Big Fish, Shrinking Pond?

Either the world's shrinking or we're getting bigger. Maybe both.

My roommate from freshman year, Bonnie, and I are apartment-hunting for post-grad. Our primary area for a place is Coolidge Corner. We both remember thinking how far away Mission Hill was from our freshman dorm 5 years ago, and now it seems like a quick walk. Coolidge Corner is sort of the same phenomenon. We still have lots of friends who see it as distant from our Back Bay/Fenway area, but since it was so clear/fairly warm today, we walked home down Longwood. The walk took less than half an hour.

Coolidge Corner, the Harvard Ave/Allston area, Brookline Village---all much closer than we realize, especially when walking or bussing. Taking the Green line inbound to go outbound, or walking to Hynes, makes the distances seem irrationally long. We all have a tendency to get caged in by the weather, but over the past few years in warm seasons here, it's interesting to find out how small and dense a city we live in. None of the distances are great, you can walk home from Harvard Square or the North End if you're feeling ambitious, and there's lots of great neighborhoods dotting the city. With the advent of GoogleMaps and IPhones, etc, there's no excuse not to wander and find all the great new places in your area, whether

It's not just a small physical world though. I stopped in at a friend's apartment the other night, and spotted a vaguely familiar face. Turns out it's a kid who was in a class I had dropped. We start talking, and I figure out another way I knew of him: another friend had suggested I get in touch with him last semester to work on a Model UN-related project. We exchanged contact info, and are planning to coordinate. Lots of my networks overlap, I run into people I know in odd places all over the city, and I'm hoping the networking pays off as the job search continues.

6 degrees of separation? It's been more like 1.5 lately. Maybe we just know all the right people, so they all know each other.

I like that my world is expanding, physically and personally, especially as I'm getting ready to graduate. I'm poised to get out of the college bubble and see the city and my network and my goals in an alternate light. I'm not content to stay in the same neighborhood. I'm loving meeting new people left and right. I'm starting to find job opportunities that speak to me. I'm figuring out how to present myself as the best person for the job. I don't want to leave my smaller world behind--I want to put it in my pocket and take it with me.

Things I Am Excited About (all deserving of capital letters)

• www.conjectured.com and www.workatjelly.com

The idea of a more organized coffee shop/idea swap experience is hugely attractive to me...I like surrounding myself with friends (usually studying or working on different topics than me) and feeding off the range of energy and ideas. Tempted to check out a Boston Jelly, especially if I get into...

• Consulting for my dad

His custom-design jewelry business could use overhaul in a few areas: PR, marketing, demographics, events, engaging the public, new media, rhetoric/message/branding, etc. We talked for a long time tonight about various ideas I have for the Pittsburgh audience, as well as branching out in various different directions. Nothing he adds to his business will hurt--it will only help or serve as a testing mechanism for future attempts. Plus, most of my ideas would be pretty low-cost--he could pay me or a young person with a similar background to do a lot of the groundwork for minimal money and with minimal supplies beyond a cellphone and a computer. Goal is to convince him to hire me (and actually pay me, something he is horrific at following through on) for the spring...

• Job hunting

Both petrifying and really exciting. Need to make lots of lists of fields/companies/inspirations/interests to research. Boston Best Businesses, using Danielle's connection to a career consultant, calling up all my old bosses, gathering together any actual skills and useful knowledge I've garnered from college, revamping my LinkedIn, blog, Twitter, happylist blog, etc to be useful demonstrations of my skills, and continuing to be excited about the things I'm passionate about.

• Getting my act together

This sounds like my New Year's resolution list, but that's fine. Grocery shopping, gymming, redoing my Google Reader to encompass everything I need (and actually reading it), meditation, keeping in touch (writing actual letters, too) with people near and far, learning how to manage my money in any way shape or form, planning the travel I need for 2009, finding an apartment with Bonnie, paying off any bills, getting a Blackberry-type object, and remembering to take time for me and for the seemingly less consequential things in my life (beyond school and activities and to-do lists). Typing things out makes them seem real: if I have to reread this when I go back through this blog, maybe it will make me uncomfortable enough to follow through.

• To Be Continued :)

Check out www.itsthehappylist.blogspot.com for more exciting things in my life and in other lives!