The Age of Jack Bauer

I have never seen even one iota of an episode of 24. I did however, recently turn 24, so I feel rather qualified to comment on the subject. I think 24 is a more appropriate age for me than 23 and I have a few goals / hopes / dreams / prospects (henceforth to be referred to as "G0HoDrePro's") for the year:

1.) Post on this blog more often.

2.) Convert this blog into a complete website with a much cooler template and an updated photo gallery.

3.) Figure out what the proverbial "next step" in life is and make sincere efforts toward it.

4.) Stop agonizing over GoHoDrePro #3 so much and just take a step already.

5.) Read more fiction books. I don't do that enough and I'm starting to think I'm missing out on some great stuff. (Any suggestions?)

6.) Increase my vocabulary.

7.) Take the GRE.

8.) Stop agonizing over GoHoDrePro #7 so much and just take the GRE already.

9.) Spend a lot of time outdoors.

10.) Go kayaking at least once this summer.

11.) Play my guitar more often.

12.) Go to more concerts.

13.) Exercise consistently so my knees work properly again.

14.) Stop being so old. I'm only 24, for the love.

Times and Changes

A brief update on changes and new beginnings of the past year:

After our wedding in June, Jesse and I spent the summer relaxing, working, and attempting to figure out the future. I entered my last semester of undergrad at BGSU this fall and finished my degree in English in December, at which point I crawled into bed for about two months and only woke up to watch Rachel Ray and The View. I had initially planned to spend my post-collegiate months doing home repairs at my parents house in Toledo until said repairs were abandoned by their sudden decision to move. I signed up for a pottery class at the Toledo Museum of Art and threw pots for two months. It was fabulous.

In February, I was hired as an SEO copywriter for the e-commerce department at a local marketing company that sells custom printed products. As the only writer at the company, I write anything from product descriptions to executive bios and company historical profiles. My primary responsibility is filling all of our websites with well-indexing keywords which I derive from keyword researching and website analytics. It sounds lame, but I enjoy it...and "would you like custom printed tags with that?" is definitely a step up from the "do you want fries with that?" that I had anticipated after receiving a BA in English.

In other news, after a month of refinishing hardwood floors, painting, and cleaning, Jesse and I moved into a three bedroom rental house. Jesse was working as a property manager for student housing in the campus area of BG. We're happy to be "across the tracks" and into more of the residential part of town. (There is actually a literal "tracks" that divides the town between campus and residential. It's been tearing up our car actually...) We're enjoying the space, and welcoming new additions to the family...

...Not what you're thinking. We just rescued two bunnies! Their names are Ron and Padfoot (if you follow Harry Potter, you'll appreciate those names). Photos will be coming, as soon as I unpack the USB connector to our external hard drive. Jesse is currently looking for a new job doing something more life-giving than managing college rentals.

I think that just about wraps up the whirlwind tour of the past year...which is nice because it feels somewhat awkward to publish an autobiographical recap on the internet. Plan to check back for (hopefully less self-involved) updates semi-regularly.