on being homesick…

I went back to Phoenix for a few days this month.  It was a great opportunity from work that I got to go, really, because I had to go to Austin for a meeting (which was awesome and I totally think I would move there), and it was actually cheaper for work to pay for [...]

Fake it ’till you Make it

I was at the gym the other day (woo hoo! already keeping that new year’s resolution!) and the Today Show or something like it was on tv.  They were discussing ways to help make sure you stick to your resolutions, or any goals for that matter.
The most important thing to do, they said, if your [...]

More No Spend Month

Alright.  I’ve thought a lot about my performance during No Spend Month.  Why have I sucked it up?  I always thought my spending habits were good.  I thought I was relatively frugal.

I suppose that, if one takes out Christmas shopping, I’ve done alright.  Technically, I’m even under budget (at $1827.35).  Still, my intent was to [...]

No Spend Month: Week Three

Here we go with Week 3:

Thanksgiving Groceries: $43.99
Car Payment: $270.55
Morning Coffee: $4.40
Utilities: $110.34
Netflix: $14.69
Toiletries: $46.61
Coat*: $50.00
Ink Cartridges: $50.00
Christmas Presents: $112.97
Groceries: $95.20
Commuter Train Pass*:  $138.80
DC Metro Pass:  $9.90

Total for week: $900.84

Total for No Spend Month:  $2140.32

*The coat is a partial payment on a Christmas present to me.

Cripes!  I’ve already blown it!  By a lot!  I’m practically [...]

When Does it Get Good?

I just read a friend’s blog (he’s a brilliant writer- go read it: www.johnmenard.wordpress.com).  The title of the post is “I’m Afraid” and it essentially describes the horror he has at the idea of working in the same job, day in, day out, for the next 35 years.  Boy, can I relate.

I’m absolutely terrified when [...]

Jaded: Part II

I last said that I was a true idealist who was becoming jaded.  What changed that forced “reality” into my life?  What happened?

I live in Virginia and work in Washington, DC.  The people in DC really seem to loathe smiling.  One is really hard-pressed to find someone, a stranger, to help a tourist find their [...]

Jaded: Part I

Call it a quarter-life crisis; I’m 25, after all.  Perhaps it’s just “growing up”, I’m losing my naivity.  Whatever it is, I’m becoming jaded.

This is a two-parter.  You need to understand how I normally react to my environment and my general outlook to understand how I’ve changed:
I took the Myers-Briggs test.  This was the fourth [...]