I have come to a conclusion.

[Dinner]

And I'm going to make a personal vanity thread expounding upon that conclusion so if you aren't interested in such things please ignore this thread and spam some where else.

As some of you may know I returned from a tour of duty in Iraq some three months ago and since then I have been unemployed. About half of that time was spent traveling and going to see old friends and the other half has been spent doing little or nothing productive; mainly surfing the net & playing video games. I haven't even bothered to mail out a resume in the last week and a half, but, I am here to announce that this is going to change.

All to often I have been sleeping in until noon and staying up until 5am plus I have not been keeping to my exercise routine and I've been drinking to much to boot. I have decided I am unhappy with this life style and that I need more structure in my life so that I can start being more productive. To that end, I am going to make the following changes:

1) I will set my alarm and get up no later then 8am each morning though I will allow my self to sleep in on Sundays. This is needed to stop me from sleeping the day away and staying up half the night.

2) I will not drink any alcoholic beverages of any sort until I get a job. How's that for motivation? As an added benefit it is good for a person's health and it may help to lose a few pounds.

3) Each morning the first thing I will do before anything else is exercises for at least one hour. I did this when I was in the Army and you really do feel more awake for the rest of the day, plus, I want to get in shape so making this a ritual each morning will likely prevent me from slacking off as I have done recently.

4) This is a key one. I will spend not less then three hours each day actively searching for a job, read about what various jobs entail, rewriting my resume, writing cover letters, writing thank you notes, etc... A job is not going to find me so I have to actually get out and try to find one instead of simply wasting my days away. Finding a job is my job so I need to go about it more diligently.

5) During the day time I if I am not working at finding a job then I will attempt to do something productive around the house. Currently, the house is a bit of a mess with pizza boxes, beer bottles, and dirty dishes all around; I’m tired of living in a sty so the junk has to go. No watching TV or surfing the net if there is laundry or house work to do also I think I will start cooking more instead of ordering take out since not only is it cheaper but it is also healthier and I've always fancied learning to cook properly.

6) I'm starting a diet to lose those 20 pounds I've been thinking about losing. I'm sure we all say that but this time I mean it and this is also important to my job hunting since I plan on getting a job in law enforcement where being fit and in shape is a big advantage.

7) All work and no play makes Oerdin a dull boy so to that end I've decided to do some none career related personal growth. I've always wanted to play the guitar so I've decided to buy a guitar and learn to play it. That would at least add a new skill to what I know plus it has been something I've wanted to do for years.

So what do you folks think? Are these seven ideas worth while? I'd love to hear what you have to say especially if you have some other ideas about ways people can regain focus in their lives after they've spent a few months screwing off.

[MikeH]

I can't believe you get to get up late and drink all day every day and you are giving it up.

In my dreams!!!

The guitar thing is a great idea though. IMO Yamaha do the best value entry level guitars you can get a very decent new electric or acoustic guitar for very little money.

[molly bloom]

Yes. You need to reimpose a structure.


I forget which Zen monk it was who said that the greatest prison is absolute freedom, but it rings true.

Cooking is therapeutic- you monitor, or at least are aware of how much fat, salt and sugar are going into your body.

I'm always astonished by people who can't be bothered to take the relatively short amount of time it takes to choose uncooked items of food, wash and prepare them and put them together in a meal, and yet are happy to contemplate, if that's the right word, the prospect of ingesting vast amounts of preservatives, additives, hidden levels of salt and sweeteners and fats in their dietary intake. It's a mistaken economy in terms of time.

[DRoseDARs]

Mmm, heart disease... *drools*

[Maquiladora]

I'm always astonished by people who can't be bothered to take the relatively short amount of time it takes to choose uncooked items of food, wash and prepare them and put them together in a meal, and yet are happy to contemplate, if that's the right word, the prospect of ingesting vast amounts of preservatives, additives, hidden levels of salt and sweeteners and fats in their dietary intake. It's a mistaken economy in terms of time.

Because it's gets expensive eating fresh food rather than oven chips everyday, especially if you live in a council flat with 4 kids.

Although if Oerdin has money to burn on a decent guitar, he's probably got plenty to spend on asparagus.

As for each idea, I suggest introducing one thing at a time over a couple of weeks, it might help to get used to one thing at a time. Unless youre a really strict person and think you can turn around all your bad habits at once.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Maquiladora


Because it's gets expensive eating fresh food rather than oven chips everyday, especially if you live in a council flat with 4 kids.

I've lived in a council flat and had very little money.
It is actually a false economy buying junk food, either from takeaway outlets or preprepared in boxes.

Of course if you're fond of your children behaving as though they're all on amphetamines and have severe ADHD, that might be a different matter.

[Dinner]

I'm not hurting for cash. With the money I saved working tax free for a year over seas, my unemployment benifets, and the rent I get for renting out a few rooms I make by decently. The unemployment won't last for ever though so I need to stop screwing around and get back in the game.

Mike: I've been told a Seagull S6 from Canada was one of the best entry level accoustics you can buy. They've got a solid top and all tone quality wood construction. I've fiddled with them and the S6 sounds pretty good to my tone deaf ear plus it seems to have more base then the other entry level guitars.

[Spiffor]

1) I will send my computer far away from home. With the lack of 'Poly or videogames, I'm bound to do something productive

(at least, that's how I see it)

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by molly bloom
I've lived in a council flat and had very little money.
It is actually a false economy buying junk food, either from takeaway outlets or preprepared in boxes.

Of course if you're fond of your children behaving as though they're all on amphetamines and have severe ADHD, that might be a different matter.

I'm not talking about takeaways, thats a luxury for single parents living on council estates where I live.

Live on oven chips, fish fingers and beans for a month, then live on fresh food everyday for a month and tell me how much you save.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Maquiladora


I'm not talking about takeaways, thats a luxury for single parents living on council estates where I live.

Live on oven chips, fish fingers and beans for a month, then live on fresh food everyday for a month and tell me how much you save.

Do you mean really expensive fresh food like....

onions, garlic, potatoes, borlotti beans, chick peas, lentils, cabbage, and various items of fruit?

Buy flour and you can make pastry. Bake biscuits and bread- you can even make pizza bases.


I know, because I've had to do it in the past.

As I said, junk food is a false economy. And I lived on the Hulme Council Estate in inner city Manchester, so don't get Monty Python on my arse.

[alva]

All to often I have been sleeping in until noon and staying up until 5am plus I have not been keeping to my exercise routine and I've been drinking to much to boot. I have decided I am unhappy with this life style and that I need more structure in my life so that I can start being more productive.

Nooooo!!!! Hang in there bud... you're almost there, just a few more weeks and you'll never want to go back.

[Spiffor]

nm

[Maquiladora]

Originally posted by molly bloom
Do you mean really expensive fresh food like....

onions, garlic, potatoes, borlotti beans, chick peas, lentils, cabbage, and various items of fruit?

Buy flour and you can make pastry. Bake biscuits and bread- you can even make pizza bases.


I know, because I've had to do it in the past.

As I said, junk food is a false economy. And I lived on the Hulme Council Estate in inner city Manchester, so don't get Monty Python on my arse.

Dont tell me about cooking borlotti beans and lentils for 4 starving kids after working 14hr shifts hanging freezing cold chickens.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Maquiladora


Dont tell me about cooking borlotti beans and lentils for 4 starving kids after working 14hr shifts hanging freezing cold chickens.

Yeah, that's just so, like, real, man.

[Maquiladora]

Nice copout