Life Review

So it's been a while since I wrote here. I've noticed that there is a definite positive feedback loop regarding blogging. When I blog, I tend to blog more often. When I don't blog, I tend to blog less. Clearly the latter has been the case this summer. To this end, I am going to go through my wardrobe of metaphoric hats and review my life at the moment. Instead of write one super long blog, I aim to post a bunch in the coming week about all of the different hats I wear. Here is a list of all my hats off the top of my head. More will probably appear:

• Employee
  
• Family Member
  
• Local Foods Activist (includes a bunch of hats: Slow Food CNY Chair, Syracuse Grows Steering Committee Member, CSA Planning Group Member, CNY Food Policy Council Organizer)
  
• Neighborhood Resident
• Home Owner
  
• Engaged Citizen
• Beekeeper-In-Training
• Married Man
• Gay / Queer Man
• Physical Human Being
  
• Gardener / Wanna-Be Hobby Farmer
  
• Writer / Artist
• Musician / Singer
  
• Dungeon Master and Gamer
  
• Pagan
• Twenty-Something
• 40Below Member
  
• Delta Lambda Phi Fraternity Brother

Ugh. I could keep going but I'm going to stop. I'm getting disgusted with the number of various hats I wear. Needless to say, this outline should give me plenty of fodder for future postings.

January Life Updates

So one of my running themes for this blog has been a reflection of what's going on with my life. At the last entry I was working on (1) wedding planning, (2) Slow Food, (3) Fraternity, (4) Housework and (5) Path. I had already dropped the ideas of a starting an independent business and reclaiming my love of music. Let's see where I'm at now:

1. Wedding Planning. This is moving. I am not working on it every day, like I had hoped, but am working on it weekly. I have a space reserved, and have reserved a caterer. We have talked to a photographer (and really want to go with her - we just need to finalize things). I think our next step is to plan out our wedding day. What will happen during what hour, and outline exactly how we want our ceremony to run. I also want to find someone to be our wedding forager.
2. Slow Food. This is off like a rocket. We've been in the local paper, have received a lot of attention and have around 60 people on our announcement list. At the last meeting, we divided up into committees, each with their own agenda. And we're one step away from official, legal affiliation. Tomorrow the advocacy group is meeting (a joint meeting with Syracuse Grows, another awesome local group) and we'll be talking about drafting a sustainable code for Syracuse (included urban livestock).
3. Fraternity. I am burnt out. I did a lot of work with the Colony in December and felt consistently misunderstood and attacked. I have better things to do with my time. I have stated to the fraternal powers that be that I wish to step back from my responsibilities with the Colony. However, I am committed to reaching out to the local chapter here in Syracuse. M and I have invited the guys over to our house on Sunday for a potluck as part of a monthly thing.
4. Housework. Good god, I have a new half-bath under the stairs! It still needs to be painted, but this past week, a lot of work has been done. We replaced the sink, toilet, lights, pipes and installed new shelves.
   
5. Path. I ran a one-shot with the revised Path during my Christmas break. People really liked it. There is still a lot more work to be done, but I am moving forward. I found a reason for dragons in my world. And I've been inspired by a couple of books I've been reading. I recently drew up the continents of Path too.
   

Morning Pages

Dear Systems Observations blog,

We have a great thing going. I love you dearly and feel that we get along really well together. Spending time with you has helped me learn about myself. I feel I've improved at articulating my thoughts. You really have improved my communication skills. But I owe it to you to be honest. I have a new love: morning pages.

Who is this two-bit morning-page hussy, might you ask? My friend M (or should I call her Y?) introduced us. On New Years she told me that morning pages would be perfect for me. M/Y went on to tell me about the book "The Artist Way," which introduces the morning pages technique. Morning pages are three handwritten pages done every morning, the earlier in the day the better. The idea behind them is that they clear the brain of clutter and help one become more creative during the day.

What does this have to do with you, lovely blog? Well, I find that with morning pages I am writing a lot now: 800-1000 words a day. This is much more than I write with you. With you, I feel I must censor myself. I must have a cohesive thought. I can't be sloppy around you. But morning pages? Ahh.... I can be free. I don't need to use full sentences. I even have spell check turned off! Granted, a lot of what I write for morning pages is nonsense but it's streamlined my brain. Since doing morning pages:

• I got a friend to repair the hole in my kitchen ceiling.
• I've re-started going push-ups on a daily basis.
• I've figured out a great way to keep myself from spending too much time on the computer.
• My wedding planning has become more organized.
• I've started renovations on my half bath.
• I've started repainting my full bath.

But Observations.... lovely System Observations... you too hold a special place in my heart. I share you with my friends. You contain links to the world! Morning pages retains her beauty through her mystery. She cannot be shared with anyone. Blog, you are my day, while morning pages is my night. I can not be without either one of you. Please understand that while our relationship has changed, it has not ended. I look forward to a bright new 2009 with you.

Sincerely,
PSM