What will be my generation's legacy?

I was watching a movie the other night where Edgar Allan Poe & Mark Twain were quoted and I began asking myself who the great writers of today are and if their work will stand the test of time. That thought then manifested itself into the topic of today's blog, What will be the Gen Y legacy?

Are there Gen Yers out there creating masterpieces that will undoubtedly shape the minds of future generations? I don't know. Or will Gen Y be remembered more for not speaking in complete sentences, texting acronyms instead of writing love letters and founding the social networking scene that leaves its dedicated followers actually more anti-social and socially awkward than before? Perhaps.

Following the 40 year anniversary of the Woodstock ('69) festival, the question again surfaces the forefront of my thoughts, what will my generation leave behind, what will my kids think? Will our legacy, whatever it will be, be the source of documentaries and define what Gen Y is/was?

For the LOVE of deadlines

I love deadlines. I adore having things due at a certain time and relish in the accomplishment I feel once I can finally scratch it off my To-Do list!



One may ask, where does this love of deadlines come from? Has she always enjoyed timeliness? Is she a very organized person? Is she the type of person who's items all have their own place and notices when they're moved slightly to the right or left?



NO!



This is not me at all. I can't be certain where my love of deadlines developed but I can be certain where I honed this trait I love oh, so much. News. I am a former broadcast journalist who's life, for three years, depended on the very second of the day.



I grew up as a procrastinator and remember fondly my parents growing increasingly frustrated with me and my lack of understanding deadlines. I figured I'll get it done, who cares...right?! WRONG! I always got things done, but never done well.



This is where the news business stepped in and took over my life. I developed the skill of getting things done and getting them done well. My name was going on these stories that maybe a handful of people were watching (it was a small market) and if I was lucky, my face was fronting the story. So, I couldn't make it a complete mistake, it had to look good. This taught me how to prioritize and work quickly. I am grateful for my days in news. The humiliation that came with not getting something done (this only happened once) and what I learned from that. Most days I wish I only ever worked with people who were ex-newsies too.



If you've never had a hard deadline to meet, you don't know what a deadline is. Most people think of deadlines as flexible. No, no way, no how.



I did not make up a magical date and decide that's when a project is due. It in fact is due on the date of the deadline. Not two days later, not two months later and certainly not never. You should not have to send out "friendly reminders" to people you are expecting things from.



I have a planner, (it's a paper planner that looks like it was used in 1982 but it records information and deadlines the same as electronic planners) where I write things down and remind myself to do things. I wish others did the same.



Why is it that no one appreciates deadlines in business? Is this attitude just in nonprofit where the work atmosphere is lax to begin with? How can you make others appreciate your deadline?

Fast Forward Your Life

The other day while I was filling up my gas tank, an older man pulled up, got out and began doing the same. I was on a break from work and usually at these times, my mind is a black hole. So, I started thinking about what it would be like to know how your life turned out. Would people want to know or not? Would people do things differently or not? Would it make society a better place...probably not!

While I was staring at this man, I began thinking about the things he's been through in his life and whether or not he felt like he's experienced pretty much what he wanted to, or if he's like my generation and there was still a mile long laundry list of things he wanted to see, people he wanted to meet and places he'd like to go.

I wonder if I'll accomplish all the things I want to by the time I reach a certain age. And, if I don't how will I feel about it. My goals, aspirations and dreams have changed sevearl times over the past five or so years, but there are some sticking points that I'm holding myself to.

1. I've never had soft shell crab and desperately want travel back East and try it fried



2. I've never been to Europe but feel the need to go, see and do



3. I've never been married and would like to be, someday



4. I have no children but do have a dog, however don't want to be crazy dog lady



5. I really want to learn how to play a musical instrament, it's important to me but I'm not sure why



6. I'd really like to hike a 14er - I'm from Colorado -

Yeah, those six items don't really seem too difficult to fulfill but in 27 years, I have yet to do any of them. I wish I could fast forward my life to see what I actually do!

To be tested or not to be tested

Being tested for the BRCA1 & BRCA2 gene was something I was sure I wanted to do. That was before I received the paperwork from my insurance company. Now the questionnaire packet that is half filled out mocks me from atop my kitchen counter.


Is the hard part filling out DOD for my relatives, writing down what their cause of death or reliving the feelings that came with their death? No. I think what keeps stopping me from completing it is that I may actually find out if there's a good chance I'll have cancer someday. Then I'll have to do something about it.



I lost my Mother last June. She battled stage 4 ovarian cancer for 3 1/2 years before she passed away. It was/is/will always be the most devastating thing that could ever happen to me. I'm sure that if there's a way I could prevent myself from the devastation of advanced cancer I would do it, right?



Perhaps putting off the family history questionnaire is my subconscious telling me that I don't want to know. That I should just keep doing what I'm doing. Be proactive, go in for check-ups and demand thorough explanations and exams. But then I think of my Mother. She never missed a check-up, she was never really even sick. I'm torn, but a decision needs to be made before I'm no longer approved for this opportunity. I was sure. I had my mind made up, now I'm not so sure and even more confused than when I began.

What's wrong with just wanting to be friends?

What's so bad about just wanting to be friends? I'm certainly not talking about being friends with exes but instead, with people you've just met. I attended a young professionals event not too long ago and met some great people! I gave my business card out like it was on fire all the while thinking to myself what a great networking event I was attending.

Next came the emails asking me out. There are so many things wrong, on so many levels, with asking someone out via their work email.

1. My phone number is also on my business card, call me


2. I use my work email for work and my personal email for personal business


3. Get to know me, then ask me out

You may be asking yourself, how can I get to know someone if they won't go out with me? Well, I suggest happy hour invites. They're less pressure and definitely not a date. I'm not opposed to dating, but there are so many weirdos out there that I prefer to know the men I'm going out with rather than jumping at the first invite. Asking people you just met out makes things awkward and you can, well I can, never go back to being just casual friends.

I'm also not wanting to date at this point in my life. Truly, honestly, from the heart not wanting to date anyone. But when I tell a man this, I can tell they're thinking is a total crock and I'm feeding them some BS line.

There's a fine line separating friendship and dating, but what's so wrong with starting out being friends?!

Making a house my home

About three months ago I became a homeowner. This is actually a Good Sounding Idea that didn't/hasn't turned out Bad yet. The idea scared me, but paying nearly $1000 a month in rent for the next year scared me even more. I decided to take the plunge and after about four months of looking I found the perfect place. Perfect is a relative term, I guess. It's perfect to me, now anyway.



While I was signing the papers on the day of closing, the former owner told me about a bit of a mouse problem. Hold on, slam on the brakes. "A bit of a mouse problem." If I had known there was a mouse even walking near the townhouse I would have continued my search. I am terrified of mice. I can do snakes, spiders and bugs but not mice. It may be hereditary in that my Mother was not a mice person either. They give me the heebeegeebees and the thought of them sends me running.




I was screwed, I had already signed the papers when the former owner told me this news. Okay I thought to myself, I can handle this. Look at this fear head on and deal with it. The moment I packed my pen and papers away I was off to MY new home. I made a quick stop at Target to get the needed supplies and began my week's worth of cleaning. Every moment I was not working, I was at my new place cleaning. I went through three bottles of cleaning supplies, an endless number of rags and paper products but after a week it was clean. And, after patching several holes in the garage I am happy to report my townhouse is mouse-free. (I don't think it helped that the previous owner kept food in her garage and never cleaned the property in the entire five year period she lived there - but who am I to judge)



The next project to tackle was painting and getting new carpet. My sister, Dad & brother-in-law helped me paint over every surface in the townhouse. My Dad and I even ripped up the old carpet as a way to save money.




While there are still several projects that I want to do, I am, for the most part, in love with my home. I had all my friends over this past weekend to help me celebrate my hard work and break-in the new pad. Above are some before & after photos of my home. I do love saying that so I'll say it again, My Home!

Loving this song!

Does every group of friends NEED a blogger?

I met some friends at a charity event last night, Comedy Fights Cancer, benefiting the Denver area American Cancer Society. While we were waiting for the show to start I mentioned that I just started writing a blog. One of my friends, Annie, started laughing hysterically and my other friend Luz, stared at me with her jaw swinging open. Then both asked if I was serious.

When I asked why they had such strong reactions to the thought of me blogging Annie simply said, "No, it's not werid. Every group of friends should have a blogger and if anyone in our group was going to blog, it would definitely be you!"

Now, I'm not sure how I should take this! But I'm going to take it in a good way. While I'm still not sure the direction of this blog, I like the idea of it and will continue "trying it out".

Searching for Inspiration

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while now, but never could commit. That's what it feels like, this whole blogging thing, a bit of a commitment. Knowing that to have a successful blog, one must update frequently, however I finally think I'm ready for it.

I've been searching for a creative outlet since leaving reporting, yes I've been searching for nearly 3 years, and this may be it. I've never been one to journal. I feel silly sitting down and writing in a book but for some reason, don't feel that silly while writing today. Weird.

One of the most difficult things about beginning this blog was what the name of the blog should be. I did my homework, I searched Technorati looked at the suggested blogs listed on blogspot and even asked a few friends for suggestions. I didn't want one of those blogs that's obscure before it even has its first post. It wasn't until I opened my email and found the Urban Word of the Day starring at me, that I knew this is where my search should begin.

I looked through a couple of pages then came across the acronym GSBI or Good Sounding Bad Idea and knew I had found the name of my blog. For the record, the official Urban Dictionary term is as follows:
"An idea that sounds exciting or plausible, but upon further thought or execution is revealed to be astoundingly dumb and/or dangerous."
This defines many moments of my life and too many ideas to mention.

Often I come up with, what are at the time amazing ideas, then when it comes time to implement them, they're quite the opposite of amazing. I'm hoping that's not what this blog turns into, but only time will tell.