Impulse control

I have managed to cut down on the neverending snacking in the office, once the Halloween candy in the office got finished.

I still haven't found out about yoga. Will put that on my list for this week. Actually, that is my homework for my therapist, whom I began seeing last week. She is very nice, and I'm excited about going. She does cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness stuff (Buddhist-style meditation techniques?), to which I was introduced by a yoga class at OSU. She's making me find out about taking a yoga class, because that is necessary stress-reduction that I haven't been able to force myself to do more than once a week. Perhaps if I'm paying enough for both therapy and yoga, I'll be coerced into practicing daily again. But really, I'm excited about the cognitive-behavioral therapy, because it should help what I will simply refer to here as "impulse-control disorder." People always get a kick out of that name. How many people do you think have this "disorder"? If you count the impulse to lie in bed in the morning a lot longer than you're supposed to, then probably a lot. But that's not my only impulse-control problem; I just tend to do whatever I feel like in general, which isn't always conducive to getting work done, as was the case with my master's thesis at OSU, or to achieving any other goal with rational underpinnings or which requires delay of gratification.

Speaking of impulses, I went shopping on Saturday. I used to hate the whole skinny-jeans-tucked-into-boots look, and I still think I look a little freakish in that outfit, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. If you don't agree with me, just think how nice it would be to walk around on a rainy or snowy day without your pants getting sopping wet up to the shins. And shopping for fashionable clothing soothes me. I remember as a very young child that I was very prissy and into clothes and looking pretty, and for several years after that I rebelled against my girly tendencies, quite embarrassed by the vacuousness and vanity of it all. I have since learned to accept my vacuous and vain nature.

I'm at work and have finished my homework for class today, but that doesn't mean I haven't got work to do. I still have a paper to write and readings and homework due over the next couple of days, but there's only so much a person can take, I tell you! I could be sitting here typing or reading away instead of writing a blog entry or playing spider solitaire (which I finally learned from my friend Rocio how to play in Mexico), but who wants to do work when you could just while away time in the office doing nothing?

Last week I went to an art opening to benefit P.S.1, which is part of the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, for the philistines out there). It was held at the Tunnel, which used to be a nightclub back in the day (those who are Sex & the City buffs will know it as the club where Carrie met the guy who got her pregnant ages ago). Students got a 50% discount on admission, meaning $25. So, I thought it was a party, being at the Tunnel and so expensive and all. But no, it was just an art opening. After the initial disappointment (of having paid $25 for something that is usually free) wore off, I began to enjoy looking at the amazing prints. There were some very beautiful and fun things on exhibit, none of which I ever see myself being able to afford, but I appreciated them nevertheless. My roommate said I was probably supporting some good artists with my donation, and prints, I hear, aren't where the big money's at, which makes me feel better. And being able to practice Spanish with a print guy from Barcelona made it sort of worthwhile, seeing as I hardly ever speak Spanish with native speakers anymore.

I'm going to Columbus this coming weekend, just for a short while. One of my professors here is speaking at an OSU conference, for a workshop on bilingualism and literacy education. As I have boxes still sitting in Columbus to bring here, and because I miss Ohio oh so desperately (or rather my few friends there), I shall be leaving late Friday night and coming back Sunday afternoon. I guess I just can't give it up so easily. Check out jetblue, by the way. It doesn't fly a whole lot of places, but it does cheap non-stops from New York to some crazy places, like Tucson. Who ever heard of that?