..emi jeanne.

The Process of Adult-ing

2008-06-09T09:56:00.002-04:00

Growing up, maturing, becoming more responsible...or as I like to call it, "adulting"... is certainly proving to be far more terrifying than I thought it would be.

Moving home was an interesting experience for me. The physical process wasn't half-bad. Patrick is a wonderful, buff little bro, and he helped me out so much by carrying a million things in from the car and up the three flights of stairs to my excessively hot bedroom.

The organization process was therapeutic, albeit somewhat frustrating. I'm still trying to find what Anthony calls a "home" for everything. I do find that it is much nicer when I know precisely where something is and precisely where to put it when I'm done with it. My bag for work is extremely organized--all computer wires are in one pouch, travel makeup in another, pencils and pens in a pencil case. It is so much easier for me to focus and keep my mind in one place when I know where everything is. It's just less for me to think about.

I have seen a change in myself since the last time I worked for any length of time in the office. Yes, I have trouble focusing sometimes. But I actually look forward to coming in to work--not that I necessarily disliked it before. I did it because it was my job and that's how I made money. But the longer I'm here, the more responsibilities I take on. When I excel at these new jobs, I'm entrusted with more meaningful and creative things. I'm no longer a coffee girl--nor do I want to be the coffee girl!

Yes. By 2 p.m. I look outside and say to myself, "I want to put on my bathing suit and sit in the sun by the pool." Yes. I have taken a few mental health days. Back in May, I had to cancel a Saturday morning exam to work at the annual CT Innovation Academy Expo. I immediately came back to the office on Monday and have been working full-time since. But around 10 p.m., instead of going out blowing $20 on three drinks and coming home knowing I'm going to be exhausted in the morning, I call it a night.

I don't want to be tired in the morning. I want to be focused and productive. I have enough trouble focusing--for a variety of legitimate reasons--so why should I make things harder for myself? I'm learning how to let things go, how to let criticism roll off my shoulders. Understanding different management styles and realizing that people still like me and appreciate my work even when they want me to change something is a long over-due but valuable trait I've developed over the past few weeks. I'm learning to work and collaborate with people. It's important to know when to voice your opinion and when to admit defeat. Now I understand that the topic will inevitably come to the table again and I will have another chance to make myself heard.

But the most important aspect of this whole experience (I think it came about from being so close to the end of college) is that I have found a passion. All the evidence made me realize that I'm becoming a better me, an Emily with purpose.

I want to change education. I want to change the world. Yes, I never thought I'd use such an awful cliché, but it's the truth.

Continuing this position full-time in January is nerve-wracking but exciting. I can really save money. Even now, not buying a coffee in the morning saves me over $100 per month. I don't need to pay rent in the fall, thanks to my generous boyfriend's family letting me move in until I finish school. Yes, gas will be $5+ per gallon, but I'll be saving in the end (Anthony's parents' house is closer to UConn than my parents' house). Maybe we'll be able to afford a place by next summer, maybe we won't. Either way, we're on the right track. Within a year or two, buying a condo or even a small house will be less of a dream and a much bigger reality.

I've had to be a tough girl since I moved home from school. Not having someone to always take care of me, follow me around and find my lost things (everything from shoes to keys to water glasses), to make me feel better when I start to lose my mind...it's been trying, but I'll make it. In the end, it's worth it. It's all part of that goal to become a better me.

It's all part of adult-ing.

A Poem for Sean Rose

2008-01-15T13:12:00.001-05:00

I wrote this on the fly at work today. I was inspired by the soft, soothing sound of Sean Rose signing online:

sean rose
has nice toes
smells like a rose
scares away crows

sean rose
has a sensitive nose
only listens to Bose
likes Broadway shows

sean rose
always knows
you go to Lowe's
to write good prose

the end

Comic strip? Me??

2008-01-13T16:02:00.000-05:00

Everyone is starting new comic strips in the Daily Campus (UConn's newspaper). My roommate, Steve, started this new trend last year with "Slick Slack," and quickly inspired a myriad of our friends and acquaintances to try their hand at drawing comics for our relatively talentless newspaper.

Steve, along with Ben from Precious Roy, developed this hilariously un-funny comic called "Phil." I thought it was great. There were no punch lines, but the formula for each comic, while predictable, made the lack of punch lines absolutely hilarious. The lack of out-right humor was like a punch line in and of itself. But while I rolled around laughing at "Phil," Steve was concerned his audience of college students hooked on jokes about smoking weed and chugging beers might not appreciate his subtle humor. So in the summer before "Phil" debuted, Steve made a prediction to me while sitting and drawing in our dirty, musty, moldy apartment:

"Half of the people on this campus are gonna love it. The other half won't get it, and they'll absolutely hate it."

Well.....he was almost half right. I'm pretty sure less than half of the students on this campus understand what "Phil" is all about. I'm not even sure I do. Either way, I appreciate who Phil is and how he is different from everything else. Steve went out on a limb and developed a comic that had almost nothing to do with college. And now he has been awarded the job of Comics Editor at the Daily Campus.

In a combination of coincidence and consequence, many of my closest friends have jumped on the comic strip bandwagon. Sean Rose, our temporary one-month roommate and a member of Wilhelm Sketch Comedy, apparently has a comic in the works. I have yet to see it. Jake Lucas, a good friend from the Agents of Improv, has come up with a really unique style and a few hilarious characters (I will eventually be featured as Prof. Jena von Wolfengeist...hold onto your pants) in his comic, "Dave's Adventures in College." Big Steve, our neighbor and another member of Wilhelm, has also created "Awkard Turtle" for the Spring '08 newspaper. Finally, there's Anthony, who may or may not have started dating me in order to get closer to Steve and ensure "Jazz Com Boz" a spot on the Spring '08 comic roster. My Photoshop skills couldn't have hurt either.

All of these new events make me wonder: do I have what it takes to write a comic? Sure, I can draw simple stuff. Yea, I have my funny moments. But I think I've had a realization over the past few months. I like being on the fringe. I like being on the outside, just close enough to have my toes in the door. While I might not get all the fame, I don't have to do all the work, and I don't have to suffer the bad publicity.

I like being an auxiliary member of Wilhelm--I'm the resident, go-to broad. I don't have to be funny on my own. I get to be funny when they tell me to. I like giving Steve, Jake, and Anthony feedback and ideas for comics. These guys all have their own individual sense of what comedy is and what it should be, and I love that I'm a resource for them to bounce ideas off of. While they may disagree with each other, they respect each other. Bottom line, they all have their own reverence for comedy.

I don't feel like I'm ready to make a comic strip. I don't feel like I'm ready to write sketches. I don't feel like I have the skills or the passion to do any of it. But I like being really, really close to the action. And it feels like every where I turn, there's someone around me creating something great.

It's a really inspiring feeling.

Google my name

2007-11-26T00:48:00.001-05:00

And you will find this. How exciting!

EJN