Bull in a china shop.

Hopefully, I can make my blogging more of a consistent endeavor for awhile. Blogging goes in phases for me... I'm really good for about 2 months, and then life happens and I'm much more interested in living and experiencing life than I am about writing about what I am experiencing. Half the time I can't remember the exact sequence of events.

Lately, I've been making a dent in our couch when I'm not working. My lazy behind has had very little motivation to do much of anything on my days off. I finally went grocery shopping last Sunday.. at Costco.. I probably bought more than I should have, but I didn't have a whole lot of food left. There are only so many things I can mix with quinoa before I just get plain bored. So, I finally got my butt off the couch and went grocery shopping. I still haven't bought milk.. Costco doesn't sell my Almond milk, and while our local grocery store is a mere 1.5 miles from my house, I still have yet to buy that milk. I miss cereal.

Anyway. It's Wednesday. It's my day off. I decided I did not want to do any errands today. Surprising? No, not really. If you knew me, you'd probably be saying... that's about right. I did clean my room a bit. Cleaned the bathroom a bit. Then I decided instead of making another dent in the couch with my rear end, that I would make a new dent in one of the chair/couch things at Starbucks. Something about coffee houses that make me want to blog. Also, the pleasant classical music makes me pensive.

Starbucks is getting crowded. This one gentleman asked to share my table and rest his coffee on it while he enjoyed a book. Honestly, I have no clue what he really said, I have headphones on, but I assumed he was asking to use the chair... either that or maybe he was asking if the chair was clean... or if I was selling the chair... or if his imaginary friend could use it... the possibilities are endless. There are so many i's in the word possibilities. I really need to focus on my screen when I'm typing it to make sure I got all the i's. Anywho.

We are sharing the table. I'm thinking... "oh perfect, this fine gentleman can watch my laptop while I use the restroom". He looked confused when I was getting up, and I told him I was just running to the restroom. I start getting up, my foot slips on the bottom of the table, and it slides forward. His coffee doesn't have the lid on.

Let me stop and say that my boyfriend often refers to me as the proverbial bull in a china shop. I'd say that phrase is pretty accurate to describe me. I'm a plain klutz. Sunday, I dropped his phone on the floor. Then, a few minutes later, I dropped my phone and accidentally kicked it across the floor. Same day, I smacked over a cup of water at his place onto the floor. Tuesday, getting out of my car, I dropped my phone on the ground at Wawa [the 7/11 of the east coast]. My poor phone has a crack in the case. THANKFULLY, it's only on the case. Meli, you have an iPhone now. It's not like your indestructible blackberry.

So, the coffee spills all over the table. Nice Meli. Earlier, I did that to myself when I was first sitting down at the table. And I thought to myself.. "man that would have sucked if my lid to my tea wasn't on." Thankfully, only a bit splashed on his jacket, and most of it stayed on the table. I ran to get napkins and was apologizing profusely. He was a nice man and didn't comment much on it. So I went and did my business in the restroom. Upon my return, he grabbed hold of his coffee and took it off the table. "I'm going to hold onto this while you do your dance to sit back down." Glad he had a sense of humor.



Look, they even have a board game for people like me. I need to learn how to be a butterfly in a china shop. Butterflies don't break things.

Oh, that's right. I have a blog.

Oh, hello there. It has been awhile. My apologizes. Quick recap of the negatives and positives of the past few months.

- So, I did not apply to grad school, much to my dismay. I can't keep getting my hopes up about going to grad school when I know, in my mind, I'm not where I want to be professionally. I'm not happy with my current job, and that has brought me down and exhausted me, making me less inclined to work on the grad school applications. So, unlike my previous post, which seems like ages ago [september], apparently telling everyone I'm going to do something doesn't make me really do that something. Just makes me feel like I failed... failed to motivate myself and kick my butt into gear. So, my bad.
+ I set my mind on a new goal for 2012. Maybe the grad school thing will happen next year. But, for now, I set a goal to do something I've come close to achieving before. Sub 2:30 half marathon! I've signed up for a half marathon on Saturday, May 26th. I'm also hoping to lose some of the weight that I've put on since working in a residential treatment facility. The food in RTFs are high carb high fat diets. Everyone gains weight in RTFs, both staff and clients. So, signing up for the half marathon has two goals in mind... completing the half in under 2 hours 30 minutes and getting back into the shape I was in prior to working in RTFs... aka before I moved to the east coast and it was too cold to run outdoors in the winter. =)
+ I met a very sweet boy... in a bar. Now, I have been warned that I shouldn't get my hopes up over meeting boys in bars, but ya know what? I found a good one. His name is Matthew Dylan. And he has dimples. I like his dimples. =)

That is pretty much what has been going on over the past few months. It has snowed once in Philadelphia... on October 28th. It is the middle of January and all we've had is rain. And an average temperature of 45 degrees. This time last year, Rhode Island was covered in snow. What the heck, global warming?! GO away, I like winter and snow. I want to snuggle with the boyfriend and watch snow flakes falling outside. What I don't want, is to get soaked and wet in January. Bah.

Ready Set Go!

My professor for my Theories of Personality class told us once that... if you tell enough people you're going to do something, you will most likely follow through. That way, you're not just letting yourself down if you don't follow through, you're also telling everyone else you told that you failed. So, to make sure I follow through with these applications and don't fail myself and others, I am turning to the blog world and informing everyone. I AM APPLYING TO GRADUATE SCHOOL FOR SOCIAL WORK. Easier said then done.

I have always known that one step in the grad school application process would make me stop short and procrastinate.

The essays.

They're so daunting. Most personal statements for social work programs involve talking about social work ethics, past experiences, why I have decided to pursue a degree in this program... and blah blah blah. I don't even know where to begin with them. I just bought a book off Amazon entitled "The Social Work Graduate School Applicant's Handbook: The Complete Guide to Selecting and Applying to MSW Programs." Hope it's helpful ha.

Today, I'll share the personal statement for the University of Denver. Looking at it now, there are sections that I feel like I could answer pretty well. Though, other sections just taunt me.

A. Rationale
Discuss the primary reasons for your desire to pursue your Master of Social Work (MSW) degree.
B. Attributes and Liabilities
Please identify your strengths, and briefly discuss any knowledge and/or skills that you might need to improve in order to successfully complete the requirements of GSSW’s MSW program.
C. Employment and Volunteer Experience
Please Identify and briefly discuss the relationship between your previous employment and/or volunteer experiences and your decision to pursue an MSW.
D. Education
Please discuss the relationship between your undergraduate education and your preparedness to complete GSSW’s MSW program.
E. Life Experiences
Discuss how your personal experiences have led you to a career in social work. Many people enter this field because of life experiences that have resulted in a desire to help others. Often these experiences can be transformed into passions and strengths that fuel one’s career or can impede one’s ability to develop professionally. Please include any relevant life experiences and the way in which you have dealt with them. Be advised that we are a strengths-based profession, and our interest is in seeing how people have coped with their life challenges.
F. Social Work Values and Ethics
Discuss how your personal values and experiences have prepared you to meet the ethical obligation of social workers to practice without discrimination and with respect, knowledge and skills related to clients’ age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation. How do your personal values relate to this ethical obligation? What are some experiences that you have had that demonstrate your willingness to fulfill this ethical obligation?

So. Average length of personal statements are 5 pages... and exceeding 7 pages is discouraged. Denver's application is due first, by January 16th. I guess I'll tackle this one first?

I'll be posting my progress on the applications here. Hope everyone here will help me out... offer feedback for these personal statements because they're a big obstacle for me.

Deuces.

On the road...

... to grad school!

I have been using the U.S. News Best Social Work Programs website as a start to my big grand research on different graduate schools in the country. So hard to narrow my list! Considering I will go almost anywhere in the US... well no correction. I will not go almost anywhere. I probably won't go anywhere near the south. Too many weather hazards and bugs. No thanks.

My list is still pretty extensive. Though, I started writing down deadline dates and information sessions at various schools. Curious?

The University of Denver. (costs an arm and a leg)
The University of Maryland, Baltimore. (realistic)
The University of Michigan. (#2 ranked social work school in the US. wishful thinking)
Rhode Island College. (surprising, right? Good program. And I fell in love with RI during those 10 months)
Portland State University. (back to the west coast, maybe?)

Maryland, Michigan, and Portland State all have the Peace Corps Masters International Program within the MSW program... makes the programs so much more attractive.

More to come. Just giving yall a sneak peek.

Time for work.

Untitled

We always spend our lives wishing we had what other people had... wishing we did what other people have done.

Who says we can't do that same thing? I always encourage others to do what they want to do.. and take a chance.

I like to think I've done that... taken a chance. Moved away from everything and everyone that was ever familiar to a foreign region... New England. Ha. Endured a whole lot of crap while working as an outdoor youth counselor with disrespectful and mean teenage boys. And after those rough 10 months, I've moved out of the woods and on to Philadelphia, to keep trying out new things and having new adventures.

But, now I've come to a stand still. I'm in a job that I dislike and I want to quit... and I'm finding that it is easier said than done... to just quit and find a new job these days. I have applied to countless places and barely hear back from them. Send my resume out into the void of the internet world and hoping my resume makes me shine and makes them call me. But, let's me honest, my resume isn't all that shiny when compared to other applicants.

So, I ask myself... now what? Good question, Mel. I have no clue. Though, in the back of my mind, I know what I need to do... what path I need to be taking now. My bachelors degree has only taken me so far, and now I think it's come time for me to get a higher degree. Masters degree, anyone?

My international pursuits can wait, I guess. The world isn't going anywhere, but if I don't figure out some path or plan for myself now, who knows where I'll go and what state I'll end up in.

One thing I do know... a masters degree will open up opportunities for my professional life that I only dream about right now. All I need to do now is get the courage to apply... and not be afraid for the possibility of rejection.

Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies.

So, I absolutely love to bake.

Now, why do I love to bake? Because it is something I know I am good at. I refuse to bake anything out of the box and/or use a premade crust. Everything I bake is 100% baked by Meli. Maybe except for the chocolate chips. Baking is easy because it's mindless work for me... I don't need to think too hard about what I am making. Just watch the ingredients and the amounts of each, and you're golden. And the chocolate chip cookies are golden too, ha. I bake when I'm feeling frustrated, anxious, nervous, bored, restless, ambitious, giving... the list goes on. We are having a housewarming bbq/party on Saturday, the 27th, and I will be baking for that, too! I'll be doing an easy recipe, because we are expecting a lot of people.

I haven't been adventurous with my baking in a while now... mostly sticking to recipes I am familiar with and tweaking them slightly. My most ambitious attempt within the past year were my Butterfinger Cheesecake Bites. They were divine. Who describes food as divine? If you tasted these, you can't help but say they're divine. Unfortunately, no one reading this or anyone else can attest to how amazing those bites were... I baked them for my EYA group, the Manitous, back almost a year ago, either September or early October. I need to recreate these scrumptious desserts soon.



I especially love this one recipe, Happy Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies, taken/adapted from VegWeb.com. It is an easy recipe to follow, with not that many ingredients, and it is easy to change it and add/remove some things. I have made everything from cookies, to brownies, to muffins with this one recipe. Right now, I am tweaking the Happy Vegan cookies, turning them from cookies into mini muffin-like cookies. Baking in a muffin pan makes them fluffier and softer, instead of crunchy. My first time using this oven at my new place. We'll see how it ends up! I am using Jessica's birthday gift as well (well one of them, anyway). She bought me a cooling rack, and only a baker would get excited about a gift like that, because I haven't had one in the past year since I moved away from California. This recipe is also easy because there are no ingredients in it that really require cooking. You could eat this batter raw and not have to worry about the eggs. It's dairy-free! Well mine sometimes don't end up dairy-free because of the chocolate chips I use. A few times, I have covered a few rolled up balls of batter with powdered sugar, and thrown them in the freezer. My sister particularly loved them this way, it was a delicious frozen dessert, great with ice cream.

Well. First time using this oven for my baking. Success! Hope the roomies and coworkers enjoy my cookies. I had to try one for myself, hence the half eaten one in the picture. Also, to show how the inside looks. Scrumptious.


Ciao, friends. =)

Been a little M.I.A... =)

Hi friends.

It has been a long time, hasn't it? A lot has happened since I last wrote! I can't even remember what I wrote last, it has been that long. I've finally returned... hopefully returning more consistently now that I'm getting settled in my new house! The most recent update first, I guess.

We moved! From Manayunk to Conshohocken. Jessica and I were tired of our hot apartment, 3 flights of stairs, and crappy parking that Manayunk had to offer us. So forget you Manayunk, we're leaving! So we moved to Conshohocken, into a beautiful house. Where the parking is magnificent and comes with little traffic thanks to avoiding the dreaded Conshohocken curve on the 76, because we no longer have to drive on it. Yay. It is a 3 bedroom + basement, a block of the main street called Fayette, which has a bunch of things to walk to, which was a requirement to move anywhere. Jessica took the master bedroom, Jason (our newest roomie!) took the bachelor pad basement, and I have a smaller room across from Jessica. Since I took the smaller room, I sort of get 2 rooms, because the 3rd bedroom is tiny as well. Though, it'll be more of a tv room/lounge for everyone. I just get the closet hah. Currently, my room is furnished with Ikea furniture, because, let's face it, everyone loves Ikea. I am still sleeping on a futon mattress because I cannot bring myself to spend tons of $$ on a bed just yet So for now, I'm on the floor. Though, I finally have a dresser and bedside table/book shelf. It is strange to finally unpack.. means I'm not going anywhere for awhile.

I've become pretty much a Philadelphian.. I was forced to become a licensed driver, get new car registration and plates, and new insurance.. all in Pennsylvania. My goodness.

In other news, I am a working gal, finally. The 2 months off were nice, but, let's face it, I don't do well with idle time, I need some stimulation. I'm on my 3rd week of work at Devereux... and so far, so good, I guess. I'm on the fence when it comes to if I am happy or not. I'm okay, settling for now, I guess. The job itself is working with adolescent females in a residential facility that have various behavioral and emotional problems. I am trying, but my co-workers aren't the best at training. So, we'll see how I do, I guess.

I visited home, [L.A.] over a month ago now, and it was a pleasant trip home. The 2 weeks flew by, and they were filled with a trip to Disneyland with a friend and cousins, and lunches with aunts and friends from all over. I even got to play soccer with my old soccer team, because they love me. It was exciting.

Let's seee. What else. I am just about a quarter of a century old. Birthday is this Thursday! For everyone that forgets my birthday back home... it's our area code! 8.18 =) Celebrating with a trip to Cheesecake Factory, because I want to splurge and enjoy cheesecake, then wandering over to our favorite Thursday hang out, Plaza Azteca, to enjoy some margaritas and karaoke!

So, that's all folks. Pictures of the house to come soon. For now.. I'll leave you all with this. =)