Nugatory

It doesn’t help that I’m trying to leave two things though leaving thing A will involve leaving thing B. This is not a mutual relationship because leaving B does not involving leaving A.

Either way, there are two valid plans, one is 16 months and costs a good deal, another is 2 years and costs nearly as much. I’m trying to find out which will be less strenous to my schedule. But I have an exit game and if both fall through, I’m just leaving without bettering myself. The point is, 2 years from next fall (when classes are definitely done) I’ll be gone… regardless of the manner in which I leave.

I’m going to attempt, starting after the Christmas Season and for the rest of my life, to time my major purchases (anything that I would typically spend over 75$ on) for the times of year when they’re cheapest. For instance, I want a new laptop and they’re typically cheapest at the end of summer / beginning of the school year or during Black Friday (God no). I’m going to hold off on getting a new one, assuming my current one doesn’t merrily explode on me, for that time of year.

I also want a new bike, they tend to go on sale in February, and I have a jacket obsession, which tend to be cheaper in late May. So I’m going to wait. This will not only help my budget but also my self-control.

I’m not 100% sure what I meant when I said see “more” plays. How many is more? I saw Peter Pan, which blew my budget, but I am going to attempt to see either a play or live music event once a month.

It was rather hectic and some of the books I read weren’t worth it but I was introduced to several new authors and, all in all, has a blast reading.

I applied and, according to their standards, I don’t qualify. Well, I recently found out that the financial aid office at the school can possibly, if they feel the need to, reverse that decision. I plan to contact them and beg until I’m blue in the face (and I’m black so that will take awhile) or they reject me also.

This is part of the being a better atheist. I need to understand my opposing council. I was doing a read the bible in one year thing a few years back but it fell to the wayside when school started. I read a lot. I can probably do the entire thing in 6-9 months and add it to my 100 books total.

My plan for being a better atheist is to go to at least one of the meetings in my community once a month. I need to involve myself a bit more with my fellows. Plus, seeing as the boyfriend and I keep talking about children (but aren’t talking about actively pursuing procreation) I need to find out how one raises athestic children in a country full of Christmas and Easter.

I’ve always known what I wanted to say but I have a problem getting my mouth to go at the same speed that my mind is. This problem is exacerbated whenever I’m feeling anything but idle contentment. I tend to speak faster, and immediately try to slow myself down, whenever I’m anything but sad, depressed or content. This speeding up and slowing down causes me to stutter.

Point being, I fixed that problem by forcing myself to feel nothing at all.

I’ve saved enough to go back this semester!

Thanks to weightwatchers and 24hour fitness I’ve managed to shed half of the twenty. I was hoping that I would look in the mirror and see the same visible difference that everyone else does. Alas, no, I see very little. My clothes fit more or less the same.

Yes, I have been measuring myself as per weightwatchers and I’ve managed to lose, get this, an inch around my upper arm, an inch and a half from my upper thigh, an inch from my hips and an inch from my belly. In total, I’ve lost ten pounds and 4.5 inches. If only all that could have come from around the area I’m unhappiest with: my midsection.

I’m signing the lease this coming Monday and have started picking out furniture from craigslist and thrift stores. Buying new goes against my newfound green living and desire to avoid taxation.

The garage was to be my new living space cleaning it out really benefited me. Yay. But done. It only took 3 Sundays and a lot of hauling trash.

This was actually a bad habit I broke myself of once before. A few months ago I becomes relatively depressed and started up again. Now I get home from work, switch on the tube, ignore my homework and the fact that I need to job then pass out and wake up late for whatever I was supposed to do that day.

This ends now.

I don’t drink soda, not even diet soda. I broke myself of that habit a bit ago. I have a different kind of weakness.

Icees. I love them. Whenever I see them, especially if the colors offered are blue or white, I buy it. I don’t even want to know what the calories are like in that.

Hot Chocolate. I know, I know. It’s almost summer. I live in Texas. But it’s cold inside the building and hot chocolate is soo good.

Milk and V8 vegetable juice. I know they’re healthy but I may drink them too much. V8, at least, fills me up with less calories than a meal and it enables me to avoid snacking for longer periods. I don’t plan on giving up the V8.

Milk, on the other hand… I drink it with every meal. I drink it between meals. I also eat cheese, yogurt and take a calcium supplement. I may be the only female in Texas that’s at risk from growing a humpback from too much calcium.

I’m planning to spend the money I spend on Icees on V8. I found, when I first started dieting, that’s it’s easier to alter the object than the behavior. This way, I still get my overpriced gas station beverage but I’ll consume less calories and get actual nutrients in return.

I’m going to limit my milk intake to one glass a day. I already drink 1%, which is the thinnest milk that tastes like milk.

Since being cold triggers my desire to drink hot chocolate I’ll start leaving jackets in my car and putting them with my belongings in the morning so I’m never without one.

I no longer comfort eat. I don’t know when I stopped but it obviously some time after the goal was entered. I didn’t intentionally try to stop so much as experienced a personality /physical change where being upset now makes me lose my appetite. Yay. If I could be miserable for a good month or so I can achieve my other goal of losing twenty pounds.

I had to borrow money to buy it but it was totally worth it. And, when I’m done saving money for the C.D. I should be able to pay off the laptop in a few paychecks.

I’m crossing out the ones I’ve done and putting in italics the ones I’m actively working on.

50 Great Ways to Give Right Now by Deblina Chakraborty

Donate blood. I’ve donated twice since I started the list and plan to donate again soon. I’m going to be donating every 8 weeks from now on.

Say a prayer for someone who’s hurting. I’m an atheist so I didn’t actually pray but I did think comforting positive thoughts for someone else. I’m also a pessimist so thinking positive thoughts is something I only do when forced.

Smile at a stranger. I’ve been doing this for years. I think it’s mostly because I’m happily off in lala land and people think I’m smiling at them. Either way, they get smiled at.

Hold the door. I should have striked this one out in the beginning. I do it all the time and still do it.

Give up your seat. It was actually decently hard to find a place to sit where I’d be in the position to give up my seat.

Participate in a race that benefits a charity.


Send a thank-you card to someone who’s shown you kindness. I do it all the time. I usually call it being polite / possessing manners.

Let go of an old grudge.

Stay calm during a stressful time. I volunteer for the company that does the 911 calls in our area. I think staying calm is half of the job description.

Mentor a colleague who’s new to your field. Fun and worth it.

Throw a party for someone celebrating a milestone.


Next time you’re ready to honk at another car, don’t. Ah. Will power.


Give directions to someone who’s lost. The best part was… I knew where I was! Normally I’m the one asking for directions.


Give a compliment. I feel awkward when I give them but I like the look on the person’s face afterwards.

Write a letter to a person who’s made a difference in your life. I technically did this with the last thank you card I sent out but I’ll do it again.

Plant a tree. I’ve planted one before, I just haven’t gotten around to buying a tree so I can plant another one.


Tell your mom you love her. It made her paranoid.


Elect to be an organ donor. I already am one. I should probably find my organ donor card and put it in my purse though.


Make a donation, however small, to your favorite charity. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve given away money. I very firmly believe that giving away a percentage of my take-home pay on payday makes the rest last longer. I just gave it to an actual charity this time.


Extend a warm welcome to a newcomer. My job keeps hiring new people and I do my best to welcome them. Well, welcome them and be nice about it.

Put yourself in another person’s shoes.

Reduce, reuse, recycle. I’ve officially joined the new religion of living green. I’m working on being more green every day.


Become a Big Brother or a Big Sister. I work 60-80 hours a week. I don’t know where I’ll find the time. Can I just attempt to be a better big sister to my biological brother?


Spend time with an elderly person.


Tell a joke. No one got it. That’s why I don’t tell jokes.


Surprise someone.


Praise someone who’s done well. The person I mentored did well.


Help a fellow traveler with her luggage.


Let your spouse sleep late. I’m not married and I live with my sister. I’m usually up at 430 because of work and she doesn’t get up until 9 or so. I already “let” her sleep late. There isn’t a single person that I could possibly do this with.


Kick bad habits, like smoking, that can harm others. The only bad habit I have that can possibly harm others is my tendency to drench things in sarcasm. My way of “handling” it, so it doesn’t harm others, is to just not speak around them. This should count.


Pass on good news. And we all had fun.

Give your full attention.

Applaud a great performance.


Forgive yourself.


Offer a ride to somebody without a car.


Laugh. At the joke that no one got.


Buy a meal for someone who’s hungry. I feed my sister all the time. Plus, the charity I donated to was to feed the homeless.

Call a friend you haven’t heard from in awhile.

Lead by example.


Confront a friend who needs confronting.


Help a younger person discover a hidden talent. I helped my brother “discover” that he was an entrepreneur.


Look cashiers in the eye. Thank the bank teller. Do it already.


Invite someone who’s not a part of your inner circle to a friendly gathering. I don’t have an inner circle. I have one friend and one kind of friend, both of whom I met at work, both of whom are on better terms with everyone at work than I am.


Raise money for a cause you believe in.


Teach your children about giving. I don’t have children but I am teaching my brother and niece about it. I’m trying to lead by example but I don’t really spend that much time with them.


Pay the toll for the person behind you. I don’t go anywhere that involves a toll. I plan to replace this goal with “Pay the bill for the person behind you”.


Leave a big tip when you are out. I always leave a big tip.

When you see trash, pick it up.

Spearhead a petition.


Rescue an animal from a shelter. I technically saved it from being taken to a shelter or starving on the street.

Well, I got a scholarship to the school of my choice so, at the moment, I’m actively pursuing the dream! I’m sure I’ll pass. Class isn’t a breeze but it’s fun and challenging.

Well, I got a scholarship to the school of my choice so, at the moment, I’m actively pursuing the dream! I’m sure I’ll pass. Class isn’t a breeze but it’s fun and challenging.

I’m not really actively involved in any fandoms at the moment and, thanks to a paramedic program I’ve just entered, I don’t really have any spare time.