Brilliant Corners

I should have posted this yesterday, on my actual birthday, but I was too occupied with work and then with my new toy.

I didn’t make any real new year’s resolutions this year, so instead I’m making a list on my birthday on what I intend to do this coming year:

1. Quit smoking once and for all, dammit (starting now)
2. Draw more often in my sketchbook, and post some of my favs here on this site
3. Take more photos, and post more to Flickr
4. Ride my bike more, and if I can’t go for a ride, so some other exercise
5. Write more which includes giving NaNoWriMo another shot this year
6. Start up that project I’ve been stalling on for a year
7. Post more to this weblog

In a years time, I’ll take a look back and see how I’ve done. Also, how is it that I’m turning 36 already? Where have all those years gone? :)

Right around the corner from the front door of our apartment is a tiny room with a trash chute. You pull open the small metal door labelled “RUBBISH” and drop in your trash. It falls four floors to the trash room. Every day is trash day.

Living in an apartment has taken some getting used to. There are definitely some pluses to apartment living: no more yard to water and mow; no worrying about a thief coming in through the alley; no fear of that old tree in the backyard falling onto our house, or even worse, onto the neighbor’s house; and no squirrels and rats in the attic.

But then, the list of not-so-great things about apartment living could almost be the reverse of the pluses: we no longer have our own yard for the kids to play in; no trees; less contact with neighbors; less space; and the inability to call the place “your own.”

The kids adjusted to living in an apartment rather quickly, which surprised me. I assumed they would miss all those things above, but they’ve found ways to find new ways to play inside the apartment. We’re slowly decorating the place with plants and paintings and photos, but the walls are still almost completely bare. The good thing is that we’re down to only two boxes left to unpack. It’s been a stop and start process of making the apartment into our own temporary home.

There’s a lot to love about our new city and our new neighborhood, and we’ve only just begun to explore.

I don’t normally play along with the memes going around, but Jeremy tagged me so I guess I ought to this time. :) So, here we go:

Four jobs I’ve had in my life:

• janitor
• car floorboard vacuumer
• pizza delivery guy
• musician

Four movies I can watch over and over:

• This is Spinal Tap
• Dead Alive
• The Big Lebowski
• Pulp Fiction (parts of it, anyway)

Four places I have lived:

• Hurst, TX
• Aubrey, TX
• Lansing, MI
• Dallas, TX

Four TV shows I love to watch:

• Arrested Development
• My Name is Earl
• The Simpsons
• The Daily Show

Four places I have been on vacation:

• London, UK
• Italy (Rome, Florence, & Venice)
• New York City, NY
• Orlando, FL

Four websites I visit daily:

• Flickr
• 43things
• GMail
• The site which must not be named

Four of my favorite foods:

• Any Mexican/Tex-Mex dish
• Any pasta
• Any fruit
• Is “dessert” a food?

Four places I would rather be right now:

• In bed
• Florence, Italy
• On a beach
• On the moon

I’m also supposed to tag some other folks to complete this, but I don’t think I can think of anyone who would actually do it. This was kind of fun, although I’m sure minutes after posting it I’ll think of better answers for everything.

About two hours ago I turned in my graduation application. If I pass the two classes I’m taking right now (no real reason I shouldn’t), I will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in May. Me. Graduating. Finally!

My first semester of college was in the fall of 1989 at Michigan State University. I’ve had several stops and starts since then, but I’ve now been on the right track long enough to get my degree. It’s amazing that a) I’m finally getting it done, and b) that it took me as long as it did. Whew!

But that’s not all the big news this year.

Most of you reading this site already know this, but last Friday (January 20th) was my last day as a Yahoo! employee. There really are too many reasons for my leaving to list here, but let’s just say that’s it’s been something in the works for a while. There were several “things” that all happened at just the right time to make leaving Yahoo! the right choice. I’m now contracting with a company that a good friend works with and I couldn’t be happier.

There are more issues to think about now that I’m basically self-employed (health insurance, life insurance, etc.) but I definitely feel up to the task. I have a lot to learn, but I’m enjoying the process so far.

Oh yeah, there’s still some other news, too.

Earlier this month, I broke the news to my parents that we’re moving this summer. Sometime in May, or June, or July, we’ll be picking up the family and moving from Dallas on up to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Again, there are too many reasons to list here, but this also has been a while in coming. It was hard breaking it to my folks, especially my mom, but I think this move will be good for us. No, great for us.

This has already started out to be a crazy year, and January isn’t even over. I’m sure there are going to be some bumps in the road, but at the end of it all, I know it will all be worth it.

Wish me luck! :)