Apparently People Read This Thing...So Let's Write

I learned recently that several people had been reading this blog and when I suddenly stopped updating so frequently, they (likely) threw themselves into a state of utter despair, desperate for word of my life, random musings, and potentially some well-placed profanity.  This is what I hope it was like, anyway.

I still feel like I've got a few creative stories to tell, bones to pick, and perspectives to force on others.  Let's try to write more often!  A good start.

Quick update today and then I'll start trying to do at least a post a week - not sure of the day that will work best yet.  With my new job and wedding planning I feel like Mondays/Fridays are tough, but the weekends are nice to just sit and relax, so I'll have to play around with it.  I'll liken it to cleaning: as long as it gets done once a week (mostly), I guess that's going to have to do.

Location: We now live in Edina (really Hopkins/St. Louis Park in terms of proximity to Downtown, though you could probably also call it Eden Prairie), in a nice apartment with an outdoor pool, 2 bedrooms + office, and a balcony that Mishkin is still not allowed to explore.  We're working on it, don't fret.

Job: I think I've had 3? 4? jobs since Target...it's hard to count/keep track.  Currently (as of only a few weeks ago, in fact), I'm working as a Project Manager for a translation and localization company located in the Warehouse District of Downtown Minneapolis.  The job is very interesting, I'm learning a lot about the translation industry/market in general, translation memory tools, proofreading, editing and quality checking documentation (particularly medical, industrial, scientific and software strings), and I get a chance to work directly with foreign languages (and foreign-based translation teams) every day.  The only downside is, you know, the fact that the company may not be able to pay me regularly.  But hey, that's a story for another day.

Kitties:

• Mishkin is still a bouncing boy; he often lays on his back with his arms extended over his head.  Someone walking in may think he's died.  He has not.  He's just trying to balance his stomach over the carpet in the most efficient way possible.  Intelligent, really.  He has his moments.
• Mao is our sweet baby girl, but really she's grown into this massive (length-and-fur-wise) black cat with a penchant for random freakouts, poop flinging and ever-cuteness.  She's always adorable.  If there are people at our house, you can pretty much assume someone will be saying "Aww, look at Mao!" all the time.  It's science.

Life, General: Good!  Despite not having a regular(ish) job and feeling slightly overwhelmed by adult things like insurance, bills, and how to appropriately change your name once you're married, things are great.  Oh yes, did I mention that?  We are engaged, and getting married in September.  September 29, 2012.  We'll have at least a few months before the world ends, so that's good.  No honeymoon, YET.  Unless you count hiking the Grand Canyon 42-mile-kill-me-now rim-to-rim-to-rim trip in 2013 a vacation.

Exercising: Off and on.  I want to get "on" again, mostly because of the wedding.  (That's not really true.  I also want it for the long-term.  But it would be great to lose like 15 pounds in about 3 months.)  Next step here is a weekly exercise spreadsheet (because we all know I won't do it unless a spreadsheet is involved) for Monday - Friday, a different exercise every day.  Variety.  That should help.

Video gaming: I'm so addicted to games that mean nothing.  For those who know me really well: The Sims, Burger Shop 2, Sudoku-like Japanese puzzles on the NDS that I seriously think I've done 15 times now.  It's crazy.  I'm steadily working on achievements in WoW, but I really need to go back to the games I've paid really good money for and that are truly awesome.  I need to think of a plan for this.  It may or may not also involve a spreadsheet.

Crafting: I'm still pretty regularly making homemade cards for some holidays (namely Christmas), but it's a complicated process to utilize the set-up we've got now.  It involves trying to determine all the crafty things you might be about to do with the crap you've got, grabbing those things out of a closet and onto a not-so-sturdy table that you've rigged to somehow be effective for this adventure, then trying to be creative.  Not so much.  I want to re-organize a bit and see if I can do more - and I've got some new books and projects I want to try!

Reading: This is actually an area I've been doing really well in.  I enacted (mentally) this policy of reading a new book at least every 2 weeks, and I've truly stuck to that in the past few months.  It started with The Hunger Games, which I devoured toward the end of last year, I think.  From there I've been picking up some random fantasy/sci-fi, historical fiction and short story books that have been pretty good.  I'll report some goodies soon.

So for those still reading - thanks.  Don't worry, future posts will be funnier, livelier and with more purpose.  Here are some ideas I have brewing that you should plan ahead for:

•  Living in Minnesota: Why It Sucks and Why It Can Sometimes Be Alright, I Guess (A Fellow Midwesterner's Perspective)
• How to use a drive-through - Minnesota-style
• How to avoid planning a city's transportation system entirely (Twin Cities edition)
• My morning commute, a.k.a., why my life expectancy is now 3 years less than it was an hour ago
• Weather: it happens in Minnesota, too, though not like you'd expect
• Wedding Planning: The Effective, Easy and Cheap Way
• Weddings: Jesus Christ there are so many in 2012 - WTF
• Why Burger King is Definitely the Best Fast Food Restaurant
• The Foreign Service - Should I Try to Join?
• The End of the World as I See it (I would like to coincide this with a December 21st posting, but we'll have to see the likelihood of that.  Either way I've got a neat little story for it)
• LEGOs.  They are the greatest.
• Dungeons and Dragons for the Non-Dungeons and Dragons Player (I'll have to make sure our DM doesn't read this one)
• Crafting!  Can I Make Money Doing It?

I hope that's enough to keep you coming back for now.  At the very least I'm going to write and make fun of Minnesota.  It's something.