Unemployed? Quite frankly, I'm JEALOUS!

Because no one's going to blame you for being a "slacker" now.

So I know this may sound weird. I'm the all-around "career woman" with ambition and motivation and all that. I'm totally grateful that I have found myself in a financially secure (as secure as anyone can be, I suppose) position this year and for the upcoming summer, and I worked darned hard to get here. I know there are plenty of other people who have also been working hard all their lives and now find themselves in an unfortunate circumstance. Believe me - a lot of them are my friends, peers, family members, so I understand. I will help anyone to the extent that I am able in finding an internship (see previous post), offering tips for a phone interview, or suggesting follow-up tactics.

However, at this time in our nation you can get away with not having a job or, for that matter a career path. No one can blame you and there are so many interesting and off-beat opportunities bubbling up that I wonder whether I shouldn't be a bit jealous.

For example, the ability to travel cheaply makes month-long European adventures a plausible reality for my soon-to-be-post-grad peers. For some who are continuing school, a restaurant or sales job may be in the making. As much as I despised the restaurant industry while I was in it, few can argue that a summer gig which leaves plenty of room for days at the beach and nights at the bar leaves little to be desired. Finally, I am now thinking back to years ago when I was a summer camp counselor, and before that a summer camp kid. Entering the professional arena, I may never have another chance to roast marshmallows around a campfire while signing "Kumbaya" with guitar accompaniment, or listen to my kiddies sing an a capella rendition of "How Great Thou Art."

Point being, if you're "jobless" and lacking in direction, you're not only not alone but you'd better realize your fortune. Since there are so many others in your situation right now, no one's going to blame you anymore for not having your career plans worked out 6 months before you graduate.

Stay tuned: if you need more ideas about productive uses of your newly-discovered free time, you'll enjoy my next post.

Hope's Chest: Do You Have Old Prom Dresses?

The teens at my church in NJ are working with the community to collect lightly worn, cleaned prom dresses, long evening dresses, nice bridesmaid dresses and accessories (evening bags, shawls, formal shoes and costume jewelry). These will be given to juniors or seniors who may not be able to afford new gowns for the 2009 Proms. Please help give these young ladies the prom of their dreams by bringing your lightly-used dressed back from the winter break with you.

I will accept your donations during the spring semester before the donation days on Sat., 3/21/09 and Sun., 3/22/09. St.Barnabas Church is located on 142 Sand Hill Road, Monmouth Junction NJ, 08852, so you can also bring them there between 9am - Noon if you are nearby. For more information, visit the Church's website at www.stbarnabas-sbnj.org or get in touch with Wanda Garrin wandagarrin@verizon.net or Linda Grant lindag@comcast.net.

Girls from the expanded community (South Brunswick, North Brunswick, Trenton, New Brunswick, Franklin etc…) are welcome to these dresses until our inventory runs out. Students must present a valid ID. "Shopping" days are Sat., April 18, 2009 and Sat., April 25, 2009 from 10 am – 1 pm at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church.

Play, Play, Pray

Carnevale is officially over now, but I posted some Venice photos - stolen from Facebook, courtesy of Denise - in my Picasa album.

*Teaser*

From La Dolce Vita: Month Two

The Chinese New Year was this weekend, so on Sunday there was a celebration in Piazza del Popolo. Pictures also posted from that.

From La Dolce Vita: Month Two

For Ash Wednesday (exactly one week ago), a few of us attended service at a cathedral called Chiesa Pontificia di San Gioacchino ai Prati di Castello. Yep, that's the whole name. It was all in Italian but I understood a great deal of the sermon, which was predictably about the meaning of Lent and that it is a time to return to the Lord, not just to give up a bad habit.

The cathedral was beautiful and "la cenere" (the ashes) were placed on our hair, accompanied by the traditional phrase: "Ricordati che sei polvere e in polvere tornerai" (Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return).

Taken from the bulletin:
• La cenere ricorda che siamo niente, siamo polvere, siamo creature; è simbolo di caducità e di penitenza. L'uscire dai nostri posti per ricevere te ceneri esprime la nostra volontà di impegnarci in questi quaranta giorni nell'ascolto della parola del Signore e nella conversione.

My (fairly literal) translation:
• The ashes remind us that we are nothing, we are dust, we are creatures; it is symbolic of our falling and of penitence (of sins and penitence). The going out of our place (out of our way) to receive ashes expresses our desire of undertaking in these 40 days in listening to the word of the Lord and in the conversion.

My (interpretive) translation:
• The ashes remind us that we are nothing, we are dust, we are but creatures; it is symbolic of sins and of penitence. By going out of our way to receive ashes, we express our desire to undertake in these 40 days of Lent the listening to the word of the Lord and self-conversion.

Aided by Webster, now I can see the problem professional translators have in keeping the fidelity of the words versus expressing their meaning as un-clumsily as possible. Nevertheless, you get the point.