Thursday, October 30, 2014

Muscle-Up...

So… last month I went out & bought myself a new car. I went with a Dodge Challenger & I got a pretty decent deal on it too!


It had been some time since I treated myself to a new toy of any sort & I'd planned to switch-up the ride this month anyway, so I decided to make it happen a couple weeks earlier than anticipated (since there was a little extra wiggle room in the budget last month).



It's a hemi loaded with most of the tech toys that I'll ever need - overall, it's a beautiful machine! All summer long I had been making plans to purchase some sort of crossover SUV to accommodate my increasingly active lifestyle...

...but at the dealership, I was immediately side-tracked by what reminded me of a childhood dream vehicle. I've always wanted a car similar to the one in "The Dukes of Hazzard" (a 1969 Dodge Charger - AKA the "General Lee"). Now I've got one - minus the orange paint & confederate flag, of course, lol.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Cinco de Ghostwriter28...

Well, well, well... this month marks the 5th anniversary of Ghostwriter28.com. It's so very hard to believe I've been at it this long & even though I've taken the occasional break from posting here & there, this remains an active blog & for that, I'm quite proud. 

This is post #168, while the other 167 posts have covered a wide range of subjects... 'reflection, love & sports' are my most frequently used tags.

It'll be interesting to see which tags will dominate the next 5 years of blogging. Since I started in 2010, I've gathered a completely new respect for others who blog. Coming up with content even just once a month proves to be a challenge for me at times, so I'm frequently amazed by those who blog daily & they're really great at it too!

As I recall, I began this blog to help archive some of my thoughts & experiences so that I might someday go back & relive them, Just today, I've spent time looking at my previous posts & have had quite a few chuckles at my own expense. But I'm glad that I bothered to capture some of my feelings on various topics over the years. I hope to become better & more consistent in the years to come.

Many thanks to those of you who've taken the time to drop-in over the years, whether you ended up here by accident or you're a real-life friend of mine, you're all very much appreciated!

Monday, July 14, 2014

Family Ties...

This past weekend, I got to spend some time with the other side of my family in Newport News & Hampton, VA. I had a truly awesome time & was so glad that I was able to make the trip down the interstate for the impromptu (mini) family reunion! Over the years, I've seen much less of my father's side of the family, even though they're actually located 2 hours closer to me than my mother's side of the family in Halifax, VA, so this was a special occasion.

We didn't do anything super extraordinary, just pretty much had a typical southern-style family cookout - fully stocked with near/distant relatives, sinful food & soulful music of course! The older & younger generations both seemed to play well with one another so we agreed to try & make it an annual affair - hopefully we'll indeed make that happen!

Now that it's mid-July & we're finally into the dog days of summer, I've been scrambling trying to come-up with a last minute travel destination for some much need rest & relaxation. It seems that everyone else is posting photos to Instagram or Facebook from some far away beach or exotic destination but at this point, I've still got nothing planned... it's looking more & more like a stay-cation this year.

I did manage to submit my vacation dates, so at the very least I'm guaranteed some time away from the office later this summer. I really wanted to use my passport this year but that'll just have to wait until I have the perfect trip lined-up. I hate the idea of traveling without every aspect of the trip being squared-away & that requires time - something I've simply run-out of (as far as the summer is concerned). I'll circle-back around to international leisure travel at the conclusion of the holiday season, lol.

Monday, June 30, 2014

Oops...

...I almost let June get by without a blog post! I'm shooting from the hip tonight, as I type this, I'm waiting for an idea to pop into my head. So....... how about this 2014 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament? Sarcasm aside, I really have been keeping up with the USA matches & even some of the matches between other countries as well: guess I now have the subject of today's post - see how quickly it happens when I stop procrastinating & just put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard, rather :-)

I'm hardly a huge international soccer fan though, I only even know of a couple of popular fĂștbol clubs such as the Manchester United (of England) or FC Barcelaona (of Spain). Hell, outside of a few championship runs during the inaugural seasons of Washington's soccer club, the DC United, I've never passionately watched Major League Soccer (MLS) in this country either.

But this year, I actually have a true interest in the sport, so I've been paying attention during any of the coverage I run across lately. It's definitely an exciting sport, even by American standards (we love to see tons of scoring in our own US pastimes like football & basketball). I'm now able to appreciate the level of defense & coverage in those 0-0 or 1-0 games, my favorite element of soccer are the shootouts sometimes required to break a tie. 

The shootouts feature 1-on-1 match-ups between the goal keeper & an opposing team's player. By the way, I'm super fascinated by the goal keeper for both teams, so I guess it makes perfect sense that I'm most excited to see the rare shootout in soccer. I'm that way with hockey too - I always gravitate towards the goalie!

Oh & how cool is it that goal keepers get to wear uniform colors that completely differ from the rest of their squad??? Plus, they're the only ones allowed to use their hands to contact the soccer ball during play - if I'd played as a youth, I'd definitely have been 1 of the kids lined-up to tryout at goal keeper. Tomorrow afternoon the US, having advanced to the 2nd stage of the tournament last week, will face Belgium... I'll be watching - Go USA!

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Reboot: Telecommuting...

Tomorrow, I plan to start telecommuting (one day a week) again... I initially began the practice back in 2012, to save on my weekly commuting expenses - a day of working in my underwear was definitely a bonus as well.

But I didn't telecommute at all in 2013, I had a far lighter workload last year & quite honestly, it was easier for me to physically report to work than come-up with fictitious activities to put on my daily telecommute action plan, lol. I always intended to get back to telecommuting, but just got out of the habit I guess.

Now, my to-do list here at work is once again full of bonafide assignments to complete, so I'm comfortable documenting my efforts from home again. The weather seems to finally have broken in the area, so along with the warmer temps, comes the added desire to goof-off a bit more during the work week, a telecommute day should help alot in that regard.

The last time I was telecommuting regularly, Wednesday was my scheduled telecommute day, this go-round, I'll be tabbing Thursday as my preferred stay-at-home day. It's a little closer to the weekend, plus physically returning to work each week on a Friday sounds pretty good to me.

Earlier this year, I began driving to work (rather than take the subway) a couple days a week, so now that I'll be telecommuting on Thursdays, that leaves just 2 days a week that I'll have to deal with extremely busy Metrorail system (& it's lovely patrons) - yet another bonus & I'll take it :-D

Monday, April 28, 2014

Dry Run...

I'm no longer spending every free moment bike riding, so I've finally been able to work a jogging routine back into my workout schedule. 
 
Had no choice really though, the 1st race of the year is less than a month away, so I've gotta start training now if I want to be at peak performance by the final weekend in May.

I've run at this particular event (the MCVET 5&10k Run) for the past few years, this time I decided to challenge myself more by stepping it up from the 5k race to the 10k event. 
 
I can run 3 miles in my sleep, so a 6-mile run is far more appropriate at this point. I should be ok, but I've got a ways to go before I'm fully back in-shape.

Earlier this evening, I jogged for just the second time this year - the 1st time in almost 3 months. I could really tell it had been that long too, I struggle to keep a steady pace for the duration of my run. 
 
I have; however, noticed that I now share mixed used trails much better than I did before becoming a regular cyclist. Back then, I'd be all over the trail whenever I ran, but now I recognize the importance of staying to the right side of the trail. 
 
This is especially important for trail runners like myself, who wear ear buds & are therefore unlikely to respond to any audible warnings given by bike riders who need to pass. In short, when it comes to running - I've vastly improved my trail etiquette, lol. Here's to a great running season!

Friday, April 18, 2014

"Girl, I Luv That Hair!"

Nap·py (adj.) - beautifully coiled, chemical free, real, unaltered, versatile, styled by Mother Nature. Synonyms - kinky, natural.

Though I can't place my finger on why, I've taken a liking to various natural hair styles that many women of color have reverted to in recent years. Not only is it fashionable, but it seems practical too. Why spend so much on hair care products & processes designed to make black hair look... well, "un-black?" 

Besides, wouldn't it be great to keep some of that money in our community? Even a layman such as myself can see that natural hair care is a rapidly growing industry. Upstart companies have stepped-up to handle the demand thus far, but how long before major companies like those who produce Dark & Lovely, swoop-in to buy-out such Mom & Pop companies, and then water-down the existing product lines to maximize production & profits?  


Granted, this is a pretty unique & foreign topic of discussion for a guy to blog about - but yes, I too have eyes & thoughts when it comes to black hair. To be clear, I'm definitely not knockin' any sistahs who prefer to chemically relax or extend their hair for whatever reasons, but there's an extra sassy vibe accentuated by naturally styled hair & it can't be duplicated.

The women pictured in the collages are great friends who've allowed me to post their images here. They've both rocked the natural look for some time now. I've often heard many of their gripes, when it comes to maintaining the style. But I've also noticed (& on numerous occasions) just how proud they both seem when everything is clicking, almost like an additional sense of self pride, not as frequently express by those with less-ethnic styling techniques.

I myself have sported a bald head for years now (so did Shaka Zulu, so I still consider my look to be ethnic, lol), but I've often wondered how I'd be wearing my hair nowadays, if I instead chose to grow it out. 
I've never really had a true preference before, so the hairstyles of women I've dated run the full gamut - but I know what I like in that department now. Great, yet another element to incorporate when it comes to my extensive build-a-woman project... fuck. But at any rate, I truly hope that more men & women of color continue to embrace their natural beauty in such ways - it would be quite a boring world if everything looked European, diversity is most certainly a wonderful thing - long live the kinky curl, lol.

Join me next week as I'll be discussing my thoughts on make-up application - lmao, just kidding folks!




Monday, March 31, 2014

Back In Check...

Just an update on last summer's weight-gain... I've been consistently weighing-in at 192 pounds for the past 3-4 months & I've been active again over the past couple months, so I'm confident that this is where I'll be (weight-wise) for the foreseeable future.

I guess a large portion of my discretionary funds will have to go towards getting my wardrobe back in order since getting rid of so many garments last summer & fall. Many of the new items I purchased were for the fall, so that means I get to do it all over again this spring, this time for warm weather gear... joy.

As long as the winter weather has lasting so far this year, I may only need enough gear to last for a couple months of summer weather - we actually got snow yesterday evening (again). Sure, it was slushy & not quite cold enough to stick to roads, but it was still snow on March 30th! I'm-over-this.

In the meantime, I've been working on a new look for the summer, by no means will it be a dramatic departure from my current style of dress, but since I've gotta buy new sh!t anyway, I might as well do a little research to see what's 'out' & which old stuff is once again 'in.' I think I'm leaning toward a bit more of a dressy-casual look - we shall see...

Monday, March 17, 2014

Snow Patrick's Day...

I very much wanted to go cycling again today for 2 reasons, the 1st being that I'm still quite intrigued by this new, fun hobby of mine... the 2nd being that I wanted to test my new road tires! They're supposed to be faster & lighter than the hybrid tires that came installed on my bike... plus they just look a lot cooler, lol.

But there would be no luck of the Irish on this St. Paddy's Day, not in regard to snow anyway - Mother Nature intervened & we were hit with yet another round of snowfall here in the DC area, just days before the start of spring. The temperature isn't expected to rise above 50 degrees for another few days, so I'll just have to temper my enthusiasm for now. I did; however, find some more trails & it seems I pick-up on more about the cycling culture each week. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get out there later this week, it's supposed to reach the mid to high 60s this coming Saturday, so I'll definitely make it a point to hit the streets then, even if I don't get the chance to ride during the work week. A few more of the parts I've ordered should have arrived by then anyway :-D

Saturday, March 15, 2014

Happy Trails...

As a birthday present to myself a few weeks back, I bought a new bicycle, so that I might incorporate cycling into my fitness routine. 

After various customizations to the entry-level bike I purchased, I took it out for my 4th trail ride earlier this afternoon. I've spent the past 3 weeks removing & replacing factory installed parts & mechanisms with lighter, more appropriate versions of each.

The bike was already designed to operate as a hybrid bicycle, still I couldn't help but to make several of my own modifications to the bike. So far, I've added an illuminated reflector system, mobile air pump, as well as upgrade the handlebars, quill stem, front wheel & tire among other things. Future upgrades include reducing the number of speeds (from 18 to 14) - for a more simplified shifting sequence during rides & a pair of bright red pedals, to match the front wheel.

I've enjoyed trail riding - oh, I'm calling my bike "Pam" by the way, lol. I was quite satisfied with today's 12-mile ride along the Anacostia River, replacing many of my jogging activities with bike rides, should go along way towards relieving the wear & tear on my knees & ankles from pavement running. Maybe I'll completely switch-over to cycling, I haven't yet ruled-out the possibility of competing in a triathalon either... guess it's time to step-up my swim game.


Much like jogging, riding along trails, unimpeded by vehicle traffic is quite therapeutic. I love being near the water, so the fact that many trails run parallel to streams & rivers is a bonus for a water sign such as myself. Many other trails run along old railroad right-of-ways, they too provide for great aesthetics! Some of the scenery witnessed along the limited number of trails I've conquered so far have been breath-taking.

Bridges, tunnels, fabulous sunsets. I've been pleasantly surprised by the number of trails dedicated to joggers, runners & equestrians right here in Prince George's County, MD. I'm guesstimating that I should be able to ride my bike (at least) 4 times as far as I'd normally run, so accordingly, I plan to cycle 450 to 500 miles by the fall. I've done quite a bit of research on the local paved trails, as well as some that aren't so local.


Like the Washington & Old Dominion trail, it's 45-miles long (each way), starts in Shirlington, VA, finishing up in Purceville. Obviously, I'd need to work-up to such a long trail, but that's the goal. There are even longer trails, but I'm only interested in those I can complete in one day's ride (at this point anyway). I've also found local off-road trails of interest. So who knows? Maybe next year I'll expand my fleet to include a mountain bike & take-on some of the area's most rugged trails!

Saturday, March 8, 2014

A Year Wiser...

I've no-doubt been blessed by a great core of friends & family over the years... 

I know precisely those I can count-on & that's a wonderful thing! 

To be individually recognized & remembered by said group of people on my birthday (& without the assistance of social media, at that) gives me great joy! A couple days back, on the 6th, I celebrated my 33rd birthday - though I didn't host any great blow-out birthday bash to celebrate the day, I very much enjoyed the day & those who helped to make it special for me. I did manage to take the day off from work, but I really just used the day to pamper myself.

I closed-out the day by going-out to dinner, the meal was so good that I passed-out upon returning home. Again, no huge celebration by any stretch of the imagination, but it was just the type of cozy, intimate celebration I envisioned for myself this year.

Whether you took the time to present a gift, stop by for a visit, drop a card in the post, or simply pick-up the phone to wish me well, it's ALL very much appreciated on this end - thanks so much!!!
Now let's see just what the kid can do in this world, armed with another year of knowledge :-D

Monday, February 24, 2014

New Gear...

I bought myself some new run gear today -- any Spidy fans out there? Anyway, I'm so very excited about run season I can hardly contain myself. 

I've been seeing various updates from my friends on how they've been running or going to the gym & it's beginning to drive me crazy because we keep getting all of this snow! 

A lot more of my friends seem to be into running this year. I, myself, have been thinking of taking up cycling as well. 

Perhaps as we get closer to midsummer, I'll be able to get my hands on a bike. I notice many cyclists on the road during the weekends nowadays, I think I'm game.

I guess I should also start thinkin' of the various races that I'd like to participate in this year. I ran in 2 races last year, so at minimum, I'd like to do the same this year. 

I do think I'll raise the bar & increase my race distances to at least 10k this year, I've been pretty much running 5 miles each time I venture out.

I really wouldn't mind becoming involved with a team sport again this year either, but that's a more difficult task to accomplish. 

Getting 8-10 people on the same page, especially over the weekends can be next to impossible, with everyone's crazy schedules.

I'll just have to settle for cycling if I do incorporate any new activities into my fitness routine. I've already been researching the necessary gear required, it's just a matter of me taking the time to buy the sh!t.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Death, Taxes & (Apparently) Snow...

The year I became a full-blown adult (i.e., a college graduate with full-time employment), my feelings on both snow & filing taxes changed dramatically

I now hate both since I rarely benefit from either event nowadays. Since I'm often battling both during the month of February each year, I hate February too! 

Lol, ok - perhaps hate is too strong a word, but just bring-on the springtime already! We've had a pretty cold & snowy winter in the region, I promise I won't complain about it being too hot this summer. Ok, I probably shouldn't make that claim either, lol. But I do prefer extreme heat, when faced with the option of that, or the bitter cold! 

I've been driving to work more frequently, as opposed to taking the subway, so that means I've been driving in wintry conditions a lot more than I 'm typically used to. I find my car is best operated on clear, dry pavement, lol.

On top of that, I've been pretty anxious to run as if late, but that would require that the sidewalks or street shoulders be clear of packed, icy snow - I'm not a huge fan of being struck by vehicles while jogging, so I'm very much looking forward warmer temps! We've been getting slammed by snowfall so often this winter, I can't even complain about the county's method of timely snow removal.

As far as my displeasure (I think that word works better than hate) of filing taxes - it's quite simple, I don't have enough sh!t to claim, so my state & federal refund (if any) is never what I'd like for it to be. It cuts even deeper to see folk waving their huge refund checks in the air, praising their tax preparers & celebrating the ill-gotten gains - clearly, I need to STFU & just get with the program, lol! Soooooo... who's unemployed with a kid (or 2) that I can claim?

Monday, February 17, 2014

Running, A Solitary Endeavor...

Today is President's Day, a federal holiday & better still... another day-off from work, giving me a 3-day weekend. 

I decided to do something a bit more productive than just lie dormant beneath the sheets this morning, so I got my ass up & headed out for a run (armed with a new gospel run playlist). 

It was the 1st run of the season - following my standard 3-month layoff during the winter. I typically prefer to run routes no shorter than 6.2 miles, but this morning, my body & mind were both very much content with a 5k run instead. It was only 27° out there, my lungs were just about depleted of oxygen & seemingly unable to produce more, so I called it quits for the day. Hell, I still ran 3.1 miles longer than most people will today, lol. 

Since it had been my offseason before this morning's run, I hadn't taken any of my vitamins or dietary supplements, plus I was just plain out of shape, considering that, I won't be so critical when it comes to my run stats for the day. Truth be told, I was so glad to get this 1st run over with, the 1st is always the toughest I find. 

Upon returning home, I showered, enjoyed a large breakfast & climbed directly back into bed for more sleep... welp, at least the early part of the day was productive for the kid, lol...

Friday, February 14, 2014

Kind Words...

Sometimes words of appreciation, no matter how brief, can be so very encouraging. 

It's just nice to know that the support one lends, is in fact, appreciated by another individual, on some level. 

I haven't always found that to be the case, so it's definitely refreshing to get an old-fashioned "thank you" from time to time. A hand-written note, sent via snail-mail, makes the gesture all the more rare.It's not really our fault, or maybe it is, rather... but at any rate, we're so spoiled by technology, the digital-age has really severely hampered our ability to connect with one another on a personal basis - so much that we rarely take the time to extend heart-felt sentiments anymore. 

Personally, I find it's the small things like this, that leave the biggest impressions upon me. The (above pictured) thank you note got me to thinking of just how infrequently we stop to express our feelings of gratitude with those who have assisted us, at some point, along the way. 

Certainly, I too, have been guilty of such omissions... but I do try my best to give people roses, while they can still smell 'em. The way I see it, an overdue thank you is very much akin to no thank you at all. As with most things in life, timing is everything...

Monday, February 10, 2014

DIY...

In recent months, I've been asked upon more frequently, by various friends & family members, to assist with some of the more standard do-it-yourself repairs, here & there. 

Most recently, while assisting a friend one day, she made fun of my tool bag (or lack there of, rather), a reusable grocery bag, lmao! 

So the following weekend, I made it my business to go to the hardware store & purchase a more appropriate (lol) bag to tote my most commonly used tools. Well... what began as a simple trip to the store for a bag has essentially become a complete over-haul of my entire tool/hardware collection. 

Thanks to my brother's garage clean-up effort this past summer, we now have 1 tool chest, versus the 2 separate tool collections we'd each maintained in years previous. The new consolidated tool chest was full of sh!t, some of it was my bro's, some of it was mine, hell some of that crap was my father's even. First thing I needed to do was figure-out which tools belonged to who! 

Once I'd finally knocked-out that process, I began taking an inventory of the tools that I currently owned, still needed & also the ones that had gone missing over the years. After days of trudging thru various auto parts, tools & hardware, I managed to come up with a complete listing of the things I did & didn't have. 

After spending the subsequent weeks acquiring much of the missing hardware & tools, I'm now happy with the current organization of my tool collection. Though many of these tools have been pretty cheap to replace, others were a bit pricier than I'd recalled. Nonetheless, I now have a decent tool bag as well - or 1 that should command far less laughter anyway, lol...

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Happy Born Day Bob...

Today is Bob Marley's birthday... with that in mind, I thought I'd post something that he once wrote about love:

“Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. 


There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again. Colours seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there’s no need for continuous conversation, but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby. 


Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life.” 


Now that's what I call love - I've always found this to be quite powerful & just figured I'd share. For me, it reinvigorates just what love should & shouldn't be...

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Early Bird...

So... I've been on my early arrival at work kick since the new year began, as part of my effort to be a more productive worker this year. 

Accordingly, I've been waking religiously at 5 am, Monday through Friday, and leaving home between 6 & 6:30 am. 

My body is even cooperating now, I've awakened on several occasions over the past 2 weeks without the assistance of an alarm clock. I'm able to drive to work & park in about 35 minutes, that time of day. My ultimate goal each morning is to arrive at work before 7 am, that way I'm out the door again no later than 3:30 pm. I'm able to beat the evening rush-hour pretty easily now & I'm usually home in a jiffy. I could definitely get used to using less gas & fighting far fewer people on the roadway. 

I've really been enjoying the benefits of being home so early. The extra daylight each evening should really come in handy when I began running again this spring. Aside from that, I've been accomplishing much more in terms of running errands & completing various tasks around the house since beginning this new tour of duty. I'm hoping that I'll be able to stick to this plan for a while.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Dollar$ & ₵ent$…

Up until December 31st of last year, I had 5 store/credit accounts with varying APRs & purchase limits that I'd typically use whenever I wanted to avoid using cash from my checking account. Well as part of my commitment to lower my overall credit debt, I decided to reduce my number of charge accounts from 5 to 1 (the one with the lowest interest rate). 

So far, I've been a very good boy this year & haven't used any of those 4 cards with the ridiculous APRs. But I've been super-reluctant each time I've thought of cutting these cards in half. 

I just fear that an emergency will come up, where having these cards might come in handy. That's what my paranoia tells me anyway.

Sure... an easy solution might be to simply leave those cards at home - but 3 of those 4 credit accounts can still be accessed at the point of sell, with or without my card. 

So I'm not any safer utilizing that approach & I'm just not sure if I trust my self enough to maintain such good behavior for the duration of the year, lol.

I'll just have to stay strong! The remaining credit account that I am; however, still willing to use has a very good interest rate, but I'll need to refrain from using this account too until I pay-off more of the current balance - I don't like using more than half of any given credit limit & that's exactly what I'd be doing if I used it right now. 

So it looks like there won't be a lot of deficit spending for this guy here in the foreseeable future. If the money ain't in either my pocket or checking account, then I ain't spending it - I'm on a mission here. Along with improving my credit rating this year, I'd also like to save more & possibly invest a bit more of my income, whenever possible. 

But this part isn't so hard for me - it's fun actually, I just love to watch money grow! Whether I'm looking at a loose change jar on the tv stand, a brokerage account statement received in the mail, or at an online savings account balance, it pleases the king to see that there's more there today, than there was yesterday.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Putting It Into The Universe


A few days back I completed construction my vision board for 2014... don't think I've done 1 of these since high school, but I was moved to do so for some reason this year - who knows? Perhaps this means it'll be a big year for me. 

I've got this tagged as a reflection post, but I guess it's really more of a forecast, guess I'll have to update my post categories accordingly. 

I find that I've been experimenting with the power of positive thinking & putting things into the atmosphere more frequently as of late, perhaps that sort of explains the sudden desire to create a vision board.

Over the final 2 weeks of 2013, I took several moments to think of the kinds of things I wanted to include on my vision board - things like a new relationship, buying a new car, giving-back more to my alma mater, eliminating some credit debt, traveling abroad, being more productive at work & healthier eating/cooking are among some of the things I chose to highlight for completion this year.

I chose to place my vision board on the back-side of my bedroom door, that way it's out of common view, but still in an area that I can see easily during those private moments of thought. Here's to a new & productive year for me!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

404

I've been laying low & away from the social networking scene as of late. No particular reason, it's just my annual 'purge period.' So outside of this blog, my digital footprint has been relatively small over the past 2 months. No Facebook, Instagram or any similar websites for the time being. It's always nice to take a step back, even if it only happens once a year.

It kind of forces me to communicate with those close to me by using more traditional forms of communication (i.e. snail-mail, e-mail, actual telephone chats, yunno sh!t like that). I also like to use this time of year to audit my personal contact lists. Folk who I haven't been in contact with, in some form or another over the past year, frequently get the boot during this period.

Have I spoken with you recently? Lol, but seriously, it's not at all an anger inspired activity, I've just been doing it this way for years now. Its actually a great way to keep my current contact information organized & up to date. I really enjoy the opportunity to reboot at the end of each year, I guess it sort of helps keep things from going stale - any who... Happy New Year!