#58: Current thoughts

My apologies for how all over the place this post is but I needed a venue to talk about things.  I'll make headers so you don't have to read everything or you can pick and choose the topics.  :)

Also I now realize this is very similar to my post in December about making a difference.  I just have too many ideas and want to do too much.

SCHOOL/SAVING THE WORLD
I am starting a Master of Public Health program in the fall here at St. Kate's.  It is the first semester of the new MPH with a global focus which means I'll get to study abroad eventually!  People keep asking me what I want to do with my MPH and I keep saying I have no idea. 

I'm interested in child birth education both in the US and globally- working with pregnant moms to let them know what their options are when it comes to giving birth. 

I'm interested in helping the elderly and others figure out what health insurance options are best for them. 

I'm interested in working with companies like Feed My Starving Children eradicate hunger around the world and No Kid Hungry helping children here in the states. 

I'm interested in community outreach and providing safe, supportive environments for older adults, single parents, and at-risk children and teens.

I WANT TO DO TOO MANY THINGS.

Then we started talking about the possibility of a healthcare informatics masters and doctorate degree sometime in the future.  After doing some research, I decided that when I finish my MPH I want to get my PhD in Informatics.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?  I barely know if I'm going to make it through this summer let alone through 3 years of a master's program and beyond.

LIFE GOALS
I also wrote up a page of "life goals" over the next 10 years.  For each year, I have written down a goal to accomplish in said year including lose weight (2016), Harry Potter World, get out of debt and own a home.  I'm hoping the goals are simple enough (almost half are vacations, TBH) that I'll be able to accomplish them.  Then by the time I'm planning our 20-year high school reunion I'll have more to talk about/be proud of!

WORK
I'm back down to just working 2 jobs- St. Kate's and Richfield Liquor.  However, I am highly involved in projects at church (including a monthly drop-in day for seniors in our community) and I just started writing articles for The Odyssey Online as part of a group of St. Kate's students.  It is like writing blogs but less about me and more about my interests and what I think might help the world (plus, eventually, a post about cats and pizza AKA my two favorite things). 

DATING
I am actively on 3 dating websites right now.  Here's a run down of my experiences over the past several years of online dating:

• Christian Mingle is full of sketchy weirdos.  
• eHarmony isn't much better.  
• Match allows you to browse through every single person on the site so it is just overwhelming.  
• Tinder gets old after a while and is having a hard time transitioning from being a "hookup" site.
• Clover isn't that popular in the Twin Cities so the options were few and far between.  
• Coffee Meets Bagel is okay but seems kind of blah (hard to explain).  
• Bumble so far is the best I've experienced- it is similar to Tinder but apparently Bumble is where all the cute guys in the Cities are hiding plus I have to make the first move in the conversation within 24 hours of matching.  It is a little bit of pressure but it is nice to know you won't get stupid unwanted messages from bros (unless you initiate a conversation and the guy turns out to be a bro).  

I'm just sick of putting out the effort to talk to a guy then lose interest quickly.  I need to get better about meeting up in person sooner rather than later so not to lose momentum but I'm too busy with activities, work and trying to have "me" time.  I just want to be in the relationship part of a relationship- I don't like this beginning crap of finding time to see someone and everything being awkward.

Can't I just hang out with my cats?

Ugh.

FITNESS
The good news is that I have realized recently how much working out has positively effected my life.  I had to take two weeks off of training with my student trainer due to my tattoo and in those two weeks, I was exhausted and couldn't drag my ass out of bed which is the problem I had before I started working with my trainer on a regular basis.  It was a struggle to get up and moving this morning (especially with the rain) but I'm so glad I did.  Of course, I only have 1 more session with her because the semester is over.  :(  But we are doing my fit test tomorrow to see what improvements I've made.  I know my body fat percentage is down a bit and my muscle mass is up based on weighing-in with Jacki (my Herbalife coach, spirit animal and friend).  I don't know that I've lost too much weight but I know I'm stronger.  My big goal now (in addition to losing weight which is what Herbalife is helping me do) is to get fit enough to do Peak 10 again this fall.  I miss those people and that gym and that workout, surprisingly.  I just need to be able to do it without dying...