New things...with the new job/income I bought a car. It gets great gas mileage, especially compared to what I was driving. The downside is that I now have a car payment and so will not be moving into my own place for awhile.
I've started gardening. Not quite the way I planned a few months ago (no yard), but I'm planting in containers. SO far I've got a bell pepper, Better Boy Tomato, a cherry tomato, cucumbers, radishes, and today I planted some lettuce seeds. I've also got rosemary, basil, sage, mint, oregano, and catnip seedlings. Some of the catnip will be for the cats, some I will give away when its big enough, and some will be for personal use. I'm also wanting to get some other tomato varieties, some hot pepper plants, potatoes( regular and sweet), broccoli, eggplant, greens, lavender, thyme, dill, parsley, cilantro, and a ton of other herbals...as well as some edible flowers, dwarf fruit trees, etc.
I've been exploring seed catalogs and there is so much variety out there that I'm not familiar with. I want to try it all, but I'm trying to limit myself to a few new things since I have limited space and this is my first year gardening. Also, where my gardening space is, the sun is diffused so I'm not sure if all the sun loving plants will do well. I'm experimenting a little, and might try putting some out the back window upstairs...maybe in window boxes, and have a mini roof garden.
I've been doing a ton of research and found some great sites. Instructables.com has good info for a variety of DIY projects, and there are some great article out there on growing vegetables vertically...my favorite is using an over the door shoe organizer...the kind with pockets. I'm going to have to try that one, as well as homemade earthboxes, and other types of self watering containers.
Watching my little seeds turn into seedling, and then plants is awesome...seeing a teeny tiny little seed no bigger than a grain of rice turn into a full grown producing plant it kind of a miracle...and I'm feeling much more connected to deity when I'm playing in the dirt.

I got the job at the DEP office. I'll be starting there next Monday. I have one more week at the Fish and Wildlife office...we're doing interviews tomorrow, so I may have a day or two to at least show the new person around.

With this new job it looks like I won't be moving after all, at least for now. I will have full medical benefits, paid leave every year, and paid holidays...so yay!

I got a sony e-reader. I can take over 1,500 books with me anywhere now with the built in memory, plus more with expandable memory cards. So now I need to start expanding my library. Any one know of some really great books that are available in pdf? I need some new authors. I already have all of the Laurell K Hamilton in hard copy (but a new one is coming out on Feb 2 that I'll get in e-format). I also like Nora Roberts/JD Robb, and Christine Feehan (although I don't have many of her books), so something along those lines for new books to check out, as well as general suggestions for new genres would be greatly appreciated.

I caved on the vegan front. Still not eating meat, but trying to find yummy things to eat when you don't like to cook is hard...finding yummy vegan things is harder. So I'm back to eating dairy.

Not much else is going on. Most of it is just the same shit, different day. But at least things are looking up in the job department. With more income coming int things can only get better...I hope.

I've made a few decisions. The most important one is that I'll be leaving my job here soon. I haven't heard anything from the DEP office yet (they did say after the holidays) but I'll either be taking that job, or actively looking for something else.
Becoming a vegetarian, it seems like the only choice I can make and stay true to myself. After answering a call today and telling a woman how to get permits to kill deer, I realized that its time for me to move on. I won't tell anyone else how to live their lives, but I also don't have to contribute to a practice that I don't agree with.
On the move...if I don't have another full time job by June, I'll be going. It will take me that long to save up enough to make the move. If I've found/accepted a state job by than, I will be staying where I am, although with a few changes. I'm going to look for a place closer to work, preferably on the bus route so that I can drive less. I'm also going to be looking for a place that has enough of a yard to plant a small garden. I want to begin growing some of my own food. I want to start with tomatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, broccoli, parsley, cucumbers, zucchini, salad greens, and herbs. If need be, all of those (with the exception of the sweet potatoes) can be grown in pots. Eventually, I'd like to plant more, but this would be a nice start to help both reduce my food bills, as well as to actually know where my food is coming from, and that its 100% organic.
I'm going to buy a bicycle and relearn how to ride it...I can use that as a form of exercise, as well as cutting down on my driving.
I'm also decluttering my life. I'm starting by getting rid of some books that I no longer need. Some (the pagan type books) are going to the Unitarian Universalist church for a library they have, and the rest are going to Open Source books to be distributed to prisoners. I've got clothes I no longer wear and those will be donated to the Humane Society thrift shop. Once I've made those simplifications, I plan to look int other ways to simplify /reduce my footprint...both literally and figuratively. I don't use most of the stuff I have, but I'm a pack rat. I don't like to clean, and I hold onto things way too long.

Enough for now, but I'll update again when I've gotten some of this accomplished.

I had an interview today. It's with the DEP(Dept of Environmental Protection) office. If I'm offered the job, and I take it, I'll be making more money, and I'll have state benefits, including paid holidays, sick leave, and annual leave. The benefits are awesome.
On the other hand I actually like the job I'm in now. Yes, some of the officers I work with are less than open-minded, and it is a very Christian office to work in, but I like it here. No one hassles me, and although I imagine I got a few raised eyebrows when I informed one of my co-workers that I don't celebrate christmas because I'm not christian, no one said much of anything. I get to wear my jeans to work everyday, and I'm pretty much left alone do get my work done.
On the third hand, I just became vegetarian (a month and counting, go me) and working in an office where hunting and fishing is something that happens everyday is kind of...ewww. Especially since I'll have to help with evidence soon, and that will entail actually TOUCHING dead fish, and deer. And deer heads...looking at me. *shudder*
On the fourth hand (I'm channeling Kali, so I have four hands) if I take the job at the DEP office I know I won't be moving anywhere. Since I've started dreaming of Seattle (it's all your fault Galyna...you had to tell us how awesome it is and how much you miss it) I've seriously been considering moving there. If I take this job though, I'll feel obligated to stay here for at least the next few years, and after that I'll be invested in the job, with all the retirement benefits that I won't want to loose.
On the fifth hand, I"m not sure if I should move anyway. I keep thinking about it as getting away, but then I realize that even if I do go, I'll be the same person, with the same issues. Nothing will change except my location. Sometimes I think I should get myself together, and than make a rational decision, instead of just wanting to run away.

So, that's where I'm at right now....what's a gal to do?

I've been thinking more about moving. If I do end up leaving my requirements for a new place to live are: North of the Mason-Dixon, no snow, a more tolerant area, affordable apartments/houses, and a fairly good job market.
I've been looking around a little, and doing some research. I'm going to start saving money up. My goal is to have enough to live on for 6 months while I look fo a job. I can have that by May if I'm lucky, late August if I buy a car. I know I'll need a car wherever I go, unless the public transport is stellar, but I'm not sure if I want to drive or bus/train/fly it. And I'd love to be somewhere that has good public transpo....I'm not all that fond of driving anyway, and saving money by not having to buy gas/insurance, as well as causing less pollution appeals to me.

In other news, the vegetarian diet is going well. Three weeks and counting, and its been pretty easy so far. Even Thanksgiving was a snap. I'm trying to transition to a completely vegan diet and am actually not having too hard a time with that...except for one thing. I thought it'd be th cheese I had a hard time giving up, but its actually the Nuetella. It's made with milk, but its sooooo good. If only I could find a vegan version. I guess I'll go search that on google and see if I have any luck.

I went to lunch today with a friend, and we hit the chinese food buffet. At the end when we got our fortune cookies, we opened them up and shared like we always do. This was my fortune, "Speak only well of people and you need never whisper"

This was kismet at its best. You see, recently I've been thinking about this. I like to imagine that I'm a good person. I would never deliberately hurt anyone, and I go out of my way to avoid it. I am kind to animals and small children, but I have one bad habit ( well way more than one, but I mean in this context).

I like to gossip. I don't mean to be malicious about it, and I don't spread rumors, but I love to know what's going on. And I freely comment on what I see and hear. It's only ever with a few friends, but recently I've started thinking about what my actions, or lack of actions, might be doing. And it occurred to me that talking about someone, even when I don't mean any harm, IS harming them. Maybe not directly, but we all know what it's like to be talked about. Even if you don't know exactly what's being said, you just KNOW when someone is saying something about you. And it can eat away at your self-esteem like nothing else. And that's just assuming whatever is said doesn't get back to you.

It's easy to speak ill of someone. To talk about their relationships, cast judgment on who they date, how many times they change partners, what clothes they wear, how they behave in public, weight, height, eating habits, education or lack thereof, hygiene, etc. The list is endless. But by doing this, by passing judgment we're hurting at least two people. The one we're talking about, and ourselves. The harm to the other person should be obvious. But the harm to ourselves maybe less so. Sure, if you hang out with people that are gossips like this, you have to imagine what they might say about you when you're not there. But also, we could be loosing a valuable friendship, or at least a chance to learn something new, or help someone, even if it's just be lending a little understanding. No one likes to be the object of talk like this, but many of us don't seem to mind talking about others. And some of us never even stop to think about reasons. We don't try to empathize, or put ourselves in that person's place. We make snap judgments, not knowing a person's history, mental state, or medical condition. We talk about people who have bad breath, joking about mints, and toothbrushes, when they could be suffering from halitosis, something it is sometimes hard to control. We talk about people's weight, without even trying to understand why they are heavier. They could have a medical condition, an eating disorder, be an emotional eater, or have a physical problem that limits their activity. And as a fat girl myself, I SHOULD know better, but I still make these judgments. I can hear myself saying "How did he/she let themselves get that big?" Like it's something they consciously did and have control over. We talk about people's lack of education but fail to consider where they grew up, if they were able to finish school, or had a family to raise and had to work. We talk about people's many relationships, past and present, without bothering to even wonder why those relationships ended, and without knowing the dynamic between the two.

Well, I've discovered something about myself. When I talk about others its to make myself feel better. Instead of celebrating myself and my life, I belittle and make fun of others to prove my superiority. As I said, I don't do this to be mean, and until recently I've never even thought about it. So what's changed? I have. As I discover things about myself to like, and to celebrate, I see more and more behaviors on my part that need to change. This is one of them. I don't need to put someone else down to feel validated. I've accomplishments that I can be proud of, reasons to celebrate my life and body without hurting someone else.

So to all those people that I've gossiped about, made comments about, or hurt by my lack of empathy I'm sorry. Some of you are in my past and I will probably never see again. Some of you I see almost daily, but I'm not going to walk up to you and say this, because it would serve no purpose except to make me feel better. You don't need to know everything I've said or thought, but I do want you to know that I'm sorry, and I do regret it. I can't promise to never make these types of comments again, but I do promise to be more mindful. To try to watch what I say. To make an effort to be more empathetic to you. And if I don't become your friend, I will at least be friendly and courteous when I see you. I will be respectful of our differences, and try to find commonalities between us.

So, I've starting working out. Everyday. For the last 30 days. I've not lost any weight on according to the scale, but I've been watching inches go bye-bye. And in getting to a healthy place in my life I've decided that I'm going to start participating in 5K's. They're all around good. They benefit a charity, get me out of the house, and give me incentive to move more, and faster. So I'm going to be doing a 5k run in October to benefit Breast Cancer research. I'm trying to raise at least $300 dollars. If I can get at least 60 people to donate $5 each, I'll make that goal. So if anyone wants to sponsor me, click here:
<div>Making Strides Against Breast Cancer - 2008-2009</div><div><a href="https://secure3.convio.net/tacs/site/Donation2?df_id=1004977&FR_ID=11651&PROXY_ID=7806692&PROXY_TYPE=20&outreachid=fd1J4ozl2h4H9s25Y5FJfJRHFc9iIxD1"><img border="0" alt="2008 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Pensacola, FL" title="2008 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Pensacola, FL" src="http://main.acsevents.org/site/DynImg/FBITg-_2ogMSygZC2mBb_DW0VyDMK--k.jpg"/></a></div>

 And pass this on to all your friends.

So I have this sudden hankering to watch stupid animated videos. One in particular. The one about the earth being blown up.....

"Damn, that's a mighty fine earth you might say"

Except I can't find it or remember the name of the site it's from!!!!!!