Finding Balance

I haven't been blogging much this summer, partly due to the ease of updating my Twitter page and partly a result of not having much worth blogging about. How much more can I say about apartment hunting? It's boring, it sucks & no, I still haven't found anything. I'd like to find something that ticks off at least 1 or 2 of the following:

- cheaper
- in a better area
- with more space
- with more sunlight

Every place I've looked at that has a pro (cheaper, for example) also has major cons (bad area, far away from the water, fugly). I continue to work Craigslist and continue to be spammed by Christian missionaries working in Africa who are happy to let me rent their 2 bedroom penthouse for only $1200/month as long as I courier my deposit to them directly. In Africa. Then they'll promptly send me the keys. Woohoo!

The other major time suck lately has been a much more positive one - making art. I started a painting class at the end of June and I've been really enjoying it. I have homework each week, plus I like to paint for myself too, so my kitchen table is usually covered with painting stuff as are my hands and elbows. Somehow I always manage to lean into my palette with my elbow!

I realize there are plenty of folks who follow my blog to see what I'm up to, more as friends than fans of my naked booty. There's a lot of crossover in those categories too since fans of my naked booty often want to see the whole picture of my life. After many years online, I have to say that it feels really good to have a new passion that is entirely unsexy, unrelated to the net. I'm enjoying keeping a part of myself *all* to myself instead of oversharing and considering every interest a potential marketing angle for my site. I like being able to step away from my computer and fully immerse myself in something else without any of the nagging I should really be doing _______.

Of course the tasks I should be getting done are piling up, but for the first time I don't feel stressed or overwhelmed by any of it. I'm looking forward to doing new shoots and videos instead of berating myself for not updating as often as I'd like to. Taking a break where I let my mind be totally consumed with something else feels restorative in a way that no holiday ever has for me. Even in the most beautiful of locales, I end up kicking myself for not being able to get a shoot in or not taking advantage of a great hotel room.

This probably sounds incredibly obvious to some of you; balance between work and non-work activities is a no brainer to most people. For people who share so much of their lives online that separation is a lot blurrier. I'm glad I found my way.