I'm Clearly A Sadist

Yes, I obviously LOVE pain. Because why else would I schedule an appointment with my masseuse and let her torture my poor muscles into submission? I might as well have let her tie me up and beat me with chains. At least I'd be PREPARED for the pain.

Blah. Why do I keep going back for massages when they hurt so much????

I don't know. I must be a sadist.

On another note, Babar has turned into the most needy dog I've ever seen. Back in the day, he'd be an aloof little pug. He'd let me pet him when he felt like it, he didn't really like being picked up, and he'd ignore me most of the time. And well, that was okay - I was used to it. Now that I'm back from Brazil, he wants to be sitting or sleeping on my chest at ALL TIMES. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. I sit down on the couch to watch an episode of Golden Girls while I munch on my banana muffins, and he attempts to climb up my legs and won't rest until he can lean his little body against my chest. It would be so cute if it weren't for the fact that he does it ALL THE TIME, and also, he's a heavy little bugger. And of course, Celeste is jealous. So then I have TWO pugs trying to climb up and sit on my chest. Darn darn darn.

Oh, you know, lately I've been thinking of joining the military. Sort of. Well, JAG. The attorneys who work for the military. It really does sound like a good deal, as far as incentives go. And the atmosphere is interesting - I'm not the type of person who'd be completely happy doing a 9-5 at the same place every day for the rest of my life, and JAG is definitely somewhat different. We had a guy from the Air Force yesterday at school, and he was there just because he loved to travel and wasn't the 9-5 type of guy, and he said his job let him get around a lot and he loved the variety. While he was talking, I was thinking, "Gee, he sounds like me." So yeah. I'm going to explore the options a little more and then maybe send out my resume. We'll see. The only thing I worry about are my horrid law school grades - everything else is in my favor, and hopefully that will outweigh them. Do any of you know anyone working in that position? Or heck, just working for the military in a specialized position? Do they like it? Was it hard to get in? My minds sorta buzzing like crazy right now with this new possibility. Don't get me wrong - I still want to open up my own practice, and that's going to happen definitely. But I haven't settled down yet - heck, I don't even have a boyfriend - so why shouldn't I take advantage of this? I'd be gaining experience as an attorney, AND be in a different environment. Out of all the attorney jobs I've heard of during my time as a law student, this is the ONLY one (besides opening my own practice) that sounds REALLY interesting and something I would enjoy doing.

The only downside is I'll probably have to wear a uniform. I hate uniforms.

So I'm back...

And I'm T-I-R-E-D. Emotionally and physically. The vacation did go great - we did most of the things we wanted to. I did get gigantic blisters on my feet the second day I was there (new shoes + not wearing them in + walking nonstop for hours = bad idea). Yeah. And since I was walking funny that day to keep my feet from hurting as little as possible, I strained my calves and could barely walk for the rest of my vacation. But that's okay - it didn't really intrude with what we did, so no problems there. As far as being with my Ex 24/7 for a straight week - that was weird. Well, no, I mean, it was good - like I've mentioned before, we'd reached the buddy stage in our relationship for a while, so going from a couple to buddies wasn't difficult. What was bothersome was that I had gotten used to not seeing him all the time, and I was okay with that, and then this week sort of set me back. Not because I WANT to be with him all the time - now that I've been on my own I realize that I'm happier being completely in control of my time. I didn't even realize it all that much until I came home. Yesterday evening was my first day for a week without his constant company, and my puggies were at the pugsitter, and my house was completely empty. At that point it really hit me - I was completely alone. Having gotten used to his company AGAIN during that week, it just felt so strange to be sitting on my couch without a pug or a boyfriend to touch.
But don't worry about me - I don't want things back the way they were. My heart and my mind are in full agreement that this is best, and I'm honestly happier now than I was before. Today I'm doing great - I picked up my babies from the sitter, and later today I'm going to see a brainless action flick at the cinema. By myself. You know, I haven't been to the cinema by myself since I started dating my Ex. I figured, "Why go by myself if I can go with him?" But now I'm alone. And now it doesn't sound so bad to get in my car, drive to the mall, pick up a couple scents at Bath & Body Works, buy an Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookie at Potbelly's, sneak it into the cinema with me, and enjoy two hours of explosions and fighting. Yay me! Ha ha ha.... I'll tell you more about what we did in Rio de Janeiro next time. For now, toodles to ya all. Love ya, and see you around!

I'm HERE!

I'm here! I'm here! Our hotel kicks complete and utter ASS, and I've just finished showering all the sweat and ick off an entire night's travel. Now I'm waiting to go see Rio de Janeiro! Yipee! Yay! Yahoo! And yes, we get free wireless internet. Isn't that awesome?

I think one of the first things we'll do is go see a game at the Maracana stadium. Any soccer fans out there? Well, lemme just say this is a soccer fan's ultimate shrine - and my Ex is a total soccer maniac, so we're gonna go check it out. I was there once before, but not for a game. So this'll be a bit different. Okay, enough chit chat! I'm gonna go PART-AY!

Ciao.

Brazil! Brazil! And a cool bird, too.

So, I'll be flying outta here tomorrow at 2 PM. Awesome, right?! And I'm glad that even if I'm not going with a boyfriend, I'm going with a GREAT friend. So yay! A friend I plan to drag around all of Rio de Janeiro all day, every day. Mwahahahaha.

Oh, and there's this cool bird that I wanted to post a video of...and I tried, three times, but YouTube didn't let me. I tried a couple days ago. Today I open my blog and TADA! There it is. 3 posts of it. So...yeah. YouTube is frickin' weird. So I'm just giving you a link - check it out!

See you all around! Oh, I might be able to post something from Rio. Maybe. Regardless, cheerio mateys!

Brazil, Here I Come!

Now, sing along with me to the tune of "The Farmer And The Dell":

I'll Kiss My Pugs Goodbye,
Then Fly Into The Sky
Hi-Ho The Derry-O,
I'm Going to Brazil

I'm Gonna Have Some Fun,
I'll Burn Up In The Sun,
Hi-Ho The Derry-O
I'm Going To Brazil

And yes, the Ex is coming with me.
And the pugs will be pugsat by a lovely lady who currently owns/fosters 4 pugs. Six pugs in one house, people! Six! They'll be in pug heaven.
And I've already gone shopping for shorts. And a comfy dress or two.
And no, I haven't spent much money at all. Stuff was on sale. Whoo-hoo!
And I'm getting my hair cut and colored on Thursday. Can't go to Brazil with crappy hair, can I?
And I'm....F-A-R-E-A-K-I-N-G...E-X-C-I-T-E-D.
And I've already planned out every single place, tour, activity, drink, meal, and sunset we will watch/do/drink/eat/etc.

Did I mention I was excited?

Twice?

I'm also planning to get information on the whole Intensive Portuguese classes I'm planning to take later this year.
Yep. I've got lots of plans. L-O-T-S.

Did I mention I was excited?

Well......I am.

Very excited.

Very very very excited.

And, since for some reason I can't bloody post YouTube videos here (I've tried - YouTube's being an ass), I'll just leave you with this. If THAT doesn't remind you of Brazil, you're hopeless.

All right, curious kittehs!

BE WARNED: THIS IS A LONG POST

Well, due to popular demand (okay, just one kitteh's demand), I'm updating you all on the status of my Brazil trip. And the answer is .... I don't know if I'm going yet.
I should probably explain. See, I'm going with my Ex - this was his Christmas gift to me. But the thing is, he's waiting to hear back from a couple job interviews, and they told him that they'd call him back the first week of March to let him know if they're interested and want to re-interview him. Great, huh? But the thing is, the second set of interviews they're doing is during Spring Break. And for the Ex, going to a job interview is more important than taking a trip with me to Brazil. So if he gets asked back for an interview, he won't go. And that means I won't go either. I love Brazil - I really do, but I don't want to be there by myself right now. I don't know anyone there, and I'd be somewhat limited in the things I could do, since it is a bit dangerous to be out after dark if you're alone and female.
Now, it's the end of the first week of March, and he still hasn't gotten a call back. This doesn't really tell me anything, because they were going to call him and tell him yay or nay. So nothing yet. Which is pissing me off, because I like to know ahead of time what's going to happen. Now, the Ex was nice enough to mention to them during his first interview that he had this trip planned, but that doesn't mean they'll be nice and actually say, "All right - go to Brazil! We'll wait for ya!" I hope so, but you never know.
This trip is important to me because it's the first time the Ex will step foot in Brazil, and also, because it'll probably be my last trip with him. Realistically, I'm pretty sure I'll never see him again after I leave law school, so this trip would be a lovely last memory.
And before you say anything, I know, I know. This is all a little 'effed up. If I love Brazil so much, I should go by myself and not let his absence dampen my enjoyment. I know that.

But never fear. I will go to Brazil - that is definitely going to happen. See, I've always loved Portuguese, and Brazil, and I wondered, why can't I go and learn Portuguese in Brazil? I know, I'm graduating in a couple months. Graduation is in May. But the thing is, I'm going to take 1 class this summer. And the Attorney State Bar is in summer. So obviously I can't take it (I have to be completely done with school before I can take the Bar). So I have wait until the next one, which is in February 2009. So I have to figure out what to do during July, August, September, October, November, December, and January. Since I can't get hired as an attorney, then I'll be stuck doing something else (hopefully law related) until February. But then I thought, "Hey, instead of shuffling paperwork for people at a law firm, why don't I go to Brazil, learn a new language (which is great for my resume), and get to enjoy meeting new people?" Soooo, after thinking for maybe 0.5 seconds, I thought, Brazil it is.
So yeah. I'm getting out of here in July or August and not coming back until I need to take the Bar. Obviously, I'll be studying for it over there, but hey, I'm in Brazil! Now, the details aren't set in stone yet, but from the preliminary talks we've had with people over there, I don't think it'll be too difficult, and tuition isn't too expensive either.
So yay! I'm excited. This certainly helps soothe my sadness if I don't get to go to Brazil next week. And you know, this whole Brazil plan wouldn't have happened if I was still dating my Ex. In short, he thinks traveling is a waste of money, and I shouldn't be throwing away time doing that. Instead I should be chasing jobs and working like a maniac. And hey, that's the way he thinks and if that makes him happy, kudos to him. But I am NOT that way at ALL. And I'm sick and tired of being made to feel irresponsible and lazy and wasteful because I want to travel. See, my perspective is as follows: I have certain goals I want to achieve in my life (such as traveling, homeschooling my kids, living somewhere where I can have chickens and goats and big dogs, and my neighbors won't be bitching about that) and I think my job should help me reach those goals, instead of hindering me. As lovely as it would be to have a job I absolutely adore, honestly, you all know that rarely happens. And that's okay. As long as my job allows me to pursue my goals, then I'll be happy. So therefore, I won't be a person chasing after a six figure salary (because you all know the amount of work and sacrifice that comes with such high income).

And before you all start thinking that I'll end up starving to death selling burgers at McDonalds, let me assure you, I know exactly what I'm going to do. I've always known that if I went into law school, my ultimate goal would be to have my own practice. I absolutely HATE working in teams, so I would shrivel up and die if I had to work in a large firm. I'm sure there are places that have lovely co-workers, and that's great, but I've always been someone who prefers to work by themselves, and prefers to be the leader. So private practice it is. And for a while I thought I should work in larger firms for the first couple of years before getting my own practice. But thinking things through, I've come to realize I don't have to do that if I don't want to. See, back in undergrad, I started a business with my parents. Our clientele is mostly Latinos who live in the area. And it's been 7 years since it has started, and now we have two offices, and enough clients to keep us well fed and pay our employees. One of the reasons I came to law school is because so many of our clients need a lawyer desperately, but there aren't too many lawyers in the area, and also, there is NO ONE who speaks Spanish. No one. So if I go back there and set up my practice, I'd have a ton of clients who are looking for a Spanish attorney. For a while, I thought doing that would just be living off my parents' work, but that's not true. I worked my ass off for that business during undergrad, and so I don't think I'm living off their work - I'm just taking advantage of something I helped start. And besides, not many lawyers who start their private practice already have clients waiting. But I do. And I think it would be smart of me to take advantage of this opportunity.
The only downside is that our business is in a rural area, and the nearest BIG city (Chicago) is 3 hours away. I've grown to love being able to hop in my car and drive 10 minutes to an award-winning restaurant, or drive 15 minutes into downtown to see a popular band play, but in the long run, I don't want to live in the city. So what's wrong with starting my career EXACTLY where I want to end up in the next 6-10 years? It almost seems too easy - I've always thought I'd have to fight and sweat and cry during the next couple years until I reached a position I actually liked. But I realize now that the perfect job was right under my nose the entire time.

So that's that. My computer is dying, so I'd better turn it off, and this entry is already long enough. I know most of my readers are people that already have started the whole "career" thing, so if you have any thoughts or suggestions, I would really appreciate it. I've talked to a couple of my mentors here, and they seem very excited about my plans, so I hope it's the right thing to do and that I'll end up enjoying it very much. So, ciao, and catch ya later!