Sunday, March 24, 2013
Demographic Shift
I started doing this thing. I'm going to be kind of bad at it for a while. Hopefully practice will help.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Lack of Completion
An idea will pop into my brain, run wild, and then stop running before anything really exciting or important happens. Completion has never been a strong suit for me, at least in the realm of personal projects. It's usually different when it's a paying gig, fortunately.
But, for other things, completion just doesn't seem... like that big of a deal? Like the full/real purpose of doing the thing? I don't know how to describe it. Sometimes, once I know I can do something, that's enough. Or, when I discover that something is no longer easy, my enjoyment of the task stops growing or even declines.
Let me try to think of some concrete examples...
I haven't finished sewing my husband's medieval re-creation tunic because a) I already know I'm capable of doing it and b) it doesn't sound fun enough when compared to other uses of my time.
I haven't gone to belly dance classes for quite a while because a) I reached a level where the dance was no longer coming to me easily and b) there are other ways that I could spend my money and commuting time that would bring me nearly as much joy as structured dance classes bring.
*sigh*
Life is just a series of cost-benefit economic puzzles, isn't it?
Edit: I should probably mention that I don't find this lack of completion depressing. It just... is. In my free time I try to figure out what will make me happy in that moment and follow that path. Which is kind of funny for me to say, because I'm also a person who likes to plan things. If it all made sense I wouldn't bother pondering it.
Edit: I should probably mention that I don't find this lack of completion depressing. It just... is. In my free time I try to figure out what will make me happy in that moment and follow that path. Which is kind of funny for me to say, because I'm also a person who likes to plan things. If it all made sense I wouldn't bother pondering it.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
A Simple Day Off
There's a roast in the crock pot, and I've got the day to myself while the husband is busy at work. I'm feeling blessed to have so many options for how to spend my time.
The leave-a-book-loan-a-book shelves down the hall in my apartment building were holding a copy of Shopgirl by Steve Martin, so I snagged it. If only it was spring and I could sit on the balcony while I read... oh well. Spring'll come soon enough, right?
Alternately, I could play some Guild Wars 2, or spend some more time studying the lore of Ingress. Or I could finally reconnect with a sewing project I've had folded up in the bedroom for at least a year. There are always new things on Netflix to discover as well.
Oh, I could probably find something more productive and/or meaningful to do, and at the end of the day I might feel a little guilty for not trying harder to do just that, but right in this moment I'm happy with simplicity.
The leave-a-book-loan-a-book shelves down the hall in my apartment building were holding a copy of Shopgirl by Steve Martin, so I snagged it. If only it was spring and I could sit on the balcony while I read... oh well. Spring'll come soon enough, right?
Alternately, I could play some Guild Wars 2, or spend some more time studying the lore of Ingress. Or I could finally reconnect with a sewing project I've had folded up in the bedroom for at least a year. There are always new things on Netflix to discover as well.
Oh, I could probably find something more productive and/or meaningful to do, and at the end of the day I might feel a little guilty for not trying harder to do just that, but right in this moment I'm happy with simplicity.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
The Luxury of Training
I got to spend the whole of last week in training at work. Someone else in the class called it a luxurious use of our time, and I couldn't have agreed more. It's really amazing to work for a company that invests so much into the knowledge and happiness of its workers. It's also, obviously, good for the company to re-energize people and get them excited about growth so they will move forward in a way that matches the company's culture and values.
The culture and values have always seemed like such a part of me, it's hard sometimes to understand why it doesn't feel natural to everyone. I was reading reviews written by current and former employees on Glassdoor and it's clear that not everyone has had the great experiences that I've had. For many reviews, it's hard to pinpoint if the failure was the person not fitting into the values or the person not working for a manager who fit the values.
If I ever find myself in a managerial role, I need to remember how important it was for me to feel this gratitude and try to pass it on.
The culture and values have always seemed like such a part of me, it's hard sometimes to understand why it doesn't feel natural to everyone. I was reading reviews written by current and former employees on Glassdoor and it's clear that not everyone has had the great experiences that I've had. For many reviews, it's hard to pinpoint if the failure was the person not fitting into the values or the person not working for a manager who fit the values.
If I ever find myself in a managerial role, I need to remember how important it was for me to feel this gratitude and try to pass it on.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Back to Normal
My boss comes back tomorrow!! Woohoo!! I can finally get used to doing my job as it's meant to be done, heh.
I did get to put a little more than 15% of my second pay check into my savings account this month. Assuming I don't go crazy and buy a bunch of stuff with my credit card in the next week, January will be a financial success.
I've been playing a new game on my phone: Ingress. It's a GPS based game, so once it's warmer out I'm going to have plenty of new motivation to explore the city. I decided to play for the local underdog team and thus far I don't regret it. My area of the city doesn't have a lot of action yet, but that's ok. I'm having a great time playing anyway.
I did get to put a little more than 15% of my second pay check into my savings account this month. Assuming I don't go crazy and buy a bunch of stuff with my credit card in the next week, January will be a financial success.
I've been playing a new game on my phone: Ingress. It's a GPS based game, so once it's warmer out I'm going to have plenty of new motivation to explore the city. I decided to play for the local underdog team and thus far I don't regret it. My area of the city doesn't have a lot of action yet, but that's ok. I'm having a great time playing anyway.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Can't Wait for January Numbers
I'm feeling a little bit more like myself this week. I suppose it is in part because I tightened my belt by a hole this morning.
I use a site called MyFitnessPal.com to track my progress, and for some reason I decided it'd be fun not to do my second official weigh-in until the full month of January has past. So, I've stepped on the scale a few times, but I haven't keyed the results into the website. It'll be interesting to see what my final numbers for January end up being!
Just eight more work days until my boss gets back... that's probably also helping. *grin*
I use a site called MyFitnessPal.com to track my progress, and for some reason I decided it'd be fun not to do my second official weigh-in until the full month of January has past. So, I've stepped on the scale a few times, but I haven't keyed the results into the website. It'll be interesting to see what my final numbers for January end up being!
Just eight more work days until my boss gets back... that's probably also helping. *grin*
Monday, January 14, 2013
The 30 Year Wall.
I hit the wall of my 30s by seriously slowing down my music consumption habits. I just realized that in 2009, the year I turned 30, I acquired nearly three times the number of albums picked up in 2010, 2011, and 2012 combined.
The most obvious correlation is the change in my career. In 2009 I moved out of the dark, no-window cash office and into the administration area. I moved away from my solo room with a little radio full of NPR adventures to a life filled with coworkers everywhere I turn and Muzak piping through the halls.
It's no wonder I feel more boring than I did back then. Still, I wouldn't go back.
The most obvious correlation is the change in my career. In 2009 I moved out of the dark, no-window cash office and into the administration area. I moved away from my solo room with a little radio full of NPR adventures to a life filled with coworkers everywhere I turn and Muzak piping through the halls.
It's no wonder I feel more boring than I did back then. Still, I wouldn't go back.
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It's Me!
- Brianne Pitt
- Hey! I'm just another ordinary gal. I think life is about more than having fun, but I spend a lot of time having fun anyway, just for the heck of it. I like geekery, design, human behavior, etc.
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