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1 April 2003, 3:48 PM

Reflections...
1 April 2003, 3:12 PM

I've been feeling pretty good here lately and I was wondering why - given that the economy still sucks, we're still at war, there's still plenty of crap to be annoyed about etc. etc. So I thought about it and came to the following conclusions:

First, I feel more in control and self-directed again at work. That's a biggie. I've watched this play out time and time again with my girlfriends - if work sucks, life sucks. It makes sense. We spend 8 hours or more a day at work, 5 or more days a week in the same place, with the same people, doing some specific "thing" - you gotta love at least a part of it or it can drag you down, no matter what else is going on in your life. Luckily I feel some direction again, if not the security I've always felt. (The state is going to need to make even BIGGER cuts in the budget next year, which may mean layoffs - a rare event for state workers.)

Then there's classes - I like what I'm learning. I like my professors and I'm doing well. If I was trying to squeeze this studying in with a full-time job and the class felt like a requirement or the course material felt like busywork it'd be that much harder, and the stress would feel burdensome. As it is, it just feels intellectually invigorating.

Also important - I'm getting some exercise, even if it is just hoofing it across campus several times a day. I'm also eating well, and my weight has been dropping. The recent gain I saw on the scale was *muscle* not fat, which is EXACTLY what I wanted to see.

And then I've been rationing the news. That helps a lot. I don't stay completely AWAY from the news - I don't like to be ignorant about what's going on - but it has helped to read only after everybody's got their act together. The news then is accurate, condensed and free from annoying speculating. (Of course, I can afford to ration my exposure to the news - I don't know anyone personally who currently directly involved in the war in some way.) Getting the news in a large dose less frequently has been good for my psyche (and less confusing) AND I stay informed. At least the war hasn't been a part of my dreams at night and I've been able to shift completely out of political ode to a just everyday/normal/get errands done mode.

And finally, it's Spring. That's a huge deal to me apparently. I remember when I briefly lived on the east coast, that apart from the stick-up-the-butt culture I'd run into so often, the only thing that really got me wasn't the winter weather or the roads or unfamiliar stores etc. It was the fact that it got dark at *4pm* during the evening. The darkness and gray skies really got to me - until I was just ecstatic when the sun peeked through, green started appearing and blue skies and mild temperatures prevailed. Even now, back in Texas, I still eagerly await the new leaves on trees, the explosion of bluebonnets, and sunny days, mild temperatures and springtime storms.

So, despite everything, I can remain both cynical and optimistic at the same time. People are stupid, the politicians are crazy, but it's SPRING and I'm a lovin' it. :-)

That's the way, uh-huh-uh-huh, I like it...
1 April 2003, 2:43 PM

I ACED that archeology exam. In fifteen minutes flat no less. Woo-hoo! I'd read each question and know the answer before I even saw the multiple choice answers. I was smokin'.

"That's the way, uh-huh-uh-huh, I like it, uh-huh-uh-huh..."