I'm starting to notice a trend. I tend to buy more in the fall.
Is this some modern throwback to when we actually did have to stock stuff up to last through the winter? Is there some instinctive compulsion to buy stuff when the leaves start to change?
My compulsion isn't to stock up on food, however, as such a theory might suggest. I just buy all the other stuff I've wanted for too long: a new phone, a new computer, clothes, a new car (I hope I hope I hope).
What is it about fall that makes me want to shop? (And why do I loathe shopping the rest of the year?) Is there an internal resistance the rest of the year that somehow weakens once school goes back?
Or is it indeed the information age pre-hibernation instinct: get all the good stuff in house so you don't have to go out once the winter arrives?
Showing posts with label back to school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label back to school. Show all posts
Friday, October 19, 2012
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Time for a break... or a career change. Maybe both.
After saying for a number of weeks now that I was going to work less and/or take a day off and then subsequently being offered even MORE work and taking it, ruining all hopes for time off, I have finally arranged that tomorrow I will have the day off. Not that this means I can sleep in or anything; in fact, if anything, I need to get up even earlier. The Little Ninja still needs to go to daycare (or it's not much of a day off, is it?) and on Monday I got a talking to. See, apparently - contrary to their own website - children need to be dropped off by 9:00 a.m. I had - unknowingly - been dropping off The Little Ninja too late. I did point out, possibly snarkily, that they might want to change the website, then, and wrote down the offending url for them, possibly to help them and probably just to show them I was right.
Anyway, I've been run off my feet recently and since this weekend is already fully booked - helmet fitting on Saturday and writing review session on Sunday (I finally submitted something for review! GAAA!) I have given myself tomorrow. Relaxing, however, is out of the question. At least, do-nothing relaxing. I have so much stuff to do (but stuff I WANT to do, so it's ok) that I'll probably be just as busy as normal but without that dragging desire to procrastinate. I love my job, can't you tell?
In fact, I love it so much I've recently been looking into distance education programmes to qualify me for something different. And I might have found something! Maybe. It's a bachelor's programme in Environmental Science through the Open University here. It's in Dutch, which is a bit of a drawback, but since it's a science programme it shouldn't be too heavy on essays, although I'd probably be okay even then. It's just not English, which is just always easier. However, being local, it also costs like a gajillion times less than similar programmes abroad, although those do have the advantage of being in English.
Anyway, since I already have a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering (which is literally and figuratively hidden away somewhere collecting dust), I can apply to have that degree evaluated in order to get credit towards this new degree, which according to their website would waive almost half of the required courses. So instead of a six year (part-time) degree, it'd be a measly three years (!). With the option to stream into the master's programme after. I don't know if I really want to commit to all that just yet though. So I was thinking of maybe just signing up for the first course - an intro to both the programme and the university/way of studying - Earth, Man and the Environment.
The thing holding me back from just registering right this instant is the other course that I ordered and haven't really looked at. I think I've read up to maybe lesson 4, maybe not even, and stopped there. And that one's in English, even. But that's a whole other thing. It's an experiential course on Druidry. Which is really cool, but it just doesn't seem to fit into my life right now. Especially when I want to do the exercises alone, in peace and quiet, outside, but I live in the netherworld where it rains constantly and where approximately 641 kids live on our street/backing onto our yard. So anyway, I'm concerned that the neglect of the Druidry course will infect the environmental science course and I'll have paid even more money for another course I'll never finish. (I also may or may not have registered for an Anthropology course via Athabasca University a few years ago, only to drop it later, without ever completing any of the assignments.) I think my concerns are well grounded, but the difference, the make-or-break difference, is motivation. Do I have enough to get me through this course? Until I come up with a solid answer to that, I'm holding off on signing up.
Anyway, I've been run off my feet recently and since this weekend is already fully booked - helmet fitting on Saturday and writing review session on Sunday (I finally submitted something for review! GAAA!) I have given myself tomorrow. Relaxing, however, is out of the question. At least, do-nothing relaxing. I have so much stuff to do (but stuff I WANT to do, so it's ok) that I'll probably be just as busy as normal but without that dragging desire to procrastinate. I love my job, can't you tell?
In fact, I love it so much I've recently been looking into distance education programmes to qualify me for something different. And I might have found something! Maybe. It's a bachelor's programme in Environmental Science through the Open University here. It's in Dutch, which is a bit of a drawback, but since it's a science programme it shouldn't be too heavy on essays, although I'd probably be okay even then. It's just not English, which is just always easier. However, being local, it also costs like a gajillion times less than similar programmes abroad, although those do have the advantage of being in English.
Anyway, since I already have a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering (which is literally and figuratively hidden away somewhere collecting dust), I can apply to have that degree evaluated in order to get credit towards this new degree, which according to their website would waive almost half of the required courses. So instead of a six year (part-time) degree, it'd be a measly three years (!). With the option to stream into the master's programme after. I don't know if I really want to commit to all that just yet though. So I was thinking of maybe just signing up for the first course - an intro to both the programme and the university/way of studying - Earth, Man and the Environment.
The thing holding me back from just registering right this instant is the other course that I ordered and haven't really looked at. I think I've read up to maybe lesson 4, maybe not even, and stopped there. And that one's in English, even. But that's a whole other thing. It's an experiential course on Druidry. Which is really cool, but it just doesn't seem to fit into my life right now. Especially when I want to do the exercises alone, in peace and quiet, outside, but I live in the netherworld where it rains constantly and where approximately 641 kids live on our street/backing onto our yard. So anyway, I'm concerned that the neglect of the Druidry course will infect the environmental science course and I'll have paid even more money for another course I'll never finish. (I also may or may not have registered for an Anthropology course via Athabasca University a few years ago, only to drop it later, without ever completing any of the assignments.) I think my concerns are well grounded, but the difference, the make-or-break difference, is motivation. Do I have enough to get me through this course? Until I come up with a solid answer to that, I'm holding off on signing up.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Summer! And peace and quiet!
Today summer arrived in the Netherlands!
Better late than never, right? Well, for me, anyway. Finally ahot warm, sunny day.
For the neighbourhood kids, though, summer's over; today was the first day back to school. Suckers.
With the Little Ninja just in his first year of daycare, the start of the school year wasn't terribly dramatic or meaningful in our house. No one here's going to school, so we can enjoy the summer whatever time of year it happens. In fact, it's even better when the kids are in school: it's finally nice and quiet outside!
Better late than never, right? Well, for me, anyway. Finally a
For the neighbourhood kids, though, summer's over; today was the first day back to school. Suckers.
With the Little Ninja just in his first year of daycare, the start of the school year wasn't terribly dramatic or meaningful in our house. No one here's going to school, so we can enjoy the summer whatever time of year it happens. In fact, it's even better when the kids are in school: it's finally nice and quiet outside!
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