Sunday, March 29, 2009

Rant about College!

I am forty years old and a college senior and I can tell you from personal experience that college is a necessary joke. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE learning and I love school.

It is completely absurd the time and money I am spending on a degree to move myself beyond the glass ceiling. I am not really learning anything that I didn't already know and I have a 4.0/4.0 GPA.

Most of the students don't care at all because "D is for degree!" I feel extremely sorry for teachers and professors working at the college level. Young people can't even read and write...but...they can all text and they know every celebrity scandal.

I have taken classes in subjects that I will never use or think about again, but was forced to take because they were required.
I have taken several classes where I actually knew more about the topic than the instructor.

I have spent thousands of dollars on grossly overpriced text books, not to mention the ridiculous athletic fees, club fees, computer lab fees and fees for things I have never and will never use.

I constantly have instructors who use the term, "In the real world," which always leaves me thinking, "When have you ever been in the real world?" Academia is not preparing anyone for the rigors and realities of the real world. But, the only way to get ahead is to play the game…because, the bosses of the world have and they expect you to have gone through a similar experience. It shows you can commit to something just a foolish as they did, just to get ahead.

The American education system is severely outdated an ineffective. Nevertheless, I am happy and thankful to be nearly finished with my degree because I understand all too well that it is a necessity in this modern workforce if I ever want to move beyond the entry level or middle management levels of the service or any other industry!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Free from my recent past

Well, it seems it is time to reinvent myself, once again…

I suppose it is normal. I just had a birthday, and I am in a reflective mood. I feel like sorting out my life and getting rid of old clothes, shoes that don’t fit, friends that are not friends, and situations that are toxic to my growth and happiness. I guess it is spring-cleaning.

I am planning on sorting out my closet on Monday. I invited some very opinionated ladies over to help me. I know that they will give me their honest opinions about what should stay and what should go. Sometimes it is difficult to let go of clothes…they carry memories and monetary value…my plan is to pare my wardrobe down to a small selection of perfectly constructed, perfectly fitted, and perfectly versatile clothes….European girl style. Every piece will go with every piece and it will all flow. The clothes themselves will act as a canvas for me; showcasing my figure, personality, and style. And they will be a canvas for the cool accessories and jewelry I own.

I, like most American girls, simply have too many choices in my closet and it is overwhelming, so I end up wearing jeans and tee shirts or sweaters on most days. It is too complicated to pull something out and then find something to wear with it. For example; if I select an olive green pencil skirt I am limited on what top I can put with it…it usually ends up being one of a dozen black tee shirts. Why a dozen black tee shirts? Because they are simple!

I have beautiful shoes that don’t really go with any of my clothes. I have gorgeous scarves and accessories. I don’t have a really great handbag. I have a couple of cool handbags but not a really great, super functional bag.

Cleaning out my life of toxic situations may be trickier than cleaning out my closet. I am very disillusioned with my job at the Wine Loft. I was initially thrilled to win the job lottery so to speak and become the Wine Director but I quickly learned I was working for amateurs with no sense of style or taste. Every move I made was micro managed, second guessed, and diminished. The owner is an indecisive alcoholic and the GM may very well have ADD or just pot induced short-term memory issues. Time to extricate myself from that high drama situation. For the past 6 months it has been a battle of authority, ego, and indecision, a constant back and forth. I never knew if I was the Wine Director or not…I never knew where I stood. It’s funny how you never really know how unhealthy a situation is until you are out. Just like any other bad relationship.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Mon anniversaire et j’ai quarante ans

Sometimes such a small and thoughtful gesture means the world to me.
A few weeks ago, I celebrated my birthday. I hadn’t been really looking forward to it and just wanted to lay low. I didn’t feel the need to celebrate with a party, or a boozy night. I am too past that kind of thing…too old and it simply takes way too long to recover. I like clarity the next day, and energy!

My good friend Nina surprised me with a small gathering at one of my favorite restaurants the Saturday before the big day. I thought she and I were going to have dinner together but she surprised me by planning a surprise party for me…Michelle and Sophie couldn’t come and neither could my mom but Natasha was there and the three of us had a marvelous time drinking Rosé Champagne and dining very slowly over the course of several hours. French restaurant, French style.

My mother spent Sunday and most of Monday with me. Sunday night we watched the Oscars with take out Thai food and Riesling. On Monday, my birthday, we went shopping for my nephew and his birthday. We had lunch at whole foods. We ate birthday cake she had made for a surprise party she had planned for me that fell through with my niece and nephews…my lovely sister in law ruined it as she ruins nearly everything pertaining to me. The cake was from one of my all time favorite recipes. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s wedding cake. It is a dense, rich white cake flavored with rose water and almond. It is exquisite. It was a beautiful surprise. She gave me a funky business card holder and a pretty, little, stars and moon perfume bottle.

That evening I went to a fantastic women sommelier wine dinner at Rioja featuring Prosecco made by a family of women. The lady presenting was named Elvira and her wines were superb. She could barely speak English so her and I switched to French. It was easier than trying to understand two languages neither of us knew.

My father took me to dinner on Tuesday. We went to Café Brazil and had one of the best meals I have ever had in Denver. I had prawns and scallops with some wicked spicy sauce over fresh veggies and coconut scented rice. My dad had ahi tuna and shrimp with curry and rice. We drank caparhina, which is the Brazilian traditional drink. My dad can be sweet and we see eye to eye on moving to another country. After so many years of strained relations it turns out we have quite a bit in common.

This Saturday I am having yet another dinner with friends celebrating the occasion. I received thoughtful cards and tokens of affection from my friends. My roommate bought me the third season of SATC to replace my worn copy.

I received the most opulent, fussy, decadent bouquet of flowers from Yves….stargazer lilies, tulips, iris, gerbera daisies, and many other flowers. My entire house smells like a spring garden.