I write about my journey through self-exploration and awareness; doesn’t everyone? Here, though, there are tendencies toward green living, veg*nism, travel, relationships and complaining. :)
Pros:
- Can work from anywhere there is internet access.
- Flexibility.
- No commute.
- When at home, can rock out or have NPR on.
- No one is watching me.
- Can work naked, if desired.
- Sometimes the BG is here.
- Can remain in pajamas and dirty for any length of time, even days.
- Enhances independent work attitude and habits.
Yesterday and Saturday I spent some time “designing” the new theme for this site. (By that I mean, I didn’t do it from the ground up, I sort of broke it down from the top, dismantling some of the default K2 theme to suit my needs.) At first I wanted to integrate it seamlessly with my portfolio site but later I thought, not only is that going to be very difficult because of how K2 is set up, but I really don’t write much in my blog that has anything to do with my design or the CSS/webdev community in a way that warrants it being integrated into my portfolio site. I write personal stuff, so it made more sense to keep it separate. So, I took the opportunity to create a new little logo for the header and play around with a more unique design.
So far, here it is. I’m not 100% satisfied yet, but that’s my nature as a designer, right? The added benefit of it looking more spiffy, besides the fact that it doesn’t look like crap any longer, is that I’m now more inclined to keep it updated. :)
But.
None of that is terribly important. The BG and I are pretty fucking good at devising ideas and making plans. That means all my hard work is for a cause: I’ve been saving every penny so that we will have materials and equipment to build our home in North Georgia.
Georgia? Well, it wouldn’t have been my first pick, but the BG has some family land near Toccoa so that’s where we’re headed. And we have all the freedom to make it what we want, so I’ll be checking off another goal from 43things: Live off the grid.
I moved to Raleigh for several reasons, saving money being one of them. And we don’t live in a 320 sq. foot apartment for the fun of it. $450 a month in rent (all utilities included) sure as hell sounds pretty yummy when you’re trying to save as much as possible.
It’s all we talk about. It’s our dream. :) We’re going to start building a cob house and farm on the family land sometime in 2011*. We’ve got a ton of money saved up already, more than I’ve ever saved for anything. And I can’t explain how excited I am that we’re on a path to something so awesome.
We’ve stocked our library with resources to get us started and we’ll be blogging about our progress every step of the way. :)
*After, of course, our one year trip to who knows where.
Scroll down to “Special Report: Unusual Portland Area Business Makes Millions” and watch the video.
Heheheeee!
The weekend prior to Thanksgiving the BG and I went camping at South Mountains State Park, in the western part of the state. We made it there late and hiked up a seriously big hill which proved just how stiff and out of shape I am. It was pretty chilly the night we were there, but we unzipped the windows in the roof of the tent and snuggled up to watch the moon set. It was awesome. As we hiked out the next day we saw a pretty waterfall. (Pictures coming soon.)
Thanksgiving was really nice. We drove down to Georgia and saw the many family members I’ve had the joy of meeting this year. I absolutely *love* his family… They are all so sweet and so caring, and it’s amazing how everyone has pulled together over concern for his mom (who is still in the hospital).
After returning from Georgia I went to pick up my new bike and rode it home. I had the guys at All-Star Bike Shop put on a rack and lights and am using the BG’s panniers. It rides quite differently than my mountain bike. Obviously I can feel more of what’s going on in the road because there is no suspension, but I also feel that when I pedal I’m moving faster than with the same amount of pedaling on the mountain bike. It just feels more efficient. The gears are really nice too, much better than the grip shifts. I am very happy with it. Last weekend we rode nearly 20 miles on one of the many local greenways and had a fantastic day in the sun at Umstead State park. (Pictures coming soon, I swear.)
On the job front, I interviewed at one more place and the meeting went quite well. It seems as though my experience working (and being comfortable with) adult products actually paid off a bit because they told me it was one reason they wanted to offer me the position. (A small percentage of the work will be adult-oriented.) I received the offer on my birthday, which rocked, and after some negotiations I accepted a few days later. I am taking a pay cut, but it is a telecommuting web design position, which allows me to work remotely and have my internet costs reimbursed, not to mention work on my Mac. They focus on standards compliant site architecture and there’s a possibility for me to be involved in the future development of templates and framework that will allow for more efficient workflows.
All that, *and* I get to share lunchtime with the BG. :)
As far as new friends are concerned, I’ve been spending some of my Wednesday nights with Brandon. He seriously cracks me up. We go to a bar in downtown Raleigh and watch reality TV shows with a bunch of his friends. I find the whole thing hilarious.
I also see Morgan about once a week which is great. I really like this girl, she’s smart, witty and a little bitter (it’s funny). And each time I hang out with her I like her more. She’s got a really interesting history and is a fantastic artist. I saw her house last night and it is sweet. There are huge old-growth trees in her back yard and a hammock! I am not sure she realizes just how often I’ll be subtly making plans to be at her place to settle my ass in that thing. ;)
Over the past few days I have managed to re-center myself. I had been feeling emotionally up and down since I arrived in Raleigh, which is kind of annoying. I assume that not having a job is really the source of the tension I’ve felt, but it’d manifested itself into a lethargic, shiftless state that has gotten me nowhere except feeling crazy. I’ve overanalyzed everything lately and was becoming quite sick of myself. But when the BG left for Uruguay I figured this was a great opportunity to spend some time doing my own thing and getting my head straight. That is exactly what I’ve been doing and I feel much better. :)
I am excited to start my new job, for which I have a staff meeting this Thursday at a coffee shop in RTP. And I’ve signed up for some classes at Wake Tech (Spanish!) in the spring to get me back on track. I also have myself scheduled to volunteer at the ReStore this week (but if I’m not feeling better I might not go). Finally, this coming weekend I am headed up to DC to visit friends (including Jess!).
I am relieved that it’s all beginning to come together. :)
I just scored an interview with an adult toy company near Raleigh.
Heheheeeeeeeeeee! :D
