Ok, I'll admit it. I got lazy. Sometimes, there are things in life that fall by the wayside, and blogging was one of them.
It's been an interesting couple of months for me: adjusting to a new job, a new living situation, a new city (sort of), new people, and a very new lifestyle. I know I'm beyond lucky to have the job that I have, especially these days, and I'm even luckier to have fantastic, supportive family and friends, but sometimes a girl needs some time to herself.
Luckily, a new year brings new resolve. Isn't it amazing how the turn of a calendar page can be so inspiring?
And so with that, here are my resolutions for '09. Feel free to call me out on them if you notice me not fulfilling anything.
1. Do something creative every day.
Although I work in a (very) creative field and company, my actual job isn't. (When you try to get "creative" with estimates and invoices, shit goes wrong.) And I've realized that I miss creativity, and I need more of it to feel whole. So whether that comes in the form of blogging, busting out the camera, or journaling, I'll work the other side of my brain a little every day.
2. Work smarter, not harder.
I'm finally getting the hang of my job-- the learning curve was steep, to say the least. Now that I've learned things the hard way, it's time to figure out which way is the hard way, then avoid it.
3. Go to the gym at least 3 days a week.
Yeah, everyone says they want to get in shape in the new year. (That's why going to the gym in the first week of January is always a bad idea-- waaaay too crowded.) But I've realized that working out, for me, is more about working out the frustrations of the day, spending time on me with no distractions, and getting more energy. Seriously, it works.
4. Connect with old friends who have moved back to the Bay.
The great thing about coming back to the Bay Area is that my roots are here. I know people all over, if I would only branch out and call them up more often. San Francisco is sort of a new city for me (since I grew up in Los Altos and now live in Berkeley), so it will be fun to continue to find "new" friends to explore with.
5. Bring my lunch to work at least 3 days a week.
This just has to do with spending less money and saving more, in order to do the next two things on my list....
6. Find an apartment. Finally.
It's time to get serious.
7. Travel to see some old friends.
This one, at least, is pretty easy to keep! I have friends to visit in Chicago, New York, Phoenix, LA, San Luis Obispo, Copenhagen, Italy, Austria, and (soon) Guatemala. I'm making more money now, and I still get the restless, need-to-be-flying-somewhere urges. The only problems are a) how to best use my personal/vacation days and b) where should I go first?!
So, there you have it. 7 things I'm going to do this year. Or at least until I get lazy again.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Monday, October 6, 2008
28 Days.
Less than a month to go until what some have claimed to be the most important American presidential election in our lifetimes. 28 days, to be exact.
The economy is in the toilet. People can't afford to drive to work-- but they've probably lost their jobs anyways. Many can't afford healthcare, or even a place to live. This is America, the land of dreams and prosperity, and we can't even take care of our own.
You would think that our politicians, especially those running for "leader of the free world," would understand which issues are important to us, which ones are worthy of their time to discuss.
But no. Instead, we get bickering about who voted which way and for what reasons, who doesn't regularly read a newspaper, who goes to what church, or who can't use a computer. Barack Obama articulated this problem in his book, The Audacity of Hope:
"No, what's troubling is the gap between the magnitude of our challenges and the smallness of our politics--the ease with which we are distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our seeming inability to build a working consensus to tackle any big problem."
So, as you're deciding to vote, please: stop paying attention to what shade of lipstick is on the pig. Get to know what the candidates actually support, or what changes they will actually make. Please. Our country needs it.
(And for a much more articulate argument, see this post by James Fallows: http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/our_capacity_for_selfgovernmen.php)
The economy is in the toilet. People can't afford to drive to work-- but they've probably lost their jobs anyways. Many can't afford healthcare, or even a place to live. This is America, the land of dreams and prosperity, and we can't even take care of our own.
You would think that our politicians, especially those running for "leader of the free world," would understand which issues are important to us, which ones are worthy of their time to discuss.
But no. Instead, we get bickering about who voted which way and for what reasons, who doesn't regularly read a newspaper, who goes to what church, or who can't use a computer. Barack Obama articulated this problem in his book, The Audacity of Hope:
"No, what's troubling is the gap between the magnitude of our challenges and the smallness of our politics--the ease with which we are distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our seeming inability to build a working consensus to tackle any big problem."
So, as you're deciding to vote, please: stop paying attention to what shade of lipstick is on the pig. Get to know what the candidates actually support, or what changes they will actually make. Please. Our country needs it.
(And for a much more articulate argument, see this post by James Fallows: http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/our_capacity_for_selfgovernmen.php)
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