What are you into at the moment?

[Troubadour]

Wow, I am sorry about the whole roommate situation - what a shame for everyone involved. I really hope that young woman gets the help she needs, but I am glad that Katie is safe at home with you for now. We all need a little parental intervention now and then! I'm glad, too, that Larry is okay. Those are some crazy hours.

[Wildthyme]

Books Books Books! - My niece gave me a Kindle Fire for my birthday and I have been enjoying it. I can't really afford to buy books for it so I am borrowing what I can from Library to Go. I have also downloaded a bunch of free books on Amazon and am currently reading 3 or 4 of those depending on what I am in the mood for. I did pay for one book recently because my book club chose Hunger Games for this month and I read it in about a day or so. It was very good and as soon as I can scrape up the money I will buy the sequels. I am also reading one regular book - Anthony Bourdain's "Nasty Bits" which is a behind the scenes look at his travels and making a tv show about them.

Work and the never-ending search for a "real" job - I am still working at Harry and David. My department has been reduced by 90% from 120 to 12 people for the off season but I recently won a shift bid which means I am in a semi-permanent state now which is about as good as it gets there unless you are an executive. I may even be eligible for benefits in 6 months or so if I don't get laid off for summer. The biggest problem is that at $10 an hour the pay is not enough for me to live on so I am both looking for a second job to make ends meet and still looking for a better job overall. Two and half years of this has left me demoralized, flat broke, deep in debt, and struggling to understand what is so wrong with me that I am unemployable. But I am also grateful I have the job I do, a roof over my head and food to eat and I try to remind myself that I am better off than a lot of people out there.

Livin' Right - I have been really lax about my eating and exercising habits the last year and a half and I have put on some weight and generally feel disgusting. I am trying to get back to what worked well for me before - a mostly vegan diet with very little sodium or sugar. And no more Moose Munch! (that stuff is pure evil and available by the giant bowlful in our breakroom).

Spring Cleaning (Inside and Outside) - Getting my house better organized by getting rid of "stuff" and doing some deep-cleaning that is way overdue. Also planning and looking forward to getting outside and cleaning up my hideous backyard which I neglected last year. I really want to plant a garden this year but not sure if I can make it a go of it because I need to build raised beds and that of course requires money. What I would ultimately love to do is help start a community garden in my area but I need to figure out how to connect with other people who might be interested.

My Fur Children - Sometimes they make me nuts (like when my cats Max and Cleo tag team one of the other cats and pick a fight) but I really love my pets and would be lost without them. I can't imagine coming home to an empty house or not having a warm kitty or two snuggled up with me at night. They are always happy to see me, give me unconditional love, and make me feel needed. What more could I ask?

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Work and the never-ending search for a "real" job - I am still working at Harry and David. My department has been reduced by 90% from 120 to 12 people for the off season but I recently won a shift bid which means I am in a semi-permanent state now which is about as good as it gets there unless you are an executive. I may even be eligible for benefits in 6 months or so if I don't get laid off for summer. The biggest problem is that at $10 an hour the pay is not enough for me to live on so I am both looking for a second job to make ends meet and still looking for a better job overall. Two and half years of this has left me demoralized, flat broke, deep in debt, and struggling to understand what is so wrong with me that I am unemployable. But I am also grateful I have the job I do, a roof over my head and food to eat and I try to remind myself that I am better off than a lot of people out there.

Cami - I wish you good luck with your job search and am glad you have some employment. I know it's hard not to get discouraged, but try to keep your chin up. Since I do contract work, I have to seek new employment quite often. I'm certainly no expert, but I have learned quite a bit along the way. The best tips I can give you is to seek all the free advice and feedback that you can if you haven't already done so. And there is lots of it out there, especially with your unemployment commission and recruitment firms. Try to get a lot of feedback on your resume because there is no one right answer about what makes a good one. But the interview is usually the most important - you really have to sell yourself and be positive, upbeat, professional, and confident. Several years ago, I even went to our unemployment commission and spent a lot of hours watching videos, researching information, and even role-playing about how to get an interview and how to sell yourself once you get one. Hope this gives you at least a couple of ideas that you haven't already tried, and got my fingers crossed for you.

[Topkat]

Hi all. I just found this thread & started to read it. It's nice to hear what some of you are into besides our beloved EAGLES. I haven't been a member here too long, but I have been spending more time on here than I imagined I would, so it's nice to get to know some of you on another level & hear what you are up to in your lives.

This past week I have been into football. I never really had much interest in the game my entire life, but this season I have totally gotten into watching the NY Giants, & last night's Superbowl had me on the edge of my seat. It was an exciting & nail biting game, but Eli did not let me down. I am so happy the Giants won!!!

Working Out I joined a gym in Nov. & have been going 3 or 4 times a week. I found that these past few years, every year I have been gaining 2 or 3 pounds. Well before I knew it I had gained about 12 lbs. & I was not happy about it. I made up my mind that I was not going to get fat, & something had to be done about it. I was always very skinny & never had to worry about eating right or working out, but that changed once I hit my mid 40's. I am really trying hard to keep it up, but sometimes I have to drag myself there. It's a struggle!

Job Hunting; Right now I'm not working, so I am looking for work. This is a whole long story which I'm not going to get into right now, maybe some other time I will. I just don't feel like getting into it now. It depresses me. I feel OK, believe it or not, but I do need to get my butt back to work.

[The Disco Strangler]

TV: Murdoch Mysteries. Okay, I've been into this ever since it came on the air. It's based on the novels by Maureen Jennings.

Books: I'm trying a new romance genre--romantic suspense. Currently I'm reading $ix Days to Midnight by Kat Duncan.

Music: I'm back in the fifties and sixties. Woot! It's sorta neat listening to music when my parents came of age. I'm really digging the Everly Brothers, Big Joe Turner, the Hollies, Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Animals, and many more.

[EaglesKiwi]

It's really cool reading what everyone is up to!

Gardening - I'm pretty new to this, but it's certainly addictive. I've had some successes and some total failures (apparently strawberries need water - and mine just happened to be about an inch away from the never-ending rainfall all summer!!). I'd been having a look at the community gardens to see what grows well - there's one nearby on Auckland City Council land, and one at my daughter's school.

Books - I've always been an avid reader, but over the last few years (okay, maybe closer to 15 years i.e. since getting into family mode!) I have become a bit of a lazy reader - sticking with authors I am comfortable with, "cozy mysteries" and re-reading favourites but not venturing into new territory. So I'm now actively trying to catch up on all my good intentions.

Dog training - agility classes have just started again for the new year - yippee! Good for Sparky, good for me. It does seem strange thought that I know more about many of my fellow Borderers whom I have never met, rather than my club members whom I see every week (we only talk about the dogs!).

Decluttering - making a little progress, but there always seems to be SO MUCH MORE to do.

[Brooke]

Decluttering - making a little progress, but there always seems to be SO MUCH MORE to do.

Decluttering the mail drives me crazy! Can you believe how much junk mail we get? (at least I do anyways!) I hate it!

[Topkat]

Decluttering: I feel like I am constantly doing this & it just never seems to end.

[EaglesKiwi]

Oh I'm glad I'm not the only one to get so frustrated!

It IS a very cool feeling when I see a nice clean and tidy area, though.

[chaim]

I discovered Tiny Tim, the singer, a couple of days ago. I fell in love. His first album is beautiful!