a sweet collection

exercising my sweet tooth

i call it "secret hippie"

arts and cetaceans

Merry Whalemas!

OH, BLOG.

we meet again. 

not that i mind, of course. 

sadly, i don't have much to report these days. but then again that's sort of the point of this rambling excuse for a communication device. and so, i'll share some plans instead. 

i'm currently on break from school (a delightfully long one at that) and i've been using some of my free time to put the pieces of my life together. don't get me wrong, i haven't spent nearly enough time being constructive. most of it has been spent watching The Amazing Race or some zombie movie or other. but every once in awhile i remember that life is short, and the majority of it should be spent in even semi-constructive ways. 

so i've started painting again. which is nice, because it comes with a free (and necessary) boost of stress relief. i'm still no Van Gogh, but progress is progress. most recently i started working on a mural. well, a mock up for a mural. i don't have the spare change for such an enormous canvas, just to waste it on a random assortment of "maybe"s -- so i'm working on a smaller scale version. 

i'm crossing my fingers that it turns out half as exciting as it is in my head, but we'll just have to see. it's sort of an homage to the whales, and maybe some anti-whaling propaganda... but my brain isn't there just yet. 

other than that, still not much to report. i've registered for classes next trimester. (insert enormous sigh of relief here) hopefully it will be an incredibly productive one, because i've got quite the full plate: more French, chemistry of atoms and molecules, science of archaeology (+ lab), microeconomics, and history of Europe 1438-1778. i'm wait-listed for history of ancient Egypt, and a seminar on multi-multiculturalism -- but either way i'm looking at 5 classes next trimester and i'm hoping that my brain is ready for it. (WAKE UP BRAIN WAKE UP)

hopefully, if i stock-pile my classes for the next few trimesters, i'll be done a bit sooner. (good for everyone) and start studying for my LSATS and/or filling out applications for grad school. 

ah, the paradox. 

and so, i've completely filled my holiday from school rant with... talking about school. excellent. 

let's talk about anything else. 

i think now that my brain has had some time to cool down since leaving greenpeace, i'm tentatively considering creating a student activist group at school. key word tentatively. i have an awful lot to deal with already, and i don't know how prepared i am to go down that road again. 

nothing against the environment, of course. but i sometimes forget that passion needs boundaries. and that people need to sleep, eat, and light some candles every once in awhile. especially when you're working for an organization that doesn't seem to care half as much as you do. (not anti-gp, really. just a difference of opinion in some areas that's a little hard to overlook when their environmental activism is your 9-5.)  

regardless, i still need to be more involved for my buddies the whales and the polar bears. 

and i need to start taking better care of myself. because my body is my temple and blah blah blah. so my meanderings in constructibility have left me with a three part plan to a better me.

step 1: my HEALTH. (because dead people are less effective.)

being a vegan is awesome. being vegan makes me feel good, wholesome, and not at all like a rapist and murderer. those are nice feelings. my body giving up on itself and plain refusing to work... is not one of those nice feelings. i'm sure my body's breakdown wasn't 100% diet related, but it sure as hell was a catalyst, and i have to start seriously considering my nutrition. a lot of this HEALTH related plan has to do with supporting my body through relaxation and exercise. (and by exercise i obviously don't mean cardio.) and so, i've pledged to myself that i will plan my meals for the week ahead, stock up on groceries, and not live out of hotels. also, i'm waking up to yoga and/or pilates four days a week, and some weight lifting TBD when i can handle it. 

step 2: is school, and that's kind of a duh. i need to seriously concentrate this trimester because 5 classes in a trimester will kick my ass if i let it. this balancing act needs to be circus quality, because i don't have the time or energy to bullshit around with things and/or people that don't matter.    

 

step 3: my buddies the whales and the polar bears. (etc) because that's why i'm doing any of this, after all. so it wouldn't make sense not to include them here. putting them at number 3 on the list almost makes my skin crawl, but then i have to remind myself that that's how i got into this mess in the first place. i will put myself first because i want the best for my environment, and i can't give back to it if i can't take care of myself. 

in the meantime, i'm thinking of making a short film, or a photobook -- but i haven't really gotten there yet. the whole "put my life in order" business took up a little time. 

and so -- DECEMBER 1st seems like a pretty exceptional starting point, and i would really like to be able to return to this post in a year and be satisfied with my progress. 

see you then, bloggy mcbloggosphere!