It's sunny and warm and I'm stuck inside...

I am happy to say that we are finally getting to nice weather (I know I say "finally" a lot, but around here good weather is so fleeting that it never feels like it's really "here"...yes I'm a typical Maritimer who likes to talk/bitch about the weather.) Unfortunately I am stuck in the office again, though I'm thinking that an iced coffee break may be called upon soon. Today the Department is having a BBQ to say thank you for all the work we've done for the H1N1 flu, so that's nice, free food is always good. Still, I'd rather be outside.

Not too much new to report in the Flynnie world. We've been laying pretty low, just hanging out on the deck and spending time together. Last weekend Dan's friend Dylan and his wife came up for the night, which was nice, we went to the Farmer's Market in the morning, then out to supper and a movie (Star Trek...again...I love it.) It was a long weekend but like I said, we didn't do much, and it was nice.

Dan has recently decided to change his "look", and I must say I quite like it. Behold, from long and shaggy and clean shaven (which is how I've known him for the last 6 years), to short and bearded:

(ignore his evil glare in the 2nd shot)

Besides the fact that it pricks when I kiss him, I think the look works quite well for him. My bearded boy :)

I've been scrapping a bit more lately, though no new layouts to share. Instead I bought a D-ring binder and re-organized some of my layouts. This is probably only 1/4 of all the layouts I have, which is insane to look at when you pile them all up...this is where my time goes?! (though, really, I can't think of a better place...)

So yes, I still need another binder or 2, but I'm definitely making the switch from post-bound, it's so much better.

I also got a little further ahead with my 52Qs, I think that I'm now over half done the questions, hopefully I'll catch up to the rest soon. I love this project (and Emily's questions), and the size I chose is perfect (5.5X7.5 cards), I can whip them out quicker than most layouts, which makes them feel more real and organic for some reason, I try to let myself play a bit more with these, and so far it's been fun. Here are the three I did over the last couple of days:

Question 11: What keeps me up at night?
Question 13: What was my best/worst hair experience?
Question 20: What is your latest obsession?

So yes, that's been my scrapping lately, but I'm currently working on a secret project that I'm quite excited about, I'll share more when it's safe...

I also though it would be fun to show what I've been reading lately, since I just noticed that there's definitely a theme going on...

Yeah, no time for fiction for me. Self help/awareness books all the way. I finished "You Are Here" and posted about it here a few weeks ago, and now I'm reading the other 2 books at the same time, which is good because they compliment each other well. "Your Money or Your Life" has changed my perspective on money somewhat, and has made me realize that I need to be smart not only with my money, but also with my time, and that I should consider the link between my money/spending and my time ( or 'life energy', as they say.) Though I can't say I love the book (it was written in the early 90s for yuppies, for sure, and it annoys me how it assumes you are a materialistic idiot), it has definitely given me something to think about. With us trying to save for a house right now it has given me that extra little push to work harder at it.

Also, I've been having a huge issue with my job lately, I can't stand it most of the time, actually, and I've been trying to think of ways that I can "cut the cubicle umbilical cord", and someone recommended that I read "What Colour is Your Parachute?". It's mostly about how to find a job but at the end there's an activity that helps you find your "dream" job, based on your skills, interests, etc. Fortunately, a few weeks ago an idea hit me all of a sudden and it all seemed so clear as to what I should do next in my career path, so this activity came along at just the right time. I know what I want, but it's a bit scary, quite unknown, and will require some preparation/work on my/our part, but I'm totally excited and motivated to do it, so I hope I'll be able to share more once things start falling into place (it's going to take about a year to set up I think, it won't be until we move home, so there's still a long way to go yet...)

So I guess the questions I will ask now, then, are: How do you find the courage to take risks, especially when it comes to your career? Has anyone out there broken free from the cube farms, and how did you do it? Has anyone read these books?

Well, I dare day it's coffee time. Hoping for a relaxing and sunny weekend, hope yours is as well!

Ps-This blogging once a week business has got to stop, ok? Ok.