A New Year and A New Place (both mentally and physically)

Hello reader,

Happy New Year! I hope the first week of the new year has treated you well. We brought in the new year here in Arizona by going to ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo (see image below) and by seeing comedian Christopher Titus at Stand Up Live Comedy Theatre in Phoenix as well. I thought it was a good sign to bring in the new year at a zoo and comedy club.

I have felt a new energy with this new year - it may be that I have already taken on more than I can chew only one week in, but, regardless, it is great new found energy. I am not sure where this new energy has come from, but I am embracing it. There is a lot of new stuff going on this year, for example, I live in Arizona. I never rang in a new year in a state other than Maine. I must say I miss east coast time for occasions such as that. By the time it was the new year in Arizona, it had been a new year in Maine for two whole hours. It just makes me feel like I'm always behind ... It's nice to feel like I have a new, fresh start in Arizona. It is a new semester at school and work which helps that energy continue.

Personally, I feel that I have a new priority list that has been resulted with this energy and I have a new perspective on life. Now, I want to make it clear that I do NOT believe this new perspective is strictly due to the fact that it is suddenly 2012. I think it has been brewing ever since leaving Maine and stepping out of my comfort zone. It just so happens that has culminated around the time of a new year. I am appreciating what I have more and putting emphasis on events rather than objects. Everyday here I am exposed to a new culture, new values, languages I have never heard before, I see the haves and the haves-not coexisting. It sort of forces you to step back and see what you have in a new light. I am so very grateful for all that I have and the opportunities that lie before me.

Normally, I don't make new years resolutions; I usually make a list of regrets from the previous year. I then resolve to not have the same regrets the following year, ripe up the paper of regrets and move on. I did not have a single regret from this past year - and I finally follow through on some long over due regrets, like not getting my license. And maybe not living with regrets is part of this new found energy, with a new perspective in this new place.

Thanks for reading!

-M

Ice Breaker Introduction

Hello reader,

Let me introduce myself the best way I know how, via ice breaker style. My background is in theatre, dance, and education - and in all of these areas of my life I have been asked to introduce myself with an ice breaker by stating my name, what I do, my education, and (as always) a fun fact about myself! Since I do not have a 30 second time limit I will elaborate a bit more.

So, here we go: my name is Molly, I am an academic success coordinator at Arizona State University, my Masters Degree is in Student Development in Higher Education with an individualized concentration in advising and counseling (I think) and my Bachelors Degree is in Theatre with a minor in dance (and almost a second minor in studio art). I have lived in Maine my whole life - born, raised, and educated. I am not a "Mainer" per say since I am not second generation - you'll understand the importance of this as I continue to blog.

Over a year ago, I started the grueling process of applying to jobs for post graduation. Over the following 8-ish months, I applied to nearly 100 jobs. I had a total of approximately 8 phone interviews, 3 in person interviews (only two of which I attended), and 1 glorious job offer. The offer was for a fantastic position as an Academic Success Coordinator with the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University. I don't use the words "glorious" or "fantastic" to describe just anything, but this position deserves it. I was able to find the ideal job where I got to work with young artists in an academic environment right out of grad school - this was exactly what I had hoped for. The idea of the perfect position overshadowed the fact that I was literally moving to the opposite corner of the country - honestly, I don't know if that concept has fully sunk in HOW far away from home I am, but we'll discuss that more later on.

I have been in Arizona for about three months now and the experience has been unlike anything I could have imaged or expected. I am currently on my way back to my home in Arizona after a week long stay at home in Maine. While I was home in Maine I heard the song "Small Town" by John Mellencamp on the radio, and it had new meaning to me. That's when I decided to start this blog. And with the new year just over 24 hours away, I think it's an ideal time to start a new project.

Thanks for reading,
- M