How do we fill our time?

[marypoppins76]

Okay, so I procrastinate - a lot - but other than that (and in fact because of that), I wondered how we all fill our days?

I'm a writer. At least I pretend to be...

MP

[ChiefAtHeart]

I'm a Communications Specialist. I do graphic design and layout and a little bit of writing. It's a fun job....MOST of the time 8)

[xiknal]

Scooping litter boxes, cleaning up kitty barf :barf and worse!
Taking cats to the vet.
Hanging out with cats!
Feeding them and changing their water.
Mediating feline disputes...

(anyone with multiple cats will understand)

I rescue cats from a local kill shelter and rehome them. I have a number of my own keeper-cats, too.

What else...driving to the Austin municipal airport (AUS) and teaching beginners to fly. I have trained some 35 private pilots start-to-finish. I teach basic aerobatics also; even that is surprisingly normal, except when I get barfed on...

:barf <--these guys' positions should be reversed, as I sit in the right seat...

I love to use these ralph smilies twice in a post...

Gardening, pondering ancient Mayan grammar and writing about it.
Playing the guitar, singing, occasionally writing songs.

Did I mention scooping litterboxes?
Hanging out on my favorite FoF forum... :yippee


Barb

[Disney fan]

I am a RN and manage a 120 bedded hospital for mentally ill people. Very stressful job! and you folks are my relaxation!:wave

Lynda

[Passenger Mark]

In the insurance industry... For work :sigh

For fun, Camping, sking, hiking, fishing, fly around some in a little plane! and now travelling again! Love to see new places!

Also enjoy the gym... it is a great stress reliever!

[Chelle]

My background is in accounting. From 9-5 I'm a VP of Finance for a cross-border transport company. That pays the rent.

I'm a single mom to an active 6yr old... 'nuff said there :p

When the sun goes down and my daughter goes to bed I play webmaster. I've been doing web development (web design, programming, community management) in my 'spare time' since 1995. For 5 of those 10 years I worked for a large commercial website managing 120 forums and 90+ moderators (content writing, coding, programming, maintenance, etc, etc,) but gave that up to pursue my own ventures.

I run a non-commercial parenting support site with a focus on parenting after infertility, and international and domestic adoption. I also run a computer tech support site and am heavily involved in distributed computing. I'm a Trustee for a UK-based registered charity (stay tuned for my next flight - to Scotland!) dedicated to distributed computing for science-medical research; gene/protein 3-D modelling/design, protein folding and pharmaceutical compound screening. I also do some tech support for my fiance's hosting company.

Commercial web design, I pick up local jobs through word of mouth, but that's something I'd like to ease out of. Too time-consuming and not personally rewarding enough. My favorite web-work is the non-paying stuff :lol Once my fiance gets moved here he's going to do the webhosting fulltime and I will take over the books for that, and just do my 'hobby sites' and volunteer work.

I don't do 'idle' well, so I tend to keep my days full :p

[smokycmt]

Well, during the working hours of 7am-4pm I am a Government Relations Coordinator for a disability management company :yawn . It certainly isn't exciting but I get to work from home some days :pompoms

I also clean up cat barf and poo from the litter boxes. I am a mommy to 2 kitties and wife to my husband Anthony. Hoping to start having kids someday soon!!

Christine :happyguy

[MarleyBri]

I do patient recruitment for Clinical Trials! Its fun, most of the time. It has its ups and downnnnnnnnns!

I don't have cats but I have one very sweet dog! (Beagle/Bassett/Golden) Can you picture her?

I am also wedding planning - for my own wedding!!! (in the Spring)

Jana:kiss

[WillFlyToDisney2]

I spend my time either working from home (negotiating contracts, booking shows, arranging travel, etc...) or traveling on the road with the band (playing Mother Hen to them in person). :band :violin

I have 2 adorable little girls, 3 cats, 1 high-strung dog, 2 turtles, 2 frogs and elderly parents that also demand much of my time. :tiphat

In my SPARE time :rolling I surf my favorite websites like this one, the Disney boards, Shiloh boards and Brian McComas boards.

Kelley

[Jeff California]

I have four cats, but never clean litter--GET A LITTER-MAID!!!! Great machine!!

I spend alot of time watching speedvision as I love NASCAR. I am watchign the replay of the truck series right now!! 1 to go!! bodine wins!!!


Besides that, I admin a gaming server for fun.

I have two kids, 10 and 14. My wife is one of those crazy insurance people like Mark, but in a different field.. workers comp..

When they force me, I go to Home Depot and help people build things. Been there 6 months or so.. Before that, Mr. Mom for 4 years.:beep

I think I may quit Depot in a few months and finsh up my degree in Psychology/sociology at CSUB.. Not sure yet.. getting older by the second!!!!

Here is me in Hawaii last october, with a big bird that trolled the resort.lol.. That was the longest flight i've ever taken. I used :cheers to lessen the fear and I appreciate my wife for cutting out my abs of beer in this pic!
img50.exs.cx/my.php?loc=i...000000.jpg (http://img50.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img50&image=hawaii06500000000.jpg)



Jeff

[ChiefAtHeart]

We have such an interesting mix of people here. It's fun to read about everyone's work and hobbies. I mentioned work before but I didn't know we were doing hobbies too! I don't work all the time (thank goodness!) and my favorite way to spend my free time is doing Tae Kwon Do. I've been taking lessons for about 4 years now and also help teach the new students a thing or two. I have two adorable cats and no kids (not yet anyway).

[WillFlyToDisney2]

Jean,

GREAT use of smileys! And you sure are a busy lady.

My girls are 10 1/2 and 6. They are truly the lights of my life and make the traveling hard for me. :pompoms :p ompoms

I love my job (most of the time) - it is truly where I should be in life! The personal sacrifices have been difficult at times but we all make our choices in life and do the best we can with them. :flowers

Everyone has such BUSY BUSY lives! So glad we all take the time to come here and show each other support. :D

Kelley

[smokycmt]

JPenny - I feel left out....:lonely

You certainly have a busy schedule!! :tiphat

Christine

[YankssRule]

I sit at a desk all day at work and pretend that I am busy :yippee .
I'm a legal secretary, so occassionaly I work, but mostly I don't. The attorneys do most of the work themselves these days. The sad part is that they blocked all the "fun" sites from us, so I can't do anything interesting.

I'm a kick a$$ scrabble player. I play in games.com all the time..under YankssRule1 (I did have just YankssRule, but someone was kind enough to prevent me from using that name anymore). I also like to play "painted" yahtzee in the same website.

I, also have a cat, so I know the woes have cat"dum".. :rolleyes

At home, I do lots of projects, besides play on my PC. I crochet, counted cross stitch (needlepoint), I draw, watch TV, watch the Yankees (:pompoms ), play darts (I used to be on a league) :tada ...the list can go on and on..so I'll stop here.

Janet :neener

PS. I love all these emoticons !!! :booty

[beaugest]

We really are an interesting and talented bunch,are we not?:tiphat
I am a doctoral level therapist licensed to work with the mental health population and substance abuse population. I own two facilities. One works primarily with clients that come once or twice a week for a wide range of issues(depression,anxiety, eating disorders,drug abuse,etc). My other place is a partial care facility for severely mentally ill folks. they are with us 5 days a week 5 hours a day. Very intense. My staff are great,supportive folks.
I have an amazing husband and 4 great kids.:pray (who says I'm biased?). and of course, Alfalfa our Springer Spaniel,the cats and the fish...

[Chelle]

Wow, we are a diverse bunch. We have writers, mommies (including but not limited to those of the 4-legged variety), an RN, pilots, a PhD and a professional Scrabble player.... we’ve got the music, legal, insurance and mental health industries covered.. and we have the largest smiley collection on the internet.

How can we go wrong!?!? :rolling

[Passenger Mark]

Jean,

I bet we do have some things in common...

I do own a cat, or maybe the cat owns me!!! not too sure. Her name is Alawatt, and she commands and directs the German Shepherd... His name is Thor.

And Thor is actually a flying dog. Has flown in the 172, and on a airliner twice. Did not want to do it, but had to take him back to Tennessee on two occasions. Both times were on United through Denver. He did great, and United did great with him. The Captains even sent a message back to me when he was loaded. They loaded him last, and took him off first.

And... I love the South!

So see...

Mark

[ChiefAtHeart]

Hi Jean :wave

I use Pagemaker a lot and also use Photoshop. Lots of people are switching over to Quark nowadays but not me! :nono Nope, I like my Pagemaker just fine! :yippee

I wish I could work from home, but my company is not that progressive. Maybe someday :pray

Jen

[YankssRule]

Oh Yeah..my cats name is "Angel"..Angel is Devils Fir we call her..LOL. She is a fiesty 12 year old kitten !!!!!

Janet

[JPenny]

Mary Poppins, I also am a writer. What do you write? I do stuff for kids (fiction stories, curriculum).
:tiphat
Chief: I also do graphic design. What programs do you use? I'm using InDesign (used to use PageMaker) for the curriculum I'm doing. I've also done some book covers, CD covers, brochures, newsletters . . . anything for an extra buck.
:p
Barb--I don't fly, but I do have three cats. Actually, settling the disputes between kids is not much different from cats: separate, holler, implore . . . The kids do kitty litter and food--hurray!!!
:airplane
Lynda--I'm not a registered nurse, but I do some nursing around here. I can relate with dealing with mentally ill as well (have two hormonal teenage daughters). It floats around here--at any given hour different ones of us are "wacko."
:neener
Mark--I've decided that as far as life style goes, you and I have absolutely nothing in common! But I do know you seem like a really good guy.
:)
Chelle--blessings to you for being a mommy to your six-year-old. Tough job, but full of joy. Six is still small enough to cuddle--enjoy it cuz when seven comes they don't want to cuddle nearly as much.
:hug
Kelley-
In my opinion you have a totally COOL life. How old are your girls? We also share SC.
:hail :pompoms
In addition to being mom to my six, writing, and keeping hubby on the right track, I also homeschool the kids. So now you know how crazy I really am. I love my life, but I'm tired a lot.
:tada

Jean :wave

[canoga]

I'm a statistical programmer for a research hospital. What is that? Well, I pick up where Jana leaves off and I work on the databases and datasets that house clinical data. I help doctors on their research studies for presentation and publication. My area of research is Cardiology. DH works at same hospital as a statistician in the Radiology department.

We have been married for 10 years and have two amazing, incredible, intelligent, courageous, lovable, and beautiful daughters (ages 2 and 6) who were born in China. (See, I can brag without shame as I had nothing to do with their looks or brains!!!) My daughters are my heart and soul and I love them more each passing second. They are my heroes.

In my spare time I like to play with my girls, read, swim, travel, do 'handy man' sorts of projects, talk politics with the hubby, shop and try out different ethnic restaurants. I also enjoy yard work and just being outside. And, I support ASPCA and the Humane Society as much as each paycheck allows.

Beth

[marypoppins76]

Blimey... So many replies so quickly! And we really do have the bases covered. I want to talk to you all now about different things...:wired

Firstly, Jean... I am a screenwriter and occasional poet. Poetry is the relaxation side of things, the screenwriting is an attempt to pay the bills. It's kind of a long story, but basically I was working in film production until last year when various factors forced me to rethink my life. I've always written (according to my mother since I was tiny), and knew somewhere that it was what I really wanted to have my success in, so with the help of a supportive partner I gave up my regular salary/benefits etc to write full time. I am now working with a producer on a feature project, putting together a submission with another writer, and generally building up a portfolio. It's pretty scary, but I feel optimistic.

In my spare time... hmmm... I'm a compulsive worker so I'm always thinking about that, even if I'm not actually doing it. But I try to read as much as I can, and keep up to date with the world around me. Music/film/theatre/photography/design etc. Fill the odd empty corner in some part of London or other (with the odd trip down to Cornwall - heaven - or up to Derbyshire), and can think of nothing better than an afternoon with friends and a bottle or two of good French wine (Bordeaux please...) I've also been renovating my first house, and finally am going through therapy, for my sins (which I can tell you are many :troll ).

Which leads me on... I think it's really interesting that so many of us FOFers are involved in the field of mental health. Beaugest (sorry, I only know your screen name) I'd love to hear more about your work, it sounds fascinating...

Lastly, I am inspired by the animal friendly nature this thread has taken. My partner and I have been toying with the idea of rescuing an animal (probably a Bichon Frise - so cute) and you know, I think we just might. Oh, and kids are definitely on the horizon too...

:banana

MP

[JPenny]

Christine--
Sorry, didn't mean to leave you out. We must have posted at the same time--I thought I had covered everyone. Glad to make your acquaintance! Don't wait for the kids--get going now! But, on second thought, while you're waiting, enjoy the quiet and your independence!!!
:sunshine
Jana--
Congrats on your coming wedding!! My recommendation (not that you asked for advice) is KEEP IT SIMPLE!! What comes afterwards is more important. I went to a wedding a couple months ago that was outdoors, the groomsmen wore casual clothes and arrived in a VW van. But it was the most beautiful, charming wedding. Glad you're here!
:flowers
Janet--
Scrabble, eh? I'm sure my mother could take you on--she's a wicked Scrabble player (and crossword puzzle fanatic). You can help us writers out when we're searching for the right word . . .
:read
Mark--
The South IS beautiful, and the people are friendly here. I'm not a true southerner, being born in MN and raised out west. I love the green, green, green! And those blue Carolina evenings . . .
:wave
Chief--
I just upgraded to InDesign a few months ago from PageMaker--kind of had to since I went to System X on my Mac. You should check into it--there's lots more you can do with it. I use Illustrator more than PhotoShop, since I deal more with illustrations than photos.
:bateyes
Beth--
Welcome to another great mom! Daughters are great: I have four! But they're getting expensive. I've just discovered the hidden treasure at our local GoodWill stores. :+)
:woohoo
MP--
I admire your bravery--it's scary striking out on your own, but so rewarding!!! I get my best ideas in the shower, how 'bout you?
:idea
Well, off to my day. I'm going to the funeral of my friend and fellow writer today. Buckets of tears all around, but pressing forward. They told me yesterday that all her grandkids will be singing at the funeral. I added another box of kleenix to my purse.
:cry
See y'all, and have a GREAT day!

Jean

[marypoppins76]

Hi Jean,

I tend to get a lot of my ideas when I'm traveling. So the bus and tube are good places for me. And of course just as I'm trying to go over to sleep (grrr... have to get up and find a pen and try to not wake the partner... but the bed's cosy and warm... but I'll forget by the morning).

I hope the funeral wasn't too difficult. :hug

MP