points of positivity

I rag on my job a lot, and for that, I'm sorry. Time for some positivity 'round these parts. While my actual job isn't the greatest, my place of employment is the absolute best. Here's why:

1. When my office has a sign at our front desk saying that we're in a meeting, the truth is that about 98% of the time, it's actually a birthday party. My office parties hard :) When my brother used to work in the campus safety office, he was bitter saying, "We can't just stop and party, our work never stops! If we stop working, people might die! Your office is a bunch of slackers." Well, I don't hate it. 

If it's your birthday, you should still act surprised when a meeting is called and you walk into a fully decorated conference room - even when it happens for every person, every year. The decorations are always person-specific, but this week's party was over the top.

Our assistant direction loves the Myers-Briggs personality test. When our director will say certain things, she'll mutter, "You're such a T. You can't even control it." She will analyze things I do (lucky for me, I'm the same exact type as one of her daughters... feel on display much?) and say, "Why am I not surprised?" with a big knowing grin. Sometimes it's weird, but sometimes it feels nice to feel known so intimately.

So for her party, we all wore crowns displaying our Myers-Briggs types on our foreheads. And someone made  Myers-Briggs cookies using alphabet cookie cutters just for the letters E, I, S, N, F, T, J, and P. And we watched the You Tube videos of the motivational posters that were created for each of our types. Hilarious, thoroughly planned, and an hour well spent during the work day. 

What am I, you ask? I'm an

ESFJ

which Myers-Briggs refers to as "The Caregiver".

Read below to learn more about each letter! Except I lean more 

and more towards a P as my days go on, so don't be deceived.

And I'm really on the line between F and T.

Want to know what type you are? Take the test here!

via

2. The next reason why my workplace is actually really awesome, is a little game called Secret Heart. Initiated by our President's wife, this is a game of Valentine's Day themed Secret Santa (get it?) to beat the winter blues. Everyone who wanted to participate signed up online, and HR paired us all with faculty or staff members in different departments as a way to get to know one another better. Isn't that so fun? What an awesome way to make new friends! So from today until Valentine's Day, we'll be sending little gifts, notes or doing random acts of kindness for a colleague. On Valentine's Day, there will be a reception where everyone who participated can go and enjoy some snacks and the mysteries will be revealed.

They had us fill out a short questionnaire when we signed up so that if you were assigned to a complete stranger, you would at least have some clues on how to love on them. And then last week, a stealthy envelope was placed on our desk of who our Secret Heart is! And Gordon friends, if you're reading, I got the best assignment!! Except I can't tell you, because there's a miniscule chance that she might read my blog. But ask and I'd gladly brag! And no, it's not my mom. Human Resources knows we're related and she most def reads the blog :)

But whoever has me for this game is a freaking champ! For starters, they sent me a gift yesterday on January 31st. Over achiever. Secondly, did my mom get assigned to me?! Because my gifts have been spot on. Like, strangely so. Maybe it's someone in my mom's department, or maybe they emailed my husband for advice. How accurate? Well:

- I got a pear-scented antibacterial hand gel from Bath & Body. Pretty obscure scent, right? Well I adore pear flavored and scented things. I don't even think my mom knew that. Right on, Secret Heart.

- She also got me a Ghirardelli caramel-filled chocolate bar. I don't even really have a sweet tooth, except when it's chocolate + caramel. I used to get Caramello bars in my stocking. Mom would know that.

- Today, she sent me a Patriots car decal in an envelope that said "Go Pats!" Genius woman, for two reasons: I'm the major sports fan of the household, so Will is a little less pleased with the massive Patriots and Red Sox car decals on our Subaru. He said he would be more content if they were a little smaller. Secondly, I don't like the newer logos - I always go for the old school. So what did I get? A small, old school logo Patriots decal. My husband would totally know that.

What an incredibly awesome game this will be.

Happy two weeks from Valentine's Day everyone!

The Final Hurrah

Here I am, finding myself in the home stretch! I only have 4 weeks left as a student and only 5 more days left of actual classes! Hallelujah. I never knew this day would come.

If you're interested, here's info on the number one thing that's been consuming my life lately... 

my senior thesis project! 

As a part of this project, I've planned a three-night series of events with times of worship and student speakers. With the help from the most wonderful friends, we've designed a logo, flyers, posters, created an interactive blog for students, filmed a promotional video, pieced together a band for each evening, gathered 6 students to share, and it all begins TONIGHT! I'm also going to be interviewed by Gordon's student newspaper, The Tartan, tomorrow for an article about the event, the inspiration and the planning process.

Please view the blog to get the full taste of everything we've been up to! This is the culmination of my college career, so check it out!

View the blog, the mission statement, the schedule and the video here!

If only.

It's Mental Health Week at Gordon -- a time filled with speakers, film discussions, Q&A panels with professors, and students sharing their hurts. When I think of Mental Health Week, it looks a lot less like this...

And sounds a lot more like this:

8:30AM: Wake up, go to the gym & work out for an hour or more.
9:30AM: Cook and eat a large, delicious breakfast that isn't rushed at all.
10:15AM: Shower and spend time fixing these rebellious dread locks.
10:45AM: Have a good, long quiet time.
11:45AM: Paint nails.
12:00PM: Meet up with friends for a delightful lunch.
1PM on: Go for walks on crunchy leaves, have down time with Will, catch up with the roommate I miss, call the friends who are far away, read for pleasure, practice my guitar, hang out with my mom.
10:30PM: Bed.

There's your Mental Health Week.

However, I will admit that when I got home this evening, I treated myself to a much needed halt of all things school-related. I was home alone (which never happens) so I made soup and a sandwich, and watched When Harry Met Sally with a glass of wine. That's right. Will I fall behind on everything else? Probably. But I deserved that.

An unwanted hiatus.

I'm displeased at how long it has been since I've blogged. However, many of you might not know that I only have

SIX WEEKS LEFT as a college student!

I love Gordon College dearly, but I'm thrilled that I'll be a December grad! With this though, my semester has been completely overloaded with things like...

a Senior Thesis Project, interning as the Communications gal in the Chapel Office, still working a bit in the technology department, catering at Willowdale Estate from time to time, learning how to belay at the ropes course and set up rock climbs (and hopefully get certified soon!), mentoring an amazing girl through Gordon's IRON mentoring program, helping to start an Outdoor Adventure Club at Hamilton Wenham High School, editing the Vox Populi (a student publication) and planning an activities curriculum for a group of homeschoolers ages 4-6! 

Oh boy.

Let the record show that I have no intentions of my life looking like this once I'm out of school. I do desire a simple life and I will assert control over my schedule to find leisure... in six weeks.

Things of note lately:

• The Topsfield Fair was an absolute blast! I was there with my parents, Tony, Paul, Desiree & the kids, and Will, and we had a fabulous evening! Definitely a favorite autumn past time.
• Will and I also enjoyed a glorious quad break in PA! We spent (not enough) time with his parents outside Philadelphia, and then headed west to visit the lovely Katherine O'Donnell, new Resident Director at Grove City! It was so good to see those folks and we wouldn't change a thing about our time there.
• Even if our time there was directly connected to the all-nighter that we both pulled upon our return trying to finish a project. First all-nighter of my college career, actually. Not the best of times.

I suppose that's all for now. Only 49 days and I'm outta here. The countdown is on.

Now I need to go update my resume and do more job-hunting!

A letter to a friend...

Dear Gordon College,

I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately, contemplating what it is that makes me love you for who you are.

I love your small, neighborhood size. You don’t overdo it, nothing to gaudy. I love your New England charm that warms my heart, even when the wind chill is below zero. I love your pathways, shaded by the massive pines. And I love the big, strong trees of various shapes and sizes, even if they come crashing down into buildings sometimes.

I appreciate the way that you stimulate me academically. There’s no “just squeezing by.” If I don’t give my all, you can tell and I am penalized for it. You demand my best and don’t want anything less. Thanks for pushing me.

I appreciate the way that you comprehend and respect that PowerPoint is to be used as a supplement tool, an additive if you will. You understand that it’s not the end-all-be-all teaching crutch. Well, most of the time. Thanks for not reading slides to me all the day long.

I appreciate that when I don’t read for my assignments, it makes a huge difference and I feel embarrassed when it is discovered that I’ve cut corners. Even if this bites me in the butt sometimes, I like being held to that standard. I like that if I don’t read, I’ll be lost entirely and feel guilty about it. It makes me work harder next time. Thanks for noticing when I slip up and calling me out on it.

I actually appreciate genuinely fearing that an exam will rock my world. It’s much different than studying by the pool an hour beforehand, then strolling in haphazardly in my bathing suit, and sauntering back to the pool an hour later. Thanks for the challenge and instilling the fear of God in me.

I love that you have a quad, not a lake. And Gull Pond is much better anyway - we can actually swim in it. It’s far better than just looking at a pretty fountain, bridge and some bullsharks.

I really like how the CET is the only stop for all of one’s technological needs. Not the library front desk for sub-par wireless assistance, the self-serve kiosk for printer credit, and the Humanities store house for camera equipment. Oh, and thanks for not charging 12 cents/page for black and white printing and a $1/page for color.

I’m glad that you have a pretty bell that means something special, not one in a tower that plays “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and other ditties at the hours of 9am, 12pm, 3pm and 6pm.

Most of all, I know that time and money spent with you is very well spent. I respect you and what you represent. You mean something, and it’s definitely not a waste. You’re worth it.

I suppose that it’s for now. Just know that I’ve been thinking of you fondly and I’m so glad to call you home. Love you. I’ll write again soon.

Cassie