My Day, In a Nutshell

What I accomplished today, in no particular order:

~ Signed up 30 people for a password-protected area of one of our websites. (Each time I do this, the hardest part is coming up with unique passwords.)
~ Wondered if I'm ready for fall, and reminded myself that I really have no choice. 
~ With a great deal of help from my colleagues in the PR department, I came up with a quote from our CEO for a press release. (Incidentally, it was a press release about the aforementioned website.)
~ Purchased Guerlain kohl eyeliner that my friends at Fashionism.org have been raving about.
~ Confirmed a reservation for a department retreat.
~ Canceled one happy hour and planned another.
~ Email, email, and more email.
~ Discussed why Chicago would have been a great place for the Olympics, and why Rio may be better after all.
~ Decided that these yellow heels really DO match everything.

Time for Happy Hour. Happy Friday, everyone!

Quote of the Day

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”

~ Andy Warhol

Quote of the Day

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

~ Albert Einstein

Three quick photos to share...

About to run into a(nother) meeting, but it occurred to me that I had not shared any photos from my last-weekend-in-August getaway. My boyfriend and I were supposed to go on a cruise, but we missed the boat. Literally.

However, we managed to salvage our vacation by staying in the Bahamas for 3 nights, instead.

Poolside at the hotel:

The view from our dinner table at Compass Point:


I am a lucky, lucky girl.

Quote of the Day

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."
~ William James


(which is why this whole nonprofit thing really works for me....!)

Quote of the Day

"Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old."
~ Franz Kafka

Slouch

After my sophomore year of college, my first summer internship was at a Capitol Hill newspaper, where I was told to expect an "August Slump". As a fledgling reporter who spent a reasonable amount of her time chasing after members of Congress, asking substantive questions such as "Senator, what's on your summer reading list?", this meant that there would be no one around on the Hill of whom I could ask such deep questions. So, August was spent helping around the newsroom in other ways - which mostly consisted of answering phones and going through old clips for one reporter or another.

Fast forward to the internship I had one year after college, at my first public health non-profit. I was warned once again of this magical quiet time in August; but this time, as my duties were not related to Congress, my work load was more effected by coworkers vacations, rather than an absence of lawmakers. This internship became a full-time job, but when I experienced a lapse in my workload the following August, it turned out to be because I was being "phased out".

Oh well, I moved on! My next two positions were completely, totally and utterly disconnected from the comings and goings of the Hill - in fact, August was probably the busiest time for me in both of these jobs - yet I was still warned by supervisors and colleagues alike of this mythical August slump.

This will be my third summer at my current employer. Not once has anyone mentioned the slump of August. When I've asked my colleagues in the advocacy and outreach department about this so-called quiet period, they have looked at me as though I'm out of my mind. (More so than usual, okay.) My own work load ebbs and flows all year round.....

[Wed. AM]
... I had to stop working on this post yesterday because I was handed a large assignment out of the blue. And the point I was slowly making my way towards was that this may be the first summer that I've had a quiet August. Guess I was wrong. Carry on!