working is good, but sorta bad

Right off the bat, I want to say, with conviction, that I like having a job. I think having a job is great. A job makes the rest of my life possible. So yes, there’s much affection for having a job.

However, having a job is annoying for two other areas of my life. Because a job takes up so many hours of my life, it means there are insufficient hours left for reading and cooking.

A few weeks ago I got a Kindle e-reader, justifying the purchase as a tool for easier reading on the train every work day. Yup, it works. The Kindle is also well-suited to travels. I won’t need to bring a handful of books on our vacations. I have a chance to enjoy that incredibly lightweight feeling when we take the Cayamo cruise in a few weeks. It remains to be seen whether the Kindle is a dangerous marketing tool that makes it oh-so-easy to spend money.

Today I’m not working, so I get to have a cooking extravaganza. This morning I made cole slaw, tuna salad, and a tomato-navy bean-onions-garlic-and-barley concoction. Those items will be my lunches for the rest of the week. Then I sat down for a while. I’m going to make a new recipe for dinner. The meal will have an Indian flavor. The new recipe is chicken, rice, coconut milk, peas, and pistachios. I’m pretty certain there’s an onion in it too. And garam masala.

For today at least, my inner cook does not feel suffocated by my job.

Happy New Year

The first week of the new year has already sped along.

It’s good to put 2011 behind me – at the least the part with the long jobless period.

I remind myself there were some very nice parts of 2011 – the Cayamo 2011 cruise, a trip to Pittsburgh, a trip to Athens (GA, not Greece), three trips to Algona, a visit from LDW, an Orlando trip to visit Shirley, a trip to Lake Geneva with J, I, K, & K.

I have a tendency to think of the good times as trip-related departures from my average routine. That’s not so healthy – I want to remember that my everyday life is very swell – lots of good meals, good walks, good books and good movies.

So how’s this 2012 year shaping up so far?

For sheer excitement (and a bit of terror), there’s John’s upcoming retirement on 1/31/2012. He is a happy man, but trying not to gloat over his retirement. He’ll be the retirement trail blazer – I’ll catch up later.

Just moments after John’s retirement, we’ll set sail on Cayamo 2012. To celebrate John’s switch to pensioner status, we’re taking L, D, E, and B. A good time will surely be had by all.

I have a few new toys as 2012 begins – a kindle and a smart phone. I hope this technology proves rewarding. I hope I have lots of fun with my devices in 2012 and not a moment of buyer’s remorse. And I hope I can stop wanting new things!

I have the usual slew of ambitions for the new year – be happy and healthy, remove some pounds, eat real food, move/exercise every day, write a little, stay in touch with friends, enjoy a frugal life.

Number one thing that I’m NOT in control of for 2012 – I hope we sell the loft.