Tonight, as I walked to the bus from work holding five Halloween cupcakes and have a two-liter of Coke, I realized something profound. I realized that I feel like I have not felt for many years, back before high school, before I lost my delusions of grandeur. I feel strong. I feel important. I feel proud.
I finally feel like a true individual, living my own life truly independent of any others, with my own dreams and my own desires. I do not want to make it sound as though my relationships with others have become less important because they have not. I have never really held my own individuality in a high position of importance, not even when I was very small. Now though, I see what it means to follow one's dreams.
I feel a little silly because my dreams are not something grandiose like those of other people that I know. I don't wish to put on a huge musical, become famous, or save the Earth. I wouldn't mind such things and I freely help others with those goals, but they aren't my goals. No, mine are quite different and much smaller in scope.
What I would like do do for a while (I'm not sure how long exactly, but it feels like something I could see myself enjoying doing for a very long time) is work at CITES. I really like my job. I don't like being a consultant, dealing with stupid people all of the time, but it has been a long time since I really considered that my job. Even though only a consultant I may be (as neither my raise or promotion seems to have gone through...), I take on the role of an Academic Hourly or a Full-Timer quite often and I really like it. I am a role model for the younger students, someone who they can look to for answers and confide in with problems. The organizational and managerial problems that I face are challenging, but rewarding at the same time, causing me to really feel my potential bubbling up within me. With every little thing I do within CITES, I watch it grow and flux, becoming stronger and better.
No, I don't influence CITES that much, but I do a little bit, and that's enough for me. Even doing so little, I affect dozens of people, subtly making their lives better and I feel that is a truly noble purpose, one that I wish to continue doing. I know that my life situation may change eventually. I know that I may grow frustrated with what I'm doing now and seek out another purpose. I know that I may have to give up my dreams in the future to provide for the good of us all. However, that time is not yet now and I can feel the fury of my passion supporting this cause, making me feel truly alive.
Maybe I'll get lucky and all of the pieces will fall into place, allowing me to continue to do what I love so much. We will see.
Showing posts with label personal improvements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal improvements. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Resurfacing
I've been quiet lately, but not for a lack of doing things. Actually, quite the opposite, which is the problem. I had an exam in my Western Civ History class Tuesday morning and a paper due in my Philosophy 380 class today. I would leave it at that and allow you to think that means I've been really busy, but that'd be a downright lie. Instead of studying and writing my paper like I should have been, I've allowed the stress of the combined exam and paper to shut me down mentally and I've procrastinated to no end, not able to get motivated about really anything.
However, I got even more practice with my techniques through the miracle of Facebook. Davidson convinced me that I should grow some balls and finally contact Sam after not talking to her for three or so years. I thought she hated me for the things that happened the summer after High School and I especially didn't want to upset her after Brandon died.
Well, I finally decided to post a generic wall post asking her how things were and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself wrapped up in a wall conversation with her. For two or three days straight, our news feeds were saturated with each others' wall posts and it was really nice. I was pleased to find out that she indeed did not hate me and I was silly for thinking that she did in the first place. We talked about school and life and most of all about relationships, all the while while I was practicing the essential technique of shutting the hell up (or at talking as little as possible to keep the conversation going and not kill it immediately.)
I talked to my cousin about possibly creating a school in which to teach these techniques, a Brotherhood of sorts. Surprisingly (though not surprising in retrospect), he was violently opposed to such an idea. He said that if I ever revealed these techniques to anyone, there would be trouble. I wasn't sure if I should take that as a veiled threat or if he was speaking about the competition we would have for women then, so I just felt it was safer to assume both.
He's right, of course, it would provide for more competition for us. I disagree, however, that it would be a bad thing. This shows the essential differences in our philosophies. I believe that the reason I am trying to excell at romance is to make it more of a challenge for other men by raising women's expectations. I am hoping that by doing this, the standard of romance will rise and it will become something treasured as it should be. In that respect, I want to teach other men how to treat women better so that I can raise the playing field more efficiently. I guess that I'm hoping that in turn, women will treat men with more respect as they are respected more and the whole of the human race will become better. I know, they're stupidly grand and disillusioned ideas, but I just can't help myself. I think that he sees it as a threat, but i'm not sure why. I don't know anyone who's had as much success with women (if you can call it that) as him.
I guess I'll find out one day. For now though, I'll keep my mouth shut.
However, I got even more practice with my techniques through the miracle of Facebook. Davidson convinced me that I should grow some balls and finally contact Sam after not talking to her for three or so years. I thought she hated me for the things that happened the summer after High School and I especially didn't want to upset her after Brandon died.
Well, I finally decided to post a generic wall post asking her how things were and I was pleasantly surprised to find myself wrapped up in a wall conversation with her. For two or three days straight, our news feeds were saturated with each others' wall posts and it was really nice. I was pleased to find out that she indeed did not hate me and I was silly for thinking that she did in the first place. We talked about school and life and most of all about relationships, all the while while I was practicing the essential technique of shutting the hell up (or at talking as little as possible to keep the conversation going and not kill it immediately.)
I talked to my cousin about possibly creating a school in which to teach these techniques, a Brotherhood of sorts. Surprisingly (though not surprising in retrospect), he was violently opposed to such an idea. He said that if I ever revealed these techniques to anyone, there would be trouble. I wasn't sure if I should take that as a veiled threat or if he was speaking about the competition we would have for women then, so I just felt it was safer to assume both.
He's right, of course, it would provide for more competition for us. I disagree, however, that it would be a bad thing. This shows the essential differences in our philosophies. I believe that the reason I am trying to excell at romance is to make it more of a challenge for other men by raising women's expectations. I am hoping that by doing this, the standard of romance will rise and it will become something treasured as it should be. In that respect, I want to teach other men how to treat women better so that I can raise the playing field more efficiently. I guess that I'm hoping that in turn, women will treat men with more respect as they are respected more and the whole of the human race will become better. I know, they're stupidly grand and disillusioned ideas, but I just can't help myself. I think that he sees it as a threat, but i'm not sure why. I don't know anyone who's had as much success with women (if you can call it that) as him.
I guess I'll find out one day. For now though, I'll keep my mouth shut.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
On Anger
So, I haven't posted in a while, partially because of Hell Weeks at work and because of school starting, but mostly because of Renny visiting before she leaves for Scotland. However, Renny and I had a discussion last night that I think is worth noting since I've been thinking about it constantly since we had it.
Renny posed the statement that she feels that our generation just isn't angry enough about what is going on in our world today. People either play ignorant to the problems that we have or feel that the world is too far gone to anything about.
For the mostpart, I agree. There is a tendency for our generation to be completely wrapped up and self-absorbed, thinking about their own personal problems and not the problems of the world. Whether this is because people are genuinely too stupid to realize the peril that we are facing or because thinking about the major problems of the world just becomes so overwhelming that they shut down and withdraw into themselves, I am not sure. Either way, we need to break out of this mindset.
Renny and I completely disagree with how we should break out though. Renny is a "big picture" thinker, concentrating on all of the problems of the moment at the same time and feels that everyone else should do a similar thing. I, on the other hand, have a tendency to focus on what I can do in a moment. If I can cut down my own energy consumption, support local businesses, recycle more, and encourage my friends to do the same, that's what I focus on. No, it's not enough, but it allows me to make a greater impact than if I was to stress out trying to worry about everything all at once.
I'm not saying that Renny doesn't do what she can in the moment. Actually, it's quite the opposite. I am constantly impressed by how much of an effort and change she consciously puts into her every day life and have taken a lot of my healthy and environmentally friendly habits from her example. I honestly am striving to make an impact like she has. However, what I do think is that she frustrates and stresses herself out quite unnecessarily by trying to figure out how she can make a global impact right away.
She has the right idea though. Our generation isn't nearly angry enough. Maybe we can't save the world by ourselves. Maybe the world will still descend into destruction no matter how much effort we put into change. Maybe one of us aren't able to make a global environmental, economic, or political change. That's not the point.
Every single one of us will die at some point, right? Well, how would you rather die? Fat, unhappy, and with painful suffering over twenty years, or in good shape, doing the things that you love? We may not live any longer by taking care of our bodies through exercise and good nutrition, but I can guarantee that we will enjoy the life that we live more.
The same principle applies to the Earth. We may not be able to stop the global crisis, but with minor changes to all of our daily lives, we can enjoy our time on Earth more and make it worth our short time here. And maybe, if we're really lucky, we might just make the Earth last longer.
I'm not asking you to go out and hug trees, to stop deforestation, to quit smoking, to quit driving, to quit eating processed food, to stop shopping at Walmart, or to even make a single radical change to your life.
What I am asking you to do is to make small changes to your life that really you shouldn't even notice. Turn off lights, monitors, and TVs when you aren't using them. Take advantage of your local recycling facilities. Turn down your heat and air conditioning a single degree. Shop at mom and pop stores sometimes. Buy local food if you can. Buy from businesses that you respect the ethics and business practices of. Read a news article now and then. Talk with your friends, families, and neighbors more. And most of all, don't accept your situation because you think you can't change anything. Maybe you can't make a big change on your own, but you may know someone who can. Complain about your situation, get angry. When enough people get angry, change happens.
I was going to write about a Libertarian argument that I just read as well, but I have to go to class and I want to make that a separate post if I make it.
Renny posed the statement that she feels that our generation just isn't angry enough about what is going on in our world today. People either play ignorant to the problems that we have or feel that the world is too far gone to anything about.
For the mostpart, I agree. There is a tendency for our generation to be completely wrapped up and self-absorbed, thinking about their own personal problems and not the problems of the world. Whether this is because people are genuinely too stupid to realize the peril that we are facing or because thinking about the major problems of the world just becomes so overwhelming that they shut down and withdraw into themselves, I am not sure. Either way, we need to break out of this mindset.
Renny and I completely disagree with how we should break out though. Renny is a "big picture" thinker, concentrating on all of the problems of the moment at the same time and feels that everyone else should do a similar thing. I, on the other hand, have a tendency to focus on what I can do in a moment. If I can cut down my own energy consumption, support local businesses, recycle more, and encourage my friends to do the same, that's what I focus on. No, it's not enough, but it allows me to make a greater impact than if I was to stress out trying to worry about everything all at once.
I'm not saying that Renny doesn't do what she can in the moment. Actually, it's quite the opposite. I am constantly impressed by how much of an effort and change she consciously puts into her every day life and have taken a lot of my healthy and environmentally friendly habits from her example. I honestly am striving to make an impact like she has. However, what I do think is that she frustrates and stresses herself out quite unnecessarily by trying to figure out how she can make a global impact right away.
She has the right idea though. Our generation isn't nearly angry enough. Maybe we can't save the world by ourselves. Maybe the world will still descend into destruction no matter how much effort we put into change. Maybe one of us aren't able to make a global environmental, economic, or political change. That's not the point.
Every single one of us will die at some point, right? Well, how would you rather die? Fat, unhappy, and with painful suffering over twenty years, or in good shape, doing the things that you love? We may not live any longer by taking care of our bodies through exercise and good nutrition, but I can guarantee that we will enjoy the life that we live more.
The same principle applies to the Earth. We may not be able to stop the global crisis, but with minor changes to all of our daily lives, we can enjoy our time on Earth more and make it worth our short time here. And maybe, if we're really lucky, we might just make the Earth last longer.
I'm not asking you to go out and hug trees, to stop deforestation, to quit smoking, to quit driving, to quit eating processed food, to stop shopping at Walmart, or to even make a single radical change to your life.
What I am asking you to do is to make small changes to your life that really you shouldn't even notice. Turn off lights, monitors, and TVs when you aren't using them. Take advantage of your local recycling facilities. Turn down your heat and air conditioning a single degree. Shop at mom and pop stores sometimes. Buy local food if you can. Buy from businesses that you respect the ethics and business practices of. Read a news article now and then. Talk with your friends, families, and neighbors more. And most of all, don't accept your situation because you think you can't change anything. Maybe you can't make a big change on your own, but you may know someone who can. Complain about your situation, get angry. When enough people get angry, change happens.
I was going to write about a Libertarian argument that I just read as well, but I have to go to class and I want to make that a separate post if I make it.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
8-18-2008 in Review
1. 13/13 pts.
2. Ate only two meals, if you can even call breakfast a meal. I was in a hurry in the morning, so I don't even remember what I grabbed, but it was small if anything. Then I came home pissed and forgot to eat until ten at night. At that point, I had three leftover boneless garlic Parmesan wings.
3. Wrote a little in my blog and a very little amount in my personal journal. Work was crazy and I spent till midnight last night moving.
4. Was too busy with work and moving. Hope to do a little bit after unpacking tonight.
5. Didn't read anything, didn't learn anything.
6. Did not eat out.
7. Spent some cash on drinks at work. Recording $10 to be put towards Paypal, but I may start putting that toward the Green account at Freestar.
2. Ate only two meals, if you can even call breakfast a meal. I was in a hurry in the morning, so I don't even remember what I grabbed, but it was small if anything. Then I came home pissed and forgot to eat until ten at night. At that point, I had three leftover boneless garlic Parmesan wings.
3. Wrote a little in my blog and a very little amount in my personal journal. Work was crazy and I spent till midnight last night moving.
4. Was too busy with work and moving. Hope to do a little bit after unpacking tonight.
5. Didn't read anything, didn't learn anything.
6. Did not eat out.
7. Spent some cash on drinks at work. Recording $10 to be put towards Paypal, but I may start putting that toward the Green account at Freestar.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Weekend In Review
Saturday, August 16th
1. 13/13 pts
2. I had four meals. After the picnic, Bobby made hamburger helper late in the night. I didn't have that much, but I really shouldn't have had it. my stomach was so terribly upset.
3. Wrote a little in my personal journal and finished up my notes for Chapter 1 of my contemporary Nutrition textbook.
4. As stated above, I finished Chapter 1 of my Contemporary Nutrition textbook. I did not do any more than that because of both the picnic and getting my keys for my new apartment.
5. Discussed some of what I learned with Bobby.
6. Ate out at the picnic, but that didn't really cost me anything.
7. Spent $12.66 on groceries, but that was a planned expense.
Sunday, August 17th
1. 8/13 pts. Even though I was doing manual labour all day, I wanted to try and keep up with my goals at least somewhat.
2. Ate three meals and snacked on some bread.
3. Didn't write a single thing. Was too busy moving stuff.
4. Didn't read a single thing. Was too busy moving stuff.
5. Discussed how many calories Michael Phelps has to eat to stay alive in comparison to the average person. He has to eat 12,000 Calories a day. also discussed what part of plants Bobby really can't eat since the sugar part still doesn't make sense.
6. Ate out twice, but didn't pay either time. Instead, I bartered for my food since Bobby owed me some money. Honestly, would rather have the money instead of eating out, but it was important that we took Josh out to dinner for loaning us his van for an hour or so.
7. Spent no money on my debit card. For the weekend, I intend to put $20 into Paypal.
1. 13/13 pts
2. I had four meals. After the picnic, Bobby made hamburger helper late in the night. I didn't have that much, but I really shouldn't have had it. my stomach was so terribly upset.
3. Wrote a little in my personal journal and finished up my notes for Chapter 1 of my contemporary Nutrition textbook.
4. As stated above, I finished Chapter 1 of my Contemporary Nutrition textbook. I did not do any more than that because of both the picnic and getting my keys for my new apartment.
5. Discussed some of what I learned with Bobby.
6. Ate out at the picnic, but that didn't really cost me anything.
7. Spent $12.66 on groceries, but that was a planned expense.
Sunday, August 17th
1. 8/13 pts. Even though I was doing manual labour all day, I wanted to try and keep up with my goals at least somewhat.
2. Ate three meals and snacked on some bread.
3. Didn't write a single thing. Was too busy moving stuff.
4. Didn't read a single thing. Was too busy moving stuff.
5. Discussed how many calories Michael Phelps has to eat to stay alive in comparison to the average person. He has to eat 12,000 Calories a day. also discussed what part of plants Bobby really can't eat since the sugar part still doesn't make sense.
6. Ate out twice, but didn't pay either time. Instead, I bartered for my food since Bobby owed me some money. Honestly, would rather have the money instead of eating out, but it was important that we took Josh out to dinner for loaning us his van for an hour or so.
7. Spent no money on my debit card. For the weekend, I intend to put $20 into Paypal.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
8-15-2008 in Review
Man, I really didn't want to wake up. I was having some really great dreams with some of my favorite people ever - Renny, Jimmy, Toshi, and Jenn (Sams). Now I wake up all alone. Oh well, I need to get started with this day.
1. 13/13 pts.
2. Done, though the third meal was a thing of French fries that Spencer bought for me. Not so proud of eating French fries as a meal. The Curry Ketchup was pretty good though.
3. Did a few more pages of homework and wrote in my personal journal, but work was so busy that I really got nothing done. After work, I decided to go on an adventure to Appeteasers with Ryon, Jenn, Mike, Spencer, and Jess then I came home and went on a much different adventure with Bobby. Needless to say, I got less writing done in the evening than I planned.
4. So close to finishing Chapter 1 of my Contemporary Nutrition book. Learned some interesting and useful things about how to lose weight. Did you know that you need a deficit of 3500 kcal in order to lose a single pound? That's equivalent to not eating for a day if you do moderate activity. No wonder you can't lose more than 2-3 pounds a week safely.
5. Showed a little bit in the last answer. Discussed some of the things I learned with Spencer and I'm putting others into practice.
6. I ate out at Legends for Appeteasers on social business. However, I only spent $1.50 on a Cherry Coke. Spencer bought the food I ate. Still not as healthy as it could have been, but at least I'm keeping my budget in order.
7. Spent $1.50 on that Cherry Coke. Will deposit $8.50 into Paypal. As of today, I've put $28.50 into PayPal from the money I've saved from eating out less and making my own meals. (Speaking of which, I need to go get breakfast and consider making chili.)
1. 13/13 pts.
2. Done, though the third meal was a thing of French fries that Spencer bought for me. Not so proud of eating French fries as a meal. The Curry Ketchup was pretty good though.
3. Did a few more pages of homework and wrote in my personal journal, but work was so busy that I really got nothing done. After work, I decided to go on an adventure to Appeteasers with Ryon, Jenn, Mike, Spencer, and Jess then I came home and went on a much different adventure with Bobby. Needless to say, I got less writing done in the evening than I planned.
4. So close to finishing Chapter 1 of my Contemporary Nutrition book. Learned some interesting and useful things about how to lose weight. Did you know that you need a deficit of 3500 kcal in order to lose a single pound? That's equivalent to not eating for a day if you do moderate activity. No wonder you can't lose more than 2-3 pounds a week safely.
5. Showed a little bit in the last answer. Discussed some of the things I learned with Spencer and I'm putting others into practice.
6. I ate out at Legends for Appeteasers on social business. However, I only spent $1.50 on a Cherry Coke. Spencer bought the food I ate. Still not as healthy as it could have been, but at least I'm keeping my budget in order.
7. Spent $1.50 on that Cherry Coke. Will deposit $8.50 into Paypal. As of today, I've put $28.50 into PayPal from the money I've saved from eating out less and making my own meals. (Speaking of which, I need to go get breakfast and consider making chili.)
Friday, August 15, 2008
8-14-2008 in Review
1. 13/13 pts
2. Not so much. Although I did eat three meals and only three meals, yesterday was a Thursday and full of good food, so I ate more than I should. I'm going to work on taking smaller servings of Thursday food.
3. Didn't have very much time at work to write in my blog, so I wrote my daily review and that was it. Still wrote quite a bit in my private journal and six pages of class notes though.
4. Only read from my Contemporary Nutrition textbook, but got through a large chunk of Chapter 1. I'd be through more if I wasn't taking Zych notes, but I really want to do well.
5. Talked to Ryon while I was writing my notes and we researched Tryptophan together. Apparently, it does induce sleepiness, but only on an empty stomach. So there you go, Carney siblings. Also, discovered that if you eat a meal high in fiber and water, you will get full faster without ingesting as many digestible calories. This is important for anyone like me who is trying to lose weight.
6. Technically, Thursday is social business, but I avoided eating out by raiding my pantry and finding some Rice-a-Roni that I could make. There was plenty of it and it was delicious.
7. Again, spend $0 off of my debit card. I spent $0.65 on a Cherry Coke in cash, but for all intensive purposes, that doesn't count towards this figure. I will be putting $10 into PayPal later today.
2. Not so much. Although I did eat three meals and only three meals, yesterday was a Thursday and full of good food, so I ate more than I should. I'm going to work on taking smaller servings of Thursday food.
3. Didn't have very much time at work to write in my blog, so I wrote my daily review and that was it. Still wrote quite a bit in my private journal and six pages of class notes though.
4. Only read from my Contemporary Nutrition textbook, but got through a large chunk of Chapter 1. I'd be through more if I wasn't taking Zych notes, but I really want to do well.
5. Talked to Ryon while I was writing my notes and we researched Tryptophan together. Apparently, it does induce sleepiness, but only on an empty stomach. So there you go, Carney siblings. Also, discovered that if you eat a meal high in fiber and water, you will get full faster without ingesting as many digestible calories. This is important for anyone like me who is trying to lose weight.
6. Technically, Thursday is social business, but I avoided eating out by raiding my pantry and finding some Rice-a-Roni that I could make. There was plenty of it and it was delicious.
7. Again, spend $0 off of my debit card. I spent $0.65 on a Cherry Coke in cash, but for all intensive purposes, that doesn't count towards this figure. I will be putting $10 into PayPal later today.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
8-13-08 Goals in Review
1. 13/13 pts
2. Done, though I also had a snack of popcorn while watching Burn Notice.
3. Done, done, and done. I wrote in my blog several times and quite a bit in my personal journal, as well as seven pages of notes for my Food Science and Human Nutrition Class.
4. Out of the two books I bought, I read a small selection, focusing mainly on Food Science and Human Nutrition. I don't actually have classes yet, so I'm not terribly heartbroken.
5. Did write a little in my personal journal about one of the things I learned new. Did you know that eating too much protein can cause your body to store more fat and produce more carbohydrates? Beware if you're eating an all protein diet.
6. Did not eat out.
7. Spent $0. Put in a transfer of $10 to PayPal this morning.
2. Done, though I also had a snack of popcorn while watching Burn Notice.
3. Done, done, and done. I wrote in my blog several times and quite a bit in my personal journal, as well as seven pages of notes for my Food Science and Human Nutrition Class.
4. Out of the two books I bought, I read a small selection, focusing mainly on Food Science and Human Nutrition. I don't actually have classes yet, so I'm not terribly heartbroken.
5. Did write a little in my personal journal about one of the things I learned new. Did you know that eating too much protein can cause your body to store more fat and produce more carbohydrates? Beware if you're eating an all protein diet.
6. Did not eat out.
7. Spent $0. Put in a transfer of $10 to PayPal this morning.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Early Start
Last semester, I was pretty close to getting Dean's list. I feel that if I applied myself just a little more, I might have made it. This semester, it's going to be tougher. Fifteen hours of classes and Nineteen hours of work doesn't leave a lot of slack.
I decided to take my problems into my own hands today. The two biggest problems that I have with school is procrastination and studying. In order to conquer these problems, I decided to buy two of my books early and use this week and a half of freedom to read through the beginnings of them and take notes. That way, I will have a little easier time when it comes down to crunch time and there will be less that I can actually procrastinate on. I can't drop my guard though, this isn't a permanent solution; it still takes a lot of work from me.
One of the biggest things that kept me procrastinating before was the fact that I didn't allow myself to enjoy my classes. Now, I've realized that problem and I'm trying to always find something to enjoy in what I read. By doing that, I should want to read more and homework becomes less of a chore and more of an exploration of knowledge.
The first book I have been reading is the main textbook for my Food Science and Human Nutrition class. The first chapter is all pretty basic and acts as more of a review for me than anything, but it's really enjoyable. It's a nice feeling to feel like you have a handle on things and already know some of the content for once.
The other book I bought is the textbook for my Philosophy class. It promises to be really interesting, but I didn't want to start on it until I had a lot of paper and a lot of time on my hands. I know that I'm not going to want to put the book down, but I'll have a bunch of notes to jot down.
Well, so far, so good. I can only hope my history book is this good.
I decided to take my problems into my own hands today. The two biggest problems that I have with school is procrastination and studying. In order to conquer these problems, I decided to buy two of my books early and use this week and a half of freedom to read through the beginnings of them and take notes. That way, I will have a little easier time when it comes down to crunch time and there will be less that I can actually procrastinate on. I can't drop my guard though, this isn't a permanent solution; it still takes a lot of work from me.
One of the biggest things that kept me procrastinating before was the fact that I didn't allow myself to enjoy my classes. Now, I've realized that problem and I'm trying to always find something to enjoy in what I read. By doing that, I should want to read more and homework becomes less of a chore and more of an exploration of knowledge.
The first book I have been reading is the main textbook for my Food Science and Human Nutrition class. The first chapter is all pretty basic and acts as more of a review for me than anything, but it's really enjoyable. It's a nice feeling to feel like you have a handle on things and already know some of the content for once.
The other book I bought is the textbook for my Philosophy class. It promises to be really interesting, but I didn't want to start on it until I had a lot of paper and a lot of time on my hands. I know that I'm not going to want to put the book down, but I'll have a bunch of notes to jot down.
Well, so far, so good. I can only hope my history book is this good.
Personal Goals
Since this next semester is going to be so rough between school and work, I feel that I need some personal goals to be able to keep my life in order. I don't want them to be complicated or hard to reach, but they need to require a certain level of self-discipline.
1. Dress code - To be able to feel good about my appearance, I need to take a certain level of pride in it. To make sure I have pride in my image, I should take time on it every day. I have come up with a point system so that I can keep track of just how well I am taking care of my appearance.
Wear my Rings - 3pts
Style my Hair - 3pts
Shower - 2pts
Dress Shirt - 2pts
Clean Pants - 2pts
Clean shaven - 1pt
----------------------
Total: 13pts
2. Eat only three smallish meals a day. I do not need to gorge myself with food, just make sure that I have a well rounded diet.
3. Write something everyday. It doesn't have to be anything specific, but as long as my words take visual form in some way every day, even if that is just in homework, I should feel better.
4. Read something from each class each day. I know how hard it is for me to keep up with my classes, but the least I can do is at least read something from each class just to keep me interested. This includes weekends.
5. Express what I learned that day by either writing about it, doing extra research on it, or talking about it. Renny does this and it helps her remember everything.
6. Do not eat out except on social business and keep that business to a minimum.
7. Spend less than $10 a day on unplanned purchases. (planned purchases are things such as groceries, bills, and parts for my multimedia computer.) For every day that I spend less than $10 a day, put the balance into PayPal the next day.
1. Dress code - To be able to feel good about my appearance, I need to take a certain level of pride in it. To make sure I have pride in my image, I should take time on it every day. I have come up with a point system so that I can keep track of just how well I am taking care of my appearance.
Wear my Rings - 3pts
Style my Hair - 3pts
Shower - 2pts
Dress Shirt - 2pts
Clean Pants - 2pts
Clean shaven - 1pt
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Total: 13pts
2. Eat only three smallish meals a day. I do not need to gorge myself with food, just make sure that I have a well rounded diet.
3. Write something everyday. It doesn't have to be anything specific, but as long as my words take visual form in some way every day, even if that is just in homework, I should feel better.
4. Read something from each class each day. I know how hard it is for me to keep up with my classes, but the least I can do is at least read something from each class just to keep me interested. This includes weekends.
5. Express what I learned that day by either writing about it, doing extra research on it, or talking about it. Renny does this and it helps her remember everything.
6. Do not eat out except on social business and keep that business to a minimum.
7. Spend less than $10 a day on unplanned purchases. (planned purchases are things such as groceries, bills, and parts for my multimedia computer.) For every day that I spend less than $10 a day, put the balance into PayPal the next day.
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