RFotD:
The largest number of children born to one woman is recorded at 69. From 1725-1765, a Russian peasant woman gave birth to 16 sets of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets.
(!!!)

Weight:
107.2 lbs

Consumption:
Zucchini
2 chaps
Apple
Rice

Aimless Ramblings:
Time Change
Today is one of my favourite days of the year. The day that clocks turn back. After all, who doesn’t love waking up and realizing that it's an hour EARLIER than you thought it was? This day is right up there with the day after Halloween, November 1st, or the day that it's officially acceptable to play Christmas music. (Only 3 more sleeps before that day! I can't wait!!)

Work
Last week was an interesting week. At work, things got a lot more interesting (and a lot more busy... perhaps I shouldn’t have complained so much about my lack of stimulation) as I took on a series of projects that should allow me to prove myself at the office; hopefully people in higher level positions will take notice of my initiative and dedication etc. Of course, I stupidly failed to consider the fact that taking on new, tougher projects wouldn’t make the mundane aspects of my job go away: I still have to do those things, but now I have MORE things to do. Goodbye, life. I am officially becoming a workaholic.

Goals
Which brings me to my next topic... a few days ago, I lunched with some friends that work with me. All three of us began in our roles this past summer, and we were discussing the fact that since we started, our lives have begun to revolve around work. None of us realized that this position (we all do the same thing) would become so all-consuming. But we frequently find ourselves working through lunch; staying at the office until 7pm; this weekend, I even found myself emailing my two managers an article I read in the paper that I thought that they might find interesting, as it pertained to one of our products. Does this make me committed to my job, or unbalanced? What am I working so hard for? Our parents worked very hard to get ahead. The harder they worked, the faster they’d get ahead. For their generation, life was all about “getting ahead” which translated to “Getting More Stuff” – they measured their success by the material things that they could buy, and were never contented with what they had. Rather than consumer products being tools for them to use, they began to define their owners. No longer could someone be comfortable owning a house and a car to get them from place to place... they always wanted a BIGGER house; a flashier, more expensive car; more expensive gadgets. Our parents’ generation has the highest ever divorce rate. Coincidence? I think not. Our generation, on the other hand, is much more concerned with finding that work-life balance. Being comfortable, is important, but what is the point of having the big house, flashy car, and expensive gadgets if you don’t have time to enjoy them, or people to enjoy them with? I am, admittedly, fairly superficial and shallow. I like having nice material things. I like being able to afford to splurge on a whim. But if I had to choose between a lifestyle of living in a fabulous million dollar downtown condo, all by myself; or living in a $250,000 home in the suburbs with a loving family, I’d pick the suburbian home any day. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family that was financially comfortable. But work always came first for my parents. My dad would leave the house before we woke up in the morning, and come home after we went to bed. It was ALWAYS about getting ahead; getting more thing; getting nicer versions of the same things. I don’t want to be that person. I don’t want my family, or my relationships to be second to anything.

Trust
Andrew, at Love, Honor and Dismay, posted an interesting parable and question this weekend. How does trust work within a parent-child relationship? I dont have kids, so I clearly cant see both sides of this issue... but I know that trust is something that is a constant cause of conflict between myself and my parents. I frequently feel as though I stand at a trust level of zero, in my parents' eyes, and it's almost as though they are expecting me to mess up.. and because they don't trust me, I don’t trust them: it's a catch-22 situation, because I am extraordinarily uncomfortable talking to them, or opening up to them, because I'm afraid of how they will react; I don't want to push any buttons, or give them any reason to further belittle my decision making skills, so I just don't tell them anything at all. As a 22 year old, I feel that I need to be able to make my own mistakes. Yes, I will screw up. Mistakes are an important part of life. I think a parent's role is to raise their children to know right from wrong, and to give their children the tools with which to make decisions, and then trust their discretion to make use of these lessons.


Those are my ramblings for today. There's a lot more I had to say, on a more personal note, but I'm tired now... that will all have to wait until tomorrow.

Mood Tracker:
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