when I grow up

I want to write. I decided that firmly today. It's what I think about doing the most and it's what makes me feel the most fulfilled in my daily life. Not that I've completely given up on my event planning career aspirations - I definitely still want to plan weddings and parties and maybe even fashion shows. But, I need to write. It's what keeps me going day to day, and it's what keeps me from going insane (or at least completely insane).

My current job as the special events coordinator for a law school is a great starting point. It's my first real job out of college, and I've been there for over a year now. I'm getting a ton of event-planning experience, meeting a lot of really wonderful people and truly learning what goes into planning and running different types of events. But for the past few months, I realize this is not my be-all end-all. I am working in the development office, and what we do is alumni relations and fundraising. I don't want to be a fundraiser. Definitely not. I didn't know that when I started. I also didn't know my job would be so directly related to fundraising when I started. But I guess that's what jobs are about - especially in the beginning. We learn what we want and don't want to be doing. We learn what we're good at and what takes a little more effort. We learn about different types of bosses and co-workers. We learn what's worth it and what is definitely not. We learn. And we hopefully continue to learn and grow until we're ready to retire.

I guess I always knew I wanted to write. I did major in journalism in college, after all. But I definitely don't want to be a journalist. No no. Getting "the scoop," interviewing experts, constantly being on short deadlines, reporting at the very lowest level (and for the very lowest pay) - definitely not for me. But I truly just love to write. Write about what I know and what I'm interested in. Write about learning. Write about discovering. Write about life.

So now what? I want to write. Who cares? A million other people in this world want to write - and are really great at it. How can I get out there and really affect people with what I have to say and how I say it? I don't know. I guess it's time to try and find out.

(Any suggestions, connections or help are whole-heartedly welcome.)

here goes...

So I've been wanting to start a blog for some time now, but in all honesty, couldn't make a decision about a title. The title for any piece of writing sets the tone for the entire work. Choose the wrong title and you risk ruining whatever you write after that all-important one-liner. So, as you can see, it's a big committment; one I just could not make. But today I decided to throw caution to the wind and came up with what you see - "work in progress." I'm not entirely sure I'm convinced it's the perfect title, but I think it's appropriate for how I'm feeling and what I'm about these days.

I'm going to break it down, because that's something crazy people like me do. The phrase "work in progress" has all sorts of connotations - continually improving and changing, moving forward, incomplete, unfinished. But if you break it down you see the word "progress" on its own means so much more - according to http://www.m-w.com/ (one of my favorite go-to web sites back in my Lehigh copy editing days), progress as a noun is first defined as "a royal journey marked by pomp and pageant" or "an expedition, journey, or march through a region." Wow, talk about heavy. And as an intransitive verb? "To develop to a higher, better, or more advanced stage." Progress - Great. Wonderful. Perfect little word. So there it is - I am a work in progress and I work in progress. (more to come on that later.)

Just in case I didn't thrill you with the breakdown of my blog title and you're not impressed by my wit, here are some other options I considered:

• cab driver, take me home
• she'll chew you up
• bareboned & crazy
• she screams in silence
  

Any takers? Any other suggestions? I am open to them, but the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced "work in progress" is perfect. Yeah. Progress. Aweeeeesome. (shoutout to mayanot 41!)