Shiny Things are Distracting and Other Observations

Life changing events and habits always come in groups. I've experienced this kind of thing enough to be sure, at the ripe old age of 26, that in fact, you can NOT change only one thing. For instance, you graduate from college and your lack of class at 8 am is not the only thing that stops. You also suddenly lack freedom and while you were so happy to be rid of that 8 am class you soon discover you have to get up even earlier in order to get to work and not look like you forget this wasn't your 8 am psych lecture.

Bear with me, I'm going somewhere with this.

For me the world has been full of changes in the recent past. I got engaged in March for instance. I'm not just wearing a ring on my left hand but I'm also changing the way I spend money for the greater good of our family-to-be. I'm 26 and I have an allowance again and - get this - I actually like it. The changes started way before March. I actually think the thing that changed my life most was my weight loss in 2006. Not only did I lose 40 pounds but I gained confidence I never had. I was suddenly a whole new person. In December of that year I met my fiance and boy did the changes snowball.

So fast forward a whole bunch and now I'm doing things like not watching tv very often. My parents find this completely baffling. They spent the greater part of my youth doing what my father called 'unplugging me'. He was forever asking if I had done my homework BEFORE I had started up that 12th game of Mario Kart. I hated to read (learning disability) and never really understood what the point of homework was. (Got good grades and went to college and graduate school some how.) So, um, now I read the paper everyday and am a total nerd (my fiance would be happy to tell you all about this and enjoys calling me 'his little nerdlet' regularly).

I'm old, yo. Old enough to be so out of touch that I recently found out there was someone named Miley Cyrus. Then I discovered there is some person named Hannah Montana. Then I found out they are the same person. Apparently there is some show where this Hannah Montana acts like a normal girl at school and then wears a wig on stage when she is a pop super star. Seriously? In my day all a pop star had to do was appear pure, then appear impure on Rolling Stone and then have babies at a young-ish age and occasionally shave their head/smash SUVs with umbrellas. The only part of this whole Miley/Hannah story, told to me by a friend with a sister half her age, that made sense was that Miley Cyrus is Billy Ray's kid. Also, Kanye West recently introduced me to Taylor Swift. I still have no idea what songs any of these people sing except for Billy Ray and Kanye. Really, the only way I connect with pop culture is through these here interwebs while trapped at work. If I had a different job, one without regular computer use, I'd be so lost. I'm hanging onto my NPR and Washington Post though, thanks.

For me, I've grown a lot in the last few years. The best part is that I empowered myself enough to take care of myself and my body (there is some vanity involved, yes). Even better I'm ridiculously productive (you'd be amazed at how clean your apartment can be when you aren't distracted by Real World Season four million bajillion). Although, now that fall TV has started again I appreciate DVR more than ever. What? I didn't say I never watch TV.

So this is all to say: change = crazy! Also, change = awesome!