mL's blog
2008-04-15 -- My side of the couch
Last weekend was GREAT! I actually got to get out in the yard and putter around. We got the 12X12 raised bed set up and the 5 yards of planting mix hauled in. I spend most of the day Sunday moving soil from the bed around to different places in the yard so instead of having a 12X12 hill, I might actually have a level place to plant vegetables. ;-) The weather cooperated and everything. I think I even got mildly sunburned. Even though I did get “goosed” several times by the neighbor's duck, over all, it was great to be outside again!
A friend from work put me on the trail to find some really neat pole beans to transplant my green bush bean idea. They are called Yard Long Beans or Noodle Beans because they grow to ridiculous lengths. They have a little bit different flavor than traditional green beans, but I like them better. I'll give them a try this year and see how they fare.
I was reading back through my other entries and noticed a to do list from last summer where I was dying to find a way to simplify my life. Hehe... I hadn't looked at it since then, but I actually did get some of the stuff on it done! I got several web jobs shuffled off to other folks, sewed some curtains and table coverings, worked on this site. There are still a number of things there I'd like to do, but time is still a commodity. It was good to read the difference between then and now, so I really can see that I have simplified my life and am generally less stressed out.
Comfy. It's not just for couches anymore. My couch is kind of lumpy and hard in places, but I think someday it might just be comfy. However, there's always the chance the couch could break down and put a spring through my nether regions one day. I know how the boredom bug can slowly creep up when you're not watching...
Ok, enough metaphors, too vague. Specifically... I've found that job that I'd been seeking and working toward for so many years. I'm on my way to being comfortable, if not prosperous. But I've also seen other people find that job and then get too comfortable with it and stop learning new tricks. That's not good for anyone involved and I don't want to become like that.
So how do I ward off that stagnation bug? That's the real question and no one really seems to have the answer. I suppose it's because the answer is different for each of us... me, I'm hoping I can find the drive in myself to take some classes this fall. My first step is digging out all of my design and programming books. (They've been lost over the course of the last several moves.) Then, after consuming the information contained in those, move on to taking classes and getting certifications. I want to teach again, too, but maybe not for a while to come. Progress... one step at a time.
And of course there's the little one to look after and teach new things. That is a very time consuming (yet very rewarding) full time job in itself. I love it, and it keeps me on my toes, but it's going to be very difficult for a while, having a career, developing expertise, raising a kid and having a life outside it all. I'm so glad I've been blessed with lots of helpers. ;-)
Many scruffy shag rugs to you and your kin, sincerely,
~mL