First things first

Since I'm wishing I'd had the idea to begin this blog back in May, I'm going to start by listing the things I've been doing over the past few months.

Thirty-second list:
1. Applied to volunteer with rescued horses!
2. Still trying to finally get my driver's license! Trying so hard!
3. Job applications!
4. Practicing French! Reading really long books very slowly! Taking a history course!
5. Still recovering from a vocal injury. But I'm not giving up!

Full version of the list:

I have:
-Applied to volunteer. This took much longer than expected. I've now decided to work with Gentle Giant Draft Horse Rescue and I'm very excited about it.

Look how sweet they are! How could I resist? 

I only recently came to realize how passionate I am about working with animals, so this is perfect. I hope to start volunteering with a therapeutic riding association soon as well. I am considering trying to become a therapeutic riding instructor eventually. That would be one example of a perfect job, in my opinion!

-After so much time away at school, I've re-learned to drive- and re-acclimated to the traffic at home! When one lives in the DC metropolitan area, this is not something that happens easily. I am proud to say I can now drive on the Beltway, which is a feat of coordination and sheer nerve that most people can't even comprehend. If I wanted, I suppose I could always go and live in another county or state with less scary traffic and roads, like a sensible person. But I'm strangely addicted to living here.
Then again, maybe it's not strange at all. After all, we have this:

and this:

and this:

and this:

 and this:

 

Not to mention these!:

(Photo credit: USA today.)

I rest my case. 

What was I saying? Oh, yeah...

-I scheduled a driving test. I can't help but feel that people must be wondering why I don't have my license at the age of twenty-two. I would be wondering that, too, if the circumstances were reversed. The answer involves a combination of a severe illness and death in the family and having a disabled sibling who requires round-the-clock care and supervision, among other factors. Fitting driving practice in around all those kinds of life challenges isn't easy. In addition, the first time I set up a test appointment, someone in my family got sick and had to be rushed to the hospital. The second time, the DMV lost my appointment reservation. C'est la vie, I guess. Maybe the third time will be the charm.

-I've filled out many job applications, which, since most positions prefer applicants with driver's licenses, I will be waiting to submit until I pass the above test. Another advantage of living here is the exciting work opportunities available. There are so many chances  to do dynamic, fulfilling work. I'm feeling very happy about the possibilities.

More minor things:
-I continue to work on my French. When you're not using a language in the natural course of going about your day, you have to be very intentional about maintaining it. It requires constant upkeep.
-I'm working my way through a history course I checked out of the library.
-I set a goal of reading twenty-eight books this year (up from my total of twenty-seven last year), including War and Peace, which I've been slowly but surely making my way through, and those of Shakespeare's plays that I never got to in middle or high school. As a venture into audiobooks, I also bought a recording of the Divine Comedy, which has been fun. I may not finish the Shakespeare or the Tolstoy by the end of the year like I'd hoped to, but I'm making reasonable progress.
-Organizing. Not surprisingly, after moving back and forth between here and Pennsylvania (and England and France!) something like thirty times over the past four years, my belongings are in a jumble. As of last month, I can finally see my desk again! This has turned out to be the gift that keeps on giving- having a clear workspace led to another happy event:
-A few days ago, I made the best decision I've made this year. I decided to stop stewing about whether or not to try to publish one of the novels I've been slaving away at for as long as I can remember. I posted the first few chapters of my manuscript "The Mystery of the Scarlet Society" online. I already know I made the right choice. I'm so happy to have my work out there in the world for people to see. And people like it! Crazy!
-I'm working on becoming an optimist. It's going incredibly well, and I'm really happy. Several people have remarked on the change. I've even had people ask me for tips on becoming optimistic, which is very exciting.

Goals I haven't accomplished:
-I'm still trying to recover from the vocal injury I mentioned in my first post. I've started speech therapy, but I still can't sing consistently. My vocal range has expanded and contracted by as much as an entire octave over the space of a single day. There is no medical logic to this.
-I wanted to start ballet classes. I haven't yet.