Advice to my Little Bro

As you will likely be aware, the graduates of 2015 will soon be back among us. Living back in the real world, away from the safety net of academia, wondering lost in the wilderness in search of the dream life we all believe exists...

This Thursday my little brother will be among them, and I'm really sad for him. Of course I'm proud, of course I'm impressed with what he has achieved, but mostly I'm sorry that he has to enter the real world.

I wrote a card for him yesterday. It took everything in my bones to not write "welcome to hell".

Ok yes, I'm being dramatic, and yes I know that for some of us we chose to do accounting at university and now have exciting corporate jobs in Canary Warf (not that I'm sore about this at all - you know who you are). But for me, being a recent graduate is a pretty hard reality check.

(Prepare yourself for first world problems).

Firstly, no one tells you (unless you're corporate) that you basically have to start from the beginning. That when you go back home, all your friends who didn't go to uni now have jobs and money and have likely moved into their own house. You have a degree, but you're also poor, living at home, and have a ton of debt to pay off. You have to start from the bottom. Unless you know someone, then you're fine (not sore about that either).

Secondly, when you have a job, no one awards you for doing a good job, because you're just doing your job. You're doing what you're supposed to be doing. Equally, no one tells people off for doing a bad job either. It's much harder to fire someone than to give them an F on an exam, so you're going to get paid the same as that slacker whether you like it or not.

Thirdly, work makes you tired. I don't think it really matters what job you do or how long you work for either, work makes you tired. So you get home and the last thing you want to do is go out again. You find you're forcing yourself out the front door because you know you were more sociable before right? Weekends become chore days, because you have washing and cleaning to do, and you haven't had time to do them in the week because you were too tired.

Finally, no one gives a crap that you have a degree (or two in my case). You need experience. So good luck with that one because 'experience' in reality means you'll be working for free for a while. That's your parents favorite kind of work...

So what do I say to my little brother? "Hiii! Big Sis here to be the ultimate fun sponge and burst your bubble of dreams and aspirations..."

Granted it's not the same for everyone - in fact according to Facebook this isn't the case for anyone - you're all perfectly happy you liars.

So all I can say is this: Your job isn't who you are. Your job is what pays for the hobbies, the tickets, the travelling, the nights out, the nights in, and it's those things that define you.

I wish someone had said that to me a long time ago, I wish someone could remind me of that every day, and so hopefully, little bro, that works for you too.

Welcome to adulthood

So, after 5 years of university, 2 years in California, and a summer in Europe, I couldn't put it off any longer. I now officially have a full time job. I'm a real adult that wakes up, goes to work, comes home, goes to bed. I don't really know if I like it or not. 

I mean, I like my job, youth coaching. The kids can be a nightmare but that's the worst it gets. I can't complain about the hours, and I stay on top of any paperwork which means I can relax later in the week. It was hard settling in at first of course, but it's fine now, so I suppose I like that. 

I'm coaching and playing hockey too. Obviously I love that. 

I have money! After 20 years of being a student I finally have actual money. But then there's the car, and the hockey membership, and the rent, blah blah blah... so... you know. 

So I suppose I do like it. I'm way less stressed than I used to be as a Grad Student, and I enjoy what I'm doing. So then, why am I not sure?

Here are the things no one tells you:

At school /uni, you live with friends, see them every day. It's easy to stay in touch and to catch up. Now, I'm booking friends 2 weeks in advance, squeezing them in around work, finding that there aren't enough weekends in a year. So sure, I have a job, money, a roof over my head, and for what? 

Once you have the job, all you can do is wonder about what's next. Disney says I'm waiting for Prince Charming. In fact everyone around me is pairing off, marrying, and having kids. I can sense the people around me are waiting for my entry into the generic relationship-wedding-house-kids progression. Am I the only one who doesn't want to do that right now? I haven't seen everything yet? I still need to go to China and Australia and Peru and New York? You can't do that with kids. Is it ok if I do that? Go travelling for a few more years instead of making a family? Would anyone mind if I didn't rush? Because everyone else is rushing! Stop it! 

So... as you can probably tell, I am now another 20-something questioning the point of everything. I think this is quite common but because people's Facebooks are such a bloody lie it's impossible to know. But if this sounds familiar, then, well you're not alone pal. 

An Unofficial Guide To Losing Weight

So I discovered that over the past 5 years in my time as a student my weight has fluctuated massively. Like most students I gained a ton of weight in my freshmen year, and then began to lose it as I hit my 3rd year. What was interesting to me was that I've never made a conscious effort to lose weight in my life. It wasn't until various family members were consistently commenting on how skinny I looked on my return to the UK (some genuinely concerned at how much weight I dropped) that I really had to sit back and look at what had changed. The easy answer: alcohol.

To give you a better picture of it all linking together:

I've always been active and involved in sport, and until I left the UK two years ago I'd played hockey every year, but it seemed that even being active on a weekly basis didn't stop me from gaining a lot of weight, leaving me with a hamster face. In fact when I first moved to California I stopped being active for the first year but still continued to lose weight. It seemed that no matter what level of exercise I did, my weight didn't correlate to the level of exercise I was doing.

Also, for the 5 years I've been a student my diet has stayed somewhat consistent. I never made an effort to alter my diet in anyway and always ate the same kind of foods. As far as quantity goes, I would eat less and less as my activity level reduced because I was less hungry. It's possible that I put on weight because I was eating more during activity, but that doesn't explain the weight loss in my third year of uni because I was still active then, and therefore eating high quantities.

So the only thing it can be is alcohol.

Now in my first and second years of uni I would binge drink twice a week. I put on lots of weight and it shows in my fresher year pics (especially after tour). In my third year my workload increased, and so I was binge drinking once a week at the most, drastically reducing my consumption. It was around this time people (mostly family) started commenting on how I looked skinny, but I couldn't understand why because I'd literally done nothing different as far as I knew. I would then move to California and as a result stopped playing hockey and stopped drinking. I would maybe binge drink once every 4/5 months, and have a few beers with friends once a month. Again my alcohol consumption plummeted and I began to get more concerned family members saying I should eat more pies.

In 2 years I'd lost over 10lbs purely because I reduced my alcohol consumption.

To also support my theory I know I'm not the only case of this. I've had friends go through long term illness who, because they've had to stop drinking, dropped weight incredibly quickly.

Now I've not written this blog to boast about my weight loss, I've written it to highlight something that society (especially British society) doesn't seem to talk about. I'm surrounded by people saying to me, beer in hand, that they want to lose weight. They they're going to train hard and go running everyday. All of which will be worthless if they continue to drink excessively.

It's science; so you can look it up as I recently had to (and please correct me if I'm wrong my academic friends). Alcohol inhibits recovery. So if you go to the gym every day and then go clubbing at the weekend you're almost wasting your time. And you're increasing your chance of  injury and illness on top of that.

Now many of you are thinking "eff off there's no way I'm going to reduce my nights out to once a month" but there is one more plus to reducing your alcohol intake as I've discovered. At the pub I recently found that two larger shandies is enough to get me well on my way to a good night - so actually the less you drink, the easier it is to get drunk.

So now you know my secret. Perhaps keep it in mind when the New Years resolutions come around!

2012

As the year comes to a close it's time for me to look back and think of the great times of the previous year. To be truthful, I would consider 2012 to be the best year of my life, and deserves a post to allow me to revisit them.

I started 2012 as a final year sport science student, and was doing everything possible to try and slow time down. Half way through a poor dissertation and with no prospects following graduation, the year started slowly. Luckily my final year landed me as chair of my hockey club. All of my focus was on making that club the best women's club on campus, and working hard towards the recognition we deserved. The club won the Membership Engagement award at the university Sports Federation Ball. Looking back, I have never be so proud to accept an award that the club worked so hard for, and it will remain a highlight throughout my life.

Despite my focus on the club, I graduated in the summer with a 2:1 in Sport Sciences, and can now start writing BSc at the end of my name on emails. Prior to this I managed to secure my next 2 years working in California, and with any luck I'll finish with an MA to add to that email. Having just completed my first 3 months out there I can safely say it's the toughest thing I've ever done, but then I think about Frodo and the ring, and discover it's really been pretty amazing. I've met some great people and have already been to some great places. Vegas, LA, and San Francisco, it's already been a great experience and I still have plenty of time to explore out there. The weather is great and I have great friends, what more can I ask for.

This summer saw the Olympics come to London, and after months of training and excitement I found myself commuting to Stratford each day in my volunteer uniform. Assigned as an NOC Assistant to team Canada, I spent plenty of the build up to the Olympics preparing Canadian Athletes bedrooms and watching everyone moving in. After the games kicked off, not only did I find myself working among the stars of the games, but witnessing GB golds and having once in a lifetime experiences that I will never forget. I was inside the Olympic stadium, walking the track on ceremony rehearsals; I witnesses 7+ GB golds in 24 hours in the velodrome, rowing, and athletics; I watched GB women's hockey win bronze, and then spoke to the captain Kate Walsh on the village; I saw multiple events and famous faces, and when some couldn't get tickets, I was able to get tickets for friends. The Olympics showed me a side to my country that I had never witnessed before. The shared pride and passion for the games was infectious, and I feel truly honored to have been a part of that.

The Olympics wasn't the only sport that my country can look back on proudly this year. Bradly Wiggins at the Tour De France, Andy Murray at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and Europe in the Ryder Cup. I also understand my baseball team won the world series, but I can't pretend that was a highlight, especially since it replaced Glee for so long.

To top it all off I've been lucky enough to come home for Christmas and spend time with my family and friends, in my country I love so much.

I'd like to finish with this. If you have taken the time to read this, thank you. My year would have been nothing without the people I shared it with. I owe so much to so many of you, and so I would like to say thank you. I am truly grateful for this wonderful year, and for all the people I got to share it with. So without further ado, have a great evening, stay safe, and enjoy the coming year!

Does being polite pay off? Or is it, “Don’t ask, don’t get”?

So I find myself now in the world of full-time work until August. Luckily I have a great retail job, a pet shop if you must know, that pays just enough and doesn’t bore me to death. Generally the customers are polite, well-mannered, and happy with the level of customer service we provide, but recently I have begun to notice that people are changing. The way we shop and specifically the expectations we have of the staff members in stores, restaurants, and hotels have changed, but before we consider why, allow me to better explain myself.

As a customer I may enter a shop expecting to purchase a particular item, for example I recently visited Top Shop knowing the exact item I was looking for as I had previously seen it online. I found the t-shirt but unfortunately they did not have my size. I’m sure you will agree that the normal reaction to this would be to ask if they had any in stock, to which I was told no. Now personally this was frustrating, but these things happen, and so I thanked the colleague and left. I have worked at the pet shop for nearly 5 years, and in most cases our customers behave in a similar way, but recently individuals have begun to expect more from us.

An example of this occurred only today, where a customer arrived expecting to buy a rabbit hutch. Unfortunately we did not have any in stock as we had sold the last one previous to their visit, but rather than politely leave they reacted differently. They continued to demand various solutions that where beyond what you would expect from a simple pet shop. For example they demanded huge reductions on our display models, and when we did not reach a bargain they demanded a more valuable hutch for the price of the unavailable one. Eventually the problem was solved, leaving one of my colleagues to pick up the hutch from a store 25 minutes away and driving it to their house at no extra cost to the customer. In similar situations I have even had people ask if we would pay their petrol for the inconvenience. Customers have begun to seek compensation for any inconvenience, even where the fault may be their own. 

Now, I understand their frustration but I found them incredibly rude to expect such special treatment. Not only that, they got what they wanted from a company who wishes to keep all of their customers happy even at their own expense. It is clear to me that in this new age of customer service, companies will throw money at anyone who sounds unhappy (Not always the case though, Sports Vest *cough* *cough*). With this in mind, what message are we giving to consumers? Are we encouraging people to ask for more and test the boundaries? And if we are, will it no longer be practise to be polite in such situations? Perhaps I should start expecting more from companies in order to keep up, because clearly being polite does not get you the same result as complaining.

While I leave you to consider this, I will share with you my own personal revenge on the situation. This afternoon a lady in her 60’s approached me asking for my help. She was very polite and well mannered, and happily took my advice as we discussed the product she was interested in. After price checking the item, I informed her of the cost as she considered buying it. At £40 I personally felt the item in question was overpriced, but of course I didn’t tell the customer this at the time and I waited for her next instruction. She fumbled in her purse mumbling to herself that she should have bought more cash with her. She explained to me she would have to go home and come back, with no expectations of me at all. At this I explained that I would reserve it for her, but I was not satisfied with my own answer. The poor woman was so lovely how could I let her go home for more money? So at this I did something very cheeky, “Would you have enough money if it was £30 pounds instead?” I asked. The lady was astonished and looked at me saying, “You can’t do that?”, but I did. I reduced the product under the pretence it was damaged and she went happily on her way. In my mind I had rewarded her for being polite, and for being a valued customer. It’s customers like her that deserve our special treatment, not the rude individuals who ask for it. 

Off to the USA!!

And so I have discovered I will be off to the USA! Those who wish to follow my journey can do so at http://lifeasacheekymonkeyusa.blogspot.co.uk/ !! In the meantime this page will remain existing.

CM x

Let the Sun Shine?

So I write today in light of the recent sun we've been graced with these past few days. It seems fair to say it was somewhat unexpected considering not so long ago we had the long awaited snowfall we'd been expecting since November. In fact the snow came and went so quickly it seems hardly worth mentioning if not for the very English way our country deals with the annual "snow days".

Blind panic! I for one was on a short weekend break in Brighton when I heard the news of the weather warning, resulting in the group of us leaving early in the fear we could be snowed into a Brighton youth hostel for weeks. All of us had warning calls from our parents and respective other halves urging us to leave to avoid the blizzard, and so we all rushed home, didn't look back, and in the nick of time too, as we pulled up with the start of the snowfall already coating the roads. Within minutes campus had turned into a beautiful winter wonderland, and it remained this way for all of an hour before the students all marched out to throw snowballs at each other until the early hours. I wonder at what age the satisfaction of hitting your friend square in the face with a snowball is lost, I hope never.

Thanks to social networking its easy to find the mixed opinions of each person pop up on your phone or computer. Its sad for me as I get older to see more people cursing the snow than thanking it for the days you get off school. Unfortunately this occasion of snow did not merit me off two days of studying at uni (apparently uni isn't like school), but I appreciated the buzz it creates regardless. I was in fact disappointed at the efficiency of clearing the snow, leaving piles of dirty ice around the edges of roads and pathways for days. I would assume now that I have to wait another year for my next dose of snow, but who knows, sometimes it snows in April.

And so now we can consider the beautiful sunshine we were blessed with these past few days. It seems crazy the effect a little sun can have on people even when it wasn't particularly warm. My father and brother braved a pub garden, wrapped up in layers and layers, which seems ridiculous, but they were certainly not alone. I even braved shorts myself in the hope it would be as warm as it looked out the window. We love the sun, or we love what the sun brings, either way I'm struggling with any motivation to stay in and work when outside has so much to offer. So in a way I'm sitting here hoping for the sun to just hold out a little longer, let me get some work done and then feel free to blaze away... but how I do love the sun...