Interwebs? YMCA?

So I'm struggling with a dilemma.

I've discovered a YMCA conveniently close to my apartment. It has a track and a pool, which are two things I like that I can't get from the hokey workout facility at work. Sounds like a worthwhile investment to me. There are even some fitness classes I could take. That would be a good decision socially.

Cost is my concern. A membership is $38 a month. That's not bad, but I don't want to spend that kind of money if I won't use it. I've kind of decided that if I get a YMCA membership, I'll cut my internet plan.

Technically, I can access the internet from the lobby of my apartment complex (though it can be inconsistent), so I don't need to pay for internet. My paid-for internet hasn't been that consistent anyway. The only major drawback of cutting my internet is losing the ability to pay bills online. I can't fathom paying with paper methods.

I'm also contemplating getting rid of my Netflix, but that's a bit less likely.

The real question is will I take the time to go to the YMCA? Will it be worth it? I don't know, but I should figure it out--soon. If I go for it before January 16th, they waive the initial fee. That will be a wash considering what my internet installment cost was. Oh well.

One thing I definitely should do is get some Wii games that demand being in motion without investing in fancy Wii gadgets that I don't already have. Wii investing is at least a flat rate. I won't have to continuously pay.

10 days to decide. Blergh.

Beatles' Friday

What do you do when you work at a place that has a casual dress code across the board? Have Beatles' Friday.

There's nothing special about jeans on Friday when you already wear jeans every day. I'm guessing that's why one of my coworkers has established Beatles' Friday. It's the day you can wear a Beatle's t-shirt to work.

It's not mandatory; just like you're not required to wear jeans on casual Friday. I like the bizarre spirit of it though, so I think I'll run with this tradition.

Tomorrow, I will be lame because I don't own a Beatles' t-shirt at present. Keeping my eyes peeled.

Test Anxiety

So my job is a bit like taking a test...all day long.

I spend forever reading and processing each question, struggling with those that might be interpreted in more than one way.

I worry that I will fail because I am taking too long.

Like a take-home test, I even spend forever trying to find the right answer and even more time trying to transfer the knowledge to the test in a meaningful way.

Who knew revising a test could be like taking one? The major perk is that when I find a question that I know could be interpreted in multiple ways, I get to make it clearer, rather than struggling with how the writer wants me to interpret it.

As to the worry that I am taking too long, well hopefully I get faster as I become more comfortable with this subject. I've been incredibly efficient at past jobs; I'll get there with this one, right?

In contrast, I'm also worried that I sacrificed quality unecessarily in favor of time with the test I finished reviewing today. I think I should just tell my boss that and maybe he can give me an estimate of what a reasonable amount of time on my text project might be? That's fair. I shouldn't try to do all of this without some guidance.

Tomorrow should be better--a smaller test to review (all on my own, not picking up where someone else left off and trying to make sense of it), and I might get to review a video tutorial. That last part sounds fun.

My boss just wants to see how my brain works. I'm confident that my brain is doing exactly what he'd like it to be doing on a quality scale, but my lack of subject matter knowledge might make me too inefficient to keep this up. Not understanding the subject makes me pretty slow. Please let me hike up this learning curve like a Himalayan guide. Please, oh, please.

On a strange note, two days of working at this job, and I am mildly interested in getting my pilot's license. Probably can't afford it though, so it will stay one of my crazy thoughts that get no follow-through. It would probably stay that way if I could afford it. :)

Simplifying Life

So in the spirit of New Year's Resolutions (which I am notorious for starting 2 weeks after the year starts and maintaining for about 20 minutes), I have set some goals to simplify my life.

After moving into my new place, I am amazed that I could fill up the closets. I had far less closet space at my last place, and it worked. I am completely convinced that I have too much stuff now. I'd like to see some open space in the closets.

My goal is to cut out some of the crap. I once lived a very stark lifestyle and had a room that looked like it could fit in a convent--simple, not stylish, bare walls. It was a very positive way of being. So, I'm going to try to go through the nooks and crannies of all my storage spaces and gather one box worth of materials to donate each month. One full box each month is required. Some of the first stuff to go should be excess pillows, bedding, and clothes. I've been given a lot of bedding lately, and I have a shopping vice.

I've already packed up one box of stuff to haul off for donating. I've also got a bag of old paint and materials I used to refinish my coffee table and end tables that I plan to take away somewhere. I need to figure out if it can be recycled or disposed of safely.

I'm also planning to read at least 2 books a month and I will get rid of them as I read them. I won't be buying any new books. I have plenty.

Last but not least, I need to keep plugging away at crochet projects. Then I can get rid of some of yarn. That should clear out some space too.

Hopefully my New Year's changes will involve some more cooking and working out too, but my only set goal is to get rid of some of the material stuff.

I Am a Weird Cat Lady

So my cat threw up yesterday. She never throws up. I am always proud of her because she is one of those rare non-vomiting cats.

So I'm wondering to myself, what caused my cat to throw up? It could be stress from moving. Or did I leave a cup or plate on the coffee table where she could dabble in human food? If it's either of those things, hopefully she is done with the vomiting now that we're all settled.

Of course, I think the water here is atrocious. Refrigerating it doesn't seem to help. It tastes heavily of metal. So I've gotten it into my head that it might be the water. My response? I emptied her automatic waterer of the tap water that was in it and refilled it from my filter pitcher. Yes, I am now treating my cat to filtered water.

On a positive note, she threw up on the ottoman, which is vinyl and easily wiped off. :)

Apartment Settling

I'm pretty much all unpacked, minus a few random things. They're things I'm scared to throw out in case I need them, but I don't really use them, so I just need to store them somewhere. I hate having weird things like that.

I still haven't gone to the store. I've been surviving on leftovers from when my parents were here. I'm on my last bit of leftover omelette this morning and then I will be foodless.

My initial grocery list is a bit weird, but oh well.

1. eggs
2. grapefruit juice
3. milk
4. cereal
5. beer
6. soup
7. salad
8. salad dressing

That's it. I'm not feeling in cooking mode just yet, although Chris and I are going to cook something random out of a cookbook he got for Christmas when he comes to visit on Friday. We'll grocery shop for that when we decide what we want to make.

I also need a few other random things while I'm out and about today:

1. ice tray
2. water filter pitcher
   (I tried my usual refridgerating of water to make it too cold to taste. No cigar. The water here just tastes that bad.)
3. calendar
4. mirror sheets
5. simple green
6. dish detergent
7. hamper
8. quarters for laundry

If I weren't feeling too cheap, I would invest in a shredder too. I have been shredding old mail by hand, and it's tedious.

On a positive note, living in my own space has already returned cat and I to an inseparable duo. She's curled up on the couch next to me now. Also worthy of note is the fact that I have a dedicated yarn space in this apartment. I put together the rack that I kept my clothes on in the last place, and have sorted all my yarn onto its shelves. No more giant bag of yarn shoved in the closet!

Retiring the Soul

I was just watching National Geographic's "Science of Evil," and one of the researchers being interviewed suggested that research about how the brain works is going to put the soul out of a job because we know that evil choices are just neurons firing, and circumstance influences our morality.

His thought on this was that if people don't believe their souls will continue on, they will make their choices in the present moment, and this could be a good thing. In his view, things like suicide bombing won't happen if we didn't have the continuing soul as a sort of parachute to protect the perpetrator from his or her own act. Even though their body dies, they can be confident that the soul will live on after their act. Without a soul, people won't have motivation to face martyrdom.

I can see his point, but I don't think it's fully thought out. I actually think it reflects the particular researcher's scientific inclination to despise religion. In contrast, I think many people's fear of consequences for their souls prevent self-indulgent behaviors that could harm others. The desire to do good for the soul is also a motivator for good.

In other words, we might gain some good by giving up the soul, but we would lose some as well. It might be a wash.