Free Will Astrology: Hybridization

Aries Horoscope for week of May 31, 2012

 

"Let's waltz the rumba," said jazz musician Fats Waller, suggesting the seemingly impossible mix of two very different types of dancing. That's an excellent clue for you to follow up on, Aries. I suspect that in the coming week you will have an unusual aptitude for hybridization. You could do folk dancing and hip-hop moves simultaneously. It will make sense for you to do the cha-cha as you disco and vice versa. You'll have a knack for bringing the spirit of belly dance into the tango, and for breakdancing while you do the hokey-pokey.


Perhaps my awesome west coast dancing skills will meld with the southern dancing and I will come out with some awesome skills. Or perhaps my northern ways will mesh with the southern ways? 

A Little Wisdom

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Imposter Phenomenon

I've been meaning to do this post since MARCH! I am constantly startled by how fast time passes lately. This particular post is very relevant as I have just accepted a real, live full-time position in higher education! I won't mention where I will be working just yet but the excitement, nervousness, and congratulations over the past few days has been overwhelming. I am surrounded by very supportive and great people who have helped me get where I am today but all of the congratulating has been hard to take and during the conference I attended in March in Louisville, it made sense why.

Lisa Ling, Closing speaker at ACPA & Role Model

Two presenters from Western Kentucky University, Lindsey Gilmore and Minnette Huck, discussed what the "Imposter Phenomenon" is and how it affects (mostly*) successful women.The idea is that women attribute their successes in life, whether professional or personal, to luck or being in the right place at the right time. They have a difficult time claiming that their intelligence, talents, or skills have resulted in their success and instead pass it off as "no big deal." As we all know, women already struggle to achieve notoriety in their careers or to be seen as equals to their male counterparts for various reasons. The imposter phenomenon causes women to be less vocal about their achievements and many have a hard time standing up for themselves or speak out.

From Ann Mehl Blog

There is a quiz here that can test your own Imposter Phenomenon (IP). Both me and my colleague took the quiz during the session and we both scored quite high which made a lot of sense considering our major successes but also our considerable anxiety and doubts about our achievements and the future. It made me see my friend in a different view and want to support her as she continued in the job search process.

The presentation was not only a heads up to us personally but also as student affairs professionals. We are leaders who help students understand the possibilities and wonders that lie ahead. When we see students that are tremendously smart and talented yet have no confidence or assurance in themselves, we need to be able to help them see clearly and encourage them to continue to strive for excellence.

Lagging

So I have been so busy lately that I have forgotten to blog! I am sure my few loyal readers have missed me but hopefully I can rally and actually start posting regularly. Last night I realized that my boredom is giving way to grouchiness and complacence so I must start getting things done!

This is what I have been up to lately:

I was on a plane. I was on several planes actually that were all smaller than I would have preferred! I won't say where I went but the picture above is of the Reagan airport in DC. It was so cool to be able to fly in and see the White House! I had my geeked out moment for sure.


The reason I was on the plane was a for an interview at a university. It was a whirlwind 24 hours where I flew in, had dinner, slept, woke up, ate breakfast, interviewed for an entire day, toured the city, then left again. I was exhausted! It made last week a complete blur.

Secondly, I got an amazing spa package off Groupon and finally used it last week. I was ready for major relaxation and rejuvenation but it didn't turn out quite as I had planned. I've never had a massage before and was given a deep tissue massage. I think the combination of me not drinking enough water before and the intensity of the massage was a horrible combination. Later that night I felt a lot of soreness and then the next morning my skin was on fire and my entire upper body hurt. I even had to go home early from work! I felt ridiculous and of course, I provided major amusement for my co-workers as I flinched all day from the expectation that someone would come rub my back or give me a huge. It was ridiculous, I say!

I also got a shellac manicure, a deep conditioning hair treatment, and a facial. All lovely and the manicure was nice with the interview right around the corner. I would say for my first spa treatment, it wasn't terrible but not sure I would do it again either. Oddly enough, the most enjoyable part was the head massage!

The rest of life has been working, organizing potential renters to come by the apartment for showings, and applying for jobs. I also realized that since graduation (April 29th) I have read nine books. NINE! I don't think I read that many during all of grad school! I am attempting to read everything on my bookshelf so that I don't have to move those freakin' heavy books again.

Lastly, I went to an awesome Grease Sing-a-Long on Saturday night! The Redford Theater is an historical theater in a not so wonderful part of Detroit that does classic movie showings as well as cult classics. This particular showing of Grease is so much more fun because the words to the songs show up on the screen! The whole audience sang loud and proud and it was absolutely one of the most fun things I have done here in Detroit. I was exhausted from singing by the end!

Hope you all are doing well and having a good week so far! I can't believe May is almost over. I feel the need to ask Mr. Time to just chill out a bit so I can catch my breathe. I also want to ask Mr. Pain Reliever to take care of my crazy neck strain. I feel all wonky and out of adjustment!

Mood Boards

I am in a fog; a dusty haze of life. My mind is buzzing with everything going on this week so instead of words that may not accurately describe the highs and lows, here is some Pinterest inspiration instead.

Yep, that pretty much explains it all, folks!

Trilogy Reviews...Dun Dun Dun

This series from EL James has gotten so much press and has many women and conservatives in an uproar. Of course this meant that my curiosity got the best of me (and several friends) and I had to read them. The books feature Christian Grey, a young business tycoon that has a particular fetish and a young college student, Anastasia Steele, who is naive with a spunky attitude. I wasn't sure what to expect completely and I purposely ignored all reviews and opinions until after I finished the series...in one week's time. I actually read the second book in one night! Clearly, I enjoyed them all. The writing isn't great and if EL James could maybe find a thesaurus, that would be helpful, but the characters themselves and the storyline are oddly intoxicating (I have a few more suggestions but don't want to give the book away). Yes, there are heavily sexual scenes but there is also a relationship that is so intense and powerful that it is hard to stop reading. I finished the final book last night and am a little sad that it is over. There is a rumor that one more book exists but damn, I hope not! Where the author leaves us at the end is perfect.

The Hunger Games trilogy. Yep. I resisted and resisted. I ignored all of those in my internship last summer that were excitedly reading through these. I ignored the movie. But then I graduated and needing something to do and luckily one of my friends is my very own personal library and had all of the books. The books take place in Panem, a country that seems to be North America after we have thoroughly messed it up. The Hunger Games themselves are done for the amusement of The Capitol, the leadership and ruling class of Panem. I dived in without any preconceived notion and found myself totally enthralled with the story line. I wasn't sure that I actually liked the books until the second one but this was another series with such rich characters and a great romantic triangle so of course I read them all in about...a week and a half. Bonus of finally having read this, I know what people are talking about now!

And last but not least...

I totally blame Brittney for this one. She said that the first two books of the series had been passed around from many a girl and figured that I needed some light reading. I read the first two books in December during winter break and was skeptical. I mean, it's a young adult novel about some bitchy girls, or so I thought. The overall storyline is that there are two sisters that were adopted and one of the girls goes to find the other and figures out she has been killed the same day. The other sister takes the place of the first sister and tries to figure out who her killer is. I found these all very well written and I will admit, I got freaked out at a few points. The characters are all so suspicious and off-putting but in a really great way. I haven't read the third book but have it on the night stand for another night when I don't need quite as much sleep.

(All pictures from Amazon.com)

Otherwise Occupied

I have been in a total haze of work and reading. Yes, reading! I am involved in three trilogies right now; one I just finished, one I desperately need book two of, and one that I have to remember what book 1 & 2 were about so I can read book three. Note to self: stop reading trilogies! They are getting me in trouble.

You know what else is getting me in trouble? Cinnamon. The spicy spice that pairs so well with sugar and cookies. I made three batches of snickerdoodles this last week.

From loveandhomemaderecipes.com

Secondly, my awesome friend Avanti took me on a tourism extravaganza around Detroit. The majority of the pictures will be saved for another posting (so awesome!) but we happened to park in front of Good Popcorn People downtown. By this point in the day, we were starving and it was nearing dinner time so we stopped in to grab some snacks for the drive back. They have a bunch of different flavors but we decided on the white cheddar salsa and the cinnamon crunch. Can you guess which bag went home with me? Oh yeah. I am now trying to use Pinterest to find some recipes so I can recreate this at home. I could be in serious trouble here.

Quotes of the Day: Benjamin Franklin Edition

Biography.com

Founding Father.
Scientist.
Inventor.
He formed both the first public lending library in America and the first fire department in Pennsylvania.
Author.

Pretty smart guy, right?

“Well done is better than well said.”

“Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.”

“To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.”

“There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.”

“Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.”

April Reflect, May May Be Great

Checking in with my April goals:

....Ready?
1. Finish graduate portfolio, present, and graduate. Check, check, and check!
2. Sell/get rid of a majority of my clothes. Augh. This has been on my to-do list since November. The pile of clothes has actually grown larger and I need to sort through my closet now that spring weather is coming.
3. Turn 31. Oy. Check. Nothing too crazy; very chilled out birthday.
4. Read three books. Read "The Art of Racing in the Rain" (amazing), The Hunger Games (completed first book, second book in progress, third book coming later this week). I also have a HUGE reading list to tackle over the next couple of weeks.
5. Attend the gym or yoga and pilates classes a minimum of 3 times per week. Ideally, one hike would be included on the weekends.  Working on this one...all the time.

There are some improvements needed on the physical activity front but luckily, I have nothing else to do right now! Once I get on a consistent schedule, the gym and fitness studio time will be much easier to come by. Last week was easy for me to get in three workouts so this week should be easy cheese.

Now that school is over and the future isn't so settled, I don't know what to do with myself! I have lots of organizational activities that need to be done (closets, magazines, school work, etc.) but no one ever wants to do that on a nice, sunny day. So, May goals?

1. Volunteer for the Girls on the Run race.
2. Get at least one phone interview and one on campus interview lined up.
3. Participate in four significant physical activities each week.
4. Make two real meals each week and make lunches 4-5 days per week.
5. Explore Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and the surrounding area using my new camera. 

Easy, right?