I've been traveling for the past 3 weeks. The day I returned I was not feeling well. Things went from bad to worse and now I'm in self-imposed quarantine. I had all the symptoms of the flu, but my recovery seems to be too quick for it to be the flu. I don't know what I have, but I do know I'm ready to be back to 100%.
My sick days have given me a chance to declutter the DVR. I have a tendency to let shows stockpile. Many I just end up deleting without watching.
This post is without any real direction. My head is fuzzy.
I currently have no food. A friend had to bring me a loaf of bread. I'm out of peanut butter for Pete's sake!
The rest of the weekend will be spent resting, cleaning, and restocking my bare cabinets.
Don't forget to watch NPH hosting the Emmy's. He's awesome!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Money
First off, I've made what I hope is the last change to my username. I've evolved from "otrolado" to "freelancer" to "thinkrqp". The goal was to allow you to contact me by e-mail. While this blog is not really that anonymous, I'm not really comfortable giving out my primary e-mail address.
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Money. It's often said it's the root of all evil. This is an inaccurate quote from 1 Timothy (it's really the love of money), but we all get the gist.
There have been two primary "battles" in my life. The biggest (and the one with the greatest psychological impact) was related to my attraction to guys. That's been the primary theme of the blog and how most you of stumbled across it.
The theme for today is something almost equally taboo.
I have been very fortunate to have a mother (and father) who are very candid about money. For better or for worse, I know the complete financial situation of my parents. No subject is off limits, from what my parent's make, to their 401K balance, mortgage, medical bills, etc. Shockingly, a very large number of my friends (people in their 20's) don't even know what their parents make. For that matter, they are terribly uninformed when it comes to what they should do with money or how much it takes to survive.
Now, I will say that I have a vast understanding of what I should do when it comes to money. The problem is that until this summer I have not really been doing it. I've been a prodigal son.
I do balance my checkbook and contribute an adequate amount to my 401K, but that is the extent of my good behavior.
I like things. Shiny things. I like eating out. I really, really like to travel. I'm not satisfied with a trip to Branson. I want Budapest. It would be easy for me to take a cop out answer and say that my trips abroad were the cause of my over spending. But that's disingenuous. The truth of the matter is that I continuously buy things I don't need with money I don't have. My debt is a direct result of living beyond my means. I have consistently (on a nearly daily basis) made poor decisions about how to spend money. Buyer's remorse is nearly non-existent in my life (with the notable exception of a Rosetta Stone software package I bought at a mall in Seattle). Since getting my first credit card my freshman year of college, I have spent $28,000. I am quite certain I have spent equal that amount on my debit card.
For the past 6 years I've had serious cash flow issues. This leads me to use my cards more than I should. That has finally changed. I will have no more credit card debt in 4 more weeks (well, there might be $300 that lags behind) and will finally, FINALLY, get a paycheck and NOT have to transfer it to American Express or Visa.
My new financial goals include building an 8-month savings, knocking out the rest of my student loans and putting a couple hundred dollars into my stock account (that currently has a value of $250).
I told myself I would be debt free in last December, then March, then June, etc. Finally, I decided enough was enough. Slowly but surely I've come out from under this trap. It's not been easy. I've fought a lot of temptation when it comes to cute jackets from Banana Republic and new clothes for work. I've had to set limits and stick with them. If I can I change my behavior permanently I will be in great shape. I just have to take it a day at a time.
---
Money. It's often said it's the root of all evil. This is an inaccurate quote from 1 Timothy (it's really the love of money), but we all get the gist.
There have been two primary "battles" in my life. The biggest (and the one with the greatest psychological impact) was related to my attraction to guys. That's been the primary theme of the blog and how most you of stumbled across it.
The theme for today is something almost equally taboo.
I have been very fortunate to have a mother (and father) who are very candid about money. For better or for worse, I know the complete financial situation of my parents. No subject is off limits, from what my parent's make, to their 401K balance, mortgage, medical bills, etc. Shockingly, a very large number of my friends (people in their 20's) don't even know what their parents make. For that matter, they are terribly uninformed when it comes to what they should do with money or how much it takes to survive.
Now, I will say that I have a vast understanding of what I should do when it comes to money. The problem is that until this summer I have not really been doing it. I've been a prodigal son.
I do balance my checkbook and contribute an adequate amount to my 401K, but that is the extent of my good behavior.
I like things. Shiny things. I like eating out. I really, really like to travel. I'm not satisfied with a trip to Branson. I want Budapest. It would be easy for me to take a cop out answer and say that my trips abroad were the cause of my over spending. But that's disingenuous. The truth of the matter is that I continuously buy things I don't need with money I don't have. My debt is a direct result of living beyond my means. I have consistently (on a nearly daily basis) made poor decisions about how to spend money. Buyer's remorse is nearly non-existent in my life (with the notable exception of a Rosetta Stone software package I bought at a mall in Seattle). Since getting my first credit card my freshman year of college, I have spent $28,000. I am quite certain I have spent equal that amount on my debit card.
For the past 6 years I've had serious cash flow issues. This leads me to use my cards more than I should. That has finally changed. I will have no more credit card debt in 4 more weeks (well, there might be $300 that lags behind) and will finally, FINALLY, get a paycheck and NOT have to transfer it to American Express or Visa.
My new financial goals include building an 8-month savings, knocking out the rest of my student loans and putting a couple hundred dollars into my stock account (that currently has a value of $250).
I told myself I would be debt free in last December, then March, then June, etc. Finally, I decided enough was enough. Slowly but surely I've come out from under this trap. It's not been easy. I've fought a lot of temptation when it comes to cute jackets from Banana Republic and new clothes for work. I've had to set limits and stick with them. If I can I change my behavior permanently I will be in great shape. I just have to take it a day at a time.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Snippets
I assure you my next post will be something substantial about things weighing on my mind. But hey, it's summertime. It's nearly impossible to be morose. It's ice cream season for Pete's sake!
In that spirit I will share a few of the random thoughts/things happening in my life:
Yesterday my brother asked if I was going to adopt in the future. He wants nieces and nephews. Haha. I said yes (because I am).
The weather in Memphis has been unreal this weekend. The rest of the week is looking good too. It's August and usually unbearable. This year has been different! It's as if nature is conspiring to convince me to stay here another year. "Hey, it's not that bad, in fact, it's really kind of beautiful...stay awhile longer".
I tapped into my inner nerd and installed Dos Box on my Mac. Now I can play one of my all-time favorite computer games again!
I'm continuing to aggressively pay off my credit card bills. More on that in my next post!
Running is going well, despite shin splits! I will persevere and run my first race next month. This four-miler is mine! Haha.
I'm not feeling as fit as I would have hoped, despite my running and attempts to change my diet. I really need to cut back on my ice cream and cookie consumption. I don't think you all can really grasp the amount of "treats" I eat. Let's just say that this week I had a Frosty and Oreo Shake from Baskin Robbins in the same day.
The lesson that you should not be too quick to judge people was learned again this week by me. I feel a bit sheepish, but hey, that's what you get sometimes.
My family may or may not have watched a cheesy Disney movie starring a tween superstar last night. We also may or not have all enjoyed it a bit too much.
Life is good. Really. I find the fact that I'm so cheery prevents me from posting my long, "teen-angst" filled posts. Hahaha.
In that spirit I will share a few of the random thoughts/things happening in my life:
Yesterday my brother asked if I was going to adopt in the future. He wants nieces and nephews. Haha. I said yes (because I am).
The weather in Memphis has been unreal this weekend. The rest of the week is looking good too. It's August and usually unbearable. This year has been different! It's as if nature is conspiring to convince me to stay here another year. "Hey, it's not that bad, in fact, it's really kind of beautiful...stay awhile longer".
I tapped into my inner nerd and installed Dos Box on my Mac. Now I can play one of my all-time favorite computer games again!
I'm continuing to aggressively pay off my credit card bills. More on that in my next post!
Running is going well, despite shin splits! I will persevere and run my first race next month. This four-miler is mine! Haha.
I'm not feeling as fit as I would have hoped, despite my running and attempts to change my diet. I really need to cut back on my ice cream and cookie consumption. I don't think you all can really grasp the amount of "treats" I eat. Let's just say that this week I had a Frosty and Oreo Shake from Baskin Robbins in the same day.
The lesson that you should not be too quick to judge people was learned again this week by me. I feel a bit sheepish, but hey, that's what you get sometimes.
My family may or may not have watched a cheesy Disney movie starring a tween superstar last night. We also may or not have all enjoyed it a bit too much.
Life is good. Really. I find the fact that I'm so cheery prevents me from posting my long, "teen-angst" filled posts. Hahaha.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Updates
5 consecutive bad hair days = extra self-conscious
Finally having a good hair day = feeling good, but a little shallow for obsessing so much
Running 3 miles, 3 days a week = awesome
Having my credit cards paid off in six more weeks = ridiculously awesome
Overthinking things = the new norm in my life
Finally having a good hair day = feeling good, but a little shallow for obsessing so much
Running 3 miles, 3 days a week = awesome
Having my credit cards paid off in six more weeks = ridiculously awesome
Overthinking things = the new norm in my life
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Vacation
I'm tired, physically and mentally.
I hereby declare myself on vacation from this blog for awhile.
I hereby declare myself on vacation from this blog for awhile.
Monday, August 3, 2009
5 Year Plan
It's that time of year again. I've got to write my short and long term goals for my career. This always gets me thinking about the future and what I want from my personal and professional life. Funny, I like how we separate "personal" from "professional" but in many ways they overlap. I'm not sure they can easily be untangled from one another.
What are my goals? I've always got a list lying around: exercise, cook more, eat healthier, build my savings account, write more, read more, travel, it goes on and on. Now I have to think more about the big picture. I try to think about what things I will look back on and regret in my old age. So, I power up my imagination and picture myself in my 70's, sitting in bed, composing a list of shoulda, woulda, coulda's.
Here's what the future me could possibly regret:
Not taking a chance in relationships
Not spending quality time with family and friends
Not seeing the world
Not achieving my educational goals
Not having a hot body while I was younger (okay, maybe that's a bit of stretch)
Using this exercise I shape my current goals. I want to be better at what I do. I want to get promoted. I want keep getting in shape. I want to love. I want to go to a kick ass school somewhere exciting.
Let's see how it goes.
What are my goals? I've always got a list lying around: exercise, cook more, eat healthier, build my savings account, write more, read more, travel, it goes on and on. Now I have to think more about the big picture. I try to think about what things I will look back on and regret in my old age. So, I power up my imagination and picture myself in my 70's, sitting in bed, composing a list of shoulda, woulda, coulda's.
Here's what the future me could possibly regret:
Not taking a chance in relationships
Not spending quality time with family and friends
Not seeing the world
Not achieving my educational goals
Not having a hot body while I was younger (okay, maybe that's a bit of stretch)
Using this exercise I shape my current goals. I want to be better at what I do. I want to get promoted. I want keep getting in shape. I want to love. I want to go to a kick ass school somewhere exciting.
Let's see how it goes.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
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