I usually work a half day on Fridays, so I will hit the treadmill for the first time in a long time after work. There are a lot of things that I want to do, things that I haven't done probably since high school. I was a regular jogger up until the end of my Freshman year of college, and I'd at least like to be able to take my bike around town once I get my legs under me. I've been toying with the idea of joining an adult softball team for awhile, and that might happen this summer if I don't convince myself to get into roller hockey instead. I want to do one of these things, but since I already know how to play softball I'll probably forgo learning hockey til I'm in much better shape.

I went bowling twice last weekend, and started throwing a hook. I have to go and pick out my new ball and get it drilled. It's been on my list for months now but the place I have to pick it up from is way up the island. I bowled a 184 the first day throwing a hook, and 199 two days later. Something tells me I should probably be in a league. One of my meetup groups has some game nights coming up, and another does bowling trips pretty often. It's not exactly painting the town, but at least it's something to do until I meet more people. One of the hardest things about living out here is meeting anyone my age that I have something in common with. You would not believe how few people even live here in the winter, and the summer crowd is just not me. I have to do everything by the cycle of the seasons. There is practically nothing available to rent in the middle of winter, for example, and you have to pick either the spring or fall to find anything decent.

My Godspeed concert is coming up in about two weeks, so I get to see the Daves and hang out in the city, not to mention seeing a band that has been broken up for like the past decade. I still haven't had a chance to listen to the new Radiohead album, mostly because I can't seem to find five minutes to sit down and relax.

I started cleaning out my car a few days ago. I really want to get a new one, because it's getting to the point where I don't necessarily trust it to make long trips anymore. The summer is the slow part of one job's schedule and the busiest of the others, but I hope that I can get away and do some kind of trip like the one I just took to Frisco. New scenery always inspires new artistic ideas in me, and the southwest is a place I could visit a hundred times and still not have seen everything I want to.

Part of the reason this blog gets very little attention is that I have a notebook I use. I did a little project and created a pocket in the back of a nice spiral notebook to hold small sheets of drawing paper, and I pasted in a lot of sketches, both older and more recent, so that I have a kind of art/life journal all in one. I've done a lot of sketching, which always fills me with new ideas, and it's great for when I can't carry my larger Moleskine book around. That's my favorite thing to draw in, but being that it's 18x24 it's not really practical to take everywhere.

I'm getting more involved in the office side of Jim's shop, and starting to learn about his business aside from just him personally (which is a task in itself with his OCD). If I were to describe our relationship here nobody would believe it, so I won't even try. Suffice to say it's like having a best friend and a boss all in one. I've got to say that I've never been happier living on Long Island or less worried about my financial future. The only problem is, as I said, finding people my age that I can relate to. I'm sure it will come in time, as I get more involved in the art community here.

Fridays are always a bit up in the air in terms of scheduling, but I figure to get an early start and maybe get some exercise in before work even starts. I'm not a morning person, usually, but that's when I have most of my energy as long as I've gotten a good night's sleep. I am sleeping better and better, partly because of melatonin. The 5-HTP I take is essentially an SSRI according to my therapist. Depression and anxiety are linked, and I feel more calm and in control lately. I've taken them for 9 months now, but even so I notice more improvement as time goes by. I feel more comfortable with myself and my life, and the direction I'm headed in. That's not to say there are no bad days, but I convinced myself there were a lot of things I didn't like to do, and it's only recently that I've started to realize how many things I used to enjoy doing with my free time that I just stopped having the energy or motivation for. That's why I'm so looking forward to the summer. Jim and I have big plans, and I'm setting a lot of personal milestones and making bigger ones that I expect to reach over the next several months.