Spring cleaning

It's funny how springtime always makes me feel like it's not only time to clean out my closet but also clean out my life. And when I say clean out my life, I don't mean getting rid of anything in particular but re-evaluating things: I always get antsy when it starts to get warm again, when the flowers bloom and the trees are just starting to show new, light green little delicate leaves. It's a yearning for renewal in some shape or form, the creation of something new even if that means making the smallest of changes. What I do know is that my next step, career-wise, is either going to be grad school or a new job (this, btw, won't be until at least 2009. Also, my boss knows that I will not be at the Embassy forever - in fact he has urged me to think about the next step).

In either case, whether my next step is grad school or a new job, I am going to be extremely picky (90% of jobs on Craigslist do not appeal to me in the least) because I have to admit I have been incredibly spoiled at the Embassy. It really is the perfect situation for me: I use my French, I get to travel every now and then, I like my colleagues, I have a lot of autonomy in the type of research activities I do, I've met some very interesting people. Alas, it is not the type of position I can stay in forever since there is no room for advancement - unless by some miracle the French Foreign Ministry would let me bypass their entrance exam - and everyone needs new challenges and responsibilities. Somehow, though, I know that things will generally work themselves out - they always do, in the end, that's the optimist in me - because four years ago when I was graduating from college I never could have imagined I would be here, doing what I do. I feel in retrospect that I didn't know anything about anything when I was fresh out of college.

I'm also itching to take up oil pastels, drawing, watercolors again and I really need to devote some time to that soon. That, and maybe take a dancing class. That's also part of my yearning to create something new. I also really need to go to the seaside. Eat some crabs. Have a margarita. And finally learn how to cook & bake. I don't think I mentioned that the other day I tried to bake a lemon cake, and it was a total disaster. The whole apartment was full of smoke. I then tried to redeem myself by making blueberry pancakes, and they were undercooked. Needless to say, I am far from becoming Martha-Frickin'-Suzy-Homemaker-Stewart.