Christmas, New Year, and life in the average lane...

...because that is just how I roll.

First, the Christmas road trip extravaganza.  I kept a bit of a log of my thought process throughout the trip, just to see if I really am as random and nonsensical as I had suspected.  Turns out, I am more so than I suspected.

A brief log of topics as they passed in and out of my head (in the exact order they occurred, but without segue explanations):  how nice energy drinks are, reasons why I have never lived near an ocean, how to remedy the situation, wondering whether men are also fascinated by shiny things,  non-magical ways to make broomsticks or carpets fly (and thinking that carpets might be better for long-distance travel just because you could recline while traveling, though this in no way negates how awesome it would be to have a flying broomstick), the pros and cons of living in a Harry Potter world (cons: everyone else can do magic unless you are extremely unlucky and end up a muggle, there are rules, even though it would make you more powerful, jerks would be more powerful too...  pros: you can do magic!  pros win.  obviously.), whether it would be advisable or inadvisable to dye my hair for no reason, how cool it looks when the landscape is all black-and-white until random color jumps in, bits of bad poetry, considering the pros and cons of being a secret government agent...

This list continues, but you get the gist.

Anyhow, after what I would like to consider minimal insanity, we arrived in Denver and then made the journey on to Whitefish.  It was great seeing family and...family.  My family has expanded and this was one of the first times that really hit home.  It is cool and surreal.

So, New Year.  I know that many or most people make themselves some new year's resolutions around this time.  I am pretty anti-resolution because I hate deadlines (stick it to the...calendar) and I always thought that if I wanted to change something about myself I could start at anytime.  However, I have been examining my life lately and I have found it to be exceedingly...average.

Please do not mistake my meaning.  I have a lot in my life that is amazing and that I am so grateful for.  I really have the coolest husband ever.  We are both pretty healthy.  I have a good job.  I have good friends that technology allows me to stay in contact with.  I have plenty to entertain myself with.  I have two awesome families that are happy to include me.  I also get to hang out with wonderful dogs whenever we visit said families.

The average part of my life is pretty much just me.  I feel like I am very typical right now.  Mediocre.  Unremarkable.  Just out of college.  Not much money.  Working in a job that, while admittedly is a good job, I really am not even a little passionate about. Mainly directionless.  My goal up to now has been to keep myself from being bored instead of actually improving myself.  That is the part that should change.

I have new goals I want to achieve.  I am going to start the job of achieving them now.  I have absolutely no concept of how long it will take me to finish them or if I will ever really finish, but I think doing something productive will make me feel a little less average (please, please, please).  And, let's face it, no one wants to think that they are average.  Fading away into some comfortable, safe, boring statistic has been one of my biggest fears, so it is time to take steps to avoid that.  For now, the steps will be fairly realistic.  I can't force Tyler to move to Prague until he finishes school.

Goals:

-Learn to play the guitar.  I have tried to do this several times.  I even took a class at college my freshman year.  But I always learn a bit and then stop practicing and stop playing.  I love music.  I miss singing.  And, while there is a definite possibility that I will find I cannot write any songs that do not sound like sad little junior-high poetry assignments, it would be awesome if I found out I could actually write and play decent music that I like.  So I will learn to play the guitar.

-Learn Chinese.  This is...well, really ambitious.  But we have a Rosetta Stone Chinese program and we have been bouncing around the idea of heading to China for a while after Tyler finishes his master's.  It could only be a good thing for me to speak the language, and I really like learning other languages.  I will learn Chinese (or at least learn as much as I can on this program).

-Make more artwork.  I miss my art classes so much and I am seldom happier than when I am working on a project I really love.  I have not made anything since charcoal dylan that is hanging in our living room among the other dylans.  I have everything I need, including time, and I really have no excuse not to be doing this.  More art!

-Learn to cook more things.  It's not that I completely suck at cooking, but I do not know a ton about it.  I need to learn a lot of basic things.  I have to look up specific recipes for everything and even then I often get intimidated.  I need to cook more often.  Then I won't be at risk of starving to death every time Tyler leaves town.

-Research what I want to do.  I know I am not very (or at all) passionate about the job I am doing.  I do not know what job I would be passionate about doing.  I know some things I am interested in, but I do not know if they can be careers or if jobs even exist in some of the areas I care about.  I think it is time to focus on what kind of job I want and see if I need to go to more school for it or just be more proactive about finding it.  It's time to pick a direction.  Well, to research what directions sound most appealing, really.

-Read.  A lot.  Lord knows I love to sit and watch tv shows and movies, but doing that all the time leads me to moments when I am afraid that my brain is going to atrophy to the point that it will resemble nasty, day-old tapioca that's been left out so it gets that gross pudding-skin.  I am not trying to claim that everything I read will be literary genius, but I need to be reading something.

Please, please send me recommendations of things to read.
And advice about other goals.
And advice about how to pursue these goals.  I have several friends who already are excellent at many of these things.  Help me.  I have no idea how long this fit of motivation will last.

Time to read.
Freedom, Hunger Games, or Pride, Prejudice and Zombies?

I am so reading Zombies.