Squirrel's Smiley, Smart and Solvent Diary

redsquirrel80

You're right Beanie

redsquirrel80

Ooh and Karma, you sneaked in there, you're right too!

There's a few 'networking' opportunities through second job, although finding time for them in the near future isn't going to be easy, will have to see what I can do (I still don't fancy speaking in front of a conference though!)

redsquirrel80

Well.. the expected landlady "will you be renewing" email has arrived...

Karmacat

Just echoing your mum, I think .... "do you still have that flat?" :rotfl:

sallyx

flat what flat....lol

redsquirrel80

Hmmph just wrote a massive post then the forum had a tantrum - I think it's going to be one of those days! Not in the mood for work and seem to be working at cross-purposes to everyone else, honestly I feel like I'm speaking a different language.

Anyway, flat thing - will talk about that this week.

Copying and pasting from daily chat where Sammy has set us a challenge to decide our ultimate dreams and goals in life and set deadlines for them.

Here it is..

I am living a happy life with Mr S and one or two healthy happy kids (and the cat), in a nice house with a big garden, growing lots of fruit and veg. We have a few amazing holidays abroad every year - well, the house will I think have to be after I'm debt free, not sure exactly when I will have a clean enough credit record for mortgages etc. The kids, erm, probably a couple of years - I will say end of 2012/ early 2013 for this.

I have no debt - end of 2012

I work on a few different projects which I love and which pay enough for a comfortable life - I work partly from home and partly in an office with friendly colleagues - this is dependent on debt-free-ness and training and I suppose the life/ relationship/ kids situation. I'd like to say by 2015.

I have a PhD in Philosophy and some of my work includes writing about and teaching Philosophy - well, I had a plan to finish my degree by distance learning, and just looked to check how long the course takes - and the University I was looking at has merged with another one and the course seems to have disappeared! However, there is a different option which looks interesting.. anyway, to get to PhD stage, urgh, probably about 2020! (I'll be 40 :eek:)

I speak two or three languages well and some of my work involves translating - probably 2020 for this too.

I have some writing published - actually, for this one, I already have done, but just a few bits of poetry. Probably 2020 here also.

I can confidently speak to an audience of people about things I am passionate about - by the middle of next year.

I am fit and healthy, I run, swim and go hillwalking regularly - this is an ongoing process but I'd like to feel fit and healthy and be at my happy weight by the end of this year.

I sing and play music as a hobby. I have a nice singing voice, I play the flute again, and we have a gorgeous grand piano in the house - OK, I could take singing lessons (although whether they can work miracles I don't know!), I could quite easily pick up my flute again, the piano will have to wait for the big house! Lets say 2015 for all this lot.

I am happy, confident and content - ?????!!!!
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The most important thing for right now in that lot is the change in the Philosophy course - essentially the University has merged with another one and the distance learning BA seems to have vanished. However, there is an MA which I think looks manageable from where I am now - http://www.trinitysaintdavid.ac.uk/en/courses/postgraduatecourses/maphilosophicalstudies/ or http://www.trinitysaintdavid.ac.uk/en/courses/postgraduatecourses/maeuropeanphilosophy/- not a great deal fo information on the website re fees, dates etc though. I might have to do a bit more looking around. It's interesting they mention you can do it full time, not sure how that works with distance learning.

Anyway I am off to bang my head against a wall or hide in a cupboard or something...

Karmacat

How interesting! There's a lot of long distance planning going on amongst the people who've got their debt under control and been on this journey a while. Definitely a change of pace going on, and you're feeling it too, squizz. Can't comment on the philosophy, but as for the writing - for you, also, a focussed blog on philosophy and the study of it might be a good start. Which reminds me, while I'm going to get another coffee, to go back to my own blog today. Of such stuff is life made - we're at the starting blocks on a big new chapter!

redsquirrel80

Funnily enough I was thinking about blogs earlier - and how to do one that is different from what's already out there. I think yours is Karma, you've got a quite specific angle to come at the green stuff from, i.e. moving house.

I've done quite a lot of writing on the training/ learning/ mentoring process for my second job (and I've now signed up to the free course :j) so something might come out of that along with the Philosophy things... much thinking going on.

redsquirrel80

I think I'm a bit 'thinked out'!

Really puzzled over the best thing to do re Philosophy course - and I don't know who to ask, quite frustrated by the whole thing at the moment! Might have to harrass the person I emailed before with more questions!

Still got to talk to Mr S about house stuff.. we had a long conversation last night about other things so was a bit talked out (as well as thinked out!)

Life is going in the right direction so I don't know why I feel so frustrated by everything - guess it's just not going quite as fast as I'd like.

redsquirrel80

OK, I sent emails.. and basically I have to wait a few weeks while their courses are undergoing validation to find out exactly what is on offer.. so patience is needed I start my short course next week anyway :j