Number of new words written today: Like 30, counting this blog post.

Number of FedEx shipments made today: 53 billion. Divided by 53. Or maybe a billion.

IT WAS A LOT OF FEDEX SHIPMENTS, OKAY?

My apologies for not posting the Friday foto on time. After rowing 12 miles (and leading team-building exercises after lunch) and then coming home to puppy poop on the carpet (we think he has an intestinal bug… the vet appointment later today should tell us more) I showered, ate, and then passed out around 7:30 pm and didn’t wake up until this morning. At which point I realized my ENTIRE body was sore, especially my neck, shoulders, back, and butt bones.

In honor of the new month, I created a new masthead, just like I do… every month. :P

I also decided to archive all the previous mastheads, because I like them, and who knows, maybe someone else will too.

This month’s tagline (“let the poverty begin”) is in honor of my new part-time schedule, which starts in two weeks and means I’ll be earning 40% of my current salary (hence POVERTY) but writing a lot, lot more (read: MORE POVERTY). I’m really excited, but scared sh*tless at the same time.

On a related note, I’m sending my short story The Eraser out to a contest today. Wish me luck?

And in a complete change of direction, tonight I couldn’t be happier. After a long, productive day at work — during which we also had a jewelry sale, whaaaat? — I left early to meet up with friends and strangers alike. Together we planned fun/educational/inspirational community events, and then we went to the Black Finn to unwind and eat great food! Now I’m chilling in bed with my little Choo Choo Train (because he CHEWS, get it?!) and realizing that hey, life doesn’t get much better than this.

(No matter what you look like.)

Yesterday’s decor8 featured a great post titled “Career Advice for Creatives”, which is intended for designers but really applies to anyone in any field:

I decided that the comfort of income wasn’t as important as the comfort of a joyful, happy spirit. I wanted to regain joy and the steady income wasn’t doing it so my answer was quite clear. Sacrifice the pay and pursue a career doing what I felt passionate about.

There are so many people who panic when faced with the thought of “not enough money,” myself included, but in reality, pursuing one’s dreams (and making the necessary sacrifices to do so) isn’t a luxury or a fantasy. It’s a mentality. Change your definition of “enough,” and you could change your whole world.

Also, I truly believe that even if we can’t all have our dream jobs, we can find work that we don’t hate or dread while we pursue our other passions. It’s a matter of working to live or living to work. For a lucky few, the two are the same. For the rest, the choice should be clear.