no resolution
I am not much for resolutions. However, last year's resolutions to learn French and start skiing were fairly successful. It obviously takes more than one year to learn a language, particularly when you are not "immersed" in it. This year I had about two weeks of nine-to-five immersion with Sam's parents after they relocated us to North Carolina. We were together all day, unpacking, painting, fixing up, cleaning, shopping - and pretty much all of it in French. I am proud to say that my Ipod French lessons combined with a vocab book from the used bookstore proved useful at teaching me how to need things in French. I can't spell worth a damn, but I can sure get my point across with hand gestures, saying the equivalent in Spanish, or using my excellent circumlocution skills. Skiing was also a good thing to resolve to learn. It made me enjoy Canadian winters more, so much more that I voluntarily went to Montreal in -5 Farenheit weather when I could have had 65 degree days down here. January is freakishly warm here.
I have done some things I didn't intend to do this year, resolution or none. I left my job in a big city in favor of job-seeking unemployment in a small town. My old job was making me miserable with occasional breaks of contentment at a job well done, without any bonus compensation or raise to show for such good work. It's nice to start from scratch here. The past three months were focused on building my name, networking, crashing preservation parties and being present in the community. It's a big adjustment to move as often as I do. Involvement in the community is a big part of feeling at home. With no job and no friends here, it's tricky to feel at home here. It is so nice to feel welcomed, especially after all my networking paid off.
I got my first contract! Someone at the state museum referred a client to me. I am doing a small conservation treatment for him on his one and only painting. The job itself is not so interesting and it's not like it's going to pay my bills. Just the same, I am really happy to be getting referrals. Today I am on a mission to find corrugated plastic at the Scrap Exchange. I will be doing so on my cargo tandem bike conversion. We'll see. If the bike and the materials make it home intact, I will post pictures. Yay!
I have done some things I didn't intend to do this year, resolution or none. I left my job in a big city in favor of job-seeking unemployment in a small town. My old job was making me miserable with occasional breaks of contentment at a job well done, without any bonus compensation or raise to show for such good work. It's nice to start from scratch here. The past three months were focused on building my name, networking, crashing preservation parties and being present in the community. It's a big adjustment to move as often as I do. Involvement in the community is a big part of feeling at home. With no job and no friends here, it's tricky to feel at home here. It is so nice to feel welcomed, especially after all my networking paid off.
I got my first contract! Someone at the state museum referred a client to me. I am doing a small conservation treatment for him on his one and only painting. The job itself is not so interesting and it's not like it's going to pay my bills. Just the same, I am really happy to be getting referrals. Today I am on a mission to find corrugated plastic at the Scrap Exchange. I will be doing so on my cargo tandem bike conversion. We'll see. If the bike and the materials make it home intact, I will post pictures. Yay!