Winter’s on the Way

Turnin up the Heat

So it’s getting pretty nippy hereabouts. I finally turned the heater on for the first time yesterday morning. Of course, I’ve been keeping the windows open at night, too, to get the fresh crisp air throughout the apartment… which has been especially necessary this week. The place was positively stuffy when I got back from my trip.

But amway, all that fresh crisp air brought the temperature down into the low 60’s… which is all kinds of great when snuggled up under a blanket in bed, and a WHOLE nother matter when getting up to get ready for work in the morning. So on came the heat. And, subsequently, the humidifier also made its official appearance.

Turnin up the Humidity

With limited room in both my small utility room and in the hallway, either my humidifier or my treadmill occupy each space… depending on the season. During the Summer, I keep my treadmill against the wall in the hall, when I’m most likely to drag it into the living room to use it. During the Winter, there’s no use attempting to stay in shape with all the holiday goodies running rampant, and the advent of the air-drying heater makes my nosebleed-prone snout much appreciative of the humidifier.

So I switched em out yesterday morning, gave the humidifier a cursory cleaning, filled it up and let her rip. :) It’s also been raining the last few days. A pleasant, steady rain, if a bit cold. Winter’s definitely on her way. In fact, I’m probly gonna need to bring in my small portable humidifier here into work, too. *writing note to self*

Positive Outlook

I’ve been pretty upbeat since I’ve been back… despite the disappointing results of the election. I’ve felt like I have a purpose… a goal to look forward to. That my wheels will soon stop spinning, and I’ll be able to actually make a change for the better. For me. Not my friends, not my family, not for my coworkers or perfect strangers… but me. It feels pretty good, actually. And, of course, the goal in question is a probable move back to the West Coast.

I’m not looking at the prospect as an answer to any or all problems in my life. But each time I think on it, it feels like the right choice for the next phase of my life. For the sake of a feeling of belonging… of encouraging me away from the severely anti-social trend I’ve developed over the last 10 years… of encouraging me to pursue my music again. It all comes so naturally when I’m in the place I grew up and with the people who are as much family as the one to which I was born. I just had another taste of it for 10 days… and returning to Misery was like a jagged crack in reality to me.

Ever Changing

But I’m also not looking at a move to San Diego as a permanent solution… I’ve learned enough about myself to know that, for me, nothing is permanent. Perhaps once I’ve obtained what I need to learn, regain or achieve there, it will be time for me to move on again… and who knows how many more times again after that. I’ll figure that all out when I get there.

So for now, it’s good to have a change to look forward to. Yet I’m also catching myself appreciating small moments in the now. I’m looking forward to the next few days… the next few months and the holidays with my family, just as much as I’m looking forward to the next few years. Whenever I start to feel change churning within me, my perspective on a lotta things tend to shift as well. :)

Diversity

Today’s been pretty quiet at work. My entire morning was consumed by a required “Understanding Diversity” course. Joy. It wasn’t completely boring, though… there were a couple of clips of some rather entertaining speakers discussing generational differences. I learned a few things about “Generation X” (to which I belong) that I hadn’t quite realized before, but now recognize as true.

We’re kind of a disillusioned generation. We were the first dealing with both parents working outside of the home, so we learned early to fend, and count on, ourselves. We grew up learning that traditional practices and beliefs don’t always hold… marriage is supposed to be forever, but 2 in 5 grew up in separated families… if you worked hard, your job should be secure, but you could be laid off as easily as the next person… the economy was supposed to be greatest in the world, but inflation, interest rates and unemployment were all in the double digits.

I’m not quite sure how much of this I was consciously aware of as I was growing up… however so many experiences, events and trends form a generation’s outlook, and it makes sense.

I also learned that my communication style is “analytical” as laid out in the theory that divides styles into analytical, driver, amiable and expressive. Especially when it comes to giving every single ounce of relevant (or not) information to answer any simple question… lol

Amway, that’s about it for today. Have been chatting with Fussbudget, and she’s planning a roadtrip out here from Georgia to visit in December… woo-hoo!

Yet another event to look forward to. :)