What is it about collective mentalities and frames of thought that allows individuals to internalize these social emotions and make them their own? This is probably one of the most common questions I was asked throughout my studies at the University of Maryland. The ironic thing is, we were always encouraged to figure out the answer in relation to the world outside of us, but now that I belong to that outside world I ask myself this question in regards to that same institution which instilled that curiosity inside of me.
Recently (and it's most likely a product of all the Terpness all over Facebook due to commencement ceremonies) I've had this abundant pride in my alma mater. While in the athletic spectrum we haven't been very relevant as of late, it amazes me how some of my best friends from college and I STILL have this unyielding love for ALL of our sports teams (but most notably Basketball and Football.) And although the people around me these days have attended different universities than mine, it's always a pleasure to see the satisfaction on their faces when they realize where I went to school. Then again, we are a Top 20 Research University (USNews), Top 20 Party school (Princeton Review), Top 5 rowdiest and craziest fans (Sports Illustrated), and number one with facilities (Princeton Review) :-)
Did the North Campus Diner put something in the crappy food they fed us to make us want to keep coming back, even after we all moved into South Campus? Or perhaps all of those heavily diluted shots and mixed drinks they gave us at Cornerstone, Santa Fe, The Thirsty Turtle, and yes...even Bentley's, could have been secretly spiked with something to keep us coming back week after week. Quite honestly, I still haven't figured out the answer...and I probably never will. What I am 100% certain of is that I love MY school, I love all of the experiences I had there (the good and the bad), and I love the fact that I will be a Terrapin forever! GO TERPS!
May 24, 2011
May 5, 2011
Word on the street, and EEEEEEEEEEK!
To start off this post, I'd like to say thank you to everyone that has been reading my blog both recently and for the past few months. It truly does feel great to hear your feedback, views, opinions, and whatever input you may have about the things I write...even those of you that love throwing some witty banter in there ;-) I know as men, sometimes it's hard to say the things we feel or to praise other men on some of the things we do, but the fact that some of you poke fun at me for it, on A CONSISTENT BASIS, lets me know you read my blogs. So cheers to you Edward, Tigue, Harry, Eugene, and Nick (although not so much you Nick, just calling you out cause you're black) hahaha shitbags.
On my LAST blog I wrote about some of my recent progressions at work, albeit in a cryptical manner. Sometimes it never ceases to amaze me how quickly word gets around in my workplace, and before I even knew the full details of these developments, other people already knew! Anyways, the word on the street is that I've been put in for a command-selected promotion, meaning I'll be promoted at work sooner than anticipated :-) Although the promotion itself is great, the best part about it is how fast this will catapult me into the possibility of getting promoted again soon after that. Furthermore, to make matters even greater, I was also selected to attend the Soldier of The Month Board in June, in which I'll be competing against about 5 others for the position/title. Although I'm not bragging, it's very rewarding just being considered for the opportunity as I know that some of the people I will be competing with are more deserving than I am.
They say hard work pays off for people when they least expect it, and I definitely wasn't expecting this. While much of the work I do is often never seen by others due to the nature of my work, I can honestly say I've learned a lot these last 4 months and it's clear there is much more learning on the way. As a result, it's kind of putting much more pressure on me to be on my A-game, as my boss and several others have expressed their utter confidence in me winning the board next month and have gone as far as mentioning winning the next board level as well. While I plan on doing my best, I am also maintaining my feet on the ground and considering the realities of this situation, and this: it's completely possible I won't win this, but if I do, it really won't change much. Plus, I certainly love my life, but I DON'T love my job haha. Again, it's a nice gesture, but for now I plan on only taking it step-by-step.
Other developments: women. Well, for starters...the last relevant (if at all) connection I had with someone was Bridget, you may remember her from THIS blog. Perhaps you recall me noting in the final paragraph of the above linked blog that I considered the possibility of it being a dud, and it absolutely was...but that's a good thing. It seems as though her and I are simply on different stages in our lives, and levels too. After a little bit of confusion, primarily on my behalf, we settled on the fact and decided to keep an acquainted but friendly relationship. So that's that. The true highlight though, well possibly, is that today I received an email from Ingrid. You may remember her from THIS blog. She is the girl I met in Prague...well, just read the blog I guess instead of me reiterating it all. Anyways, in that blog I stated that I would probably never hear from her again, and I didn't...until today. After coming home from work, I checked my email and read a message that reads as follows, "Hi, how are you? Do you still remember me, we met in Prague."
I haven't replied yet, because although I was pleasantly surprised, I haven't made up in my mind what this could all be about. What I do know is that (a) she either google translated the aforementioned sentence, or she's learned English hella fast the past few months hahahaha. (b) She's writing to say hello and keep in touch, or (c) let's just say this...it's been 3 months!!! LMFAO. OH MAN.
Aaaaah I love my life, really I do. In all seriousness though, once I'm done typing this up, I'll write her a reply and go from there. In other news, this weekend promises to be a low-key yet eventful one. Tomorrow night I will be hanging out with Daniel, Victor, Bridget and my favorite couple in Germany, the Goldbars. I have a rugby game on Saturday, which I plan to attend but not play in due to my nagging injuries from last week's game. Also, I received an itinerary confirmation from Jackie today, which means that my trip to Dublin, Ireland is an All-Systems-Go for my 4 day weekend at the end of the month. SO STOKED. I'm also in the process of figuring things out with Eugene about our travels this summer, but due to my promotion and board, things have sidetracked. Expect a blog to be posted early next week. Again, thank you all for reading!
I love you guys. Cheers.
On my LAST blog I wrote about some of my recent progressions at work, albeit in a cryptical manner. Sometimes it never ceases to amaze me how quickly word gets around in my workplace, and before I even knew the full details of these developments, other people already knew! Anyways, the word on the street is that I've been put in for a command-selected promotion, meaning I'll be promoted at work sooner than anticipated :-) Although the promotion itself is great, the best part about it is how fast this will catapult me into the possibility of getting promoted again soon after that. Furthermore, to make matters even greater, I was also selected to attend the Soldier of The Month Board in June, in which I'll be competing against about 5 others for the position/title. Although I'm not bragging, it's very rewarding just being considered for the opportunity as I know that some of the people I will be competing with are more deserving than I am.
They say hard work pays off for people when they least expect it, and I definitely wasn't expecting this. While much of the work I do is often never seen by others due to the nature of my work, I can honestly say I've learned a lot these last 4 months and it's clear there is much more learning on the way. As a result, it's kind of putting much more pressure on me to be on my A-game, as my boss and several others have expressed their utter confidence in me winning the board next month and have gone as far as mentioning winning the next board level as well. While I plan on doing my best, I am also maintaining my feet on the ground and considering the realities of this situation, and this: it's completely possible I won't win this, but if I do, it really won't change much. Plus, I certainly love my life, but I DON'T love my job haha. Again, it's a nice gesture, but for now I plan on only taking it step-by-step.
Other developments: women. Well, for starters...the last relevant (if at all) connection I had with someone was Bridget, you may remember her from THIS blog. Perhaps you recall me noting in the final paragraph of the above linked blog that I considered the possibility of it being a dud, and it absolutely was...but that's a good thing. It seems as though her and I are simply on different stages in our lives, and levels too. After a little bit of confusion, primarily on my behalf, we settled on the fact and decided to keep an acquainted but friendly relationship. So that's that. The true highlight though, well possibly, is that today I received an email from Ingrid. You may remember her from THIS blog. She is the girl I met in Prague...well, just read the blog I guess instead of me reiterating it all. Anyways, in that blog I stated that I would probably never hear from her again, and I didn't...until today. After coming home from work, I checked my email and read a message that reads as follows, "Hi, how are you? Do you still remember me, we met in Prague."
I haven't replied yet, because although I was pleasantly surprised, I haven't made up in my mind what this could all be about. What I do know is that (a) she either google translated the aforementioned sentence, or she's learned English hella fast the past few months hahahaha. (b) She's writing to say hello and keep in touch, or (c) let's just say this...it's been 3 months!!! LMFAO. OH MAN.
&!*@%$^#!!!!
I love you guys. Cheers.
May 3, 2011
A bright horizon.
Today I experienced a nice change of pace. Although working out in the freezing cold this morning wasn't the most pleasant of ways to start the day, my mindset was on a higher level. Perhaps it was the fact that I knew today would not be ordinary, either way, I definitely am beginning to see so many dividends pay off from my investments into incorporating the Law of Attraction into my life on a daily basis.
I only spent about 2 hours in the office today, and while it is true that it can get significantly monotonous in there, I try my best to find ways each day to motivate myself into finishing any tasks I'm given. I've found it's really helpful to plan something different each day to look forward to once I get out of work at 5PM. Today, however, I knew I would be leaving at 1100, I did, and made my way to Grafenwöhr for a dental appointment. The highlight of this all was not the appointment itself, but rather getting there and back. It was my first time driving long distance alone in Germany, and I got to do so for 2 hours each way. Consequently, I got a lot of me time in for meditation, jammin' to my music out loud, and of course enjoying the gorgeous scenery of Germany's eastern forests.
Did I mention how much I ADORE the Autobahn? To top everything off, on my way back I received a phone call from my boss' boss, notifying me of some really really great news. For now I will not disclose the details of it all, but I'm really satisfied to know that my efforts in conveying myself as an approachable and amicable individual in the workplace are producing positive effects on my 'career.' I've always known my capabilities, and recently the people I work with have been taking notice. Aside from my travels, there are many great things on my horizon and I'm elated to explore the upcoming possibilities. Good night for now, but I'll be back to my grind tomorrow.
I only spent about 2 hours in the office today, and while it is true that it can get significantly monotonous in there, I try my best to find ways each day to motivate myself into finishing any tasks I'm given. I've found it's really helpful to plan something different each day to look forward to once I get out of work at 5PM. Today, however, I knew I would be leaving at 1100, I did, and made my way to Grafenwöhr for a dental appointment. The highlight of this all was not the appointment itself, but rather getting there and back. It was my first time driving long distance alone in Germany, and I got to do so for 2 hours each way. Consequently, I got a lot of me time in for meditation, jammin' to my music out loud, and of course enjoying the gorgeous scenery of Germany's eastern forests.
Did I mention how much I ADORE the Autobahn? To top everything off, on my way back I received a phone call from my boss' boss, notifying me of some really really great news. For now I will not disclose the details of it all, but I'm really satisfied to know that my efforts in conveying myself as an approachable and amicable individual in the workplace are producing positive effects on my 'career.' I've always known my capabilities, and recently the people I work with have been taking notice. Aside from my travels, there are many great things on my horizon and I'm elated to explore the upcoming possibilities. Good night for now, but I'll be back to my grind tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)