I didn’t really anticipate ever updating this thing again, but something about the new year has me feeling a little frisky.  One of my resolutions is to be more productive. Not in the goal-oriented over-achiever kind of way…  More like: I need to take on random projects in order to feel good.  So whether it’s a loaf of bread or a picture or a blog entry or whatever, I’m just trying to make more of my idle time.  

A related resolve is to stop thinking about goddamned school.  I’m one of those people that would happily go back to school over and over and over again until I had amassed enough initials behind my last name to require an unfolding business card.  Ever since I got out of library school, I’ve been scheming about all the other degrees that I would like to go back and get.  Student loans?  Whatever, I ‘ll pay them off eventually.  So, I’ve managed to hold down a full-time job for the last year but not without taking a class on the side. I’ve been collecting information and applications for different MFA and PhD programs. I even started filling out the FAFSA.  

But, I realized on the last day of 2008 that I’ve never been able to go more than a year without getting myself enrolled in school (except for those golden years between age 0 and 5).  Don’t I owe it to myself (and to Tim) to try and just… I don’t know.  Relax?  I have all these hobbies that I never have time for, and I have a great house and husband and dogs and access to any book that I want in the world…  Wouldn’t it be great to just spend an entire year of my life enjoying my free time?

On some level I know that I’m thinking ahead to having kids and that makes me feel like I need to go to school NOW, before there’s a family involved. On the other hand, we were in southern California last week visiting family and at one point I looked around and realized that we were the only married couple in the room without kids. Holy crap, what a beautiful realization!!  It’s rarely lost on me, actually. I totally recognize and appreciate this stage of life that I’m in right now, and I can’t imagine how far away these days will seem once there are munchkins running around.  It’s hard for me, but I’m trying to just take a deep breath and remember that there is time for everything. I’m only 28 for godsake.

So call me a self-indulgent slacker if you like, but for me, 2009 will be the year of free-time.  Amen.