i unfortunately missed posting last week and will be posting a relatively short post this week (and yes, it's a couple days late...). things have been pretty hectic. i want to talk about two separate, unrelated things, neither of which are fully-formed ideas:

exams and presentations
this past monday, i had my first exam in my managing talent class. it was a group presentation and i was in a group of three. we all did a lot of meeting in advance of the exam and chatting/revising via email, so i think we felt pretty confident coming into the presentation. i also think we did relatively well, came off as confident and organized, and made good, thoughtful points. i actually really enjoyed doing the presentation and working in the group and i hope to have more opportunities to do this kind of thing in the future.

writing against my politics
for work this week, i have to write a review of a research article that makes a few points i deeply disagree with. just reading the article kind of grates on my political value system and i'm having a hard time thinking of how to write the review without pointing out the inherent flaws in the authors' frameworks. part of my job in this case though is to let it go and write through it, and i'm excited and nervous and annoyed at the challenge.

okay, more later. what an exciting couple of weeks.

raw and living

i may have mentioned in an earlier post that my husband and i are eating 70% raw these days. i actually have so much to say about it, so much so that i don't know where to start. eating raw has a ton of health benefits and for us, eating 70% raw involves eating a raw breakfast and lunch and a cooked dinner. technically, to make it 70%, we need to eat one raw dinner per week. eating raw gives me a lot more energy and i have an easier time concentrating both at work and with homework.

although my weekday meals are pretty simple, i.e. a raw juice for breakfast and a salad and snacks for lunch, i do at times try to make some fancier dishes. this weekend, two of my best girlfriends came over for lunch and i made a raw stuffed pasta dish. they also helped me to prepare a raw coconut pie (with a raw nutella layer) that was delicious. here are some pictures:


raw vegan stuffed pasta (click here for recipe)


raw vegan coconut pie (click here for recipe)

i feel like eating raw is changing my life in huge ways. i hope to talk more about raw and living foods over the course of the semester, but if you have questions, let's chat in the comments section.

doing what you love?

one of the books i had to read for my managing talent class this past week is the adventures of johnny bunko: the last career guide you'll ever need. it's a comic book, a super quick read, and also kind of entertaining. here's a trailer for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtRNiMZsTro. the book outlined five or six basic "lessons" for careers/futures, but the ones that really stuck out to me had to do with "there is no plan" and "however you plan it, it doesn't work out that way." in other words, planning your career long term really doesn't lead to much. the implication is that in the long run, you really need to do what you love and to work all of that out, you'd better not waste your time doing shit you hate.

i'm curious about how this applies to me. the truth is that i love what i'm studying, but i really very often feel disconnected from it, being that i spend at least 40 hours a week doing something else. it's not that i don't love/enjoy my job, but anyone can tell you -- it's not really how i'd like to be spending my time (though, of course, the paycheck, health benefits, and most important, tuition benefits don't hurt!!). even though i like school, i get so bogged down by the 9-to-5 office experience that when i come home, i find myself drawn to things that have to do with standing up and using my hands/brain in a very different way. this semester in particular, i've been really into making things, especially clothing and food. i have so much fun making stuff and eating/wearing/using it. is that what i really love? is it possible that i love making stuff more than i love school and rwl? i'm not sure what to do with this or how to really dissect it and i know that i've probably talked about this before, but i still don't have an answer. can anyone help me out with this?

i just can't figure out what it means or what it says about what i should do with my life! i mean, i'm in this program and there really is no turning back at this point, but if you were to ask me, "if you could do anything you wanted, what would you do?" i'd say, "write books, make clothes, and be a raw chef." how in the world does this lead to that? is it possible that once i'm in academic or the non-profit sector, i'll have more time to write books, make clothes, and be a raw culinary master (mistress?)? i just don't know.