Change is in the Air

November is apparently going to be a month of change for me, in big and small ways.  Some changes have fallen into my lap, and others have been a conscious personal choice.  Altogether, I think they are positive!

The first piece of wonderful news I received was that my father bought a new 2010 Toyota Prius, and he decided to gift his 2005 Prius to me!  So, sometime later this month I'll be going down to Virginia to pick it up and drive it back to Bridgewater.  I'm so excited for a couple reasons: a) it's always nice to have a newer car, and b) the Prius obviously gets great gas mileage.  My 1998 Nissan Altima is really starting to show its age.  It has nearly 114,000 miles on it, and it has its bumps and bruises.  That car has treated me so well since I got it from my parents in 2003.  I got the Altima when I received my graduate degree in Ohio, and the car took me to Idaho where I worked for three years, and then across the country again to Massachusetts where I've been working the last five years.  I'm spoiled when it comes to getting free cars, but I greatly appreciate it!  So I don't think I'm a brat. ;-)

My '98 Altima, in the Canadian Rockies (2005?)



I don't have an actual photo yet, but this is what the '05 Prius looks like!

In other news, my cell phone has been acting up over the last few weeks.  The display has been demonstrating a kaleidoscopic show of red and blue colors intermixed with what it's supposed to be.  Then this morning, I woke up and discovered the display was upside-down and in reverse.  The only way to read the phone display was by putting it upside-down and in front of a mirror.  So... that forced me to get a new phone this afternoon.  I went to the local Sprint store and decided to go with the Samsung Restore.  It's advertised as an eco-friendly phone - it's made of about 27% recycled material, and when I decide to recycle it and get a new phone, 77% of the phone is recyclable.  Considering I chair the sustainability committee in my office, I guess the combination of the Prius and the Restore is a good image for me. :)  I upgraded my service plan to the Everything Data 450 which means I'll now get internet, e-mail, facebook, and all that jazz on my phone.  The Restore isn't as snazzy as the Blackberry, iPhone, or Droid, but it's like my "gateway drug" to those savvy phones.  So far, it seems to do almost everything the smartphones do.  I am already getting addicted to being "connected" 24/7, I fear.



My Rumor2 demon cat display!



Samsung Restore random stock photo :-)

Upgrading my phone plan will reduce my budget by about $20 a month, though with my 15% USAA discount, it's not really that painful.  Plus I just cancelled my gym membership at Planet Fitness today.  I don't really use the gym anymore.  I get a good cardio workout from all my walking, and I'm thinking I'll invest in a few inexpensive free weights (or maybe get them for Christmas!).

Finally, I went to the NEACRAO (New England Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers) conference yesterday in Newport, RI.  I was equally excited and nervous about attending, since I'm strongly considering pursuing a position in a registrar's office in the not-too-distant future.  I felt relatively comfortable at the conference, though.  Some wonderful people who made me feel very welcome.  At the "first-timers" breakfast, when all introduced themselves and their positions, I announced myself as a Resident Director but quickly followed that up by saying "But I'm not lost!"  The sessions I attended and the people I met reinforced my hopes to transition to this career area.  Don't get me wrong - there are several areas of Residence Life I still greatly enjoy (particularly my staff that I supervise) - but being an RD is not a lifetime career.  NEACRAO was, I hope, the start of a greater life change.