I love my new apartment.

I want to be in it all the time. I feel at home. I feel relaxed when I’m there.

I also feel like I’m surrounded by interesting things and lots of energy. Being so close to so many things is so new for me that I feel a bit like a kid in a candy store. I want to see all of it, shop all of it, eat all of it and just be in the middle of all of it, all at once.

This is not a practical combination — you can’t be home and be out at the same time — but this is how I feel.

I told someone recently that after DragonCon, I intended to just kinda start my life over, redefine priorities, and try to live more purposefully. I want to be more deliberate about my choices for a while instead of feeling like I’m just rolling with things all the time. I want to plan and budget and save and eat well and get more exercise and continue losing the weight I was doing such a good job of losing not too long ago.

I want to recycle. I’m tired of being wasteful just because it’s easier.

I want to try my hand at indoor composting with red worms. Anybody have any experience with this? I’d love to hear about it. So far, the only advice I’ve gotten is to be wary of gnats.

I also want a whole lot of money. Another contradiction in the great scheme of things — Living simply but having a lot of money. Hmmm.

I want new socks. I want curtains and framed pictures. I want a savings account with a balance and a 5 megapixel digital camera with a zoom. I want to invest.

I want to pay back everyone I owe and start owing new people money. Like a mortgage company. Heh.

I want what everyone else wants (except maybe the worms). To live a good life and have toys.

And with all of these wants I guess what I need is a plan. And some more time. And uhm, the money. Right.

This weekend, come hell or no sleep, I’m going to get my apartment put together. It’s coming along but progress is slow with work and travel impacting my time. As a part of that process, I’m also going to set up my recycling system. I’ve already located the nearest drop-off center at a Kroger.

Beyond that, I’m keeping lists and trying to check things off. I’m scouring classifieds and trying to muster the strength to shop at Goodwill. But I’m impatient. I want all of the above things and whatever lifestyle changes they require, to be happening right this red-hot second.

And so, I am marshalling my resources and reigning in my focus so that I may endure the time required to accomplish these goals–none of which really seem all that out of reach to me.

And that’s what I’m doing right now, unpacking, sleeping, daydreaming and generally enjoying this transition. What are you doing?