26 July 2013

 "What would you like to do with your life, Mr. Bean?"

(question lingers in my brain, after seeing Nicole Apple's photo of her dream list...)

To be a polyglot? Spanish, Russian, Japanese, English, American Sign Language could all be useful, methinks... I actually have studied 4 of the 5, to various levels.

To be physically fit? I look at my Buddha belly in dismay, for I'd rather have a nice flat stomach and some ab tones... How would I achieve this? Maybe work with some sort of trainer once a week, to develop daily 30 minute workouts?

To learn self-defense? Not a big interest. It could complement getting physically fit, yet I'm not a physical fighter. Possibly one reason I'm not a big fan of playing football or basketball. I don't mind volleyball, or even some good old LARP... (drifting)

To travel? My biggest concern about travel is that I might fall into a tourist trap, and not get to see the messy side of other cultures' daily lives. I would like to visit other countries, like Scotland and Japan, but I'd like to do so in extended stays of several months or years, where I might actually learn a bit about their culture. On the other hand, I think travel, especially for vacation, can be an extravagant use of resources (got jet fuel, anyone?) - so I'd rather really get to know the city, or even just neighborhood, I live in first. I've been in Austin 23 years, and yet I probably don't know every local eatery yet....

So far, I notice I've been bouncing these questions off of some of the items in Nicole's pic. Can I change gears, and get original? Well, loaded question, as I'm pretty sure many of my goals are shaped by the culture I've grown up in - so some of my goals are common goals shared by many people in the world.

Yes, I'd like to have a family; and yet, I suspect my genes may be best left untransmitted... I mean, do I really want my family history of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and bipolar (and bad teeth) propagated? More importantly, I would eventually like to find a partner who's close to my own age, and I seem to recall that the birth defect risk factors skyrocket when the mom gets close to 40 years old. Then again, adoption is perfectly acceptable, too... (Once again, though, this paragraph is sparked off of Nicole's items.)

What I'd really like, at least in the short term, is useful employment. I feel that I have worn what the limited appeal of retail, that my degree is going unused, that my talents are not being utilized effectively. This begs the questions, "What are your talents?" and "What is this mythical useful employment?" I already wrote a post earlier tonight that started to explore that thread...

Thinking about the last two paragraphs, and "priorities": Although I would love to be in a relationship, I'd like to be so while still being financially self-supporting. So, I think the better job takes first priority, before I even begin to think about romance. I've been in relationships when I was under-employed; and I must say that it's sandpaper to my self-image when I find I can't pay for my part of the dinner.

Ok.... it's 3:30. I'm going to attempt to sleep again. I might pick this up again in the comments, or possibly another post, later today.