Goals
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A New Direction For Me
I have been quiet here on the blog recently. I have had ideas for blog posts. I have even written things I meant to be blog posts, but for one reason or another, I have decided not to share/post those. Like with many people, I have spent a lot of time these last few months examining my life- where I am and where I want to go. For the most part, I am lucky. My job has been impacted by the pandemic, but not changed. I work from home right now, but I still do the same work. I am not concerned about losing my job. I did not get…
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A New Car
Yesterday, we bought a car. As recently as Monday afternoon, we had no intention of getting another car. That means we went from no intention of getting a car to driving off the lot in about 48 hours. To make it worse, we bought a new car, not a new to us car, but a new car, with 59 miles on the odometer (roughly 20 of which we put on doing our test drive). We purchased a couple of the add-ons, and we financed it all – $0 down, even. If you follow the standard personal finance advice, you may be having a bit of a heart attack right now,…
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Narrativity – a review
One week ago today, I was in Minneapolis (or close enough) for the start of the very first Narrativity Conference. Let me be perfectly honest, I went to Narrativity for pure fan-girl reasons. Steven Brust was one of the organizers, and I learned about the conference from him via his facebook page. I have been reading Brust’s books since I was in high school. That means he has been one of my favorite authors for over 25 years. Since moving to the Seattle area, I have been very blessed with having the opportunity to attend readings and signings with many of my favorite authors, Gaiman, Gibson, Modesitt, and Megan Lindholm…
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New Page & Side Hustle
Nowadays, a lot of people have “side hustles”, ways to make money alongside their regular job. These used to be called “second jobs”, but that was before the gig economy. And for a lot of bloggers, their blog is their side hustle, at least until they can grow it to the point of it being their primary job. That is not me. I thought, way back in the day when I was managing four active blogs, that it might be. But then I realized that blogging was an enjoyable hobby for me, and trying to turn it into a money making device kind of sucked the fun out of it.…
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Back at the Beginning – Writing & Accountability
One week ago today, I sat in a coffee shop with a group of friends, and we started an accountability group. This was originally pictured perhaps as a writing group in which accountability was a major factor, but in discussions it changed to simply being about having a group of people to help hold you accountable for the things you need to get done that might otherwise slip by the wayside. People in the group have various goals, from writing so many words (or in my case, blog posts) a week, to downsizing in advance of a move, to losing weight or eating healthier. I am, for now, sticking with…
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Average Joes Deserve to Retire, Too
I originally wrote this post in November 2011, around the time of Occupy Wall Street. On some level, I miss Occupy Wall Street, because I hate the idea that you are not supposed to talk about finances in “polite company”. I hate the fact that we are all so busy keeping up appearances, that we let those appearances drown us in debt, or make it next to impossible to retire. It was refreshing (to me) to have a time when the country was actually focusing on our collective financial health. This is also part of why I love Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – not because I agree with everything she says, but…
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Snippets
I said to someone at work last week that it was like my childhood was dying. Leonard Nimoy’s death last year hit me harder than the ones from this year, but still. Between David Bowie, Alan Rickman, and today Glen Frey, and numerous others crossing my FB page, it really is that the music and actors I grew up with are leaving this world. Of course the hardest part about all of it for me is that they are all about the same age as my parents. And while C and a number of my friends have lost their parents, I still have both of mine, and I am honestly…
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I Think I am Having a Mid-Life Crisis
I think I am having a mid-life crisis, perhaps an early mid-life crisis, as I am still a few months away from turning 40, but one none the less. I have noticed recently that I seem to have a strong desire for something, anything, new in my life – 2nd child, 3rd dog, new car… Now, before anyone panics, let me say very clearly that I am perfectly happy both with my husband and my job. Those parts of my life, I do not want to change. Outside of those two things, though. it is like I am looking to fill some sort of gap with something new, reminiscent of…
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9 Things in 9 Months
About a month ago, my friend Jana at JanaSays posted her 40 by 40 list. Jana has a couple of years before she turns 40. I have 9 months. There is no way I am accomplishing 40 things in 9 months, but, I might be able to accomplish 9 things in 9 months, so here are some things I want to do before I turn 40 this coming December. Take kids to Disneyland This is kind of cheating, as the timeshare is booked, the plane tickets are bought, and the rental car is reserved. But I am very much looking forward to it. Complete the first draft of…
