Gainfully employed...almost!

So, I actually ended up having some job options, even after all of that fretting. I don't think that I can be too specific about about where I'll be working, but I can say that I will be doing clinicial assessments and I will be working overnights in an exciting place. I also will have a real, grown-up salary in addition to the 5 weeks paid vacation - plus 9 extra paid days off - plus earned time off. (yes!) I have some paperwork and orientations/trainings to attend in the upcoming days and then I will begin training on Wednesday night.

In other news, Jeff and I went to see some fireworks on the 4th near our 'hood and snapped some photos. They can be found here. OOOH! AAHHH! etc. It was a beautiful evening to begin a wonderful and relaxing weekend at home. Jeff was on call this week and needed to stay 30 minutes from a computer, so much sunning in the yard and book reading was done. Some call it a Staycation...but I think that is my new, least favorite word. So, I'll just call it Hanging at Home over a Holiday Weekend.

Off to enjoy my last two days of underemployment! Oh yeah, and you can keep up with the progress of the garden here. It is certainly progressing, after all.

Fourth-of-July-Inspired Purchases

Finding some purpose or direction that is not career-driven

I have been a depressing lump of flesh recently. I have had copious amounts of free time...but no mental organization or direction. I don't know if my brain works properly when not under pressure or stress. An example of this: I work as a waitress in a (at times) fast-paced restaurant that requires me to keep the needs of multiple people in my head at any moment. I mentally prioritize and then execute--and I actually think that I do a pretty good job of this. In contrast, I will be at home trying to decide what to do with my day and I will have random thoughts as I go about getting ready. Then, when it is time to go, I will not be able to remember any of these thoughts. This happens several times a day. I try writing them down. Then I forget to consult the list. EVERY DAY. It is almost as though the thoughts don't stick in my head--they just go in and out. It is crazy-making.

While I'm not really sure what to do about the whole 'attention-span-of-a-gnat' thing, I wonder if I could be more focused with my free time if I only have a couple of hobbies/interests? This is my hypothesis. So, even though the copious amounts free time is coming to a rapid close, I think that it might be a good idea to brainstorm about my interests and pick one or two that I can spend more time on. This might also help me to structure my free time once I am working full time. In general, it seems like it is a good idea.

Narrowing my interests is difficult. I have too many. BUT, having too many has only served to keep me from doing any one activity well. There is a certain safety in spreading your interests too thin. Once one activity becomes too difficult--I can walk away from it and do something else. What about embracing the challenge and learning new skills? Exactly. So, here is what I've been thinking:

1. Gardening: I definitely want this to be an activity/hobby; however, it seems that there is not enough to do right now. I suppose that I could stop neglecting the cucumbers...maybe weed that row and plant a few replacement seeds. I could also extend this hobby to include other plants and landscaping. This would certainly keep me busy. I just have to figure out how to get rid of all of those disgusting ants!
2. Photography: I really like taking pictures. I could do this more. I could also take further steps by getting some pictures printed and either matting and framing them or putting them in a photo album. I still am not interested in scrapbooking--but I'll agree to an album.
3. Cooking: I really want to learn how to be a better cook. I love food: the colors, textures, tastes. It would be pretty gratifying to learn how to cook simple dishes that are tasty AND healthy. The problem is that I usually find myself wanting to cook sweet, sugary, and fattening food :) I already proved to myself that I can make a homemade pie, so tonight I will make risotto.

I'll probably do other things too...like reading, running, hiking, watching movies. But I think I will try to focus on gardening, photography and cooking. Other interests will need to be written down somewhere as they arise...not immediately acted upon. We'll see how I do with this.

Captain Hook

Is THIS for real? Is the year 1608...or 2008? I had no idea this sort of thing was still going on in the world. I wonder what modern-day pirates look like?

samples from purchase of HAZMAT bronzer/self-tanner

So, I still haven't used the Urban Decay Santa Tanita that I ordered from Sephora; however, I have tried one of the samples that was included. You Rebel, by Benefit Cosmetics, is a tinted moisturizer with SPF 15. I also got this, but I haven't tried it yet.

Summer means strawberries and sundresses

I picked strawberries yesterday under then mid-morning sun. I ate a few and my fingers were stained a beautiful red that reminded me of Benefit's Benetint. Pretty. And then I learned how to make pie crust from scratch and turned my strawberries into a lovely strawberry pie. Here is proof:

The only thing that would have made me enjoy the accomplishment of my pie more is if I had been able to serve it wearing this:

The Ones We Love

Loving this site:

http://theoneswelove.org/home.html

Some of the photos are not so great...but there are some really awesome ones. I especially like the photos by alexi belozerov and elizabeth fleming.