s), unfortunately it has also started raining everyday. Nevertheless, I have done a ton of wandering and love that I have gotten a feel for city life. I am planning on moving out next Sunday or Monday depending on the weather - if it's nice I am going to want to stick around and head to the beach! I am determined to get one beach day in while I'm here! I have already started packing though and am getting antsy to hit the road.

So StL in just over one week, Macatawa with the fam in three, and STELLENBOSCH in six! Which by the way, I have officially secured a place to live down there! A girl I met last time contacted me saying that she had an open room in her house so it worked out PERFECTLY! I am going to be living with three other girls, all of which are currently doing the equivalent of their masters at the university, and I am going to be a 15 minute walk from work. It is crazy how well everything is working out, both with Boston and heading back to Stellenbosch!

what I've been watching

Can I make a recommendation? Watch NBC's series Parenthood - seriously, you won't be let down. I'm obsessed.

I only get one channel off of my old school TV antenna and that one channel happens to be NBC. Because of this, my TV is permanently set to NBC whether I like the shows or not (usually not) and subsequently caused me to stumble upon the new love of my life. Since that fateful day about two weeks ago I have managed to successfully watch both seasons 1 and 2, totaling 35 glorious episodes.

It's a drama about a close-knit family: parents, their four grown children, and each of their children's families. Each character on the show has a very developed, relatable personality and deals with everyday, legit issues. They just seem like a family that could live in Chesterfield, Missouri and be seen grocery shopping at Dierberg's after lunch at Bread Co. I feel like I know the family and I find myself watching intently with either a major smile on my face or huge tears streaming from my eyes. I leave every episode with a warm, fuzzy feeling of happiness :)

And the cast is great - Lauren Graham/Lorelai Gilmore plays Sarah, the eldest of the four grown children, so for those of you still mourning the end of Gilmore Girls, this could be your way to move on with life. And remember that great movie from ages ago, Swimfan?? Well the main character, Erika Christensen, plays Julia, one of the other grown daughters.

There are two complete seasons out and I have found most of the episodes online for free since the season is over and it's not being played on NBC at this time. Sadly Parenthood has not yet been signed on for a third season. I will be heartbroken if it doesn't come back. Watch it and get the ratings up!!