I was on one of my anti-social trends this week, and I used RV being out of town and me wanting to save money as an excuse. Last night, with a little bit of prodding, I was out and about with a dear friend [Hi Keane!], doing what we do best – crashing ["networking at"] tech parties! He’s in the social media industry AND was invited, so not technically crashing.

It was not too far away [ideal because the weather in SF has not been friendly lately] and a lot of fun. We caught up with a few people I hadn’t seen in awhile. At the end of the night, we threw up his Christmas decorations under the influence of drinks and amusement.

Good times.

Last weekend, we drove down to Carmel Valley to see Melanie and her choir, The Choral Project, sing. We followed the lovely performance with an equally awesome dinner with friends at Passionfish. Of course, some time during that weekend, I volunteered at the SPCA. A few of the dogs that’d been there for awhile have been adopted, which is awesome. I’m skipping out this weekend because I’ll be in LA.

Tonight, I’m hopping on a plane to join RV there. We’re staying with Jen and Alex in their new-to-us apartment that they were in the process of moving into the last time we were down there. Not sure what the plans are for this trip (other than a fabulous wine and cheese party at Amanda’s), but it’s always fun to head out of the city and see some friends down south. We might stop by Pasadena since I’ve always found it a lovely place. It’s sure to be decked out in holiday spirit.

(Parts of this entry were updated using the Wordpress app for the iPhone, and some were updated while on Virgin’s free wifi, courtesy of Google – just sayin’!)

While it is my belief that one should be thankful for the people, things, and circumstances in life every single day, it always gives me the warm fuzzies this time of year. For the folks who do not or are unable to express their gratitude all the time, it’s their chance.

Anyway, this Thanksgiving and of course, every day, I am thankful for: family, friends, good health, security and stability, RV, a paying job, San Francisco, etc. So much has changed from one year to the next. I am thankful for that because it only gets better and better.

Today, I had to go to my manager’s house to pick up a binder. Long hours are expected for tomorrow because it’s all coming to an end. I’m going to be so happy when it’s over and out of my mind.

I’m falling behind in terms of duty as a friend. I’m not physically there for some. I feel pretty shitty about that. It’s like if I balance a few things, other things are neglected. It’s like I catch up in one area and then fall terribly behind in another.

I just can’t seem to get it right at the moment.

RV has told me that on two separate occasions that male friends of mine have basically upon meeting him, told him that if he ever hurts me, they will kick his ass.

I think that’s hilarious.

I’m not that fragile, people!

I love my friends.

I turn 27 in one week! Not really a big deal, but it’s another year gone by. Wow, this year has flown by with a lot of changes. Who’d have thunk it? New friends, new guy, same job, but at least I’m farther along in my exams than ever before. I’ve been a little less motivated these days, which I need to work on. Must get back into gear. I lasted an entire year without a real lengthy vacation. I should pat myself on the back for that one.

I’ve been celebrating all month long, and this coming weekend is going to be a madhouse. The parents are leaving for vacation on Wednesday, so there is even less pressure for me to stop in at home for dinner. After all, neither Donna and I will be cooking. What remains is checking in on the dog and making sure that she’s fed. I plan on cleaning house a bit, so people can actually come over, and then I’m not such a bad doggie parent after all.

A year ago, my friend Christopher asked me, “What makes you happy?” and for a week, I dove into this sad realization that maybe I really had no clue. If he were to ask me the same question now, it would probably revolve around the everyday activities and the people I have been so lucky to be surrounded by. They make the bumps along the road bearable. It’s funny how much can change in one year or even a month or a week, but I guess that’s just life.

It’s also funny how little a person’s life can change in a year’s time. Last year, I was pondering an MBA. I was not yet clear on when or where, but I was attending various MBA fairs to get to know the programs and the schools. A year later, I’m still there. I attended the Forte Foundation’s Forum: The MBA Value Proposition last night, listened to a panel, and picked up some brochures. I’m not heading back until at least 2010, and who knows where my life will be then? What will I want to focus on in a few years?

I know that as of last year, I was particularly interested in Non-profit Management and Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR]. I still am now, but with the recent turn of events in the economy, who knows what areas of focus will stand out in the business world?

A snippet I read on JustMeans led me to this blog entry: Will Corporate Social Responsibility Survive the Bust? It led to some fairly interesting discussion with friends. Our conclusion was very similar to that of the author of the entry. While initially, companies might be tempted to cut back on spending on CSR programs, that’s what their investors will be focused on and will continue to ask their questions about. Just like the Sarbanes-Oxley work performed by accounting firms though, companies will cut back on their spending, not in the sense of reduction and removal, but more with the aim of increasing efficiency and effectiveness of programs. When they had the money, they could very easily dump money into creating x, y, and z. Without it, rather than dumping x, y, and z completely, they’ll need to streamline it all into an affordable package.

But that’s enough rambling from me…

In all seriousness, I was lucky that S didn’t really care that I blogged. He’d read it occasionally to check up on what stuff I was up to, but we talked nearly every day, so he knew all about it already anyway. We were big on communicating, so most of what I’d write about, I’d already talk to him about, or it would be the next topic of discussion. My closest group of friends now has access to this too, but I’m in contact with them all day, every day via some internet communication.

I tend to censor myself at times, only writing bits and pieces, and most likely speaking in a language that makes no sense. Out of sight, out of mind. I’ll be the one reading it in the future, and with how poor my memory is, if I didn’t blog about it, it didn’t happen! And usually, I’m not the one with the crazy experiences.

I’ve already plugged my friend Amanda’s blog a bunch of times. She has outrageous stories, and I love her for that. Recently, I talked my friend Melanie into checking out an online dating site. Needless to say, funny stories/experiences have also found themselves onto her blog. Her latest is in regards to some message a guy sent her through the site. It’s ridiculous, and he’s lucky she didn’t plaster his profile all over the internet! Check it out at Operating in Consciousness.

I’m living vicariously through these two…

A bunch left early from the party that we were at, but it was still a great time. I woke up the next morning, unsure of where I was. I never knew I was that kind of girl.