A random smattering of little threads of potential interestingness happening in my life right now...
I'm pretty sure my landlord would sue me if he knew the color I painted my hallway today. Picture a raspberryish color only darker...and more saturated. Kind of like the color in my header only darker and harder to paint over. He said I could paint as long as I didn't didn't use a "dark" color. Dark is relative. Relative to black, this is not a dark color. I have to say, it isn't totally finished yet, but I'm very happy with the results. It makes my little bathroom hallway looks like a boudoir dressing room kinda thing. It's fabulous. It will be interesting, however, once my lease is up and I have to replace the dark, saturated raspberry color with a dull, boring white. Prepare to prime.
My lovely boyfriend (and I mean lovely in all the masculine ways...) will be gone on a business trip this week and every other week for the foreseeable future. I will miss him.
I'm tempted to continue my "open letter" series with a witty tirade aimed at priceline.com. I would do this if it weren't totally my own fault that I ended up with a non-refundable, exchangeable or transferrable airline ticket that is going to be very difficult to work with. Firstly, it is my own fault for waiting to book my Thanksgiving travel until two and a half weeks before the event. Secondly, it is still my fault for assuming they wouldn't possibly give me a flight during the only possible time during the requested day that could potentially be hard to work with. Except they did. The one possible window that isn't going to work well, they gave me. It's sort of poetic, really. Oh well...a lesson learned for the future. I will not make this same mistake at Christmas.
I'm sitting at Caribou across from a know-it-all doctor guru lady talking with two people I'm presuming are residents. They are sitting there quietly hanging on her every word while the doctor guru lady deigns to bless them with her fount of never-ending knowledge and experience. I'm discreetly eavesdroping, trying to only occasionally glance up to take in the bloated sense of self-importance oozing from this woman's countenance. It's an entertaining sight.
My tendonitis (in some of my internet research, it appears that the actual spelling for this word is tendinitis. That is jacked up...) inflicted foot continues to ache somewhat when I walk. This condition is depriving me of my running which I have actually been enjoying lately. It is yet again poetic in sort of a cruel way that the first time I have actually enjoyed some type of physical exertion, I would develop an injury that keeps me from engaging in said activity.
Thwarted again...
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
The Results of the Post a Day Experiment
So, really the only learning I made from the post a day experiment is that I do not want to be blogging motivated by guilt. So, no more arbitrary posting requirements. I also realized that forcing myself to post more often than I feel inspired to do so leads to sub-par quality in posting. See the Post Day 3 of 7 when I was at the end of a long day, realized I hadn't posted and could only come up with half-baked phrases recounting my day. I think I'll go back to the one or two times a week model while trying to avoid absences longer of more than a couple days.
Now, behold.
I'm just sayin'...
In other news...
I saw the most ridiculous infomercial of all time today. Has anyone heard of the snuggie?
In theory, this is idea is not all bad. Actually, when I first saw it, I was all "look, no more cold arms while I read!" Then, I realized the first glaring flaw in their design. Your hands are still hanging out there, exposed to the elements. So, really, all you have are warm arms and frigid hands. May as well just put on a sweater.
Then, I realized, this is no more than a backwards robe without the tie at the waist. That makes this invention even more stupid. Why would someone go out to buy a stupid blanket with arms when almost everyone already owns a robe?
Then, I realized the greatest problem with this product. I kept having a nagging feeling that the look of the snuggie is uncomfortably close to another look I had seen before. Could the makers of the snuggie be subconsciously perpetuating a religious system?
See for yourself.
I'm just sayin'...
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Day 3 of 7
Kirk Cameron
Quiche
Running while admiring the fall leaves
Trader Joe's
Fresh basil
Napping on the couch during football
Scones
Gummi bears
Cheap wendy's burgers
Soon to come...
Sleeping really hard tonight
Quiche
Running while admiring the fall leaves
Trader Joe's
Fresh basil
Napping on the couch during football
Scones
Gummi bears
Cheap wendy's burgers
Soon to come...
Sleeping really hard tonight
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Day 2 of 7
I just remembered 2 minutes. ago that I'm supposed to be posting every day this week so I'm posting this from my boyfriend's blackberry. This might be a hard habit to maintain. Currently I'm annoyed by how long it takes to type on a Blackberry and how hard it is to capitolize a letter.
Today I went to look into a program I've been thinking about pursuing. My boyfriend and I found ourselves late to a presentation given by a "professor" who could hardly string an English sentence together and who plugged her latest adventure in amateur documentary film-making. Her subject of choice was architecture, skyscrapers and how those relate to male sexuality. She then told us the name of the film. Just know that it included a word a word common to an architectural structure and a state of male arousal. As soon as I heard that, I knew this program was not for me.
This realization was further confirmed when said professor called the victims *ahem* I mean group to the front of the class to view some student work and I was stunned and disturbed to find that my potential teacher was eclipsed in dumbness only by my potential classmates.
Yes, this will not be the perogram for me.
My boyfriend and I exchanged scared and contemptuous looks and hightailed it out of there at the first opportunity.
The search continues...
Today I went to look into a program I've been thinking about pursuing. My boyfriend and I found ourselves late to a presentation given by a "professor" who could hardly string an English sentence together and who plugged her latest adventure in amateur documentary film-making. Her subject of choice was architecture, skyscrapers and how those relate to male sexuality. She then told us the name of the film. Just know that it included a word a word common to an architectural structure and a state of male arousal. As soon as I heard that, I knew this program was not for me.
This realization was further confirmed when said professor called the victims *ahem* I mean group to the front of the class to view some student work and I was stunned and disturbed to find that my potential teacher was eclipsed in dumbness only by my potential classmates.
Yes, this will not be the perogram for me.
My boyfriend and I exchanged scared and contemptuous looks and hightailed it out of there at the first opportunity.
The search continues...
Friday, October 24, 2008
A Mini-Update
Is that allowed?
I think something that keeps me from blogging more regularly is that I feel like I have to write a well-thought-out, chapter-length, hilarious entry on some Really Important Subject every time. And so, I only post every two weeks.
To shake things up a little, I'm trying an experiment. For the next week, I'm going to take an adventure in trying to post something everyday. Be it just a thought or a picture, even if it's not something substantial.
Here is my first attempt at this.
One of my constant struggles in living more zen is that I tend to want to take little to no time to pick up after myself in day-to-day living. The end result of this is an apartment with the accumulated messiness of two weeks of no day-to-day picking up. Not a pretty sight. I noticed in college that the messiness of my living space tends to mirror the messiness (and sometimes just the busyness) of my life. As soon as things become busy, cleaning is the first thing to fall off my to-do list. This dynamic has been very evident lately.
Judging from the shameful mess my apartment can become under the influence of this philosophy, I've decided that this is not helping myself as I try to clean up my lifestyle. So, here is one little thing I'm going to try in pursuit of further zen-ness. When I get home from work, I will put my clothes away instead of draping them over a chair or leaving them on the bathroom floor. Then, I will take my washable dirty clothes directly to the hamper.
That's it.
Elementary, you say?
Really; yes it is, but this little step has evaded me thus far. I tried this last night, and it really only took me an extra three minutes, but it saved my newly cleaned apartment from becoming that much more messy. And, two weeks of this behavior will help my mental/emotional state as I will not have to flog myself when I can't even make it to the kitchen without tripping on shoes and yesterday's outfit.
This is really a small tweak that has a pretty big potential benefit. I'll try to update on how this has been going since I'm going to need lots of blog fodder in the upcoming week.
I think something that keeps me from blogging more regularly is that I feel like I have to write a well-thought-out, chapter-length, hilarious entry on some Really Important Subject every time. And so, I only post every two weeks.
To shake things up a little, I'm trying an experiment. For the next week, I'm going to take an adventure in trying to post something everyday. Be it just a thought or a picture, even if it's not something substantial.
Here is my first attempt at this.
One of my constant struggles in living more zen is that I tend to want to take little to no time to pick up after myself in day-to-day living. The end result of this is an apartment with the accumulated messiness of two weeks of no day-to-day picking up. Not a pretty sight. I noticed in college that the messiness of my living space tends to mirror the messiness (and sometimes just the busyness) of my life. As soon as things become busy, cleaning is the first thing to fall off my to-do list. This dynamic has been very evident lately.
Judging from the shameful mess my apartment can become under the influence of this philosophy, I've decided that this is not helping myself as I try to clean up my lifestyle. So, here is one little thing I'm going to try in pursuit of further zen-ness. When I get home from work, I will put my clothes away instead of draping them over a chair or leaving them on the bathroom floor. Then, I will take my washable dirty clothes directly to the hamper.
That's it.
Elementary, you say?
Really; yes it is, but this little step has evaded me thus far. I tried this last night, and it really only took me an extra three minutes, but it saved my newly cleaned apartment from becoming that much more messy. And, two weeks of this behavior will help my mental/emotional state as I will not have to flog myself when I can't even make it to the kitchen without tripping on shoes and yesterday's outfit.
This is really a small tweak that has a pretty big potential benefit. I'll try to update on how this has been going since I'm going to need lots of blog fodder in the upcoming week.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
An Open Letter - Volume 2
To the bottom-dwelling law-breaker who spent all my money at ticketmaster--
You must be pretty proud of yourself concocting an engenius idea to steal some unsuspecting schmuck's debit card info, buy dozens of Tina Turner tickets on ticketmaster and then sell them on ebay. Pretty brilliant, right? The unsuspecting schmuck's bank account is merely collateral damage, right? Well, bottom-dweller that you are (I will hereafter refer to you as BD), there is more at play here than you realize. Let me educate you.
I am having a hard time understanding, BD, why you would endeavor to do such a thing. I could understand if you were out of work in this terrible economy and took someone's cc# to buy food for your hungry children. I wouldn't agree with it, but I would understand it. I suppose it's possible that the funds from a massive Tina Turner ticket sell-off could provide funds to feed your undernourished children. But, the turn around time of tickets that sit on ebay for a couple weeks make that scenario unlikely. Your kids would've died of malnutrition long before you saw any profit off those puppies. It is clear to me, BD, that you are doing this for a more malevolent purpose.
Remember our friend, the unsuspecting schmuck? What do you say we put a face to her? I think that's a good idea, BD. She gets by, working really hard to save her money and get out of debt. She just got her first apartment and doesn't even have enough furniture yet to fill it up. She's working hard doing the Right Things to make her way in this world. Enter BD, who thinks that selling a bunch of Tina Turner tickets on ebay purchased with fradulently obtained debit card information is a really smashing idea.
Aren't you ashamed of yourself, BD?
No?
Ah, my unscrupulous friend, apparently more convincing is in order.
More likely, the purpose of your scheme is to use this money, or, shall we say, MY MONEY to buy yourself a few toys, or to reinvest it in your shady business of doing illegal things. You may make a little extra money to pad your bank account using these foul methods. But, rest assured, BD, you will get complacent. Easy money has that kind of effect on people. Complacency leads to mistakes. This money won't be so easy when you're in a state prison, with an anxious, white-knuckled grip on your bar of soap. That will be very hard money indeed.
The law will catch up with you, BD. It always does.
Until then, BD, I'm not sweating it too much. My bank has already decided that this isn't something I'll be liable for. You can thank them for that. Had they not come to that conclusion, you can bet that I would've hunted your fat, lazy a$$ without sleeping until I found you. And then I would've exacted some creative vigilante justice with a stiletto and a cut-up debit card. Use your imagination.
Love always~
M.I.F.
You must be pretty proud of yourself concocting an engenius idea to steal some unsuspecting schmuck's debit card info, buy dozens of Tina Turner tickets on ticketmaster and then sell them on ebay. Pretty brilliant, right? The unsuspecting schmuck's bank account is merely collateral damage, right? Well, bottom-dweller that you are (I will hereafter refer to you as BD), there is more at play here than you realize. Let me educate you.
I am having a hard time understanding, BD, why you would endeavor to do such a thing. I could understand if you were out of work in this terrible economy and took someone's cc# to buy food for your hungry children. I wouldn't agree with it, but I would understand it. I suppose it's possible that the funds from a massive Tina Turner ticket sell-off could provide funds to feed your undernourished children. But, the turn around time of tickets that sit on ebay for a couple weeks make that scenario unlikely. Your kids would've died of malnutrition long before you saw any profit off those puppies. It is clear to me, BD, that you are doing this for a more malevolent purpose.
Remember our friend, the unsuspecting schmuck? What do you say we put a face to her? I think that's a good idea, BD. She gets by, working really hard to save her money and get out of debt. She just got her first apartment and doesn't even have enough furniture yet to fill it up. She's working hard doing the Right Things to make her way in this world. Enter BD, who thinks that selling a bunch of Tina Turner tickets on ebay purchased with fradulently obtained debit card information is a really smashing idea.
Aren't you ashamed of yourself, BD?
No?
Ah, my unscrupulous friend, apparently more convincing is in order.
More likely, the purpose of your scheme is to use this money, or, shall we say, MY MONEY to buy yourself a few toys, or to reinvest it in your shady business of doing illegal things. You may make a little extra money to pad your bank account using these foul methods. But, rest assured, BD, you will get complacent. Easy money has that kind of effect on people. Complacency leads to mistakes. This money won't be so easy when you're in a state prison, with an anxious, white-knuckled grip on your bar of soap. That will be very hard money indeed.
The law will catch up with you, BD. It always does.
Until then, BD, I'm not sweating it too much. My bank has already decided that this isn't something I'll be liable for. You can thank them for that. Had they not come to that conclusion, you can bet that I would've hunted your fat, lazy a$$ without sleeping until I found you. And then I would've exacted some creative vigilante justice with a stiletto and a cut-up debit card. Use your imagination.
Love always~
M.I.F.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Bang Head -> Here <-
I'm a little stressed. So much to do and more is being added to the pile daily.
I found myself ruminating about it as I was going to bed last night. All of my noble attempts to get ahead of the deluge have been thwarted. I'm usually darn good about not taking stuff home with me, but for whatever reason, this has me stirred up.
I would like a vacation in Fiji. Or perhaps a tranquilizer. Or both. Please?
I found myself ruminating about it as I was going to bed last night. All of my noble attempts to get ahead of the deluge have been thwarted. I'm usually darn good about not taking stuff home with me, but for whatever reason, this has me stirred up.
I would like a vacation in Fiji. Or perhaps a tranquilizer. Or both. Please?
Friday, October 3, 2008
War of the Veeps
My blogging intention today is to write a sarcastic rundown of the debate last night. I'm discovering that sarcasm, especially in written form, is one of my spiritual gifts and I'm enjoying honing this gift on my blog. I'm discovering, however, that there is much more fodder for sarcasm in people's reaction to the debate, so I will elaborate on that somewhat amended topic.
First, however, I would like to comment on her physical appearance. It's what I do. I thought the black suit was chic, elegant and oh-so flattering. But, I will say, that I thought she had a tumor growing out of her head with that half-bun monstrosity up-do thing she seems to becoming infamous for.
See?
I'm pretty sure there's something there that could require surgery that she's disguising with all this crazy prom up-do business left over from her pageant days.
First, however, I would like to comment on her physical appearance. It's what I do. I thought the black suit was chic, elegant and oh-so flattering. But, I will say, that I thought she had a tumor growing out of her head with that half-bun monstrosity up-do thing she seems to becoming infamous for.
See?
I'm pretty sure there's something there that could require surgery that she's disguising with all this crazy prom up-do business left over from her pageant days.
As for Joe Biden, I have noticed a strange resemblance between him, and another democratic candidate I'm sure we all know and love.
seems even more uncanny. Minus the teeth, of course.
Notice the longness of the face and the big toothy plastic grin. That's all I'm sayin'.
Next, even more strangely, their resemblance to him
seems even more uncanny. Minus the teeth, of course.
I won't lie. I love Sarah Palin. Please read this post through that lens. I don't even pretend to be unbiased. But what I will say is that I was completely unsurprised by and even a little disappointed with her performance last night. I thought she looked nervous at the beginning, although she gained confidence as the night went on. It irritated me that she didn't answer the moderator's questions directly. It seemed she went into the debate with a definite strategy, if not an agenda. Some were annoyed by her "cuteness", but I wish she would've let even more of her personality out.
What I was truly stunned by was the general public's reaction to the debate. It seemed like the Joe Blows were all very impressed by her. I attribute this to the fact that the only exposure they've had to her in the last couple weeks were from two sound bites from an interview with a journalist who was clearly out to get her, where Palin admittedly did not have her best day. They expected her to be a dunce and were shown otherwise. I already knew she wasn't a dunce; so I was expecting her to, at the very least, hold her own.
I thought Joe Biden looked relaxed and calm, clearly a very experienced debater. He's a senator. That's all they do.
I get that she relates to the regular guy, she's just your next-door-neighbor hockey mom, I'll betcha, God bless 'er, *wink*. I've never seen a regular guy next-door-neighbor hockey mom who was also governor of a huge state, so I don't know how I feel about that assertion, but, I digress. It seems like Joe Blow related more to that and loved her for it than actually listening to the content of the debate. It makes me feel like the average American is kinda dumb and is only looking for appearance and relatability, even though I think Sarah Palin is much more than an attractive package.
The good news for now is that she made up for the gaffes of last week and is back in good standing with the American public. I still love her. I love that she's a non-partisan maverick who fights against corruption and entrenched political systems, even those in her own party. I think that is what is needed in Washington and I would vote for that ticket on that fact alone.
I guess mavericks answer the questions they want to answer, even if it wasn't the question that was asked.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Alexandria and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Yesterday was one of those days. Nothing terribly awful happened. No one died. There were no natural disasters or any other such calamities. But, for whatever reason, it still sucked. I guess I woke up on the wrong side of the emotional bed. The wrong side of the hormonal bed is probably more accurate.
Blast these hormones. These hormones that hijack my emotions and my otherwise logical common sense. These hormones which turn my mind into ruminating mush. Mush that lies to me, that expects the worst of every situation. Mush that tells me awful, fictional stories about myself and the people I love most.
I have come to accept it as my lot in life that I will have to fight against the lies that my brain tells me when I reach disequilibrium. Perhaps the mere presence of these stories in my head is a sign that something is out of whack. Hormones sure may play a role in this, but my life of late has been very full, maybe even bloatedly so. The rest and relaxation that I so need to function optimally has been hard to find. A full life is fun and satisfying, but a full life includes downtime, and I haven’t had much lately.
As someone who can tend towards introversion, I find that I need one full day to myself every week without any plans. One day where I can spend the day reading and thinking and recharging my battery. It has been quite a long time since I have had one of those luxurious days. I can remember a time where I went for months without that, and without knowing what I was doing, I turned myself into the unhealthiest mess that I have ever been. There were more factors than just this one working, but it certainly didn’t help matters.
I suppose that I can add to my list guarding my free time as one of the areas in my life to work on in becoming more zen. My list is getting really long, although I do feel like I’ve made definite progress in a couple of important areas. I so want to arrive at the place where everything is in order and I become one of the rare people who have it all together. It just drives home the point that life is a process and a journey, one which is ever dynamic, fluid and changing. And I am becoming increasingly more convinced that it is my mushy brain that is making up stories about people existing who have it all together.
Blast these hormones. These hormones that hijack my emotions and my otherwise logical common sense. These hormones which turn my mind into ruminating mush. Mush that lies to me, that expects the worst of every situation. Mush that tells me awful, fictional stories about myself and the people I love most.
I have come to accept it as my lot in life that I will have to fight against the lies that my brain tells me when I reach disequilibrium. Perhaps the mere presence of these stories in my head is a sign that something is out of whack. Hormones sure may play a role in this, but my life of late has been very full, maybe even bloatedly so. The rest and relaxation that I so need to function optimally has been hard to find. A full life is fun and satisfying, but a full life includes downtime, and I haven’t had much lately.
As someone who can tend towards introversion, I find that I need one full day to myself every week without any plans. One day where I can spend the day reading and thinking and recharging my battery. It has been quite a long time since I have had one of those luxurious days. I can remember a time where I went for months without that, and without knowing what I was doing, I turned myself into the unhealthiest mess that I have ever been. There were more factors than just this one working, but it certainly didn’t help matters.
I suppose that I can add to my list guarding my free time as one of the areas in my life to work on in becoming more zen. My list is getting really long, although I do feel like I’ve made definite progress in a couple of important areas. I so want to arrive at the place where everything is in order and I become one of the rare people who have it all together. It just drives home the point that life is a process and a journey, one which is ever dynamic, fluid and changing. And I am becoming increasingly more convinced that it is my mushy brain that is making up stories about people existing who have it all together.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Rantings of a Bulldog, or My Thoughts on Hillary's DNC Speech
I'm a little bit scared of Hilly. Admittedly.First, the more obvious critique of the physical appearance. I kept thinking she had smudges of red lipstick on her teeth. I couldn't tell for sure. And what's with the probation-orange jumpsuit? Did she come from picking up litter on the side of the road? I mean, really... No way, no how, no shiny, ill-fitting orange tent.
Cut to a teary-eyed Bill Clinton mouthing "I love you" over and over to a Hilly two football fields away. This is either really creepy or a stunt for the cameras. You decide.
Now on to more substantive commentary. If I were a Democrat, it really would've been a rousing speech. You have to give her that. It was pretty expert the way she pitched her big "unity" plan. Essentially, all it was, though, was encouraging her people to vote for the least of two evils in her eyes. She really didn't say much in support of Obama; however, she said a lot about why you should vote Democrat.
Green-collar jobs? Really? I thought I misheard at first. She wasn't kidding.
The one part of her speech that truly did get me thinking were her many appeals to the emotional climate of the room. She described in detail poor little boys whose mothers worked for the minimum wage, or the poor woman who languished on with poor health and no health insurance. And she had me for a couple minutes. I was like "Yeah...I want to help those people!"
But then I came to my senses.
The thing that interests me most about Democrats in general is that they assume they're the only ones that care about people. They assume that because they throw money at problems in the form of welfare or government programs that they are the only ones who want to fix society's ills.
I can attest that Republicans care about people. And I also can attest that they care about bad situations and even care to work to fix the problems in society. They just have a different philosophy on the ways in which this should be done.
This is the crux of why I do not call myself a Democrat. I believe that the ultimate responsibility for people and their lives lies within their own hands. Not with the government in the form of a handout.
Handouts ultimately only enable people to continue making the same poor decisions that got them in that bad place to begin with. Changes in society come about ultimately with the individuals in that society working to bring about change in that their own lives. Granted, there can be systemic issues which contribute to societal problems. People get themselves in binds and need help. But, ultimately, individuals must learn how to be self-feeders, taking care of themselves and not looking to the government to bail them out of bad situations they find themselves in.
Now on to more substantive commentary. If I were a Democrat, it really would've been a rousing speech. You have to give her that. It was pretty expert the way she pitched her big "unity" plan. Essentially, all it was, though, was encouraging her people to vote for the least of two evils in her eyes. She really didn't say much in support of Obama; however, she said a lot about why you should vote Democrat.
Green-collar jobs? Really? I thought I misheard at first. She wasn't kidding.
The one part of her speech that truly did get me thinking were her many appeals to the emotional climate of the room. She described in detail poor little boys whose mothers worked for the minimum wage, or the poor woman who languished on with poor health and no health insurance. And she had me for a couple minutes. I was like "Yeah...I want to help those people!"
But then I came to my senses.
The thing that interests me most about Democrats in general is that they assume they're the only ones that care about people. They assume that because they throw money at problems in the form of welfare or government programs that they are the only ones who want to fix society's ills.
I can attest that Republicans care about people. And I also can attest that they care about bad situations and even care to work to fix the problems in society. They just have a different philosophy on the ways in which this should be done.
This is the crux of why I do not call myself a Democrat. I believe that the ultimate responsibility for people and their lives lies within their own hands. Not with the government in the form of a handout.
Handouts ultimately only enable people to continue making the same poor decisions that got them in that bad place to begin with. Changes in society come about ultimately with the individuals in that society working to bring about change in that their own lives. Granted, there can be systemic issues which contribute to societal problems. People get themselves in binds and need help. But, ultimately, individuals must learn how to be self-feeders, taking care of themselves and not looking to the government to bail them out of bad situations they find themselves in.
I have my doubts if a massive, bureaucratic organization full of red-tape and politicing can really ever "help people". Non-profits have a much better track record on that front. I think the government should leave it to them. But, if the government can do anything to "help people", it should be creating programs to empower people, not to enable them.
And, Hillary should fire her stylist.
Oh, by the way, Hilly, I would never send you on live television wearing Hammer pants the color of a traffic sign. Call me, we'll work something out...
Friday, August 15, 2008
Today's Fixation
Hello, all!
Here is an update on my progress toward a more zen life.
The waking up early has not been going as planned. I guess this week I've been waking up around or even after 7:15 or so, which is not ideal. But, it's been a crazy summer and my sleep schedule has gotten all out of whack. My goal is to get back on track next week with waking up right at 7:00 on the nose, and then get back to moving earlier gradually.
I just realized today how much of a weight debt is when it comes to financial peace of mind. Money is tight in my budget each month because of money going to pay down debt. Duh, you say. Yes, perhaps I'm a little slow, but today was my first realization of how being in debt effects my quality of life in a day to day way. I've always understood this concept in theory, but it really hit home today examining my finances and realizing how much extra money a month I would have if I weren't in debt. So...announcing my latest zen goal:
GETTING OUT OF DEBT!!!
Thus: I paid off my credit card today! I had a little extra cushion in my checking account, and I figured, why not? If I find that I overextended myself and need a little extra money, worst case scenario, I just put another couple hundred back on the credit card. But even in that scenario, I'll still be in much better shape with a much lower balance.
Furthermore, I have decided to add something else that I'm going to be working on. So, here is my latest goal that I would like to announce. Duh-duh-duh-duh: I would like to pay off my car completely in the next three months. I still have eight months of payments, so I will have to be a little resourceful, but I'm going to make it into a little game for myself. I think that if I send all my extra money toward this noble cause, I can make it happen. What's a goal if it's not a little challenging?
In other news, I hope to spend this weekend bringing order to my apartment and getting things good and cleaned up. It's time to make my house a home.
Here is an update on my progress toward a more zen life.
The waking up early has not been going as planned. I guess this week I've been waking up around or even after 7:15 or so, which is not ideal. But, it's been a crazy summer and my sleep schedule has gotten all out of whack. My goal is to get back on track next week with waking up right at 7:00 on the nose, and then get back to moving earlier gradually.
I just realized today how much of a weight debt is when it comes to financial peace of mind. Money is tight in my budget each month because of money going to pay down debt. Duh, you say. Yes, perhaps I'm a little slow, but today was my first realization of how being in debt effects my quality of life in a day to day way. I've always understood this concept in theory, but it really hit home today examining my finances and realizing how much extra money a month I would have if I weren't in debt. So...announcing my latest zen goal:
GETTING OUT OF DEBT!!!
Thus: I paid off my credit card today! I had a little extra cushion in my checking account, and I figured, why not? If I find that I overextended myself and need a little extra money, worst case scenario, I just put another couple hundred back on the credit card. But even in that scenario, I'll still be in much better shape with a much lower balance.
Furthermore, I have decided to add something else that I'm going to be working on. So, here is my latest goal that I would like to announce. Duh-duh-duh-duh: I would like to pay off my car completely in the next three months. I still have eight months of payments, so I will have to be a little resourceful, but I'm going to make it into a little game for myself. I think that if I send all my extra money toward this noble cause, I can make it happen. What's a goal if it's not a little challenging?
In other news, I hope to spend this weekend bringing order to my apartment and getting things good and cleaned up. It's time to make my house a home.
Monday, July 28, 2008
An Open Letter
To The Village of Oak Park Parking Nazis -
I love your precious village, I do. The little old ladies walking their tiny white poofy dogs every morning on the picturesque tree-lined streets. The huge historic houses designed by Really Famous People. The elegantly manicured gardens. The festivals and farmers' markets and outdoor theaters. I love it. Really. The perfect mixture of suburb and city. So much so that I chose to move here, forcing an hour-and-a-half commute EVERY LIVE-LONG WORKING DAY. While gas prices are WELL over $4.00. That means I really love your treasured Haven of Loveliness.
I can understand that you would want to protect it from interlopers who would mar the lovely streets by parking their ugly cars where they simply do not belong. I would be concerned about that too.
But I really need to let you in on something. It is neither polite nor necessary to persecute the legal residents of your magical community. Let me give you an example.
Imagine with me, if you will, a naive Southerner, adhering as best she knew how to the parking regulations of the aforementioned village. Put yourself in her shoes when this morning, she received not one, but TWO parking tickets. Not only did I receive these today, but they are the second set of the SAME $%^&ING TICKETS. One of which she received for not displaying the parking sticker which had merely become dislodged from it's place on her windshield. So miniscule was this infraction that the sticker was actually still attached to the windshield, but merely hanging from it's proper place because of the blasted heat which had melted the tape holding it in place. I have replaced the tape. NOW PLEASE CUT IT THE $%^# OUT. The second ticket of these sets was for not displaying a front license plate. My car is from another state which doesn't require front plates and thus has NO LITTLE HOLES ON THE FRONT BUMPER TO ATTACH THE LITTLE LICENSE PLATE SCREWS TO. I have the front plate in my back seat. NOW PLEASE CUT IT THE $%^ OUT.
This practice of ticketing the h out of your humble residents leads me to believe that your little village has nothing better to do than to cheat the citizens of this lovely place so you can RAISE MORE REVENUE to support further parking regulation ridiculousness. This is an ignoble scheme, foul perpetrators. You will be brought to justice, vigilante style. If I see one of your minions trying to %^& with my car again, I will not hesitate to jump him. Consider yourself warned, Parking Nazis.
~M.I.F.
I love your precious village, I do. The little old ladies walking their tiny white poofy dogs every morning on the picturesque tree-lined streets. The huge historic houses designed by Really Famous People. The elegantly manicured gardens. The festivals and farmers' markets and outdoor theaters. I love it. Really. The perfect mixture of suburb and city. So much so that I chose to move here, forcing an hour-and-a-half commute EVERY LIVE-LONG WORKING DAY. While gas prices are WELL over $4.00. That means I really love your treasured Haven of Loveliness.
I can understand that you would want to protect it from interlopers who would mar the lovely streets by parking their ugly cars where they simply do not belong. I would be concerned about that too.
But I really need to let you in on something. It is neither polite nor necessary to persecute the legal residents of your magical community. Let me give you an example.
Imagine with me, if you will, a naive Southerner, adhering as best she knew how to the parking regulations of the aforementioned village. Put yourself in her shoes when this morning, she received not one, but TWO parking tickets. Not only did I receive these today, but they are the second set of the SAME $%^&ING TICKETS. One of which she received for not displaying the parking sticker which had merely become dislodged from it's place on her windshield. So miniscule was this infraction that the sticker was actually still attached to the windshield, but merely hanging from it's proper place because of the blasted heat which had melted the tape holding it in place. I have replaced the tape. NOW PLEASE CUT IT THE $%^# OUT. The second ticket of these sets was for not displaying a front license plate. My car is from another state which doesn't require front plates and thus has NO LITTLE HOLES ON THE FRONT BUMPER TO ATTACH THE LITTLE LICENSE PLATE SCREWS TO. I have the front plate in my back seat. NOW PLEASE CUT IT THE $%^ OUT.
This practice of ticketing the h out of your humble residents leads me to believe that your little village has nothing better to do than to cheat the citizens of this lovely place so you can RAISE MORE REVENUE to support further parking regulation ridiculousness. This is an ignoble scheme, foul perpetrators. You will be brought to justice, vigilante style. If I see one of your minions trying to %^& with my car again, I will not hesitate to jump him. Consider yourself warned, Parking Nazis.
~M.I.F.
Friday, July 18, 2008
In Pursuit of the Ideal
I'm trying to sort out my life. Specifically, I'm trying to determine my Calling, the Vocation which combines my all passions and talents and a sense of mission, something into which I can pour all my energy, something I will love endlessly, for which I will be perfectly suited, and will enjoy vast success. Something encompassing adventure and beauty and financial gain and purpose and fabulousness; all swirled into an amalgam of success, achievement and never-ending bliss.
Is it any wonder why I haven't found that yet? I think it might not actually exist. Actually, as I describe it, it sounds more like Heaven.
I think I'm onto something here, although it's certainly not a new observation. Isn't that ultimately what all humans search for? This may be my judeo-Christian world view's influence here, but ultimately, humans are searching for the ideal. Counterintuitively, we all claim intellectual ascent to the fact that the ideal doesn't exist in this world, yet we all subconsciously and compulsively search it out. Something deeper is at play here.
It suggests a commonality in the wiring of all humans. What we define as ideal, we seek in our own lives. Perhaps that is a projection of my own experience onto the rest of human kind, but on the whole, it seems that we are all searching, dissatisfied, and discontent. I think the natural assertion to make at this point is that common drive didn't come about by happenstance, but that God put that drive in us, the drive to discover the ideal, and make the ideal our own; God knowing all the while that ultimately, we wouldn't be able to find that anywhere except in Him. But I digress...
How do all these ramblings apply to my search for a job that will pay the bills? Well, all these subconscious impulses which are admittedly a part of my psyche have kept me pretty stuck in the last several years. Nothing, I find, is ideal. Certainly there are different levels of "not ideal", but really, most everything has been falling under the heading of "not ideal". And that has kept me doing the really, especially "not ideal" for a long time, because I can't make a decision to commit to one career path because of the aforementioned "not ideal" status I've assigned to all the different routes I've pursued thus far.
Oh, the irony.
I went to check out a completely new and off-the-wall potential career last night. I was sort of inspired by the thought of walking that path, but mostly, it was just very surreal. I felt as though I was making up my life as I went. It felt like there was no plan or purpose, but mostly, I was just doing the best I could to get by; trying to entertain myself, doing the best I could with what I had until this life is all over. This sense doesn't fall in line with what I believe to be true about life and calling and calling in life, but nevertheless, it was how I felt.
But it doesn't excuse me of my responsibility to steward my life well. Now if only I could figure out how to do that...
Is it any wonder why I haven't found that yet? I think it might not actually exist. Actually, as I describe it, it sounds more like Heaven.
I think I'm onto something here, although it's certainly not a new observation. Isn't that ultimately what all humans search for? This may be my judeo-Christian world view's influence here, but ultimately, humans are searching for the ideal. Counterintuitively, we all claim intellectual ascent to the fact that the ideal doesn't exist in this world, yet we all subconsciously and compulsively search it out. Something deeper is at play here.
It suggests a commonality in the wiring of all humans. What we define as ideal, we seek in our own lives. Perhaps that is a projection of my own experience onto the rest of human kind, but on the whole, it seems that we are all searching, dissatisfied, and discontent. I think the natural assertion to make at this point is that common drive didn't come about by happenstance, but that God put that drive in us, the drive to discover the ideal, and make the ideal our own; God knowing all the while that ultimately, we wouldn't be able to find that anywhere except in Him. But I digress...
How do all these ramblings apply to my search for a job that will pay the bills? Well, all these subconscious impulses which are admittedly a part of my psyche have kept me pretty stuck in the last several years. Nothing, I find, is ideal. Certainly there are different levels of "not ideal", but really, most everything has been falling under the heading of "not ideal". And that has kept me doing the really, especially "not ideal" for a long time, because I can't make a decision to commit to one career path because of the aforementioned "not ideal" status I've assigned to all the different routes I've pursued thus far.
Oh, the irony.
I went to check out a completely new and off-the-wall potential career last night. I was sort of inspired by the thought of walking that path, but mostly, it was just very surreal. I felt as though I was making up my life as I went. It felt like there was no plan or purpose, but mostly, I was just doing the best I could to get by; trying to entertain myself, doing the best I could with what I had until this life is all over. This sense doesn't fall in line with what I believe to be true about life and calling and calling in life, but nevertheless, it was how I felt.
But it doesn't excuse me of my responsibility to steward my life well. Now if only I could figure out how to do that...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
We'll get there...
So, I'm still working on the blogging habit. My posts have been sporadic at best. But, my new mantra with the lifestyle I'm trying to cultivate is "we'll get there". Just because I'm not 100% out of the starting gate doesn't mean it's hopeless. Slow and steady wins the race. Practice makes perfect. Inch by inch, everything's a cinch. Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Well, not so much that last one. But, that's a convenient segue to my next topic. I woke up at 6:41 this morning! Getting closer to my goal of being consistently awake and active at 6am. We'll get there...
I feel frustrated about my life currently because it seems as though I've been running around so much that I haven't had the opportunity to nest in my new apartment for which I am paying throug the nose. Driving to and from said apartment for an hour and a half each day doesn't help matters much. I'm hoping that this will change pretty soon, I cannot wait to start getting stuff up on the walls, painting, projecting and generally using my apartment as a giant gineau pig for my off the wall ideas. We'll get there...
But, I DO have a new blog header. I'm satisfied with it in as much as this is my first attempt at graphic designing anything, but I am trying to resist the impulse to get all perfectionistic up on it. I may still tweak it some, though. Do I really need to say it again?
Well, not so much that last one. But, that's a convenient segue to my next topic. I woke up at 6:41 this morning! Getting closer to my goal of being consistently awake and active at 6am. We'll get there...
I feel frustrated about my life currently because it seems as though I've been running around so much that I haven't had the opportunity to nest in my new apartment for which I am paying throug the nose. Driving to and from said apartment for an hour and a half each day doesn't help matters much. I'm hoping that this will change pretty soon, I cannot wait to start getting stuff up on the walls, painting, projecting and generally using my apartment as a giant gineau pig for my off the wall ideas. We'll get there...
But, I DO have a new blog header. I'm satisfied with it in as much as this is my first attempt at graphic designing anything, but I am trying to resist the impulse to get all perfectionistic up on it. I may still tweak it some, though. Do I really need to say it again?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Barely Legal
I can now drive with impunity. My car tags are up to date. I've been looking over my shoulder for the last 14 months hoping none of the fuzz catch me speeding or doing something else that is otherwise illegal. My luck ran out a couple weeks ago. The cop could've been way worse but I still got a ticket for my ridiculously expired tags. 1 or 2 months he could understand, but 14?...
Hey, if you're going to do something, do it.
Hey, if you're going to do something, do it.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
On Headers and Habits
Rather than try to introduce you to who I am, I'm just going to dive in and let whoever may stumble upon this bit of internet clutter figure it out as we go. Clearly my header is still in progress. Be patient with me. I'm no graphic designer.
Since I can't seem to decide what the h to do with myself, I've decided to start a blog to kill the time that should be taken up by a meaningful career. So, as I work as an indentured servant to The Man (a not-for-profit The Man, but a The Man, nonetheless), I've decided to clean up my lifestyle a bit. I thought a blog would be a good way to track my progress (or lack thereof) and a good outlet for catharsis of my ideas and emotions in the meantime. I'm not in college anymore, so the days for sleeping my mornings away, never updating my car tags and cleaning only when I do laundry are past. There have been a couple instances of late where this lack of attention to day-to-day details have come back to bite me in the proverbial a$$. I also recently discovered the blog zenhabits.net, which is very fabulous and has provided much inspiration for my latest goal. I can make stuff happen when I decide I really want to. We'll see if I really want to...
I'm almost 27. I happen to be a lucky member of the generation whose twenties are purgatory. All my friends agree. All this "finding yourself" of which previous generations didn't have the luxury and thus were able to conveniently forego couldn't suck much more than it does. So, until this all pans out, I have a small space all my own to record my self-indulgent thoughts and impressions.
And, I hope to have a really fabulous header soon.
Since I can't seem to decide what the h to do with myself, I've decided to start a blog to kill the time that should be taken up by a meaningful career. So, as I work as an indentured servant to The Man (a not-for-profit The Man, but a The Man, nonetheless), I've decided to clean up my lifestyle a bit. I thought a blog would be a good way to track my progress (or lack thereof) and a good outlet for catharsis of my ideas and emotions in the meantime. I'm not in college anymore, so the days for sleeping my mornings away, never updating my car tags and cleaning only when I do laundry are past. There have been a couple instances of late where this lack of attention to day-to-day details have come back to bite me in the proverbial a$$. I also recently discovered the blog zenhabits.net, which is very fabulous and has provided much inspiration for my latest goal. I can make stuff happen when I decide I really want to. We'll see if I really want to...
I'm almost 27. I happen to be a lucky member of the generation whose twenties are purgatory. All my friends agree. All this "finding yourself" of which previous generations didn't have the luxury and thus were able to conveniently forego couldn't suck much more than it does. So, until this all pans out, I have a small space all my own to record my self-indulgent thoughts and impressions.
And, I hope to have a really fabulous header soon.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Christening the ship
Did you know that the words musings and insights share 5 whole letters?
Welcome to my world...
Welcome to my world...
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