Go. Be Great. Be Green.

Well, there you have it. Go. Be Great. Be Green. The Marshall Field's company saying. I learned that after watching a series of video clips that attest to the history and clientele of good ol Marshall Field's. Funny, because we are going to become Macy's in 2006.

Training for my position has gone well. My job title is "Business Analyst", or BA. But the best part of it is that because I am in training my title is BA in training, or BAIT. I am referred to as BAIT all day long. Yessss.

My coworkers are really nice. And the seven girls I am training with are all really nice. We are all about the same age, one is 27 but the rest are 22, 23, and 24. We have spent our days at systems training, store visits, and at Federated Meetings. I have a "mentor" who is another more experenced BA in the department where I am training, tabletop. More specifically, I make sure all the 64 Marshall Field's have the right quantities of marketplace glasswear and table linens. Might sound a little segmented, but considering I have to advise all the MF buyers how well everything is selling, make sure they are not overbuying in Europe and NYC, and advise them of the actual floor trend, I end up being a glorified financial babysitter with a lot of responsibility. This is why I like the job thus far. It is a real person job. I am responsible for things, and execute them until their completion. They don't baby us; they don't hold our hands. We just do it. I doubt that many recent grads have quite as much responsibility as this (well, monetary wise, because all of you educating america are responsible for the world!). So that is good.

The one hour commute sucks, but I think I will get used to it. I like riding the bus part of the way to jam out to tunes or read a book. It is frusterating in the afternoon when I just want to go HOME, but it is all good. I have spent quite a bit of money at MF so far, but at least there is a good discount!

I am studying for th GRE and thinking of taking it in December or January, depending on the speed that I can learn the words and review the math! Crazy, but true! I am still not really sure what next year will hold for me. I have to call the Peace Corps lady and we are going to talk about possible locations, so that should be interesting!

The free weekends are great, it is nice to have a job where you get weekends off and one hour lunches! The real world sucks, but at least they do their best to make it suck a little less each day! Plus I got paid, which made it suck A LOT less!

It is Saturday, off to make flashcards at Caribou for the GRE!

best cd's ever

I was randomly thinking of what my 10 most favorite albums are. Here is what I came up with, but these are subject to change! (They are in no particular order!)

1. America Town- Five for Fighting
2. India Arie- Voyage to America
3. Aqualung- Strange and Beautiful
4. Coldplay- Parachutes
5. Daniel Beddingfield- Daniel Beddingfield
6. Duncan Sheik- Daylight
7. Tracy Chapman- Tracy Chapman
8. Rent Soundtrack
9. Micheal Buble- It's Time
10. Tracy Chapman- New Beginning

Which makes me think of my top ten favorite songs of all time! (again, no particular order)
1. Another Day in Paradise- Phil Collins
2. Don't Panic- Coldplay
3. Maddening Shroud- Frou Frou
4. Fast Car- Tracy Chapman (this actually is probably my #1)
5. Let Go- Frou Frou
6. Get Busy- Sean Paul
7. Not Give A Fuck- Fabolous
8. Without You- Rent Soundtrack
9. Reasons for Living- Duncan Sheik
10. Jainy- Five for Fighting

And there is the random Missy info for the day!

This will bring you back...

This is what you're supposed to do...and try not to be LAME and spoil thefun! Just give in. Copy (not forward) this entire e-mail and paste it into a new email. Change all of the answers so that they apply to you. Then, sendthis to a whole bunch of people you know *INCLUDING* the person who sent itto you. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known facts about your friends. It is fun and easy.
1. First Name: Melissa
2. Were you named after anyone? nay
3. Do you wish on stars? no
4. When did you last cry? it's been awhile
5. Do you like your handwriting? mostly
6. What is your favorite lunch meat? salami
7. What is your birth date? December 26, 1982
8. What is your most embarrassing CD? LeAnn Rimes
9. If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? HA maybe....
18. Do you have a journal? I OWN a journal, but I do not write in it. It is leftover from India, so sometimes I read it, but journal entries from the USA are not as good as ones from India
19. Do you use sarcasm a lot? I don't think so, I actually suck at it.
22. What are your nicknames? Missy, ML, Mal, Mel, Jalope, Melisse, MDawg
23. Would you bungee jump? HECK YES!
24. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? FO SHO
25. Do you think that you are strong? yes
26. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? cake batter from coldstone...schwing!
30. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? More often than not, I'm a judgemental bitch!
31. What/who do you miss most? My friends who are far away, INDIA, GUSTAVUS, G-Choir, Sarojama
32. Do you want everyone you sent this to send it back? Yeah
33. What color pants and shoes are you wearing right now? Red Pants and no socks or shoes but pink toenails...gross I clash!
34. What are you listening to right now? Crazy Arabic Dance Music, Aqualung (the song just changed, LOVE the party shuffle!)
35. Last thing you ate? Blueberries, they were trick-ass delicious
36 What is your favorite crayon? Jungle Green, anything from the glow in the dark collection
37. What is the weather like right now? blustry and cold
38. Last person you talked to on the phone? Carey Ma
39. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Eyes, Hair, Height
40. Do you like the person who sent this to you? we are india r2r besties for ALL TIME
42. Favorite Drink? Alcoholic: Amaretto Sour, but otherwise Dr. Pepper and Skim Milk
43. Favorite Sport? dancing/golf/tennis
44. Hair Color? blonde
45. Eye Color? blue
46. Do you wear contacts? yes
48. Favorite Food? Pizza, Butter/Garlic/Cheese Nan, Limca, Strawberries, PB, Chocolate
49. Last Movie You Watched? Notting Hill (the movie I watched before that was Spiceworld--don't tell!)
50. Favorite Day of The Year? this is obvious: CHRISTMAS
51. Scary Movies or Happy Endings? Happy Endings, DUH!
52. Summer or winter? I' gonna be dificult and write FALL because we have that here in MN
53. Hugs OR Kisses? On it!
55. What Is Your Favorite Dessert? Cold Stone, Chocolate Cake, any dessert from Cafe Latte
56. Who Is Most Likely To Respond? hmm
57. Who Is Least Likely To Respond? hmmm
58. Living Arrangements? Ha at home, yesssssss
59. What book are you reading? The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs
60. What's On Your Mouse Pad? laptop: No mouse pad
62. What Did You Watch Last night on TV? Gilmore Girls
63. Favorite Sounds? any music that has a stellar beat
65. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Beatles
67. Special Talent? cherry stems into a knot with the toungue!

Don't ask me about the numbering systems, I didn't do it!

Tomorrow is my Peace Corps interview AND I am going to see "Intimate Apparel" at the Guthrie (thanks Jonnie!), yahoo!

I am going to Tracy Chapman in 48 hours...AHHHHHHH!!!!!

life is always around the corner

It's crazy all the things you do during an unwanted two week vacation....Well, not unwanted, just forced. HA!

I am pumped to start my new job at Marshall Fields, and since I start most topics with a TA (Trick-Ass: adj. term of endearment, craptasticness, contextual interpretation) I now work at TAMF!!!! I am excited to meet the new people there and to really see if I like it or not, which is truly what I do not know at this point. Either way, it will be fun to be around people my age, go on skyway adventures :), and just do the downtown thing.

My new plans in life, and watch out, becaue they change daily! One, is to join the Peace Corps after I work at TAMF for about a year or when I get done paying off my loans. Then, I will embark upon the PC journey, hopefully to an awesome country, a list of my favs with programs I am interested in are: Senegal, Bulgaria, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Macedonia, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Mali, Romania, Ukraine, Jordan (!!!), Morocco (!!!), Bangladesh, China, Thailand, or Cameroon!!! Mostly I want to go anywhere! I just can't get the feeling of civil service out of my mind, its is just insane! All the time I am thinking about being in another country, learning a new language, being a part of successful and sustainable development initiatives! Yeah! The thought is so tantilizing and exciting!

The PC is cool becuase after my return I would love to go to Duke Universty for the Masters in International Development Policy (umm...SCHWING!) which prepares professionals for service in the goverment and in international development policy. Note* you need an econ background to be in this program (ON IT!) and many of the students are from developing countries who are coming to be educated to return to their country to work on development issues there. Umm....COULD I BE MORE EXCITED?!?!?

All in all, who knows if this will go through. Still, it is nice to have a slight plan, even thought, duh, knowing me, it is subject to change.

who does that?

I have learned a lot of things in the past two months including, but not limited to:

1. It is good to freak out once-in-awhile
2. I have sweet friends
3. Retail?! Oh well, here I come Marshall Field's
4. Arabic Music is KICK ASS
5. My pals from the U of M have stellar bday celebrations
6. Nicollet Mall is my new friend
7. Peace Corps- hmm...
8. I really like NYC
9. LSAT or GRE?
10. The WBL library is STELLAR
11. Hindi/Arabic lessons, here I come (well, must find teacher!)
12. I heart India
13. Nancy Drew- Social Commentary from the 1930s....priceless
14. New iPod, New Job, New Life
15. YoYo Ma + Brahms= a schwingably delicious combo
16. You gotta keep score with yourself
17. Operation: get out of America

Crazy, non? Who knows, I am pretty darn insane! Meh, it is good to wander on the road of life.