The Dog Days are Over

I know many friends who struggle with and ultimately fail at keeping New Year's Resolutions. From working out more/losing weight, to staying in better touch with lost acquaintances, to spending less money, most people lose their enthusiasm for these mildly arduous tasks. So instead of New Year's Resolutions, I've decided to try my hand at "New Job Resolutions." I figured that if I am already tackling this one big change in my life, why not try my hand at several others at the same time. Clearly one of my resolutions will not be to multi-task less.

Music has always been a significant part of my life experience. From listening to the Glen Miller Orchestra in my parent's living room, to downloading countless songs off of iTunes (or potentially less legal alternatives), to now considering it to be much more of a soundtrack to all that goes on around me, music has been there through both good times and bad. And it proved to be a significant factor in my most recent major life change - quitting my job.

I remember the first time I heard the song, "The Dog Days are Over" in a commercial. I immediately went to YouTube to find answers as to who this powerful singer was, and quickly added it to my music collection. Little did I know that this song would become the pop-culture behemoth that it became, becoming almost unavoidable on FM radio. But alas, I became attached to the message, as well as the just the general slow build of the tune, that I privately chose it as my anthem to help get me through one last go-around in the events world. It would be the first song I'd listen to when leaving the apartment in the morning; it would magically appear on my iPod when I would be standing on street corners in the rain waiting for the light to change; it would play on the radio when I was driving to Golden Gate Park at 4:30am; it was a constant presence that never ceased to motivate me to get to the next big stage. And it was the first song I listened to when I got home from my last day at ACS.

It also became a bit of a lucky* charm for me as I dove head first into interviewing for new positions. I decided it was a good omen to hear the song on my way to interviews - so much so that I would scan the radio stations while flying down 101 searching for that unmistakable first few notes. It definitely helped that the song was so pervasive - the irony was not lost on me.

And here I am, just days away from starting a brand new chapter of my life of adventures, and I can't help but think of this song yet again. Yes it has been over-played to death. Yes it has lost lots of meaning for so many people. Yes it has even been covered on Glee. But for me, it is still that anthem that helped me get from where I was to where I now am. And for that I am truly thankful.

So here's to "New Job Resolutions" and my ability to keep up with them all. If it comes down to it, maybe "The Dog Days are Over" will at least remind me to update this.

* I am also an insanely superstitious person; just saying the word lucky makes me feel like I am jinxing something. I don't use it lightly.