Beginning of the End.

It's the beginning of the end of my last week working in advertising. After nearly 8 years of working in ad agencies, I'm making the jump to corporate life at General Mills. It's bittersweet to leave a job with people I love working with and doing work I've truly enjoyed, but it's time for me to see what life is like when work isn't my life. I'll be working in the digital marketing division and I'm really excited for the change.

For as big of a change as it is, I'm having a hard time finding all the words to describe how I feel about it. I know I'm excited and think it will be a really good fit, but other than using some generic words like those, I'm at a loss of how to describe it. I think once I get in there (next week!) I'll have a better idea of how to describe it. I do know I'll miss working downtown, but for everything I will miss, there's something that I won't. I'll miss being downtown, but I certainly won't miss the traffic and parking fees. I'll miss all the restaurants, but not all the money that I spend in them. I can go on with this, but you get the idea.

I just had coffee with someone who's new to advertising and we were discussing the rare attributes of working in the advertising industry. For instance, the lack of work and life separation. You're facebook friends with everyone you work with, you hang with the people you work with. Not quite the case in the corporate world, or so I hear. Of course, there's more than just that, but I'm glad I'm aware of some of the differences. I know I'm making a big change in work culture, but I'm ready for it.

Also, since it's my last week in advertising, I'm going to wear some of my crazier outfits that probably won't be appropriate for my new life in the corporate world. Sequins, anyone?

From an "I" to a "We".

This summer when I was spending the majority of my time alone, I really began to appreciate what it is like to have alone time. I spend so much of my time with other people that I forget to take time just for myself. I've had a busy week this week, but wanted to make sure I went to the Walker to see the annual British Television Ad Awards show. They show them for about a month, during the busiest month of the year- December. I've learned in the past that I just need to get a ticket and go early just so I ensure that I actually make it to the show. So I booked one ticket for last night knowing that the the museum is free Thursday nights and I would have some time to walk around. I was looking forward to some relaxing alone time with art and advertising. I could have asked others to go with me, but I made a conscious choice not to. It was going to be my night.

Apparently when one is married/coupled up, this is an odd concept. Adam didn't understand that I was content going alone and told me he would come with me. I decided that it could be a fun date and bought a second ticket for him.

My original plan was:
Grab some dinner downtown, get to the walker around 6:30 to walk around and then go to the show at 8pm.

This is what happened:
Adam and I planned to meet in Uptown for dinner at 6. We both got there at 6:30. We got to the Walker around 7:25, leaving us with a couple minutes to wait in line before the theater opened for the 8pm show. No relaxing and no art was involved. Normally, this would have not bothered me, but I just kept thinking about my relaxing alone time and got frustrated how the night unfolded.

I made a comment to Adam that I want to try to come back next Thursday to see the galleries and he said that we should. I have no idea how to tell him that I just might want to go alone...