PixlBit

I'm on my way out the door to work, so this is a placeholder comment until I get home.

Keeping active seems to be the key to battling depression for me. I started running last December and "ran" a snowshoe race series. I'm signed up for three trail races this summer, but I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I dunno, all I know is that I feel better now that I'm doing something physical.

I hear you about The Iliad. Which translation are you reading? I've got the Robert Fagles translation, which is a little less archaic than some. I think I need to dive into something mindless for a bit before I go back to my list of "Books I really ought to read", which includes Slaughterhouse Five and 1984.

Glad you're enjoying the outdoors volunteer stuff. All conservation/forestry departments would be screwed if it weren't for dedicated volunteers like yourself. We're usually the first areas that lose funding when budgets are tight and we frequently are asked to do more with less both financially as well as crew-wise.

Your remark about watching things evolve from frozen wastelands to dense undergrowth is pretty similar to what our Americorps/Maine Conservation Corps person said, too. She started in February, and was surprised to discover that there was a second parking lot, it was buried under three feet of snow until late March.

I think it's useful to bite off more than you can chew once in a while; I believe being "overwhelmed" like that can change your state, like a drug. I can just imagine the dread you are going to feel like as the third race approaches (depending how hard the first two are for you), but I think you'll feel renewed once it's in your rearview mirror.

I'm reading the Bantam Classics edition, translated by Alston Chase and William Perry Jr. With the extra spending money I'm getting, I may become a regular at my local bookstore. Want to start building relationships with people, as part of my "therapy." What's the frequency for becoming familiar to staff in a store? Once a week, twice?

Had to volunteer for something.  And I didn't want to teach children or the elderly. I'm a savage at heart, so the "wilds" became the obvious choice. Feel lucky that the service exists, but wished I had contemplated it earlier. Did you ever tell the story here how you got involved in your business?

About the races: I figure you never know unless you try. And even if I end up walking, I'll still finish. I'm not competing against anyone other than myself.

Bookstores: Once a week in smaller independants is usually plenty. My bookstore of choice in high school was a tiny independant run by a guy who just liked books. I think he was independantly wealthy, so it was more for the fun of it rather than worrying about making ends meet. Anyway, Ewing knew all his regulars and their reading tastes and would stash books under the counter for his favorites. I'd walk in, and he'd pull out a book and say "This came in last week. I think you'll really enjoy it." and he was never wrong.

As for how I got my start in parks... Pure dumb luck and the right place at the right time. I grew up three miles away from a state historic site, and just before the end of my senior year of high school, my best friend showed up with a job application for me for the park. There were two openings, and I think he figured he'd get one and I'd get the other. I got one, he got none. I felt bad, but not bad enough to turn the job down. It was only supposed to be for that summer, but it clicked, and my boss told me he felt I had a career in parks and he started teaching me maintenance, how to do the office paperwork, how to give guided walks, and other things that didn't pertain to my position as park receptionist (read: greets the public, collects fees, answers the phone, and answers questions). He also kept after me to rise up through the ranks and give me my second big break and my first promotion when he transferred to another park. I still call him every once in a while when I have a question or a dilemma, so I guess he's still my mentor.

Sounds like you've got your shit together. I need to get mine together as well.

Wut? You're always mad busy in your blogs. You're more productive than I was at your age.

Btw, you're one of the bloggers I'm emulating with this topic.

I was a lot more productive up until two weeks ago when I finally left my apartment after graduation. Since then I have bookmarked a bunch of jobs and neglected to apply to them or update my resume while living at my parents'. Your blog has inspired me to get my ass back in gear, though.

Yeah, just jump in feet first. It's not easy (job hunting is the most tedious, discouraging part), but the sooner the better ,and one thing has a way of leading to another. ANd have good social skills and grooming. I'm getting more calls from that catering service, but I had to turn yesterday's gig down because I don't have bartending experience.

You may have to cut down on the distractions, like video games, movies, etc.  But once you have your income settled and a routine down, you will be able to reintroduce those things little by little. And don't let pride get in the way; you may have to take something that isn't ideal or offer you the best hours, but like I said one thing leads...  I've been getting a lot of offers now because I'm willing to work odd hours or less hours, (which in my case, makes my scattershot resume less of a liability to them. Part time employers expect a certain amount of turnover/people with other jobs). I may put my commercial art career on hiatus and work a couple part time jobs while doing life sketching to develop new ideas and inspiration, expand my studio and set of tools.

and use all the tools and information that is out there. It may behoove you to get a resume assessment from someone who does such things.

Yeah post world war despair is definitely a problem.  But like u said its best to be positive amd try to improve things.  Depression can be addictive, i know it.

i love slaughter house five.  What a unique book.  Ive read a few by him but slaughterhouse is definitely the masterpiece

S5 just happened to be the cheapest Vonnegut book at the book store I was at :D. I was annoyed because it used to be a neighborhood, discount book store, but now that there is no competition near by, their prices are almost full MSRP.  This says something about human nature, but right now I'm too tired to articulate what.

Congrats on the new job. Keeping busy is important for fighting depression.

Stephen King has always considered Pet Sematary his scariest book, and it's one he was very reluctant to publish. There is a good reason for that: Gage is based on King's younger son, Owen, and the incident where he ran out into the road at the age of two as a tanker truck was coming down the highway was real. In real life, King was able to reach Owen in time and pull him to safety, but he was haunted so badly by the near-miss that he fell into depression. Pet Sematary was the result of his fears of what would have happened if he hadn't been able to save his son. He never intended to publish it until his wife read it and encouraged him to publish it as a way of dealing with his feelings. Gage's sister, Ellie, is based on King's daughter Naomi and her real-life grief and anger over the death of her cat was also worked into one of the book's scenes..

Good to hear that you are keeping busy and the volunteering is very good to have under your belt. Slaughterhouse 5 is one of my favourites. It's been a long time since I've read it though. Now that I'm doing a lot more reading (from nothing to a book or two a month is a lot more I guess) I may read that one again.

Depending on how busy you are, two books a month can be a lot. Or you have something like S5 which is only 200 pages, about. I finished that in a few hours.

When I have the choice I'm siding with reading over playing recently.