So, to that end, I have been eating more bacon. A lot more. And it's totally working.
It's true what they say: bacon really does make everything better. Even homesickness and seasonal depression.
Who knew self-medicating could be so tasty?
Monday, January 23, 2012
Never underestimate the healing power of bacon
My therapist suggested that I could counteract the first-winter-away-from-home blues by engaging my senses with more things that sound/look/smell/taste/feel good to me, like happy music, scented candles, etc., etc. The idea is that by kicking up the level of positively-associated sensory stimulation a notch, you can distract your brain from focusing on whatever it's depressed about which, even if it doesn't solve the underlying problem, will hopefully help you get through your day without bursting into tears every ten minutes.
So, to that end, I have been eating more bacon. A lot more. And it's totally working.
It's true what they say: bacon really does make everything better. Even homesickness and seasonal depression.
Who knew self-medicating could be so tasty?
So, to that end, I have been eating more bacon. A lot more. And it's totally working.
It's true what they say: bacon really does make everything better. Even homesickness and seasonal depression.
Who knew self-medicating could be so tasty?
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Not a New Year's Resolution
I don't really go in for New Year's resolutions like some people do. I'd like to, and there have been years when I've sat down and tried to write out a list of things to work on for the year. But I find that once I start thinking about things I'd like to change or do differently, those things start snowballing in my mind until they quickly grow into a tall, steep, imposing mountain of Things That Could Be Improved that is cold and windy, especially up above the snow line, and I start feeling like maybe I'm better off staying warm and comfortable down here on the plains of The Way Things Currently Are.
So this year, no resolutions.
Instead, I'm going to try something new in 2012. I'm going to do a project. If it doesn't work out, no big deal, I'm not out anything except some time. If it does, I'll have learned a lot of new and interesting stuff that will serve me well in the future. By the way, I'm also not starting this right now because of the New Year...I just happened to think of it in January.
So here's my plan: during January through October of 2012 I'm aiming to pick one course a month from MIT's OpenCourseWare offerings and work through as much of each one as I can. I'm planning to pick a variety of topics, some familiar, some not, some useful, some just for fun. And I'm going to do it all for free, using the OpenCourseWare content, my local library, and the Internet.
If you're not familiar with OpenCourseWare, it's an amazing learning resource. Reading lists, discussion questions, assignments, lecture notes, and other content from MIT's classes are available free of charge for use by the general public. Because content is made available at the discretion of the professors and departments who offer the courses, some courses have more content available than others. Still, it's a great starting point for exploring topics you might be interested in. For example, say you want to learn the basics of computer programming...you can navigate to the Introduction to Computer Science & Programming class, track down and read the books/articles listed on the "Readings" page, watch the video lectures that are available for the course, and work through the assignments. If you get hung up on something, you may not have access to a real live professor, but you can post questions to the discussion forum for the class and get answers from other students who are working through the course.
Why am I doing this? Two reasons:
First, because there are a lot of really interesting things out there in the world, and I don't know enough about any of them. I'm starting with the Introduction to Political Thought class because, this being election year and all, I really want to have a better grounding in the basics of political science than I do. I'm also planning to do the aforementioned Intro to Computer Science class and probably a class in the basics of accounting and finance. I'm also looking seriously at the music, art history and urban planning offerings. My educational background is in linguistics and anthropology, and I may revisit those areas as well.
Second, I'm hoping to use this as a career development tool. I have a lot of skills, a WHOLE lot of interests, less professional experience than most people my age and no direction to speak of. I'm planning to use the OpenCourseWare classes to explore how and where I can apply the skills I already have, and to identify areas where I might need or want further training. It's not really an issue now, because for the near future (at least the next couple of years), I'm going to be homeschooling at least one of my children full time, but at some point I would like to go back to work. My family is in the extremely fortunate position of not needing two incomes to survive, but the current economic climate makes the security of a second income - even a part-time income - look very appealing. Even more importantly, I'd like to find a use for my skills that will benefit more people than just my immediate family. I'd like to have the satisfaction of doing something constructive to improve the world in some way. And I'd also like to have the satisfaction of getting paid at least the current market rate to do so.
I'm only planning to go through October because I'm FINALLY going to do NaNoWriMo this year come hell or high water and the only projects I plan for December involve making holiday crafts with the kids. And also because ten is such a nice round number.
Oh yeah, and I'm also going to blog more in 2012. But that's not a resolution either. It's just a prediction.
So this year, no resolutions.
Instead, I'm going to try something new in 2012. I'm going to do a project. If it doesn't work out, no big deal, I'm not out anything except some time. If it does, I'll have learned a lot of new and interesting stuff that will serve me well in the future. By the way, I'm also not starting this right now because of the New Year...I just happened to think of it in January.
So here's my plan: during January through October of 2012 I'm aiming to pick one course a month from MIT's OpenCourseWare offerings and work through as much of each one as I can. I'm planning to pick a variety of topics, some familiar, some not, some useful, some just for fun. And I'm going to do it all for free, using the OpenCourseWare content, my local library, and the Internet.
If you're not familiar with OpenCourseWare, it's an amazing learning resource. Reading lists, discussion questions, assignments, lecture notes, and other content from MIT's classes are available free of charge for use by the general public. Because content is made available at the discretion of the professors and departments who offer the courses, some courses have more content available than others. Still, it's a great starting point for exploring topics you might be interested in. For example, say you want to learn the basics of computer programming...you can navigate to the Introduction to Computer Science & Programming class, track down and read the books/articles listed on the "Readings" page, watch the video lectures that are available for the course, and work through the assignments. If you get hung up on something, you may not have access to a real live professor, but you can post questions to the discussion forum for the class and get answers from other students who are working through the course.
Why am I doing this? Two reasons:
First, because there are a lot of really interesting things out there in the world, and I don't know enough about any of them. I'm starting with the Introduction to Political Thought class because, this being election year and all, I really want to have a better grounding in the basics of political science than I do. I'm also planning to do the aforementioned Intro to Computer Science class and probably a class in the basics of accounting and finance. I'm also looking seriously at the music, art history and urban planning offerings. My educational background is in linguistics and anthropology, and I may revisit those areas as well.
Second, I'm hoping to use this as a career development tool. I have a lot of skills, a WHOLE lot of interests, less professional experience than most people my age and no direction to speak of. I'm planning to use the OpenCourseWare classes to explore how and where I can apply the skills I already have, and to identify areas where I might need or want further training. It's not really an issue now, because for the near future (at least the next couple of years), I'm going to be homeschooling at least one of my children full time, but at some point I would like to go back to work. My family is in the extremely fortunate position of not needing two incomes to survive, but the current economic climate makes the security of a second income - even a part-time income - look very appealing. Even more importantly, I'd like to find a use for my skills that will benefit more people than just my immediate family. I'd like to have the satisfaction of doing something constructive to improve the world in some way. And I'd also like to have the satisfaction of getting paid at least the current market rate to do so.
I'm only planning to go through October because I'm FINALLY going to do NaNoWriMo this year come hell or high water and the only projects I plan for December involve making holiday crafts with the kids. And also because ten is such a nice round number.
Oh yeah, and I'm also going to blog more in 2012. But that's not a resolution either. It's just a prediction.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
So here's what happened...
Last time I wrote a post, I was living in Southern California. Since then, I have relocated to Providence RI, along with my hubby & kids. That's pretty much what has been happening for the last eight months. Some other stuff probably happened too, but it pales in comparison.
Okay, you're saying to yourself, so that's a BIG move. Yes. Yes it is. It's huge. How did it happen, you ask?
Well, the short version is: The hubby got a job. (You can check out his blog for part 1, part 2 and part 3 of the long version.)
SO I MOVED. Yes, I did.
We flew out to Rhode Island in May, stayed at the Residence Inn for a month and then in a corporate apartment downtown for another month while we waited out the process of buying a house, then had our furniture delivered and settled in to our new home in Providence's lovely East side.
And here I am.
There are many things to love about New England, and Rhode Island in particular has, considering its size, more than its share of awesomeness to offer. For example, Providence is renowned for its food culture, and I've been delighted to find that it lives up to its reputation. Fresh, local and in-season is the standard here. Family farms are well supported and farmers' markets are a mainstream shopping option that are utilized by most people to some degree. Restaurants proudly display on their menus the names of the local farms or towns from which they source their ingredients. People here are more tuned in to where their food comes from and how it's produced than anywhere I've lived before.
And that's saying nothing of the rich history of the region, the support for the arts, the proximity to many of the most respected universities in the world, the spectacular scenery (including beaches!) or any of the other amazing things that make this such a great place.
On the other hand, I'm now spending my first winter in New England after living in California for eighteen years. And it totally sucks. I miss my friends. I miss my house (the one in the OC, which we still own & are renting out to one of those friends I miss so much). I miss being warm. And I miss SUNLIGHT!
Anyway, that's what happened.
I'm hoping things will look better when the days start getting longer and I thaw out a little. Meanwhile, I'll be stepping up my caffeine intake, dressing in layers and shopping for full-spectrum light bulbs.
Okay, you're saying to yourself, so that's a BIG move. Yes. Yes it is. It's huge. How did it happen, you ask?
Well, the short version is: The hubby got a job. (You can check out his blog for part 1, part 2 and part 3 of the long version.)
SO I MOVED. Yes, I did.
We flew out to Rhode Island in May, stayed at the Residence Inn for a month and then in a corporate apartment downtown for another month while we waited out the process of buying a house, then had our furniture delivered and settled in to our new home in Providence's lovely East side.
And here I am.
There are many things to love about New England, and Rhode Island in particular has, considering its size, more than its share of awesomeness to offer. For example, Providence is renowned for its food culture, and I've been delighted to find that it lives up to its reputation. Fresh, local and in-season is the standard here. Family farms are well supported and farmers' markets are a mainstream shopping option that are utilized by most people to some degree. Restaurants proudly display on their menus the names of the local farms or towns from which they source their ingredients. People here are more tuned in to where their food comes from and how it's produced than anywhere I've lived before.
And that's saying nothing of the rich history of the region, the support for the arts, the proximity to many of the most respected universities in the world, the spectacular scenery (including beaches!) or any of the other amazing things that make this such a great place.
On the other hand, I'm now spending my first winter in New England after living in California for eighteen years. And it totally sucks. I miss my friends. I miss my house (the one in the OC, which we still own & are renting out to one of those friends I miss so much). I miss being warm. And I miss SUNLIGHT!
Anyway, that's what happened.
I'm hoping things will look better when the days start getting longer and I thaw out a little. Meanwhile, I'll be stepping up my caffeine intake, dressing in layers and shopping for full-spectrum light bulbs.
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