(no subject)
Jan. 1st, 2012 11:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blackbirdblogI have been casually thinking about a New Year's resolution. I usually make one...but at the moment I am having trouble remembering what they were for the past few years. Usually I evaluate the direction of my life and come up with a general change I would like to make--just something to be more aware of in the coming year. This year everything I come up with is more specific, like "exercise more" and "don't waste so much time surfing the internet". I have developed a little shopping problem, and I would like to get outside more, and travel more, and just quit being such a lump. I used to love going for a run in the park, a hike in the woods, or a bike ride just about anywhere, and I loved thrift shopping and antique stores, and road trips exploring the countryside and taking photos with my Holga. I don't do any of that anymore, and I think part of the problem is the lack of routine in my life. I find it very difficult to make any plans when I have nothing in my schedule around which to make such plans. Sounds kind of crazy when I put it like that, but it's true. The other thing that holds me back is being very alone in the world. I miss having a partner to do fun things with, and it's hard to get motivated to do those same activities by myself that I used to do with someone I cared about. I just don't have that much fun alone. Relationships are the most important part of life, and without them I am kind of lost.
Regarding clothing, I would like to focus on making more utilitarian choices. I've acquired a ridiculous number of whimsical little blouses from Anthropologie, which I love, but they don't really fit my lifestyle. I miss thrifting, though it is harder now because my standards are a lot higher so the gems are fewer and farther between. I have also discovered leather shoes and boots and anything not leather just seems cheap and unappealing to me. But it is an expense I feel is justified if the footwear is utilitarian and will last many years. I am done buying lots of cheap shoes and I value comfortable and versatile high quality footwear. I got these at full price--
--and I love them because they look like shoes a 10-year-old boy would have worn in 1910. After I made this purchase, I discovered this company--http://www.vintageshoecompany.com/-- and I love the designs and the fact that they are made locally right in Pennsylvania! I will be saving my money for these.
On the employment front, I have been interviewing with a large insurance company since November, I believe. I kind of randomly posted my resume on www.monster.com, and the recruiter, DS, called me up and offered me an interview, had me jump through some hoops, and offered me the job, contingent upon my getting licensed, of course. I passed the Property & Casualty portion so far, and I am about to start studying for the Life & Health part. If I accept the position, I will work out of the corporate office for a year to build my "book of business" and then open up an independent agency somewhere in the community. I never considered a career in sales, and insurance seems like the most boring thing imaginable, but the stability is appealing to me and so is the steady income. I feel like a total sell-out, but I think I am going to do it.
I also want to read more this year. I've been trying to get through some Jane Austen for the past few months, but I am just not that into it. I like the language, but the plots revolve around getting daughters married off to the best suitors, and not much more. Also in the pile next to my bed at the moment are some self-help books--"How to Win Friends and Influence People" and "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living", both by Dale Carnegie, as well as "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey. I think these will help me in my future corporate life. I am also looking forward to reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan and "Sacred Economics" by Charles Eisenstein. I discovered this last title when I came across this short film--
I've watched it at least a dozen times. I love the video because Eisenstein crystalizes the underlying issue of so many of the problems of our society, as well as the Occupy movement (which I have supported locally up until recently, but not been directly involved with). I am excited to read his book.
Finally, I am trying to get in shape. I miss running, and just being outside more. It's tough in the winter, so I got a month free at a local gym. I went today for the first time, and it felt really good to get moving again. There are, like, 5 gyms within walking distance of my new apartment, but joining up for a whole year doesn't make sense for me since I prefer running outside in the nice weather and would never use a gym membership in the summer. Looking forward to running outside in the spring.
Regarding clothing, I would like to focus on making more utilitarian choices. I've acquired a ridiculous number of whimsical little blouses from Anthropologie, which I love, but they don't really fit my lifestyle. I miss thrifting, though it is harder now because my standards are a lot higher so the gems are fewer and farther between. I have also discovered leather shoes and boots and anything not leather just seems cheap and unappealing to me. But it is an expense I feel is justified if the footwear is utilitarian and will last many years. I am done buying lots of cheap shoes and I value comfortable and versatile high quality footwear. I got these at full price--
--and I love them because they look like shoes a 10-year-old boy would have worn in 1910. After I made this purchase, I discovered this company--http://www.vintageshoecompany.com/-- and I love the designs and the fact that they are made locally right in Pennsylvania! I will be saving my money for these.
On the employment front, I have been interviewing with a large insurance company since November, I believe. I kind of randomly posted my resume on www.monster.com, and the recruiter, DS, called me up and offered me an interview, had me jump through some hoops, and offered me the job, contingent upon my getting licensed, of course. I passed the Property & Casualty portion so far, and I am about to start studying for the Life & Health part. If I accept the position, I will work out of the corporate office for a year to build my "book of business" and then open up an independent agency somewhere in the community. I never considered a career in sales, and insurance seems like the most boring thing imaginable, but the stability is appealing to me and so is the steady income. I feel like a total sell-out, but I think I am going to do it.
I also want to read more this year. I've been trying to get through some Jane Austen for the past few months, but I am just not that into it. I like the language, but the plots revolve around getting daughters married off to the best suitors, and not much more. Also in the pile next to my bed at the moment are some self-help books--"How to Win Friends and Influence People" and "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living", both by Dale Carnegie, as well as "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey. I think these will help me in my future corporate life. I am also looking forward to reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan and "Sacred Economics" by Charles Eisenstein. I discovered this last title when I came across this short film--
I've watched it at least a dozen times. I love the video because Eisenstein crystalizes the underlying issue of so many of the problems of our society, as well as the Occupy movement (which I have supported locally up until recently, but not been directly involved with). I am excited to read his book.
Finally, I am trying to get in shape. I miss running, and just being outside more. It's tough in the winter, so I got a month free at a local gym. I went today for the first time, and it felt really good to get moving again. There are, like, 5 gyms within walking distance of my new apartment, but joining up for a whole year doesn't make sense for me since I prefer running outside in the nice weather and would never use a gym membership in the summer. Looking forward to running outside in the spring.
