In my inaugural post for Begging the Question, I thought I would follow in the footsteps of Milbarge and have an "Energy Spatula At Large" post. So, here we go. (As an afterthought...does anyone have an opinion of this small font over my usual HUGE font? I'm going to change my template when I get back to TVPNM but until then, I kind of like the small but don't want to hurt anyone's eyes).
What I'm Doing At Work: Ooooh...this one is easy. I don't actually have a job, but we'll count school as my job and talk about that. I am actively procrastinating finishing up my resume and sending it out by working on this post. Most of the government agencies are just now opening up their application processes for next summer, so my plan is to hit the ones that accept resumes via email first, and then try to get motivated to go buy some nice paper and start sending out packages to the others. I thought about enclosing money or something in the envelopes as sort of a bribe, but I don't have enough to make it worthwhile (I don't think a half roll of pennies to each place would do the trick...). Hey, do you think they would take those McDonald's coupons you can buy in a book at Christmas-time? I think I have some left over that my grandparents gave me last year. So, I guess that's what I'm doing at work, trying to find a job that can be swayed to hire me by the receipt of $1 off a quarter pounder with cheese. Anybody have any ideas?
What I'm Doing at Home: STILL going through my stuff and trying to force myself to get rid of some of it. My things have been in storage since April of last year which is when I went on terminal leave from the Air Force. I lived in Glorified Graduate Student Dorm last year, so I only took a small percentage of my things with me...but now that I found my own place it all has to go back with me. And I love opening all the boxes and seeing my things again, it's like my birthday every day -- all these great things I haven't seen in a year and a half. I don't WANT to get rid of anything, even though I know I probably don't need that talking cookie jar anymore...or the Magic 8-ball collection (I have 6...seriously). So, I'm trying to be disciplined about it, but not really succeeding. I think in the end most of the junk will end up in my new apartment and I will be complaining about this next time I move. Won't that be fun for all of us?
What I'm Listening To: In an homage to the more emotionally fragile years of my adolescence, I am listening to Maroon 5. And I mean, it's on rapid rotation and I can't stop listening to it, and I might even be mooning just a little bit. I'm also listening to the Jimmy Buffett box set here and there, especially Boats, but I'm in a bit of an obsessive Maroon 5 rut right now.
What I'm Reading: Trashy romances. I am especially addicted to the kind where there is some mystery or murder going on, and then the big strong man comes and solves the mystery and also falls in love with the heroine who is inevitably not at all what he expected. I know it's ridiculous, but I can't help it. The series of choice right now is by Elizabeth Lowell and chronicles this family of brothers (the Donovans, if you care) all involved in different aspects of the gem and mineral trade and they are all big and tough and dangerous (but in a nice, sexy way) and they solve murders and inevitably fall in love by the end of each book. Sigh. This is sadly about as highbrow as I get when it comes to literature.
What I'm Thinking About: Going to the coast. We leave tomorrow for a couple of days out on the coast of Oregon...gonna do some hiking and biking and hopefully spend some time collecting seashells and watching seals and other nice relaxing activities that don't involve me going through boxes in a storage unit. I love the coast, so this is a big treat for me...we try to go a couple of times a year, and with school and everything, it is especially nice to get away whenever I can (and frankly, whenever my parents are willing to pay).
Also putting some thought into when Jimmy is going to announce his West Coast tour dates, whether or not I need to buy another pink throw rug to replace the one my roommates demolished last year, where I can get some nice bowls that match the pink plates I already have that are decorated with starfish and other sea creatures, and whether or not I should replace the clip-on reading light that I accidentally broke when I stepped on it the other day. I like to read before bed, so the clip on light is a must...there is nothing worse than getting all settled in and then having to get up to turn off the overhead light...blech.
What I'm Not Thinking About: School starting next month. Looking for a job (OK, I'm thinking about this one a little bit). Registration. Financial Aid. In-state vs. Out-of-state tuition. Keeping my scholarship. Grants. GI Bill. Moving (yeah, thinking about this one a bit as well). Packing. Unpacking. Paying bills. The election. Anything without rhinestones.
What I'll Be Doing Tomorrow At This Time: Trying to maintain my dignity while being forced to play the Alphabet Game on the two hour drive to the coast. For those of you that have sane parents, this a game where you have to find all the letters of the alphabet, in order, on signs and semi-trucks and whatnot. This is made all the more unappealing by the fact that (a) I am almost 30 years old, (b) my mom LOVES to play and won't take no for an answer, and (c) she changes the rules pretty much every 3 seconds in order to make the game LONGER (NO, it has to be the FIRST letter of the first word of the second sentence and only on green signs...that's the way it's played...IT IS!!!). It's just so fun that she never wants it to end. Yeah.
So, I'll be back Wednesday night...maybe with funny stories, maybe traumatized from the Alphabet Game, but back nonetheless. Don't forget to leave the light on.
