Saera

So it's May, about a month and a half since I last posted. 

I got a new boss at work. He's a thousand times better than the old one, and he's not looking to trip me up either so that's a plus. I think the corporate end of things is wearing on me a little bit, but I'm trying to keep my chin up and do my best. My selling skills are definitely improving, and last month I came the closest I ever have to hitting my monthly goals. 

Daniel bought me some tomato seeds, and I bought a few more. I planted them in March when we had some bursts of nice weather, so now they're 3-5 inches high! He also bought me basil and mint, both of which are coming along pretty well.... just about time to stir up some mojitos too! I've also planted sunflowers for the first time, and they've already sprouted. I didn't plant giant ones because of uncertainty about where I'm going to live and just what I'm going to do with all the tomato plants! But I did get one seedling of a giant one from my local co-op's birthday! :) 

We've been looking for a new place to live. We're glad we found this apartment, because it was what we needed when we were super broke last summer. But we'd like to have a commute that isn't 35 minutes each way, somewhere with garden space and close to where the stuff in our lives goes on. Ever since we left the place in Leverett, we've been missing living with a couple of of people who lived there too. One of them,, K, and I had talked a lot about living together in the future. In March, Daniel and I sat down with her and her boyfriend and got serious about it. It looks like we may have found a place, after a month and a half of a lot of looking! If we get the spot, it should cut our commute significantly, and give us lots of garden space. It's a whole house in a lovely neighborhood. :)

At the end of the month, I'm going to Seattle to see timeron & kittysunlover, so I'm pretty excited about that. It'll be my first time in the Northeast in a very very long time. That wraps up the highlights! 

So it's my fourth month at my new job. I'm getting better at the job, which is good. I really am grateful to have it during these tough economic times, but I also long to do things which are more fulfilling and make a bigger difference in the world. Fortunately, I've started to have more energy after work and on my days off, so I am trying to get going on projects again, namely the Sunflower Village Initiative. This is the most important thing to me, it continues to be what I want to do with my life. I still feel like I spin around in some of the same circles with it. Increasingly I recognize this as my own need to change and grow. I have to deepen my commitment and persistence. I need to take action much more consistently. I need to nurture relationships with people who are doing what I want to do. I want to develop humility but also make sure that I am finding opportunities to incorporate myself into the movers and shakers of this movement. Recently I've been encouraged by some news about how solar, wind, and other energy endeavors are making substantial progress. I guess I feel like there are a lot of people in the world doing and working on what I want to be doing and working on, but I'm not really in that realm. I'm not going to quit my job for now. Daniel really does need to go back to school and have that opportunity to get his own education. But I want to work more on my days off on making this happen. Right now the main thing I've decided is that I need to take some advice I've recieved from a lot of people over the years: go check out existing and forming intentional communities. I'm finally not limited by school work or not having a car. All that's standing between this and me is my own laziness and lack of focus. I'm aiming to change that. Started working on a database today, prioritizing intentional communities nearby. Once I have a list, I'm going to start making plans to visit, and invite others to join me. I'm hoping for a multiplicity of effects: 1) Get ethnographic observations that will serve as examples 2) Increase my involvement in the community of W. Mass in the realms of intentional communities, sustainable agriculture and economy, and hopefully solidarity with less privileged groups/communities, 3) Increase the bond between myself and people I might potentially create a community with, and let them see other intentional communities first hand. I'm hoping that this last one in particular might lend itself to encouraging us to find out how we want to follow up on this dream, individually and collectively. 

Daniel and I have a kitten, Samwise, that we adopted the last week of December. He's about 5 months old now, and huge compared to when we first got him. He's a pretty sweet little animal, but Daniel and I are trying to break him of a few habits. It's good for us to have another creature in the house, especially when one or the other of us is gone for long periods. I also really like it when I wake up to him curled up near my head or on my chest, or sleeping between me and Daniel. 

Daniel and I were hoping we could go to Alaska this spring, and then I'd come spend some time in Seattle. But we really want to move back to Northampton. It's our favorite place to live - we really thrive there. So Daniel's probably going to go to Alaska, and I'm going to visit Josh and Dana in Seattle. Another spring/summer, Alaska. 

Ah yes, I've been watching BBC's Robin Hood. If you have any appreciation for Robin Hood, you might want to check it out. It's definitely the best version I've ever seen. My favorite thing probably comes down to Marian not being any kind of wimp, and all the characters having depth. 

Maybe I'll post again next month. :p 

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?

I bought a fancy pair of boots! (among other things, the highlights of which have been covered in the rest of this!)


2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I appear not to have set any in LJ. If I wrote them elsewhere, I don’t know where


3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Not really, and I’m kind of grateful. Woman who was my best friend in gradeschool did though, that felt a bit weird.


4. Did anyone close to you die?

Yes. Two of my cats, tragically.


5. What countries did you visit?

India!

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

An apartment I could commit to living in for 3+ years… and maybe a motorcycle?

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

May 15^th, 2011. I arrived home from India and attended graduation. And the whole week leading up to that. Also, I really enjoyed my anniversary dinner with Daniel

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I’d have to say that getting through this year as well as I did is a great achievement. I toughed out the hardest parts of study abroad in India, I graduated, I scraped by with very little income, and I scored a full time job less than 6 months after graduation. I’m proud that I didn’t give up at any point this year, no matter how impossible things seemed.  


9. What was your biggest failure?

Huh, I really don’t feel like I failed this year, considering that all is ending so well. There’s always room for changes though, so I’d say that one thing I would have liked to have done differently might be finding a different way to do my study abroad

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing too major, but in September I slipped on some wet grass in the dark and sprained my knee and foot. That’s mostly healed up, thankfully.


11. What was the best thing you bought?

I have two: the bangles I bought in Jaipur. I only wish I’d bought more. And my new pirate boots, which I still need to waterproof to wear!


12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
 

Daniel - he held things together while I was in India, despites all sorts of difficulties and challenges and bullshit, and he continued to encouraged and support me. He also did a lot to challenge himself

Bhagwant-ji - my host stay mom in India. She was accepting and generous and giving. She made my stay in Jaipur much more pleasant

Nick and Josh - great company for long hours alone at home, and great friendship during fun and challenging times both.

Dana - always ready to talk or listen, and making sure I have some goodies for holidays. <3

Laura - for being the awesomest American I knew in India

Malik - who makes work more pleasant

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

A lot of the Americans on my study abroad program

The parents I babysat for

Some of the bigshots at work

14. Where did most of your money go?

India, rent, food, car repairs, and new work clothes

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Going to India, coming home from India, graduating, getting a full time job

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2011?

“My Desi Girl”, “My Name is Sheera”,

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. Happier or sadder?
Happier. I was excited about going to India last year, but I was sad about leaving home. I’m glad to be settling into my job and figuring out my next moves

ii. Thinner or fatter?
Um, I’m not sure. I think about the same, though there was some definite variation within the year 

iii. Richer or poorer?
Richer. Finally Jesus.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Exercise - for my mental/emotional health as much as my physical health

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worry about money

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Big Bang Theory hands down, though I still love The Office and Southpark.


25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No.


26. What was the best book you read?
Tough call. I did really enjoy Gandhi’s autobiography

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Rediscovery really - Black Eyed Peas became a favorite


28. What did you want and get?
A full time job, mostly, which lead to boots and new clothes and a kitten!


29. What was your favorite film of this year?

Almost definitely the Muppets. I also enjoyed 36 Hours or whatever that was I saw in India, and some films I watched at home with Daniel

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 27. Kind of a lame birthday. I was at training in New Jersey and my douchebag classmates didn’t even bring me to dinner with them. Whatevs, a nice classmate bought me a drink and I got hit on by a cute girl. There will be other celebrations

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Highly varied. Wore a lot of Indian clothes for four months, dictated greatly by my lack of funds, then a lot of worn out casual clothes, and now business casual most days.

34. What kept you sane?

Daniel, SGI, Nick, Josh, Gandhi, writing, reading, music



. 37. Whom did you miss?

Daniel, Josh, Dana, Krista, Bhagwant ji, Katie, Jasmina, Anshu

38. Who was the best new person you met?

No bests, too many great ones: Sahil, Malik, Shagun, many people in India

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011:

Never expect the title of a program to deter the rich bitches.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
“There ain’t no rest for the wicked, money don’t grow on trees. We got bills to pay and mouths to feed, there ain’t nothin in this world for free.” 

So I'm back home after two weeks of training. Tomorrow I'll be in my store, observing for a week. There's definitely a lot to learn still, and I'm looking forward to more hands on experience. I don't really relish being away from Western Mass though. There is a quality here that I deeply love, and it's always a bit of a culture shock for me to be away from it. I had limited food options in Jersey, and those options were even more limited because Jersey isn't very vegetarian friendly. I do like a lot of the way my new employer does its training, but the air quality in the building was awful: no fans, locked windows, and blasting heat in a 40 year old building is a bad combo for my lungs. I developed a nasty, liquid cough. It's significantly improved just since Friday, but I still have some bad episodes.

I got my first paycheck and boy is that exciting! Got in one week more than I made in two babysitting. I can't wait to go grocery shopping and pay a bill or two. The next paycheck will be bigger since it will be for two weeks. And after that, I can start getting commission! :)

I did some NaNoWriMo while in Jersey, but I didn't get too far. I've written maybe 2k, but I'm glad to be thinking about the story again, and I appreciate timeron's suggestions in moving things forward. I haven't been working on it quite as much this past week. I've been a bit distracted, trying to socialize with my classmates, but also having interesting conversations on Skype and reading Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.

Right now, some of the things I'm most looking forward to are: catching up with bills, new clothes, and moving to a more relevant/practical apartment. I'm hoping by January that some other possibilities will be likely too. :)

Wowie, I really don't post here much anymore, I guess mostly I read other people's stuff. I blame facebook + undergrad studies. But I've been out of school almost 6 months now! Wowie!

Well, I spent most of the summer broke and supporting Daniel in his crazy job with crazy hours. I kind of job hunted, but I found that really challenging, emotionally and mentally and practically. In late July, I got a part time position as a babysitter. About 30 hours in the summer, 22 in the fall.

This month, I was interviewed and hired by AT&T! I'll be a Retail Sales Consultant! I'm starting with a base pay that is a living wage for where I live, and I get commission and great benefits too! On Sunday, I'm leaving for New Jersey for training.... their training process takes most of a month! It will be some crazy adventure! I'll have a lot of time on my hands in the evenings it seems, so maybe I'll write here more! :)

I had a really great day today. Most of this week was a struggle for me and Daniel. It is a great fortune that he got switched to a day schedule, but doing a 180 in terms of his daily rhythm was incredibly difficult. It was hard for me too as much of my schedule is based on his. Unlike yesterday, I did the smart thing and went back to bed after dropping him off at work at 6am. I slept for about 2 hours afterward. When I woke back up around 9, I felt ready to get my day started. I had a second breakfast and finished up an online application while Skyping a bit with a friend. Then I took a shower, threw a lunch together, changed laundry, and dashed out the door. I went to DELA (Don't Eat Lunch Alone) in Springfield for the first time. I found out about it through the Pioneer Valley Local First group on Linkedin. If you aren't familiar with the concept, Don't Eat Lunch Alone is the idea that lunch can be used as valuable networking time. This group brings together people to discuss ideas relating to business and employment. I found the discussion interesting and I met some people that I think will be helpful with the Sunflower Village Initiative, so I'm glad I went and I'm likely to go again.
After I finally left, I went to Northampton as it was about 2pm and Daniel could get off work any time. I grabbed an Honest Tea and a new flavor of Clif Bar - Coconut Chocolate Chip! Yummy! I also grabbed copies of the local alt newspaper and a "Visitor's Guide to the Pioneer Valley". I went to a local park and read them on a bench. That felt great. After that, I decided to go check out an apartment I'm interested in for the fall. It's located in the same neighborhood where I first lived when I moved to Northampton, only with actual garden space and two floors and deeper into the neighborhood and away from the main roads. It's also *very* close to a farm! So I need to make an appointment to view the inside and then we'll see what happens. Daniel still hadn't called, so I went to the Forbes Library and wandered around until I realized what I wanted to look at: Treehouse architecture. I found two books, one of which I know I've seen before used and desperately want to buy but can't. So I read that until the library closed. Then I didn't know what else to do that wouldn't make me wish I had money to spend. It being 5pm and not knowing when Daniel'd get off, I started for home. I got about 2/3 of the way there when he called, so I turned around and picked him up. We came home and I grabbed a quick dinner of canned soup and grilled cheese, then left again. I went to a volunteer trainig for Habitat for Humanity. Now I can volunteer on sites for them, not just stuff envelopes. :D I'm really excited about the non-profit skills I'm going to learn from them, in addition to house-building skills.
I'm delighted that it's Daniel's weekend. He worked an 11 hour shift today, and he was pretty tired tonight, but he still made time to spend with me before he went to sleep. I am so grateful for all he does, and how he continues to support me even when he is struggling to do so much.
I'm looking forward to tomorrow!

I've been dealing with a lot of transition. I was pretty culture-shocked the first three weeks I got back from India. It didn't help that Daniel was working graveyard shifts. Thankfully, he's switched to days as of yesterday. I've been struggling a bit with lack of structure from not having school or a job and from living in a relatively isolated location. However, I'm delighted that I've been hired as a Community Representative for Ayusa, an organization that facilitates foreign exchange high school students. My job is to find host families and to negotiate with local highschools. It is part time work, but I think it is going to be fun and its something I believe in.

In the meantime, I'm trying to keep busy and enjoy the wonderful opportunities that present themselves in summer in lovely Western Massachusetts. I went to the Amherst Farmer's Market on Saturday and bought fresh, locally grown tomatoes, basil, and huge sunflowers for my best friend. I've been biking and I want to go more. Today I went swimming in a local pond with another close friend, and I've planted tomatoes and rosemary. A couple of weeks ago, I participated in my first LARP (Live Action Roleplaying), hosted by a friend. I'm looking forward to hiking, exploring, cooking, and playing more Settlers of Catan, and on Wednesday I think I'm getting a babysitting gig.

One of the more longterm goals I'm working on right now besides job-hunting is developing a coherent document of my vision for the non-profit I am working to establish. This has been my goal for about 5 years now, but now that I am out of school and I have more time and intellectual energy to devote to it, I think I am about to make much more progress.

It is good to be home. I slid into Amherst just in time for graduation last Friday evening. Literally. Didn't even go home, just went straight to campus and found a seat in my cap and gown brought to me by Daniel. I arrived with my parents, who picked me up from JFK. They were originally supposed to arrive after me, but due to a bizarre snafu, I was delayed and they picked me up instead. It was nice that customs let me keep my tree gum and mahua flower. Graduation weekend was a bit of a whirlwind, but pretty fun. On Monday, my parents and I drove up to Vermont to straighten financial stuff out with my study abroad program. We made some good progress with that - we spoke with the Provost, who listened to us and is actually willing to work with us. We came home and played Settlers. It was cool to see my Mom win two times in a row since she usually isn't a board game person. They left early Tuesday morning. My mom's flight isn't until Wednesday & my dad's is on Saturday, but I guess they'd rather do family history research in NYC  than spend more time here...

Daniel is working in a warehouse. He has night hours, so he's usually gone from about 5:30 or 6pm until about 3 in the morning, so he goes to bed around 8am. I've been experimenting with my sleep schedule so that I can see him more, because I didn't see much of him on Sunday and Monday. I think what is going to work best is to go to bed around 2/230 am and get up around 1030 or 11. That way I'll get to see Daniel more on his days off at least, and have enough sleep but I'll still have a day to accomplish things with.

People keep asking me what I'm going to do now that I've graduated. My plan is basically to get a job, take care of putting finances into shape, move back to Northampton, and focus on establishing the Sunflower Village Initiative while supporting Daniel through school. I am also going to really really enjoy what the Pioneer Valley has to offer now that I'm not burdened with the obligations of student life. I'd like to visit Alaska sometime in the near future, possibly with a stop in Seattle. I'd like to go back to India for a visit in a couple of years, take Daniel to see the Taj Mahal and ride a camel and see my Indian families.

So that's it for now. Time for some game time and to put the new covers on my bed. Nighty night.
PS Ben & Jerry's Red Velvet Cake ice cream is awesome.

I WILL BE HOME ON FRIDAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! AND GRADUATING. OH MY GOD I DID IT. And then showing parents around MA and unwinding and seeing people and kissing Daniels face and making pizza and eating burritos and wearing a *goddamn* tank top. Oh yes. See you on the flip side

http://s1184.photobucket.com/albums/z330/saerahanlon/Surajmukhiya/
http://surajmukhiya.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/treasures-of-delhi/