How to Keep Busy
I sometimes (often) feel like I don't have any free time at all. Now, I know that is not really true. I just don't always use my free time wisely. I spend a lot of time hitting "refresh" like the little internet-monkey I am, somehow expecting that this will be fulfilling. It's not. It's never. I spend a lot of time staring mindlessly at cartoons I've seen literally dozens (or more) times already. I sleep in whenever possible. In fact, if I weren't a lazy lump of woman-flesh, I'd probably have LOTS of free time.
I've been trying to use it at least a little bit better, recently.
Over the weekend, I finished three books and started a new one. This is good, because I not only enjoy reading, but I need to do so for my job. (I wish they'd pay me overtime for every book I read outside of work. I could at least double my income that way, lol!) It helps that I read fast, of course.
But also, for those long evenings when I don't feel like reading, but don't want to mindlessly surf or watch the idiot box, I've started making jewelry again. I used to work with precious metal clay, but I don't really have a good place for that anymore. Now that we have the cat, I can't leave my materials set up all the time, and I don't have room for a workspace in a cat-free zone. So all of that creativity sort of fell by the wayside.
But recently, I've actually just been getting back to basics and using beads and wire and chain and findings to put together earrings (mostly earrings), necklaces, even a bracelet or two. I'm wearing a pair of my creations right now, in fact! Now, I am definitely still an amateur, refining my skills. But some of the things I've done are good enough (IMHO!) that I've actually posted them for sale on my Etsy account.
It's a lot of fun, it keeps my fingers busy, and it keeps my mind actually DOING something instead of just turning off and tuning out for the evening. It's nice to feel like you're accomplishing something for once, ya know?
I've been trying to use it at least a little bit better, recently.
Over the weekend, I finished three books and started a new one. This is good, because I not only enjoy reading, but I need to do so for my job. (I wish they'd pay me overtime for every book I read outside of work. I could at least double my income that way, lol!) It helps that I read fast, of course.
But also, for those long evenings when I don't feel like reading, but don't want to mindlessly surf or watch the idiot box, I've started making jewelry again. I used to work with precious metal clay, but I don't really have a good place for that anymore. Now that we have the cat, I can't leave my materials set up all the time, and I don't have room for a workspace in a cat-free zone. So all of that creativity sort of fell by the wayside.
But recently, I've actually just been getting back to basics and using beads and wire and chain and findings to put together earrings (mostly earrings), necklaces, even a bracelet or two. I'm wearing a pair of my creations right now, in fact! Now, I am definitely still an amateur, refining my skills. But some of the things I've done are good enough (IMHO!) that I've actually posted them for sale on my Etsy account.
It's a lot of fun, it keeps my fingers busy, and it keeps my mind actually DOING something instead of just turning off and tuning out for the evening. It's nice to feel like you're accomplishing something for once, ya know?