Monday, August 10, 2009

Focusing on the Mundane For Awhile

Today marked my return back to work after 6 weeks off for summer break. Those of you who remember my rants about the changes my company handed down right before the break will recognize that I am about to enter a period of stress and chaos. BUT - I thrive on stress and chaos so it will be a welcome change of pace after 9 months of what can only be described as mind-numbing boredom.

Lots of things going on in this head of mine lately, lots of changes coming down the pipeline. Husband comes home in just over 3 weeks, which is awesome. In the meantime, we are putting our condo on the market and looking for a house. Just found my DREAM house this past friday, but it's a bit on the pricey side and because of that, I can't make an offer on it until A comes home. 2 years ago when we were selling our old condo and looking for a house, I got so sucked into the process I couldn't see straight and was more stressed out than I have ever been in my life. I refuse to do that again. So whereas 2 years ago I would be freaking out about this house thinking if we don't buy it NOW then ZOMG!!! we might lose it forever!!! Nope. Not doing that again. If it's still there when he comes home, great. If not, I know will we find another one that I will love just as much. Let's hope I can keep this perspective.

I am no longer on the pill, taking a "come what may" attitude toward it. It's funny, various physicians and nurses have asked repeatedly when learning my medications have changed, "Oh, are you trying to get pregnant?" And I respond, "Well, not exactly. I'm not trying NOT to get pregnant." For some reason, when I think of people who "try" to get pregnant I imagine women trolling fertility websites, stocking up on ovulation tests from Costco, pre-shopping for maternity clothes and looking into cord blood banks (saw an ad for this in my GYN office - holy creepy.) That's not me. If we get pregnant, I will be super excited and happy. If we don't, then we don't. Again, not going to let myself get stressed out over something I don't really have all that much control over.

I am looking into applying for master's programs this fall. I'm thinking of possibly doing an MA in communications rather than psychology, or possibly doing an MSW or an MA in counseling. My focus is on something that will get me a job, not just a piece of paper. A MA in general psychology is useless, and usually doesn't even get you advanced standing in a PhD program, so I figure why bother with that. There's a program nearby in Writing, Rhetoric, and Media Arts that I thought might be kind of cool. I'm looking at it from two different points of view - either focusing on something I would like to teach or focusing on something I would like to DO.

The master's program idea is kind of a short-term solution to a long-term problem. It will keep me in a position to have fresh letters of recommendation for PhD programs down the line if I choose to continue that path regardless of what degree I earn in the meantime, and hopefully will broaden my skillset and make me more marketable for jobs. I am looking for flexibility and stability in my life and I think this might help make that happen.

I have a new personal goal that I stole from a certain academic who I admire to read 100 books by the end of this year. I'm at about 45 this year so far, running the gamut from nonfiction to chick lit. I am about halfway through Proust's Swann's Way, which has been sitting on my bookshelf for about a year waiting for me to have the time and attention it deserves.

I know my attention to the blogosphere has been spotty - been doing a lot of traveling and a lot of work around the house to get it ready to sell. As I type this, I have grout residue under my thumbnail that won't seem to go away from a bathroom project I tackled this weekend. I don't know the direction this blog will take over the next few months, but I know my readership will probably change dramatically, if not drop off completely. But the blogs I read and follow won't change because I love all you guys and my addiction is still pretty strong.

Onward and hopefully upward!

5 comments:

Comrade Physioprof said...

I don't know the direction this blog will take over the next few months, but I know my readership will probably change dramatically, if not drop off completely.

Everyone's different, but I read the blogs I do mostly because the writing kicks ass, not so much because of the particular subject matter.

scicurious said...

OOh! I tried to read 100 books last year. It was ultimate fail, though. This year I'm trying for 30, and even that looks sketchy about now. Do post a list of what you read!!!

toronto realtor elli said...

Seems like you are absolutely ready and well prepared to move. Great. I have just question - why do you want to move into a house? Are condos worse in your opinion? I am quite curios, because I recently wrote an article comparing houses and condos and I want to hear different perspectives of people.

Best regards,
Elli

JLK said...

HI Elli, thanks for stopping by. The condo my husband and I are in now is actually the 2nd condo we've owned together. They make great starter properties in our area, and we built a ton of equity in a very short time on our first one. The second one, unfortunately, we bought at the peak of the market and will be lucky to get what we paid for it.

For us and for most people in our area, the real desire is to own land and to be completely autonomous in your decisions about what to do with your property. We are tired of dealing with a condo association, upstairs and next-door neighbors, and concerns about whether there is parking available for our guests. A house eliminates all of those issues.

Plus, condos around here tend to cost just as much as houses and, in the case of the really nice ones, can cost even more than a nice, respectable house. If we traded in our existing 2 bedroom condo for a 3 bedroom with more privacy, we would likely pay more for that than we would for a 3 or 4 bedroom house with a half acre of land. In my mind, that doesn't make the slightest bit of sense.

toronto realtor elli said...

Wow, thanks a lot for you answer. Hope everything goes well with buying a new house and moving. Yeah, privacy really is important and if the price is just the same, go for it.

Good luck,
Elli

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