Long Day, and noteable news

Hi all!

I've had a really long day today, spending the entire day cleaning, reading Maus, and organizing my finances. For now, cleaning is my oasis from the daily drudge. It is the one time where I can daydream without any mental obligations, and after cleaning, I have a daydream that has been indulged and a cleaner house. Seriously, cleaning is one of the most productive ways I waste my time. Even though my apartment was an absolute mess, I was able to daydream and clean at the same time.

My daydreams when I clean usually consist of being a superhero (still) and of ways I can improve myself. Unfortunately, they usually don't become reality, due to my own procrastination and apathy. I also make plans that don't come into fruition while I clean. For example, while cleaning today, I planned out my workout schedule for the summer, but then I realized that I have to actually go to the gym regularly just to get started. Consistency is key, and I don't seem to have very much of that right now.

One of the things I am able to do consistently is read this graphic novel called Maus: A Survivor's Tale. One of the great things about this book is its ability to make the Holocaust understandable by all ages, and it's universality. It is truly a book for all ages that never gets old regardless of how many times one has read it. I, for one, have read the second book in the series many, many times, and I am still finding things that I have never noticed before. The last time I read the book (about a week ago) I found that Artie changes from an adult mouse, to a young mouse, to an adult mouse again in the space of a few pages. This occurs when they depict Artie giving a short autobiography around the time where he cracked from all the commercial offers and then went to see his shrink. He progressively got younger in each panel, until he was a baby mouse crying for his mother. I know for certain that every time I read this book, I will be able to find a new element that I have overlooked. Thank goodness today I will be able to hear other's observations in my Rhetoric class. Their insights will provide extra food for thought the next time around.

Finances are where my plans all seem to fall apart. I try to budget my weeks and have been very successful in not eating out. I used to buy food every day, but I have finally managed to limit my addiction to junk food to only once a week. There are times when I feel so tempted to "reward" myself for trivial tasks well done, but eating out is way too expensive.

An example would be buying burritos from Chipotle. I can eat a burrito from Chipotle and be full for the majority of the day, but I will inevitably need another meal. Eating out twice is an expensive proposition, because we pay for the service, the work, the food prep, the transportation of the food, and every other conceivable material required. The cost usually amounts to about 20 dollars a day, bringing the weekly cost to about 140 dollars a week. That is way too much for a college student to be spending on food, without even considering the [junk]food they might be buying on the side.

It feels good to blog and I really wished that I started earlier. I'll probably link my parents and family to this blog so that they can keep up to date with my daily activities or major thoughts for the day. This is why Web 2.0 is so amazing!