Girly vs Geeky

I was getting ready for the work Christmas party last week and shifting some things around in my room when it suddenly struck me just how weird it would seem to an outsider. Everyday things in my room are an odd Jekyll-and-Hyde style blend of geeky and girly. Glamour magazine partially obscures Nintendo magazine, there’s silvery glittery eyeshadow next to my copy of Wikinomics, and mini Chibithulhu sits with a small blue reindeer. Hair straighteners sit next to a USB hub. A book on the history of Apple is joined by standard chick lit. Across the room, a Jane Norman dress and an array of dice – ranging from twenty sided to three sided – are both in view.

It was kind of interesting looking at my room through a stranger’s eyes. The more I looked around, the more I got ‘used’ to it. Eventually I began thinking that maybe it wasn’t so weird as I first thought. It’s nearly 2010 after all, not 1950. I guess it’s good in a way, because at least I’m not an extreme of one or the other (the reality show ‘Beauty and the Geek’ comes to mind).

When I got to my parents’ for Christmas this year I painted the study. It has a lot of memories for me since I used to spend all my time webdesigning and doing schoolwork until I moved out. They moved the computer to the landing to make space for a bed. Then fairly recently, my dad decided to make it into an office again and I painted all the walls and moved the computer back in. It’s actually not been decorated since we moved in about eight years ago, and the walls were a bit weird (two were ‘feature’ yellow wallpaper with bluey/green checks, and two were plain yellow). Now they’re a soft creamy colour and look a lot more clean. I’ve also had a clear out of junk, and other than the addition of a filing cabinet and the removal of some drawers, it’s almost exactly the same as it used to be. It’s a nice place to spend time again now, and my back is much less cramped. I’m going to start on my old bedroom next, because it’s full of rubbish from the past few years, including uni stuff, kitchen stuff, stuff from my job down south, and stuff I don’t need any more. Plus all the stuff other people have dumped in there, and at least a thousand books. Most of it will go to charity I think (with the exception of the books), along with old clothes. It’ll be nice to visit again and actually have room to find my books and get into my bed.

I was thinking about my new year’s resolutions recently. Normally I’m very vague or not really that interested, but this time I think a fresh start is good. Along with driving lessons and laser eye surgery in a few months’ time, I also want to be much more healthy and fitter. I know what to eat, and I know what my body needs nutritionally, it’s just that I’m way easily tempted and have fallen into a lot of old bad habits. From new year’s onwards, I want to be getting up earlier and having a healthy breakfast and getting ready for the day. No more drifting off around 1am and dashing off late after spending ten minutes getting dressed etc. I also want to prioritise blogging, making it an every other day thing like it used to be. I just want to use my time much better – I’m determined to fit in everything I enjoy, and I know I have time to do it if I’m organised