Monday, July 18, 2011

Overwhelmed and excited

I am both overwhelmed and excited at the same time. I am super excited about starting my new job in less than 2 weeks. I mean, technically, I have already started, but according to the school system my first day is July 29th. I am so glad that I have been able to meet with the staff, get some resources, and have a meeting about my curriculum over the past few days- but I am still overwhelmed. The more I get into it, the more work I realize needs to be done. I am such a perfectionist and am so thorough in everything that I do, especially those things that relate to work, that I am just bogged down with it all at the moment. There is so much to be done over the next week and a half, and I just dont feel like I have enough time to get it all done.

What I really think my problem is is the fact that I need to just chunk this down into more manageable pieces. I am currently so swamped because I am thinking about the entire year and what this is going to look like, when in all honesty, I have no idea what this whole thing is going to look at it. A more realistic approach would be to look at it and take the first few weeks and attack those first. Once I have a realistic, working expectation of what is to come, then I can worry about the rest.

Expect a lot of job update posts to come in the next few days/weeks, because that is all I will be thinking about.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

New job, things to do...

I am getting more and more excited about my new job :) Right now, the school is setting up a meeting between me and teachers at the "sister" school to go over curriculum for the classes that I will be teaching. I am so ready to get started, and I cannot believe that in about three weeks I will be TEACHING in my OWN classroom! I am going out to lunch with some of the faculty members on Friday, and I am so excited!

Between now and when I start work, I have several things that I would like to accomplish!
* Catch up on my project 52. I am going to just take a morning and go and knock out the different pictures to get back on track with this project.
* Get things together for my new apartment. I am officially moving out sometime in October. I am either living with my sister or by myself, depending on her life and what she has going on. I am planning on things as if I am moving out by myself. I am slowly purchasing things for my new place (such as the new towels, cookware, glasses, and such that I bought today) and putting them away. Some work needs to be done to some of my furniture including my kitchen table. Currently, the table is this horrible shade of green that is peeling and revealing an ugly gold color underneath. I want to strip the table (and chairs), paint it a new, fresh color, and fix up the chairs. Fixing up the chairs would mean that I need to find some padding and fabric to reupholster the chairs with. Such an exciting project! Some work may also need to be done to my bed as well, I will have to check on the condition of it.
* Do a deep clean and organize of my current room.
* Go to the beach
* Do something fun and spontaneous. I need to enjoy myself a little before going to work full time because it will be next summer before I can have some leisure time again! I am sure I will love my new job, but I have to enjoy myself a little before taking the plunge into the adult working world!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Project 52 Catch up: Week 10: Morning

Project 52 Catch up: Week 9: Patterns

Project 52 Catch up: Week 8: Pink

Project 52 Catch up: Week 7: Time

Project 52 Catch up: Week 6: Red

One of the other things that I would like to do during my remaining time over the summer is catch up on my project 52. I got sidetracked from my project 52 during my internship and have yet to go back to it. I am updating weeks 6-10 tonight and hopefully over the next few days/weeks I will catch up with 11-28. (Topics remaining: round, shine, envy, soft, perspective, love, start, free, texture, toys, downtown, summer, heat, fantasy, water, shadows, light, night)

Enjoy the next few posts!

Summer Goals

A check in with the summer goals!

* Run at least 4 x a week for the remainder of the summer (if not more)
- FAIL. Every time I wake up early to run, I find out that there is too much smoke outside from the brush fires in Pender County. I dont want to run outside when the air is so hazy :( I have gone to the gym some more, but I really want to run outside. I am going to try again tonight, we'll see how that goes.

* Create something- I haven't crafted in so long and I miss it!
- CHECK. See post below for my awesome new jewelry organizer. I want to make another for my boss (since she supplied me with all of the corks) and one more thats a little larger so I can house all my jewelry. I also want to do at least one more crafty thing, but I dont know what that is yet. I'll keep you updated.

* Read at least 5 new books off of my list
- IN PROGRESS. I have read "Turn of the Screw" by Henry James and "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. I was actually not all that impressed with either of these books, which is surprising considering how popular and iconic On the Road really is. I got through the first half of the book just fine, but the second half just seemed overly redundant and unnecessary. I kind of ruined the whole no buying books thing with a trip to Books a Million the other day. I got a book on John F Kennedy, a book called The Irregulars, One Day by John Nichols, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. A friend also lent me The Zombie Survival Guide, so I have plenty to choose from. I am thinking of reading The Zombie Survival Guide alongside another book? I think I am going to tackle The Scarlett Letter next off the list, time is ticking for 3 more reads OFF the list (plus whatever else I want to read not on the list)

* Find a job
- CHECK. I can't get into any details yet, but I am fairly certain that I have a job for the fall. I am recommended to the board of education for the position, but I guess I need to go in and sign paperwork and be accepted by the BOE?

* Pay off hospital bills from surgery
- Slowly but surely. I have knocked down the amounts on my two remaining bills, but I don't think these will be completely paid off by summer's end. At least I will have made a good dent in them?

What I did today

One of the things that I have been able to cross off my summer goals list is the one about creating something. I have been wanting to do this project for awhile, but I didn't have enough time or corks to do it with. Since I have been working at an Italian restaurant all summer (where we sell a LOT of wine), I was finally able to get the corks needed for this project :) I also had to find a cute frame to make this project complete. *Drum roll please*.....

My newest jewelry holder!



I also have been able to read two of the books off my list: Turn of the Screw and On the Road. More about that later!