The pre-Birthday-Entry birthday entry detailing the State Of The Pico
Mostly I'm making this a separate-from-the-actual-Birthday-Entry entry because it'll have actual content, whereas the Birthday Entry is mostly composed of violent, multicolored squeeing. Also, take note of my lovely, pretty, new-and-improved LJ look! Oh snaps, the Pico has took the time to made things pretty!? What is this madness!? Interrobang!?
So! As may well be seen, so very much has happened to me since I last spent significant time on the Journal Of Lives. No really. You guys. You guys. So much has happened. So much that it has been an exhaustion to even think of writing it all or any of it down, because where do I start, and also what is this thing called time?
Mainest of mains, of course, is the fact that I uh. Now have a boyfriend. Yes, I do. This is crazy, right? I've kept it unmentioned on the Book Of Faces, partially because personal life is personal, and partially because of possible-bagel reasons. (Also, he's not a big bacefooker.) But! He's there! And boyfriendy. Definitely there :D
To note: we're not as couple as is generally done. One reason is simply practicality: He's about 45min drive away, and both of us have busy work lives and social lives, so that doesn't leave us a lot of meeting times (we do try onceaweek at least - that's about my limit of non-wharrgarbl time; more than a week and my brain gets itchy in his direction). There are also relationship-style reasons why we're not all-couple-couple: more on that in flocked entries. The time we do get together, though, is gouda stuff, and he's emotionally really focused and involved, which is fantabulous :D
Next: work. Work! I now have an internship, which is far more fabulous than teaching is, but I still have to teach (whee.) and job-search (whucgh). This is because money. I do hate to sound mercenary or anything, but Woman Cannot Live On Volunteer Internships Alone, and it is amazing and really quite irritating, during job-searching, to see how many positions expect one to not only be experienced, but also to work for free: "it'll be a great resume-builder!" "It'll give you practical experience and help you build networks!" Okay, guys, okay, but I'd also like to make more than $15 an hour, because that is the tiniest beans in a city like DC, and un-live-alone-able. (Elsewhere in the country, you could concieveably live on that. DC, no.)
Really, I'm tired of job-searching and teaching and doing things that don't occupy my brain. Overall, and eventually - but it could be sooner than eventually - I want to have a job in international exchange where I have both with-people-time and down-time, where there's a variety of mostly-interesting work, where I have decent admin, where I have a good work-life balance, and where I make a reasonable sum. That's it. Also, a castle and a pony, which I can then give to a person who actually likes ponies, because I don't give jack shit about horses. :D
Speaking of Work-Life Balance: in the last couple months, my calendar has EXPLODED. So many things! SO many things are going on with people! I'm going to shows, parties, painting, overnights, all sorts and kinds of events, meetings, whatever. I barely have time to breathe - but that's what Monday-Wednesday evenings are for. At least, so they were, until this week: this last Monday, I just started a scehdule that looks liek this:
8.30-12.30: Library internship
2-5.30: Teaching.
Doesn't look so bad, right? Well, tack on an hour to either end - because DC - and a half-hour commute from Library to teaching, and I end up with: the amount of time a full-time job normally takes. Get up in the dark, go home in the dark, and get four hours of leisure time evenings.
I feel odd about this, because on the one hand, great, it's responsible, but OTOH - the internship is 6mo long - til March - and the teaching is, well, teaching. So I still have to job-search, and that's a stress all of its own. Overall, no, I'm not complaining, because hell, I could be in a dead-end retail job -- but this teaching is dead-end, interestless, unchallenging, and unusing of my brain, and good god, I need something else, stat. Which is why I'm a-search.
Blah blah vicious circle. These things will all sort themselves out eventually. I know I'll get a job in what I want - because I won't settle for what I don't want - but it's gonna take time and effort.
But! At least I'm living in green places, among people I love and like, and with interesting things around and about me. I have friends and am making friends, I have a full and interesting social life, and I take my advantages and run with them.
So! Overall: the State Of The Pico is Strong, and looking stronger all the time.
Strong especially because I now have a 175 max on the squat, and 205 on the deadlift, OHHH YEAAHHH.
So, overall: life is :D, and Pico is still truckin' :D
So! As may well be seen, so very much has happened to me since I last spent significant time on the Journal Of Lives. No really. You guys. You guys. So much has happened. So much that it has been an exhaustion to even think of writing it all or any of it down, because where do I start, and also what is this thing called time?
Mainest of mains, of course, is the fact that I uh. Now have a boyfriend. Yes, I do. This is crazy, right? I've kept it unmentioned on the Book Of Faces, partially because personal life is personal, and partially because of possible-bagel reasons. (Also, he's not a big bacefooker.) But! He's there! And boyfriendy. Definitely there :D
To note: we're not as couple as is generally done. One reason is simply practicality: He's about 45min drive away, and both of us have busy work lives and social lives, so that doesn't leave us a lot of meeting times (we do try onceaweek at least - that's about my limit of non-wharrgarbl time; more than a week and my brain gets itchy in his direction). There are also relationship-style reasons why we're not all-couple-couple: more on that in flocked entries. The time we do get together, though, is gouda stuff, and he's emotionally really focused and involved, which is fantabulous :D
Next: work. Work! I now have an internship, which is far more fabulous than teaching is, but I still have to teach (whee.) and job-search (whucgh). This is because money. I do hate to sound mercenary or anything, but Woman Cannot Live On Volunteer Internships Alone, and it is amazing and really quite irritating, during job-searching, to see how many positions expect one to not only be experienced, but also to work for free: "it'll be a great resume-builder!" "It'll give you practical experience and help you build networks!" Okay, guys, okay, but I'd also like to make more than $15 an hour, because that is the tiniest beans in a city like DC, and un-live-alone-able. (Elsewhere in the country, you could concieveably live on that. DC, no.)
Really, I'm tired of job-searching and teaching and doing things that don't occupy my brain. Overall, and eventually - but it could be sooner than eventually - I want to have a job in international exchange where I have both with-people-time and down-time, where there's a variety of mostly-interesting work, where I have decent admin, where I have a good work-life balance, and where I make a reasonable sum. That's it. Also, a castle and a pony, which I can then give to a person who actually likes ponies, because I don't give jack shit about horses. :D
Speaking of Work-Life Balance: in the last couple months, my calendar has EXPLODED. So many things! SO many things are going on with people! I'm going to shows, parties, painting, overnights, all sorts and kinds of events, meetings, whatever. I barely have time to breathe - but that's what Monday-Wednesday evenings are for. At least, so they were, until this week: this last Monday, I just started a scehdule that looks liek this:
8.30-12.30: Library internship
2-5.30: Teaching.
Doesn't look so bad, right? Well, tack on an hour to either end - because DC - and a half-hour commute from Library to teaching, and I end up with: the amount of time a full-time job normally takes. Get up in the dark, go home in the dark, and get four hours of leisure time evenings.
I feel odd about this, because on the one hand, great, it's responsible, but OTOH - the internship is 6mo long - til March - and the teaching is, well, teaching. So I still have to job-search, and that's a stress all of its own. Overall, no, I'm not complaining, because hell, I could be in a dead-end retail job -- but this teaching is dead-end, interestless, unchallenging, and unusing of my brain, and good god, I need something else, stat. Which is why I'm a-search.
Blah blah vicious circle. These things will all sort themselves out eventually. I know I'll get a job in what I want - because I won't settle for what I don't want - but it's gonna take time and effort.
But! At least I'm living in green places, among people I love and like, and with interesting things around and about me. I have friends and am making friends, I have a full and interesting social life, and I take my advantages and run with them.
So! Overall: the State Of The Pico is Strong, and looking stronger all the time.
Strong especially because I now have a 175 max on the squat, and 205 on the deadlift, OHHH YEAAHHH.
So, overall: life is :D, and Pico is still truckin' :D