Any of you who follow me on snapchat will know that this comes as a devastating blow.
I love my job. I love the company, love the atmosphere, love the people.
But mostly I love the people. Ive been here a year and a half and the dull moments were few. Since the beginning i loved my colleagues. there's certainly been some turnover, but ive enjoyed each stage of people.
I described it this way to a friend. In 7th grade you've got your home room. You go there everyday and you see the same fiends (not a spelling error) every day. its comforting, and you secretly start looking forward to it. Engage is my homeroom. With all the potlucks, dance parties, makeovers, chats, games, lunches, roasting sessions, youtube videos, and pranks, I've felt right at home.
Rosy retrospect to the max.
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| To be frank, my love for engage can never die. |
but even throwing in a pinch of realism, it's been a super fun job with lots of high quality human capital. im currently trying to low key convince at least 7 of the employees to leave Engage and start a company with me. At this point i have no idea what we would do but with this crowd we could get anything off the ground.
So to my Engage family--thanks you guys. It's been wonderful.
Now sadly, summer is coming to a close! so that is the only season worth living for so. sucks. It's been quite the adventure though this year. A healthy dose of both hard times and good times.
For starters, a new crew has arisen (you know who you are...). we are really into bachelor in paradise and also going to $5 movies on Tuesday nights. also cooking food but mostly eating out (boys love pizza and hamburgers i've learned. now i know why the mom cooks. because left to the dad a family will eat little caesars for eternity). This habit has been disastrous for my health but ok. I am alive. Maybe my quality of life [health] has been irreparably damaged but its the price you pay for running with the wolf pack.
But in true wolf pack fashion, we are a loyal bunch and last week a crew member had a birthday. If you know me, you know i mean business when it comes to birthdays.
I have a difficult time understanding people when they say "im not excited for my birthday"--but also I get a little bit excited when i hear it. because the very core of my soul sees a challenge to be embraced and overcome.
i then attempt to give said friend the BEST BIRTHDAY OF THEIR LIFE.
sometimes i am successful, sometimes i am not. the technique and goal requires a lot of meditation, forethought, and planning.
In order to succeed, you cannot just do what you would want--or what you think is fun. this is the detail many birthday-party planners overlook. instead, you must study your birthday boy/girl carefully and in a large variety of situations. Think back on previous interactions, important life decisions they've made, and off-handed comments they've thrown out. All of which will provide great insight into your subjects character, wishes, and desires.
*the off-handed comments are often the gold mine of creating a spectacular birthday celebration. living in these wistful words are the hopes and dreams of the birthday boy/girl, and they are often delighted that someone is astute enough to catch these most minor of details*
ask yourself: what do they like to do? what is their secret love or obsession? what are their hobbies? what is their myers-brigg personality? WHAT IS THEIR MYERS-BRIGG PERSONALITY. (this one has the potential to save lives and is especially important when determining if they are an extrovert or an introvert. You can almost kill an introvert with a fat guest list.)
Then you should figure out their love language. How do they like their love? Do they want presents? a really nice note? A kind service? these are a few of the elements one must take into consideration.
yes, this is time consuming. yes this is a lot of work. yes, you need to start about 6 months in advance. and yes, sometimes this is expensive (you will probably need to take out a smallish loan), but most of all, YES friendship is worth it.
Side note: i like to keep a journal with the names of all my best friends in it. you never know when creativity and ingenuity will strike, and a perfect gift will come to mind for a person you love. write it down, and when the time comes you are ready to give the best effin present ever.
Maybe this route isn't for everyone. but i love to make my friends feel special because I love to love my friends [and my fiends]. it's my MO--and I think i will write the author of the five love languages and tell them they need to make it 6 languages. the 6th is the celebration of birthdays. because that is for sure where i get off.
Happy new school year everyone.
my pro tip: honestly the bare minimum is good enough.
love Alaina
Important addendum: this is written v tongue in cheek. as per usual.
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