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Survey Time!

posted 22nd January 2011    Written by: Renee    CATEGORY: All Posts, Creativity, Inspiration, Renee, Season 3, What I've Learned

1.    What do you miss most about being a child?
I’m not a person who longs for her childhood.  I mostly remember catty girls, crushes that went nowhere, and my parents’ divorce.  I think I always wanted to grow up.  But the one thing that reminds me of being a child is my Maltese, Holly. She was a gift from my grandfather when I was 2 and we had to put her down when I was 18. We grew up together and I miss her terribly.  I dream about her a lot still.  Whenever I see a little Maltese nowadays, my heart gets all fuzzy.  I don’t think I could ever adopt another one, because no one will replace my Holly dog, but I can’t imagine adopting anything other than a little tiny terrier.

2.   What’s on your bedside table?
A mess. A couple bottles of lotion, the controls for our electric blanket, a candle, an old issue of Real Simple, a lamp in the shape of the Eiffel tower, a stapler, a bunch of jewelry I take off before bed, and a glass of water. Oh, and a clock/radio that makes weird noises when our phones are too close to it, so we just keep it unplugged. Awesome.

3.    When was the last time you were giddy with happiness, lost in one of those can’t-hold-back-a-smile kinda moments?
I was baking Christmas cookies and had the house all to myself. I turned up the Christmas tunes and when “All I Want For Christmas is You” came on, I went full-on Risky Business–dancing in my socks, sliding around our wood floors, singing to my cat (who was extremely unimpressed).  Of course, a glass of merlot was involved, but it was unadulterated joy. The cookies turned out pretty great, too!

4.    What are you most looking forward to in the next 6 months? (Besides reading awesome Season IV Bloggers!)
My husband and I are traveling quite a bit in May. My sister-in-law is graduating, so we’re flying out to Tacoma, WA to see her commencement, then we have a wedding in Charlotte, NC the next weekend… so we decided to fly from Washington to North Carolina in the middle of the week. It’s our vacation for the year, so hopefully we’ll get some alone time, even though we’ll be staying with friends.

5.       What’s your hell like?
I would have an incurable runny nose in hell. I would be eternally washing dishes with my high school PE teacher while we listen to the dulcet tones of a bad children’s choir. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I would be forced to eat black licorice. Also, it would be snowing a lot.

6.       What’s your heaven like?
A plate of warm rice krispy treats would meet me at the pearly gates and my cozy home would have a built-in tap for all varieties of Leinenkugel’s beer. I can order breakfast any time at heaven’s diner where I share pancakes once a week with Mary Tyler Moore, Gloria Steinem, JFK, and Mother Teresa. My closet is filled with amazing boots and sweaters from Anthropologie. Private concerts on the beach are held nightly, with rotating sets from Josh Groban, Barenaked Ladies, Sarah Bareilles, and the original Broadway cast of Phantom of the Opera.

7.    What’s the biggest lesson you’re taking away from the past 6 months with Stratejoy / how has the experience changed you?
Blogging for Stratejoy was the perfect extension of the Joy Equation. This gig forced me to sit down once a week and examine some of life’s big questions whether I wanted to or not. And that’s an amazing gift.

8.    What song lyrics fit your life, right now, at the beginning of this brand new year?
“It’s been a long December and there’s reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last.” – Counting Crows, my first cassette tape bought with my own money

9.     If you had a time machine, what place and time would you travel to and why?
I would travel to New York City in the 1960s. I’d become either a journalist or a flight attendant. I would be at the forefront of the feminist movement while experiencing all the incredibly fashions of that era. Also, the Beatles.  Yes.

10.    What is something that not a lot of people know about you that you wish more people could know?
I’m a really good cook, but only my husband knows that.  Also, I was voted Most Musically Talented and Best Thespian in high school.  Also also, I do a fantastic Sarah Palin impression, but she only comes around at parties.

11.     What surprised you the most about 2010?
Grad school and my ability to apply myself more than I ever thought possible. Furthermore, the opportunity to teach a couple undergrad courses and how that has uncovered a passion I never knew I had.

12.     What’s the best present you’ve ever received?
For my 24th birthday, my husband bought me a brand new Schwinn cruiser that I’ve named Lady Jane. She’s beautiful: peach in color, detailed with purple and red flowers. I’ve added a basket, too. I ride her to work in the summer, which has garnered quite the fan club. The boss’s brother said, “That bike makes me want to be a woman!”

13.      Imagine your life was being made into a movie. What would the title be? Who would you pick to play you? What would the theme song be? How about the little trailer blurb for the advertisement?
My movie, Tenacity, would star Tina Fey. All the critics would be impressed to see Tina turning over a new leaf, no longer stuck in a Liz Lemon character, but finally realizing her dreams and going after them with tenacity. Of course, she does so with biting sarcasm and fantastic comebacks. It would be Ms. Norbury’s version of Mean Girls, complete with wacky students that she challenges to participate in speech competitions, but we would also see her home life where she never cleans and talks to her cat a lot.  Jason Robert Brown, my favorite Broadway composer, would compose the score and write an incredible ballad that I would record personally for the radio.

14.      Dream Job?  Dream Home?  Dream Vacation?
Me: “What’s my dream job?”
Husband: “I thought you wanted your own travel show.”
Me: “Ooohhh, yeah, that is my dream job.”
Husband: “You could be the female version of Anthony Bourdain.”
Me: “Nice. I am pretty acerbic.”
Husband: “Yeah.”
Me: “You weren’t supposed to agree with that.”

Dream job: A travel show that allows me to eat a TON of seafood and ice cream and stay in incredible beachfront hotel rooms and meet intriguing people and go to fancy award shows in pretty gowns.
Dream home: An old house in a historic neighborhood with lots of character and bold colored walls. Multiple fireplaces. Exposed brick. A basement bar. My own office/library. Lots of windows for sunlight. Tons of counter space in a giant kitchen. A backyard vegetable garden. Located within walking or biking distance of shops, bars, restaurants, and cafes.
Dream vacation: Free. Sunshine. Margaritas. Spa day. Gourmet food. Snorkeling.

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How it Unfolded

posted 14th August 2010    Written by: Renee    CATEGORY: Job/Career/Work, Quarterlife Crisis, Renee, Season 3

Looking back, it’s possible that quitting my job with the United States House of Representatives wasn’t the best decision I’ve ever made, but I’m starting to realize it was one of the first authentic decisions I’ve ever made.

I was the classic surface-level over-achiever. I knew what it took to look good on paper. I knew when to flash my pearly whites when meeting the right people. I knew how to think out loud to those who could make something happen for me. And all of that landed me a job managing the schedule of a freshman Democrat in Congress who represented a Republican agriculture district in a state that produced a controversial black President in an election that produced a volatile social and political climate. Yeah, I was on the front lines of political assault.

Day in and day out, I’d answer the phone to angry constituents, outraged over the first inklings of universal healthcare. There were injured veterans who couldn’t afford the gas to get them to the VA hospital. There were lobbyists demanding five minutes of my boss’s time. There were weekend events at fundraisers, schools, and legion halls. There were conference calls during evening hair appointments. There were orders coming from too many chiefs. And did I mention I was commuting 90 miles round trip?

Six months into it, I knew not even the student loan payback was making my “dream job” worthwhile. I was not happy. I started looking into getting my teaching certificate, was offered a job at a coffeehouse closer to home, gave my two week’s notice, and barely looked back.

That was July of 2009 and is nowhere near the end of my story.

I started working at the coffeeshop 5:30am-2:00pm five days a week. It was wonderful at first. I was even promoted to manager in September. But it went downhill quickly. I was told my teaching certificate would take six years part time. The hours and social environment of the coffeeshop became toxic.

I broke down.

In January 2010, I demoted myself and cut back my hours to focus on freelance writing. I was crushed when writing didn’t pay my bills immediately so I started waiting tables at a cute little Italian restaurant… and again, I found myself working seven days a week. Stressed. Unhappy. Worn thin. After nearly a month straight without a day off, I knew I had to make a decision before yet another meltdown.

I finally said goodbye to the coffeeshop. I now work weekends at the restaurant while I wait to start my graduate studies next week (!!!). I have rediscovered a love for cooking and a surprising devotion to bikram yoga. I ride my bike to the farmers markets and catch up on feminist literature in the sunshine. I play video games with my husband late into the evening. I plan real and fake vacations. I enthusiastically look forward to football season. I listen to way too many podcasts. I ignore my messy kitchen. I am learning to sew, to bake, and to love myself authentically. It seems I’ve found all I need but I know my journey is only beginning. But, for the first time, I’m excited to continue down this path because it finally feels just right.



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