Ya sé.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Ya sé como formular una lista. Ya sé como seguir un horario de cosas y deberes. Ya sé como trabajar hacia una meta. Ya sé. Ahora, de un sitio del web, tengo un horario para prepararme para mi maratón. Cada día--cada semana--ya sé cuántas millas tengo que correr y cuáles días tengo que descansar.

Ya sé como lograr una meta.

Pero ahora me encuentro al principio de mi nueva vida y tengo que hacer algo. La frustración de tener tantas horas libres (por ahora) durante la semana es demasiado. Por eso, tengo que hacer la fuerza de cambiar algo. Por eso, tengo que estructurar mis días. Soy una persona quien necesita estructura. Sin la estructura de mi vida universitaria, tengo que estructurar mi vida para mi misma, específicamente en tres áreas:

1) Mi vida espiritual: Sé que deber ser algo natural; leer la Biblia, pasar tiempo en pensar lo que has leído, etc., pero--por ahora--tengo que estructurar esta parte de mi vida. Es como hacer ejercicio espiritual, com mi alma. Una vez que la tenga bien organizada, puede dejarla pasar mas naturalmente, ¿no?

2) Mi vida profesional: Ya sé que quiero explorar la vida de traducción. Por eso, debo estudiar y aprender sobre como hacerme traductora. También, voy a explorar programas para obtener mi credencial, si es que todavía quiero ser maestra.

3) Mi vida académica: No voy a dejar mi meta de obtener mi doctorado. Voy a explorar los programas--más o menos--locales y la investigación que sigue allí. También, quiero leer más y pensar bien en lo que quiero estudiar y ser especialista. Quiero ponerme en contacto con unos profesores.

Tengo que ser específica.
Tengo que ser intencional.
Tengo que tener autodisciplina.

Ya sé.

I gotta fevah...

Saturday, August 23, 2008

...and the only cure is... more live music!

I used to be a live music junkie, and I'm getting the craving again. I'm rather disappointed with myself. I've missed some spectacular shows just this weekend: a music festival including the likes of Tom Petty, Beck, and Radiohead; Ryan Adams. And, on the cheaper side of things, a couple of weeks ago I missed the Watson Twins for $10. Needless to say, I can't have this hiatus last.

Tomorrow there's a music festival/DIY craft fair in the mission: http://www.myspace.com/rockmakestreetfestival, so I think I'll check it out. (Bonus: It's free!)

Come to think, I should update myself on new music in general. Paste podcasts and metacritic, here I come!

And for those of you who haven't seen it, here's a link to the wedding picture slideshow (thanks to the wonderful Mabyn!):
http://www.mabyn.com/Slideshows/BCWedding/
(Give it a few minutes to load after clicking "play".)

One more thing: I taught two demo Spanish classes yesterday, and they were swell! Thanks for asking!

Beating negativity with a stick

Monday, August 18, 2008

So, whilst I run, I often think (particularly since my ipod broke), and whilst I think, I have internal conversations with myself. They go something like-a this:

Me: Ugh! I can't run another tenth of a mile. I must slow down!
Other Me: No! I can run another tenth. And then another and another...
Me: But my legs hurt!
Other Me: Shut up and run!
Me: But I can't!
Other Me: Who says?
Me: I say!
Other Me: Exactly. Keep running.

Whenever talking about exercise or sports with others in the past, I have always been quick to note my enjoyment of certain exercises and some sports (soccer, volleyball, tennis). But I've been even quicker in noting my lack of endurance. I've always thought I had horrible endurance. I realized just yesterday that it was my THINKING I had bad endurance that MADE me have bad endurance (to a certain extent). My negativity caused me to believe that there was no real use in working on my endurance: How can it improve if it's so bad?

I realize now that it's just a psychological game I play with myself: I tell myself I'm bad at something and it gives me an excuse not to work on it. Now, I'm making it sound as if I'm just a lazy slob, which isn't the case. I only do this with certain things for which I've never believed myself to have a gift.

All this to say that I've started training to run the San Francisco marathon next year. I'm working on mileage build-up right now, and afterward I'll start the marathon training. I know that RIGHT NOW I don't have the endurance to run a full marathon, but I believe that with the right training and a healthy lifestyle that I can possess that endurance in a little less than a year. Just watch me.

Job #1: Acquired!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

I was talking to a good friend the other week who just happens to be a teacher, and she was commenting on how great the summer has been because she enjoys being a "lady of leisure". I agreed to a certain extent. It's a little different when your leisurely hours are spent looking for a job.

Anyway, all that to say that I got a job yesterday! It's only part-time. And it's in Palo Alto. BUT IT'S A JOB! And a really cool one at that. I'm going to be teaching Spanish immersion classes to 2-7 year olds. It's a lot of singing and goofing off and playing with puppets and making funny faces... all in Spanish. I observed one of the classes yesterday before I was told they wanted me to take over Friday classes in Palo Alto. So I'm very excited to get the "official" offer letter and get started next week. And because it's only one day a week, I still have plenty of time to work out another part-time gig.

My next plan of attack is to apply for a volunteer position at Center for the Art of Translation. Eventually, I want to become certified to translate either legal, business, or medical documents (by joining and taking an exam with the American Translators Association), but I also want to learn more about the world of literary translation and publication of anthologies of translated poetry/short stories. The CAT has fall internships/volunteer positions, so I'm going to work on that.

So that's what's up right now. Next week I start training for my classes and I present a demo class next Friday. Eep! Guess I'd better start listening to all of those Spanish CDs. I'm sure that won't drive Chip crazy...

One Month of Marital Bliss?

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Today is our one-month anniversary. Don't worry, we're not going to celebrate EVERY month, but one month's exciting, no? What have I learned so far?
~ I am not the emotional wreck that several of my preparing-for-marriage books suggested.
~ Living with a guy is... well... interesting.
~ Living with basically your best friend is awesome.
~ Making Valerie-style menus to put on the refrigerator is fun! (How domestic am I?)
There's lots more, but these are the basics that I don't mind posting on the interweb.

I'm sitting in my apartment drinking Blue Bottle Coffee. (For those of you not living in San Francisco, Blue Bottle is pretty much the best coffee in town. At least, that's what the locals say.) Chip picked up some fresh-roasted beans yesterday and a coffee bean grinder, so I was pretty excited this morning to try it out. I just have to work on getting the amount of beans right.

A friend volunteered to give me some career advice. (She career counsels for a living.) She's given me some great ideas and I'm feeling a little better about the job search. She showed me some more things I can do to better market myself, so that's exciting.

Today I'm going to the Museum of Modern Art with a friend. Apparently admission is free today. Yay, culture!

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