and this one begins where the last one ends

I have had an eventful month or so since that last entry.

I applied for jobs, and got turned down from a few (with Keane Consulting and PetSmart).

I got an offer for a co-op in St. Louis with Monsanto, which I voluntarily turned down. In hindsight, that was probably a really, really bad decision. Getting a job is more difficult than ever, and I have gotten no other offers. I was afraid of moving away and living in a brand new, relatively dangerous city on my own for the first time. But the company itself was wonderful, the job only lasted 5 months so even if I had difficulties adjusting it would be over soon, and I could've saved so much money for upcoming events. I am now regretting my decision deeply. Who walks away from a sure thing to gamble on clutching at straws?

I'm not the gambling type, I have always preferred playing it safe. And this is why. I am not good at making bets!

One of my good friends is leaving town to go work for a strategy consulting firm in San Diego...in a week! She is a shining example of what dedication can get you, if you try hard enough. She has put up with so much from her family, but she's never stopped working to get where she wanted to go. Now she has ended up exactly where she wanted, and it shows me that if I have some direction and purpose in life, the only way to get where I want to be is to try. I've lived virtually my whole life just letting things take me wherever, and I feel like I can't keep doing that for much longer. I need to finally decide what I want to do, and, you know, just do it.

Oh, Nike. You've wrapped your stealthy marketing around all our brains.

I received a phone call from my former place of work just this past Saturday, asking if I wanted to get my job back. I was laid off in January. It eerily echoed the way I originally got that job (I walked in asking if they were hiring, the manager interviewed me on the spot, and I started work the next day). Why I intentionally went back to a place of work that requires me to be there at 5:15 am on the weekends is beyond me. But having disposable income is good, especially considering...

I just got engaged. :)