The summer is drawing to a close and so too are all the commitments I have…um…committed to for the summer. I’ve loved being busy this summer, having a schedule, and quite frankly, saying no to things. It’s not that I like saying ‘no’ to others but I like knowing that I am making the most of my time – not sitting idly by and letting life happen. This past summer, after Dragonboating, I realised that I didn’t want to leave the water anytime soon, so I quickly signed up for a kayaking class, of which I loved every minute. It pained me to miss a class, and I’d try to make deals with the sky when the clouds rolled in on a Monday or Wednesday to hold off on the thunder and lightning until after 6:30. I also had personal training that, at times, made me less than jumped for joy.
The days are getting shorter and a bit cooler, signalling the end of summer. As someone who loves winter, I look forward to the cold coming this way (I know I’m pretty much alone in this thinking). However, the problem now becomes ‘what will I do to fill my time when I’m stuck at home and it’s cold outside, before the start of the snowboarding season’? Well my anticipated restlessness has taken over and I have come up with a list:
- Sign(ed) up for a university course. I’ve done this before but what I have now that I didn’t have a couple of years ago is a plan of action. Two rounds of rejections from grad schools were all the proverbial slap in the face I needed to seriously thinking about where it is I want to be professionally and how to get there. I’ve known for the last couple of years that I wanted to pursue studies at the graduate level but that desire wasn’t enough. I am doing the course through distance education learning so the flexibility allows me the chance to study without having to beg work to let me off early to get to campus. If this works out, I will try to get a years worth of courses under my belt, with A’s not doubt, and reapply for grad school…*sigh…again next year.
- Learn to sew. I have a great, two-year old sewing machine in the kitchen doing nothing but collecting dust. The problem is that I come up with a great(!) idea for something awesome (of course) to make. Then I make the mistake of going to the local fabric shop in search of some material I’ve already conceived of in my head (my problem, I know), only to be disappointed because their selection is shite, quite frankly. I become discouraged, throw my hands up in the air and put that idea on the back burner. I’ll learn to make do with what’s out there…or just find a better material shop. There MUST be some out there.
- Learn to knit. This will be a little harder. My mum knits (and sews) but either of us trying to teach the other something (i.e. my mum teaching me to sew, me teaching my mum to use the Internet) always ends BADLY. There is a shop in town that offers classes that I want to sign up for. The only problem is that I will feel like I’m cheating on my mum. I’m really going to have to get over that (and do it anyway).
- Learn to take better pictures. I’ve always wanted to get a DSLR. I lived in Japan for eons, home to several market leading brands of DSLR. I was always hesitant to buy one while living there because I don’t like the bulk of DSLR cameras. That said, I know the quality in the finished product and the options and features available on a DSLR are so much greater than with a little digital point and shoot. Also, friends of mine, Rachel, Jessica, Ben and Ashraf, among others, take wonderful photographs and serve as inspiration. Damn you, guys! you’re going to cost me money I don’t have! 😉
- Learn how to use WordPress properly. I’m sure that there are several functions that are available to the blogger that I’m not using to my advantage. Must address that.
- Blog more. I want to write more. I often feel uninspired or just want to bitch about work but that’s just unprofessional (but that wouldn’t stop me from creating another unlinked blog to bitch about EVERYTHING).
- Find a new job.
That’s plenty, me thinks.
Other things to look forward to in the near future: Dental surgery (it’ll be fine, if not ridiculously expensive), my birthday (BEST DAY OF THE YEAR, HANDS DOWN!), Venezuela for friends’ wedding and some travelling in the region (which reminds me – sign up for a SCUBA refresher course!) Oh, and I’ve signed up for a fall kayaking course (could I have found my ‘summer’ sport?)
As you can see, I don’t like to be idle. This is further evidenced by the fact that I’m writing a post about things that I want/must do in the near future on a rare day off. And to be honest, it’s only a ‘day off’ from anything because I wasn’t able to fill it with stuff to do. This ‘relax time’ was unplanned.
*Audible sigh 
Also: your wanna-be hobbies sound an awful lot like my current hobbies. I can teach you to knit, but perhaps we could take a sewing course together? Best place to learn to knit is at Wabi Sabi, if you think you and I will have a similar problem to you and your mother.
We share a lot of interests which is why we get on so well, however, my wanna-be hobbies sound like a lot like many of my friends’ hobbies (that’s probably why I’m friends with you/them).The only thing we don’t share is the discipline to accomplish these things – if only I weren’t so damned lazy, I’d be writing about the things I have done rather than what I want to do. SAD FACE. (I think I still have a couple knitting books saved on my Chapters wish list for a couple of years now.)
One thing I hope to not let fall by the wayside next summer (and money permitting) is to start diving again and be apart of the Ottawa SCUBA diving community (Yes, shockingly there is one!). But $$$ 😦