Me in a nutshell

Me to a co-worker today: One of my hobbies is unfounded speculation.

Your Money or Your Life ... Bang!

Before bed I've been rereading "Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence." It's one of my favorite books and -- sort of embarrassingly -- prompted the first time I thought, Ohhhh! That's what money is. I mean, have you ever just sat down and tried to describe money?

When the book asked me to try I thought, this is stupid. Everybody knows what money is. It's... paper/coin currency... represents value... value of what? You work for it. You can trade it for stuff. You need it... Hey, shouldn't I be able to define the value it represents?

Hey, what other fundamental stuff do I take for granted?

The book talks a lot about financial independence and helps you see how it might be possible, no matter what your situation.

Time, patience, and commitment will let you do just about anything. So they say.

I'm not sure where I meant this to go. Suffice it to say, I like the book. I recommend it heartily. It's been around awhile too; used copies are pretty easy to come by.

How about one more pop quiz? I can quit anytime I want.

Today is a better day -- thanks to a glass of Sancerre, leftover enchiladas, and music. I've been working through a lot of internal stuff lately and finally had a minor breakthrough when I reread The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles. The first time I read it I thought it was hokey, but the message finally clicked.

Resistance is real. Find a way to deal with it. Do work.

I wonder how many times I'm going to have to relearn that lesson. Not so quick, that one...

Owl City sings "Hello Seattle" in my ears. I'm starting to think things are possible that haven't occurred to me seriously since I was five years old. I blame school. Clearly I am a recovering student. I was good at it too... meaningless repetitive tasks for arbitrary rewards. Explains why I like World of Warcraft so much.

Probably not contagious

I've been absent here because I'm in a rotten mood and I don't want to infect anyone. It always seems to happen around this time of year; I catch a bad mood like a cold and just have to wait it out.

On Saturday, Jer and I toured a nearby gym and signed up for a two week trial. Now I just need to get myself there. That'd help my mood, I'm sure.

My bus route changed. Went from a 10 minute walk to a 15 minute walk. That doesn't sound like much, but it's a pain. I love my neighborhood except for its complete lack of sidewalks.

I'm also going through one of those phases where I'd really like to see Jer more. Two to three times per week isn't cutting it.

All petty problems. Trivial things. My tendency towards impatience doesn't help either. Let's see what a good night's sleep can do...

Happy-est

I've been working on a piece lately.. It started all thought-provokingly awesome and then degenerated into a cursing match between me and I. In the end I have nothing to share, because I've ruined it for everyone.

The key to my internal debate is this question: What makes me happier than all the other happys?

You may be surprised at how I can wax on and off about this subject. Do you know? Can you shed light on what would make you the happiest? The question has me all a twitter, but not the kind that limits my crazy thoughts to 140 char.

Basically the answer either catapults me to action or shame. I think I know what I should do, but damned if I start doing it. Do you have a plan to make you happy?

I am tempted to stay up all night. Watch movies about places I've never been. And influence my dreams.

Who.

Is.

With.

Me.?

Songbird? No.

I just treated the cats to a most fantastic rendition of my Broadway skillz -- or lack thereof. Luckily cats are silent in their judgment. Though technically Chiana did howl a bit.

If you're curious, it involved a montage of "all the songs my voice teacher made me sing." Yeah. Still not all that good. I said once, "I have lots of skills, I don't need that one." But you know, I would give up most of them if I could carry a tune. Music is ... everything. And I suck at it.

And that's how I learned about fairness. I opened my mouth and that sound came out.

Trivia question: What is the only song Christy thinks she can sing?

Answer: You're a Grand Ole Flag.

Jer and I are having a ten-year anniversary soon. I'm trying to come up with a plan that does not involve World of Warcraft. Although I suppose we could holiday in Outland or find a secluded dungeon to grab some leet gear.

Ugh.

Dear tomorrow, slow down. Take your time. I'm not ready.