Living the life of nothing

I officially have no imminent responsibilities. I'm done with school, I have no job, presents are given, no parties to attend, and I feel like I have no purpose. It's great! On the down side, funds are getting drastically low and I have recently been filled with a huge desire to travel. I fear I'm going to have to consider seeking some form of employment, god forbid. But, in the meantime, I've been occupying my time catching up on movies and tv, trying to take care of some chores that have been put off for a while (like washing and waxing my car), and reading. I'm actually beginning to get into a good ol' fiction novel and it feels damn good. It's been so long since I have been excited about reading and actually am willing to put off peeing or eating so that I can read one more chapter. That's what school does to me. I'm also starting to read more of the newspaper, not just the comics, Target flyer, and USA Weekend mag that comes with the rest of the three pounds of paper on Sundays. What's especially interesting to me is that I'm not forcing myself to read the other sections; I actually want to. Odd.

I'm also taking the opportunity to have a motivation to start regular, daily excercise. I'm planning on taking a fire management class in early Feb at the nat'l refuge near town, and in order to be certified, I have to complete something like a 4 mile hike in a certain amount of time while carrying ~20 gallons of water on my back. Frankly, I don't know if I'm up to it at my present state, so it has become my motivation to get in better shape. Sort of a new year's resolution, I guess. Let's hope it works.

Some movies I recommend: if you're a lover of quirky 80s movies (ie. Amanda), you need to see Better Off Dead with John Cusack. Not only does it have some moments that are just so ridiculously silly you have to laugh, it also features a period Camero (Amanda!). Also, I recommend seeing Singles with Kyra Sedgwick and Matt Dillon. It will make you reminisce about the good old days of the alt-grunge 90s, even if you weren't a twentysomething looking for love. Especially of note is that select members of Pearl Jam have minor roles (Dave!) and there are performances by Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. Oh, how I miss that music.

So, before I go, I'll run down the list of gifts I received:
The Muppet Show season 1 dvds (:D)
AD 1 & 2
Madison, the movie
a posh new winter coat
Swedish Fish!
an XM radio car kit
a sandpiper carving ("I like sandpipers; I like to watch them on the beach.")
some Very Special Christmas cds (you remember them - they were popular in the mid to late 90s)
the new Kate Bush cd
Bath and Body Works lilac room spray (if you can get these, do; they are freakin' fab-u-lous)
some Clinique facial moisturizer and body lotion
a chenille blanket
cuddly socks
a cuddly white robe similar to the notorious kitten robe, but not quite as silky
the UoG coffetable book - the perfect endnote

And I think that about covers it. Yes, I made out well and I appreciate all of them. And yours? Do tell!

Best wishes for the new year!