Posts from the ‘lazy posts’ Category
Two quick points.
First, after my last blog post I was trying to catch up on some blog reading and I found something. What? Let’s just say: I found a better way to say 90% of what I wrote. The Beginner’s Guide to Zen Habits: The 5 Principles of a Profound Workday I highly recommend reading this post.
Second, I’m not sure why I didn’t comment about this, but the picture of the pocket watch? It’s one of my favorite watches. It was my 93 year-old grandfather’s watch. He use to wear it on a leather strap that was taped at one and had a safety pin at the other. It’s not a valuable watch, but it’s a priceless memory. I don’t know why I needed to point it out…but I did. Now you know. :)
One semester down and about one third of the way through the second semester. Last term if you would have asked me how things were, I would have told you “crazy.” Reading 1,200-1,500 pages in the first four weeks and repeating that every four weeks was rough. This semester makes last semester looks like a piece of cake…and not the yummy kind!
I have 26 textbooks, a few dozen journal articles to read and quite a few papers to write. One of my classes has almost as much reading and homework as an entire semester of undergrad. I almost forget that I asked for this! Actually, for all of the complaining I sound like I am doing, things are pretty good!
The only thing I have been struggling with is sleeping…I can’t get a good pattern down. Trying to calm my brain down seems to be only part of the problem. Even on a non-stress day I am just not tired at all. It’s getting annoying. Really annoying. If I try to read for school, my brain is a little too fuzzy and I end up needed to reread when it’s not late at night. If I play a game or watch TV, I almost don’t want to go to bed because I want to see what happens -even if I’ve seen the movie 100 times.
If it wasn’t so cold…I’d go for a walk.
So it took me two months to pack, drive across the country and unpack so I could update my blog. Okay, that might not be the full truth…
The truck was packed on August 17th and 12 hours later we were in New York. By some sort of miracle we were able to fit everything into the apartment that we brought with us -IKEA gets some props for that. Our place feels homey, but it doesn’t feel like home just yet. Our friends (new friends) who have been here for a few years have all said it takes about 6 months before it feels like home. I’m pretty sure it will easily take that long…it’s a big change. Big. Change.
There have been a few fulfilled city adventures already, but many more on the horizon. Suffice to say, there should be plenty to blog about. :)
For now, I’ll leave you with this little gem I took of two people playing instruments on a subway platform. One was dressed as a skunk, the other a chicken. I love how random the city is!
The things we collect over the years that end up collecting dust say a lot about us. I’ve moved a few times -just apartment skipping if you will- in the past 10 years and I always laugh at the things I boxed up at one apartment…but I never unboxed at the new apartment. Maybe there is unopened mail just waiting to be shredded. Or the magazine article I wanted to read. Maybe, just maybe, the business card of someone who will have long forgotten me by now.
For this move, things are a little different. Instead of moving boxes to NY that I may not ever open, I’m opening every box I have and deciding: keep it, store it, toss it, sell it or donate it? I can’t take everything and I can’t store everything. I have to make a choice. I have lots of work clothes that I have no interest in wearing again…I’d rather get new clothes for a new start, but only if I need them. :)
It’s such a refreshing feeling getting rid of old things or passing them on. It’s like spring cleaning for the soul in far too many ways. I suggest you try it some time.
So I sat down the other day and I realized that I must be crazy. Up until December I was taking night classes, working 40+ hours a week (I’m a computer nerd by trade), working with two student clubs on campus, volunteering as a director of a library & museum, making wedding plans, reviewing grad schools, reviewing new cities to live in, working on my photos (rarely), trying to keep in touch with my friends and of course: sleeping, eating, cleaning and showering.
Now much has changed in the past 6 months, other than I’m not taking night classes now. Wow. I’m kind of an idiot.
My job right now is so stressful that I freak out when I talk about it, so I’m not going to talk about it. Well, I’ll say that I’m in an extremely awkward situation at my office that makes every day a shitty day.
This isn’t a very informative post. Deal with it.
So for those of you who also have cray lives…I have a list of things that I do to help me get through it all. In no particular order:
- Play violent video games
- Play video games where I can swear at other people on the Internet (so I feel like a bigger person)
- Both of the above.
- Read two pages in a book and (this is the important part) throw it across the room as if you are disgusted the author’s parents allowed them to read & write. Do this even if you like the book.
- Point at yourself in the mirror and laugh. Note: DO NOT punch the mirror.
- Sit in a room at stare at a wall for as long as it takes. Don’t ask me how long it takes, just do it until you’re done. You’ll understand once you try it.
- Sit outside and stare at the ground. Don’t make eye contact with anyone for 2 hours.
Do these things actually work? Hell yes. All the time? Hell no. When in doubt, take a few deep breaths, close your eyes and count to 10. You’ll be surprised how clam you feel after 10 seconds with your eyes closed. That is, unless you are driving…then you might actually be in a sheer terrified panic mode when you open your eyes. So that’s not really productive either.
Aw to hell with it. Just punch a mirror.
I removed some old posts, deleted a few drafts, made a few tweaks to the layout and finished up on some static pages. I’ll probably pull down some old posts that aren’t too special or that had embedded photos…just because they are unneeded and “blah”. I think I’m happy, for now at least. Now I need to give you a little content, eh?
At least I need something to tell you before it looks like I’ve up and disappeared again :)
.: the babbling dweeb :. 