Long time, no blog...

In case anyone is still reading this, I thought I better pop by and post a little sum'n sum'n. I am totally embarrassed that my last post was 4 months ago or so. Pathetic. I apologize. Life's been crazy. I got a job! A really great job and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It does require a commute, however, as I am continuing to reside in the same place I've been for the past several years now (therefore, truthfully, the job itself does not require a commute, but I, insanely, am opting to commute so that I may continue to live where I do). Thus, I anticipate the continuous presence of something driving-related on my "hate" list.

So, speaking of residing in the same place I have been for several years...I recently had an epiphany that has left me semi-depressed (well, the epiphany coupled with student loan repayment notices arriving daily in the mail for the past week). After grad school, I didn't feel the motivation I used to feel about things I love doing, such as biking and running. I initially chalked it up to something fundamental shifting within me during the whole grad school extravaganza. However, I recently caught myself in a daydream about riding a trail back home and realized that I haven't lost the motivation to ride, I just don't want to ride here. Woe is me! That little gem sent me into a bit of a downward spiral for several weeks. Here's what's happened in the meantime...
1) I've decided to make every effort to get back home (this entails finding and obtaining gainful employment, which is actually harder than it sounds in the land of sun and fun)! In the meantime, fall has arrived here and with it the usual perfect riding weather and amazing transformation of colors. It is my favorite time of year to be here, which makes staying here much more bearable.
2) I've joined a group of women that do group rides each week and have discovered two other groups that I'd like to join for weekly rides as well (Yippeee! As most of you know, one of my primary problems with riding here [aside from the relative monotony of trail conditions - meaning smooth, totally ridable singletrack -yawn] is my fear of bears. For those of you who don't know, I have seen bears on a majority of my bike rides here - both on and off road endeavors have elicited such undesirable results. For a desert-dweller, bear-sightings incite a particular brand of fear that renders one almost completely incapacitated. So, group riding = no bear sightings = less fear associated with riding = more riding!
3) I've gotten incredibly ill...twice. I had anticipated that working in a school would increase my exposure to common colds and flu viruses, but I had not anticipated getting sick in such rapid succession. The most recent cold (the one with which I now suffer) is particularly nefarious and was actually compliments of my significant other. Between this and his new found love of spreading his schoolwork throughout the house (on any available surface), he is really clawing his way to the top of my shit list.
4) I've had a birthday! Thanks to those of you who remembered. I was actually sick at the time (we should start a tally on how many times this theme will recur on future posts) and can only hope that illness is excuse enough for not acknowledging your birthday wishes. Especially because it meant a lot to me. It wasn't the best birthday ever as my little residence epiphany occurred right around that time. Thankfully, things have improved drastically since then.

I think that is about it. I am hereby vowing to post at least once per month from here on out. I actually hope to do so more frequently, but I like to set myself up to succeed (which translates into: I like to set the bar low, so I can clear it)!

Look at me!

I'm officially a sell-out! I often make fun of those who blog. Why? I can't imagine thinking that my thoughts are so riveting that other people (outside of the group I call "friends" who are forced one way or another to tolerate my drivel) might actually care to read them. So, for those of you with nothing better to do, here are my thoughts and activities for the day. Brace yourself.

I applied for a job today. A job I want very much. So far the job-seeking activities have not gone as well as I had originally hoped. Things looked good. I was getting interviews for each job I applied. However, two weeks later, I would inevitably receive the "thanks-but-no-thanks" letter that I'm going to continue believing most of you have seen at one time or another. With graduation looming in the not-so-distant future (not to mention rent which is in the less-distant future), my interest in finding a job increases exponentially each day (I would make a chart to demonstrate, but have not yet discovered all of the ways in which I might be able to blog such captivating items, but I'm sure you can all imagine the j-shaped curve that such an exponential increase would create - scintillating, I know).

If anyone out there has the time (and clearly you do if you're reading this) or the inclination, please focus your thoughts on my getting this job. I'll keep you posted...