apartment

finally hung up pictures and the apartment/my room is starting to look like a real person's place. sweet. here's a few shots of the place i now call home ....

our kitchen tv area

shot of my roomother side of the room

all you need is positivity (and lots of endorphins)

and the infamous 'busy season' (sort of) begins... busy season... the ominous period between fiscal year end and report release date. all rookie auditors are warned of it by those older and wiser, who have experienced the phenomenon first hand.

some of the things i have heard thus far include "you will gain the first year 15" "i saved a lot of money by not going out at all" "hey, staying until 9, 10, 11, or 12 at night isn't so bad if you get free dinner!" among other equally encouraging comments


as someone who likes to be in control, this unknown commitment of my time (ahem, life) concerns me a little. how will i deal with not being able to make my own schedule? allocate my own time? run my own life? two weeks ago (BUSY season... hence i've been a little slow to post) i was placed on a project working busy hours, and got to "test drive" how this whole busy season thing works.

here's what i learned: i (think i ) can survive busy season if i do two things:

1) get those endorphins flowing early in the day - while it sucks waking up before the crack of dawn (literally before the sun), getting a good run in before going to work focuses me and puts me in a good mood immediately. also, when i have already worked out, i don't feel as anxious to leave work. i've already taken care of what i want to do for me for the day, so i can really devote my attention to my work.

2) have a positive attitutde - while it also sucks working 10+ hour days and saturdays, it is going to happen to many of us professionals in entry-level positions, or anyone who works in a team-based environment. the only thing worse than working long hours is working long hours with someone who constantly complains about it. by having a positive outlook, i not only was able to trick myself into feeling happier, but i'm pretty sure i made work a little more enjoyable for those around me.

this may be my overly optimistic (positive attitude !) and naive view of how to approach busy season, but hey, it can't hurt to start off believing that the glass is half full. and if that glass comes with free dinner every night, things can't really be THAT bad........ right?

until nextime!

good morning washington

It's done. I've officially moved out and into my apartment in DC (although I write this sitting in my parent's house... explanation later). Saturday was the big day. I will spare you the gritty details, and simply outline the highlights of my moving weekend:

- Purchased my first TV. Got some advice from Dad, but it was my credit card that did the deed.
- Had some delicious food at Agora with the rents & boyfriend (BF) - Mediterranean + small plates = Emily in heaven
- Had some equally, if not more, delicious froyo two blocks from my house. Decided that this place is going to be bad for my budget...
- Purchased some tasty (but I think, overpriced) produce at the farmer's market.
- Listened to some free jazz near the apartment, and the BF got ogled by more men than I did. Gotta love Dupont...

So far I love the city. I love walking everywhere. I love the eclectic mix of people, and how there are people everywhere (great for one of my favorite activities, people watching). I love that everyone uses reusable shopping bags. Granted, I have only "lived" there for one (long) weekend. I say "lived," because, as I mentioned, I'm back at home. Turns out I am working long hours out in the burbs this week, so I made the executive decision to sleep at home to save gas, time, and my sanity (DC traffic gives me anxiety).

So one more week in the burbs. Then back to the people, and froyo, and free jazz, and vintage stores, and metro stops, and farmers markets, and blaring horns, and craziness that is DC, that is my new home.