Purpose

"It's that little flame that lights a fire under your ass." -Princeton, Avenue Q.

Hello blog world, my name is Cate and I have an interesting perspective to share with you. I am young and I seek knowledge like it's alcohol on a Friday night. I am a failure in many things, successful in few. I constantly struggle against my ever shifting paradigm. I am always learning.

And I like to document. I like to muse.

Let's not get started too quickly, basics are essential here.

I am the daughter of Mike and Sharon of Nebraska and Tennessee, respectively. I was born in Olympia, Washington until a little thing called college swept me away to a far away land called Portland, Oregon. Before then I never left Olympia for longer than 2 weeks, but I dreamed of seeing "the world" (back when I thought seeing was all that was necessary). In lieu of applying to American University of Paris I was promised the chance to study abroad in college. And that's just what I did. Last year I spent 8 wonderful months in Salzburg, Austria with incredible people, taking home priceless experiences and umpteen stolen coasters. So now I'm back home, repaying my debt to humanity by endless hours of tedious folding and bs-ing my way through The Job. I'm trying to be positive about it.

I am addicted to many things. Let's start with: Diet Coke, mom blogs, Big Love, being happy, dance, having a religious crisis, the German language, inappropriate racial jokes, hippies, and reading. I am proud to say that cigarettes is not on the list! Personal Victory #1!

I never score decisively in personality tests. Somehow I always end up abstract/concrete random. Well, they got the random part right.

Until last week I was an Ed major, and friends will tell you that explains a lot about me. Now my main focus is History and German, with a minor in Education.

Every time I hear a foreign language all forces within me want to immediately understand and speak it. Except, I had no desire to learn Hungarian. Just too weird. Someday I will learn German, French, Spanish, Latin, and Greek, but I would be ok if only got three of those, as long as I threw in 'learn how to drive a stick shift' for good measure.

I converted to Catholicism at 16 and search for God everywhere. He is usually in the same spot and I have just ended up running in circles. Not unlike at The Job, holding that one shirt for hours, running around the department not having a clue where to hang it, setting it down and seeing the rack directly in from of my face. If God were a snake, he would have bit me. [insert current religious crisis here, if we knew each other better]

I hope to amuse you with my little thoughts and remarks and also to learn from you, the wider blogging world. Because you have a few years on me, and obviously an abundance of time.

Oh yes, the title?

sh-lahg-ober-s

Just a cool sounding German (or more accurately, Austrian) word.