Thursday, April 28, 2011

May Goals

It kind of looks like I mistyped that, and meant to write "My Goals". Nope! I mean for the month of May!!!

Since I have already determined that I am not using my time in the proper manner, I need to develop some new ways to spend my time. They need to be feasible yet force me to change.

For example:

*In the month of May, I want to read 2 books.
*I want to start jogging.
*Find an apartment.
*Do at least 1 social thing per week.
*
Do at least 1 art project
*Eat on campus no more than once per week.
*Visit Laura in Spokane
*Bring bike back up to B'ham, bike to work every day

This only suggests a bit of change in the evenings -- it will force me to try and make plans with at least one friend a week, it will encourage me to read books instead of watch movies, and maybe even make me do something artsy. Though I walk approximately an hour a day, I do nothing else besides sit. I think that I need to start jogging regularly, and I think that I should bike to work instead of walk (it will be MUCH quicker).

Some of these goals will be harder than other, and maybe listing so many at once will make it hard to fulfill them all. But I will try. If it works out well, I will do the same thing for June. Maybe by then I'll be a better person!

It is kind of sad that suck a basic, easy list seems nearly impossible!

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Though this has little to do with this post, some long term goals are:
--Volunteer at church, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Humane Society and/or an elementary school.
--Be BUSY - you LOVE to be busy
--Go to Edmonds no more than once per month, enabling you to go to church and meet people there at least 3 times a month (clearly this is after August 13th)
--DECORATE my new place all awesome sauce! I can't describe how excited I am for this!
--Not be a hermit

Those are really really big picture goals right now, but you know how amazing it would be if I could do all of that in as little as 4 months?!!?! That would be amazing!

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Do I think too long term? I realized that I stop myself from doing some things now because I think that they won't be feasible in a few months. Is that just me making excuses? Will I never actually volunteer or make friends because there is always going to be a reason why that doesn't make sense quite yet? Or am I right here? I am going to have 2 months wherein I am at work from 8am to 7pm and I will have no time for anything other than eating and sleeping... Can I ever actually do something instead of just think about it?!!?!?!?! Ugh! Now I'm frustrated and its 1am so I need to go to bed!

My Daily Routine...

I do the same thing every day. Let me show you:

7am: My alarm starts to go off way before I need to wake up. I do this so I can fully appreciate how late I get to sleep in. Every time I hit snooze, I am aware that I don't have to get up yet. If I slept through this without an early alarm, it would suddenly be time to wake up and I would have no warning.

8:30am: I finally get out of bed. I grab my towels (which are normally on my bed post or on the back of my chair) and I set them on the bathroom counter. I make my coffee in the exact same way that I always do. I use the restroom and shower. I drop my clothes off in my room, turn on the light (so it has time to warm up), turn on my computer, and head to the kitchen. I turn off the coffee maker so that it won't sizzle when I put the pot in after using it. I get oatmeal started, grab my creamer, grab a cup and make my coffee. By then, my oatmeal is ready and I go to my computer to eat it.

9:00am: I open up the exact same list of websites (about 10 different social sites, news sites, blogs and emails) and browse the internet while I read. Though I could consume all my food and drink by 9:20 (when I would need to get ready if I were to get to work by 10), I almost always use the computer until 9:45. This means I can enjoy my coffee, read all the articles that interest me, and arrive at work at 10:30 (a perfectly reasonable time).

9:50am: I stay on the computer until later than I should, so I have to suddenly scrambled to brush my teeth, brush my hair, go poop (thanks coffee!), choose an outfit, get dressed and make lunch. I normally am running late, forcing me to walk quickly as I get to work.

10:30-5:00pm: After I walk the same route to work, I drop off my belongings, put my food in the fridge, get water and use the restroom like normal. Though the actual work I do varies, it is very consistent as well. I always take lunch from 1:00 to 1:30 (except for days like today where I was too busy and didn't have a chance to take lunch until 2:30). When I leave the office at 5:00pm (or later - its hard to actually leave that early...) I do the same OCD checking. "Off off off" (Computer, lamp, monitor), "Empty" (cup of water), "Phone Keys Wallet Chapstick". Since I often mutter this under my breath, my boss probably thinks that I'm crazy.

5:30pm: I come home and make dinner pretty much immediately. I set my food down and move my laptop in the exact same way every day (its my method to make sure my laptop stays safe). I get into bed, where I stay except to use the restroom for the rest.of.the.evening. I hate it, but love it too. Its a vicious thing.

6:00pm - 12:00am: I watch different TV shows on Hulu, netflix, or watch videos on youtube. I am currently watching Ally McBeal, catching up on all the shaytards videos, and I have a whole season of Smallville waiting for me to watch it. I only move to reposition myself as I inevitably get stiff, warm and uncomfortable.

*Sigh*, I hate this! And changing THIS - my daily routine - is my first step.

Well some parts of it are ok. I kind of love doing the same thing every morning. Really it is my evening that needs to change. Hence my next (and last post).

Random thoughts...

When I came back to the apartment Thursday night, I realized that maybe I don't WANT to go out. Sometimes when I'm sitting here, bored, I think "I wish I could go out!". However after seeing that scene, no thank you! I also got a little bit socially overwhelmed. I am used to my routine. I am used to seeing the same people of everyday. Meeting new people, going out, being social, etc- my little hermit self was confused! I'm not sure that is a good thing... It does make me think about my socialness - what do I truly want? What do I need? These are important questions as opposed to: What does my lack of socialness look like to others? How social should someone like me be?

That is probably my inner hermit speaking, trying to convince me that I want to be anti-social. Haha I don't even know anymore! I enjoy, but don't love, going out. I love, but don't enjoy, staying in. Something like that.

There is still no news on my job. I'm getting impatient.

This also means I still haven't signed a lease for an apartment. I'm getting nervous! I want to get all of that settled. Every day I change my mind about square footage, location, price, pet-friendliness, etc. Its making it hard for me to know EXACTLY what I want.

I want to meet people in this town and I want to volunteer. However I know that in 2 months, Anna will be coming to town and I will be out of town every weekend. I will be working 4 day weeks, meaning I will have no free time. I will not be able to go to church all summer. I won't have time to go out or hang out, nor will I really have people up here to hang out with or go out with. So, what is the point, right now? Why make friends right before I wouldn't have time for them? Especially since the odds of making friends are so low... so I'm thinking that I will instead work on cultivating the "me". Set goals for myself, make me the person that I want to be. Change my routine. Get all my apartment and job stuff sorted out. Then I will have an awesome summer where even though I work and sleep in B'ham, I will truly be living in Edmonds. Then, I will come back just in time to move into my new place, decorate, clean this old place, start to go to church again, make friends, volunteer, etc. Then my Bellingham life will TRULY begin. Right?

Since this post is getting sooo long, I am going to write separate posts. One about what my routine is like now, and one about goals I have for the month of May.

Easter Weekend

Last week, Rachel came to Bellingham all the way from Spain, so Laura decided to come by too. I got off work early on Thursday so I could be home when they got to town. We went out to dinner at Casa (YUM), where we ended up sitting and visiting with a random group of Rachel's friends for a few hours. Afterwards, we came home and prepared to go out. This part of the night actually was different than expected. We dressed in a varying degree of 80s attire, ready for a night at Rumors. Little did we know, Rumors has changed. No longer is it "80s Night" -- now it is "Throwback Thursday (80s and 90s music)". It may sound similar, but what we saw was not at ALL like 80s night should be. It was full of hipsters and bros, and there were multiple chicks hanging off of their men. Keep in mind this is Rumors - its supposed to be a GAY bar!

Without a doubt, we were disappointed. We did some googling (wherein we learned about the change in name) and found that 80s night had moved to a new bar. So, we decided to check that one out as well.

We were also disappointed. This place wasn't necessary full of bros and hipsters, so it may have been ok - but it was no 80s night for people dressed up. Especially since there wasn't even dancing! Crucial to the Thursday night experience.

Since we were nearby, we stopped by Rudy's and grabbed some pizza (YUM!). We discussed our options: run around town taking pictures in our costumes... have an awesome adventure somewhere... go home and hang out.

Problem with the last one is that Rachael had an exam early the next day, so we'd have to whisper at home. Problem with the first two: it was cold out!

We came home because we knew we would need to get either a camera, some coats or our night would be done (keep in mind it was only 10 or 11 pm by this point!). Once we got home, we were tired and ready to be cozy, so we opted to stay in. We changed into our PJs, got ready for bed, hopped beneath the covers and watched a movie. It was an excellent night!

I took Friday off of work so I could continue to visit with Laura and Rachel. After breakfast, we went to Lake Padden where we walked and talked. It was beautiful out, and just a little bit cold.

We headed down towards Edmonds in the afternoon. Rachel went down to Seattle and Laura and I had dinner with our folks. Around 9 or 10, we drove down to Seattle to join Rachel again for a live funk show. This time I wasn't disappointed by the nightlife, though I WAS tired. We danced for HOURS - energetic funky dance. It was great! Normally I'm the one who's disappointed when 2am comes around - but on this night I started fantasizing about sleep as early as 1am! Oy!

The rest of Easter weekend was for visiting with family. I didn't even see BBE! (Well, I did, but for like 5 minutes at most...). My family went for a walk along the beach on Saturday, and Brian and Britt where able to come over Sunday afternoon. In fact, I had to leave before they did!

Giving a Lindsay a ride home (which is always fun -- I love the company!) was a nice end to the weekend!

My Easter wasn't traditional by any means - if I was in Bellingham I probably would have gone to church, had candy, maybe even done some arts and crafts. Edmonds had the family aspect - and the big dinner, but none of the traditions! I liked it anyway though... :)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Square footage

I know in my last post I just said that there would be enough space in a future studio. However right now I am thinking about how I would actually arrange the room. I do need to get rid of belongings, I know that and that is good. However - the way that the apartment I saw was arranged was very tight in the "living room" part. It was more like a little dining area, and then a bedroom. I would barely be able to fit any couch arrangement in there, let alone the dining table I have. Does that mean that I should buy a new dining table? Or should I go for a larger sq ft studio? I still kind of think that my logic about one bed vs. studio applies - I'll spend my time in one or the other, so why have them separate. However if I can afford it, why not allow myself to get a slightly better square footage so that I can actually fit in a little couch and chair and TV. The place I was looking at had two size studios. 60 more square ft for 30 more dollars. Should I consider it? Should I continue my search elsewhere?

Arghblahblahalsdkjfal;ksdjf.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Open House

My worry of the week is still about where to live. I really just want to choose a place, so I don't have to think about it for another 5 months. Problem is, I can't sign a lease now just in case I don't get a job. On Thursday I got a call from the property management people asking if they could show my apartment today. That is not something I feel comfortable with. I don't like the idea of strangers in my place. Plus, my apartment is messy and I don't want to clean it all up!

So, I ignored their call. They need our permission, so ignoring them seemed like the easier way to say "No thank you".

Its too bad I'm a hypocrite. They're showing apartments in about 4 or 5 local buildings (that are really only part of three complexes). Some of the studios in those complexes are on my short list of places to live. I know the area, I like the quality of the buildings, they have laundry (a must for me), and they are in my price range. So - I went and looked at those apartments. No one could look at mine, but I could look at theirs. I'm such a bad person!

I have been trying to decide if a one bedroom or a studio is right for me. I want to save money, but truly both are in my price range and I'll be able to set money aside spending $565/mo or $625/mo - the cheapest rates for a studio and one bedroom. I have a lot of furniture - currently I have everything I need for a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Which makes a one bedroom seem perfect! However I spend all my time in my room. I am almost never in the living room. The rare occasion is when I hang out with Rachael, but even then we normally hang out in the kitchen or right near it.

Why would I need a separate living room? Couldn't I just have one, bigger living space?

I only looked at studios today. Technically I could have looked at one bedrooms, but I had a one track mind when I started (one studio in particular) and that let me to look at a few more studios. I liked what I saw. The four studios I saw today ranged from $565 - $595.

Advantages of a studio: Will require me to weed through my belongings, which is healthy and fun. No space will go to waste - I am kind of a hermit and probably won't have more than one or two friends over at once. As for me - I can only be in one place at a time, why not have it be one place? Extra money to save up - I could stash away extra money for more trips, or I could buy extra fruits and veggies, or an extra pair of shoes. The price difference (~$60) would probably pay for electricity and internet each month.

Disadvantages of a studio: Less storage space, less room for couches and chairs (actually, I don't know where a full length couch would fit at all...), I would have to keep everything clean (no hiding away the mess).

So, what do you guys think? Is it lame to rent a place that has been my view for the last two years? Should I try something more adventurous, like living in downtown? This location is not good for going out at night. The prices are way better on this side of campus though, and Bellingham is small enough that with a car, no where in town is far away from anything.

I told myself that this weekend I would develop a no-doubt, fully-researched list of my top three apartments. That way, the instant I get the okay from my job, I could run and rent a place. I think that two of the places I looked at today are on that list. I just looked at the open house schedule again, and really - there are no other places to look at (for this property management company). The only other studios that will be shown are way more expensive than the competition (more expensive than 1 beds) or have no laundry in the apartment (a must!).

I guess the only real turmoil for me was being studio and one bedroom, and writing this post has helped me decide how I feel about that. Oy!

Its hard for me to process "Is this the best deal possible?" ................... How can I know?

I much prefer "Is this big enough? And is it cheap enough?". ................... Yes and yes!

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

A place to live...

Back when I first found out about the full time position, I began to research apartments for the fall. I wanted to get an idea about square footage, prices and what qualities I could expect in an apartment. I did not want to sign any leases without having the job be official, and I was browsing places before preleasing had even begun, so I decided to take a pause.

Suddenly it is actually time to find a place to live! I have had multiple students come in late/not come in at all because they are viewing places. This freaked me out, because I still haven't chosen a couple places, let alone arrange to go look at places or talk to the property management people!

My previous fear of signing a lease before the job being official still applies though! I know they have gone through the first step of screening applicants, but they still need to go through another round of cuts and have interviews. I may not be able to wait until I've signed papers for the job. On the 20th (in just 1 week!), preleasing switches from being a previous tenant right, to something that everyone can do. That means that the best apartments will be gone! Oy vey!

So, this weekend I am going to get things in motion for choosing a place. I hope I haven't waited too long! I better get this job....

Sunday, April 10, 2011

15 Dollars

I went to Edmonds this weekend so I could dogsit for my folks while they went out of town. I wasn't looking forward to this trip because there were multiple things that I wanted to do in Bellingham this weekend, and nothing in particular calling me towards Edmonds.

Since I was in Edmonds, I decided to hang out with BBE per usual, because that at least would make it a fun weekend. Little did I know just how great this weekend would be, and how worth it it would be in the end.

As most of you know, I used to hate to shop. I hated spending money, trying on clothes, and having to look at a bunch of things that I knew I wouldn't get to own. Once I got a more legitimate job where I could choose to spend money on myself, and I developed a need to have a fancier wardrobe, things have changed. Unfortunately, I have surrounded myself by friends who don't shop with me. This used to be a good thing, but it has made the last few weeks frustrating as I want to go to Target or the mall or somewhere, and people don't want to go with me.

So, when I arrived at BBE's place Saturday morning and Brittney told me that there was an awesome garage sale going on with LOTS of clothes, I was actually really excited. I ended up spending 15 dollars on clothes that day - the most money I have ever spent at a garage sale (in fact, it is the first time I ever bought ANYTHING at a garage sale).

This is what 15 dollars got me yesterday:

-One pair of shoes
-Three dresses
-Two skirts
-Three sweaters
-Nine shirts of varying warmth/fanciness

Best part: they are all in good quality. This garage sale thing is somehow this woman's business. I'm not quite sure how, selling everything for 50 cents or 1 dollar, but she certainly had enough customers and clothes to get her a great deal of money. She must just steal everything... otherwise I don't see how her income could outweigh her expenses.

So now I am excited to have so many more clothes that I can wear to work! I still want to find some more shoes and slacks, and I'll always keep an eye out for dresses and skirts, but I definitely consider this to have been a successful weekend!! :)