Finding a niche... and a job...

I vlogged! Finally!

Dane M. — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 02:25:20 +0000

Here’s my first attempt at video blogging:

Let me know what you think!

I was right!

Dane M. — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 22:46:19 +0000

I got a job! I knew there were good things on the way for me, and I was right. I got a call back from a place that I interviewed in February, and after an interview, I was offered a job! So that starts tomorrow. I’m really excited to get started in a full-time “grown up” job.

I was also the best man in one of my good friends’ wedding yesterday. It was a great ceremony and a fun night. My speech went over pretty well, I think. I know I’m too hard on myself but I was kicking myself that I freaked when I realized how long I had talked (3 minutes) and left out my “bring it home” line.

I started p90x on Tuesday as well. It has really been kicking my butt, but it’s giving me some direction with my workouts and my eating. It’s really nice, and I think it’s gonna give me some results. I’m starting a different blog to talk about that (unless you think I should put pictures and talk about it here… but I thought that would be a bit much), so stay tuned for that.

I’ll let you know about the new job later in the week!

A need to start over.

Dane M. — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:53:51 +0000

I’ve hit another rut in my road to trying to become an adult. I’ve found myself some employment for the time being at a retail store that I spent a lot of time at in years passed. Working there gives me way too much time to think about my life, and I find myself pondering myself into circles… about the decisions I’ve made, places I’ve gone, things I’ve done and not done, and I land in a big pile of regret.

I don’t like being a regretful person. I don’t think I have anything that I should really feel bad about in my past in terms of decisions, other than maybe not making the most of the possibilities placed in front of me. But somehow, when one is given a chance to spend hours a day thinking about them, regret seeps in.

It’s time to make a map. A plan. Where do I want to be? How will I get there? What is a realistic goal for when I can have the things I want to accomplish accomplished? These are questions that I will be spending the next few days asking myself, before I actually draw a map to put on my wall and on my computer desktop. I want to see it daily and work hard to get to where I want to be.

Pep talk city, population me.

Yes, yes… I know it’s been a while.

Dane M. — Sat, 01 May 2010 05:53:02 +0000

So I’ve been slacking. I wanted to do a vlog to talk about my life and what’s been going on for you (to try to do something different), but it’s a bit late, and I won’t subject you to that.

Since my last post, I got a job, decided it wasn’t for me and left that job. It was a retail sales job, one that took a lot of personality traits that I don’t have (outgoingness, pushiness, etc). I think that job would be great for a lot of people, but I was definitely not the person for the job. They were nice about it, and I’m glad, because I knew I would be miserable there for much longer than the less than a week I was there.

I have since gone on to get rehired to work at Target, doing something very similar to what I had going before I left to work at Maritz in September 2008. It’s a nice temporary job for me, giving me the means to make rent/utilities.

There are some other updates that could potentially fit here, but I think it’s best to wait for a bit. I’ll keep you posted… better than I have been recently.

Look at it this way… only a matter of time before you get to see my smiling face telling you about my life. That’ll get you through the weekend.

Big things on the horizon…

Dane M. — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:12:07 +0000

It’s been pretty quiet around here since my last post, and I apologize for that. I’ve found myself spending more time off my computer for the simple fact that being on my computer makes me feel less productive than it should right now. I spend a couple hours on here each day looking for jobs. I’d really love to say that there was some progress on the job front, but as of right now, there has been nothing. As the title indicates though, I can feel something good coming for me soon.

Recently, I’ve been passing my time watching the Olympics and playing/coaching hockey. I play Wednesdays and Fridays with my roommates and a buddy of mine and his girlfriend. We always have a good time, and it’s a nice way for me to get back on the ice so that I’m ready when I find a team to play for again. My college teammates that are in STL put together a team to play on Monday nights, which has been a great time as well.

I’ve been working on a couple different blogs. I want to write one about my college experience that will be a little more in depth than what most of my content here has been, but I think I’ll enjoy finishing it and you’ll enjoy reading it. I also want to talk to my dog a little bit more, and I’ll do my best to get that on film for you.

Introducing… Puck Dog!

Dane M. — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:51:01 +0000

Anyone that is my friend on Facebook or has talked to me and had the subject of dogs come up has more than likely heard about my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Puck. I had to stop by my house today to visit him, because my mom is in Breckenridge, CO, and Puck has a pretty bad case of separation anxiety.

While I was there, I took a little video of him to introduce him to my blog readers. Be on the look-out for a full-length interview with him in the next few days. He’s trying to make some time to pencil me into his schedule. In the mean time, meet Puck.

If you have any questions you would like asked of Puck during my interview, leave them in the comments!

N.B. I am very obviously my mother’s son, so know that talking to the dog is not an uncommon thing for me. I promise I’m not crazy. Puck’s just a great conversationalist.

My long overdue 2010 post…

Dane M. — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:00:35 +0000

My life has been shaken up quite a bit since the last time you heard from me. Things haven’t necessarily been bad – mostly just different. Different can be a challenge for me, as I sometimes appreciate a routine much more than I let on. My routine is gone. In its place is the beautiful chaos of limitless freedom and opportunity, coupled with the terrifying reality of financial ruin.

My internship at Standing ended on January 15. The goodbyes were hard, as it was such a fantastic team to work with. I’m indebted to them for everything they gave me – career advice, professional experience and life coaching. Great friendships as well. My time there will not be forgotten.

That said, now I am in a place that I haven’t been since the day I got my driver’s license – unemployed. I am not job searching like it’s my job. In the mean time, I am applying for jobs waiting tables or tending bar. I know something great is on the horizon for me, but it’s stressful to not know what it is slash when it’s coming.

My freedom has allowed me the opportunity to work on some of my goals for this year. I will list some of them below, while others are more for me and will stay that way.

The primary goal has been to get myself back in shape – maybe not the kind of shape that I was in during college, because that was a full-time commitment for me at that time, but definitely in better shape than I am in now. I’ve played hockey competitively a couple times in the past week or so for the first time since April, and it’s amazing how far I’ve fallen behind the competition. It’s time to get back on it. To quantify this goal, I want to lose 20 pounds by April 1, which would be 2/3 of the weight that I’ve put on since college. It’s going to be tough, and I know that I’m going to hate it. But I’ll do it.

The other goal that I want to share with you is that I’m working on my communication with people. I have a tendency to be very awkward to talk to in some cases, and so I’ve been working hard in the past weeks to get better at making small talk with people and to stay in touch with my friends a bit better. I am very guilty of “going dark” on some people, and I don’t want to do that out anymore.

Things you can look forward to from me here during 2010:
- Pictures! I got a digital camera for Christmas, so I’ll be starting to chronicle my life in digital images, and I’ll be sure to share some of the best of those with you.
- More posts! I am going to work to make sure that I post here at least once a week, if not more.
- Video! I’m going to build the nerve to use my iSight camera to do some video blogging here, as well as (hopefully) using a Flip camera to show you more of my life, including hockey.
- A very exciting side project! I’m in the process of working with a friend on a great project that you’ll be hearing a lot about very soon. You’ll hopefully be just as excited about it as I am.

I hope the holidays and the beginning of 2010 found you well, and I hope your resolutions are closer to becoming part of your life than they were January 1. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

New Year…

Dane M. — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:18:40 +0000

I promise that I have a post coming with my resolutions, goals and plans for 2010 coming, as well as some other exciting news. I’m just getting over the flu and the holidays, so my life is slowly settling into some semblance of order. When it does, I look forward to sharing with you, dear nameless reader.

Something about a book and a cover

Dane M. — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:53:36 +0000

Starting at 12 a.m. this morning, I had convinced myself that today was going to be horrible. I just knew it. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t lay still. I just wasn’t comfortable in my own skin. As I laid there, trying to sleep, all I could think about were the things that I should be doing… the things I’d rather be doing.

Hours and hours started passing. I was watching the clock the whole way. My outlook for today deteriorated each time the clock on my dresser, set 20 minutes ahead of real time, ticked by another minute.

Then, it was this morning. “Great… here we go,” I thought as I crawled out of bed 25 minutes later than usual, having hit the snooze 8 times and resetting my early alarms for times after I should be out of the house. I knew it was cold outside. I knew I had ice on my windshield. I knew today was out to get me.

But everything I spent my night dreading seemed to shrink in magnitude this morning. The ice on my windshield was just snow, which came right off. My drive to work, which started 15 minutes later than usual, was 15 minutes shorter than usual. “Stairway to Heaven” was waiting for me when I started my car this morning, thanks to a Christmas present from my sister.

I was the first one in the office. I have more energy than normal, and though today will probably be powered by caffeine, I’m ready for it.

Maybe, like Ice Cube would say, today is going to be a good day after all.

The grandest of ambition…

Dane M. — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:18:35 +0000

… is often coupled with a lack of follow-through in my point. Sometimes I have a hard time coming through with the promises that I make – whether they are made to myself or to someone else.

I had grand ambitions at the beginning of last month. I told myself that I was going to get a lot of things done, and most of those things did not happen. I need to make some progress on many of those things.

The biggest thing that needs to happen in my life right now is that I need to find a job. My internship ends on Dec. 31, so as of the first of the year, I will be unemployed. That is terrifying. As someone that worked retail for 6 years (during high school and college), I don’t really feel like I want to subject myself to that again. I feel the same about bartending, but I think that would be the most favorable thing, if I can’t find a good public relations/communications job. It’s really just a matter of getting my resume out there as much as I can and showing all these people how great I am. Right? Right.

The workout thing is the other big thing that I need to address right now. My cousins were talking today about doing a half marathon in April, and I might sign myself up for that, torturing myself through training and preparation, despite the fact that I loathe running. I need something to jump-start my desire again.

Anyway, it’s Saturday night, so I should be doing something other than blogging. I hope everyone has a wonderful evening. I should be posting again tomorrow!