Monday
I better be careful, even though I don't have the time to pursue every project and interest I want to now, I always find myself piling more on. I just ordered A Mind at A TimeRead about his book by Listen to an interview about his bookDr. Mel Levine,, and before it even gets here I have my finger on the mouse button just itching to use my powers of one-click-purchasing because I found this NPR's Talk of the Nation discussion on good books to get a handle on the whole Israeli / Palestinian history and current situation.
Also, at the art exhibition Saturday, I was talking to some of the artists about a simple web-site to display and promote their class, exhibitions, and personal works. Despite what you may think, making a web-site and doing it right takes a hunk of time... time they can't afford to pay for of course. (although they DO pay $1000 for a single frame...) Today however, I had the brilliant idea to help them with a site in exchange for some long awaited painting lessons and them letting me borrow their equipment for the lessons. I'll have to follow up on that... don't know where to get the time.
I have been studying Japanese again, forcing myself to read the newspaper for at least an hour a day at lunch, and of course spending the last 10 minutes before I fall asleep cramming some vocab. According to Listen to an interview about his bookthe interview with Dr. Mel Levine,, you are way more likely (he didn't use the term "way more") to remember things if you sleep immediately after studying them... even taking a shower will screw it up. I am greatly saddened by how many Kanji I can no longer identify. Hopefully they will come back as quickly as everyone keeps telling me they will.
I found a gym nearby my work that is semi-affordable. Since I have been forcing myself to leave work at by 7pm at the latest for the past 2-3 weeks, I should be able to get in there and back home by the same time I used to get home when I worked too much.
"When I worked too much" I say, but I don't think I really worked too much. For the first year at my company I was really getting value out of staying late and doing what I did... I barely knew anything about programming and the Internet then, and the work I was doing pushed me into my un-comfort zone in that respect. Everything I did was a challenge and something I had not idea how to do. I was learning more than I ever could on my own time. Lately though, I realize that my company doesn't have as much to really challenge me as it did before... at least not in the areas I want to be challenged (having my patience challenged is not one of them). I feel like I am outgrowing it. I have discovered just the opposite is true now as was a year ago. My own projects push me more than any project I have at work. I don't like that fact and something's got to change soon. I seem to be spending much of my time at work trying to figure out how to make it a place I can be satisfied with. In a sense however, that is the greatest challenge of all.
The other day I received a comment full of praise. It seems she thought she was writing the comment on another site... when she realized the mistake she wrote me asking me to delete it. Bummer.
I have been checking on tickets to get home for Tim's wedding. Not good news for Kelly. The cheapest I could find is still over $1000. I have a $1000 voucher for United air, but the cheapest they have is $1300.