Sunday, November 7th

What a day. I had a migraine all day. I missed the deadline for an AMAZING job by just a couple of hours, after working on finishing a video for it while I still had a migraine (I didn’t see a time written on the site for a deadline, just a date). Gaby accidentally locked the bathroom door shut, so now we can’t get in because the lock is broken and the key won’t work (but there is a spare bathroom with a sink and toilet, so that’s good). So, I spent all day in tons of pain, and then other annoyances occurred. Now the internet cord is broken and only works every now and then.

Yesterday was much better. I went shopping in the Centro again with Gaby! She was terrified to go, I think, but went anyway. We didn’t get robbed (and no one even tried!) and I got lots of nice stuff. Lots of the same stuff as before, but I wanted more of each, and then I also got a ton of amazing wire in all different colours for a great deal! I’m so excited to start working with it. I don’t have wire cutters or round nosed pliers here, but I’m going to see what I can do without them.

Today I took inventory of the stuff I had bought, and made a bracelet, but my head was so bad that that was about all I could accomplish today.

I am in dire need of groceries again. I wanted to go today but the migraine was so intense I could barely walk. Hopefully it’s better tomorrow and I can go then. It’s that or eat a whole lot of Kraft Dinner!

Wednesday, October 27th

Today was low-key, as always. Gabby was out at a part all day after school, so I was all alone. I had a super long shower, organized my room some more, repacked my suitcase and put some of my jewellery in my jewellery bags and packed it away. I watched some good tv, read another chapter of the Analects of Confucius, and searched for some new recipes I can make to try to improve my diet.

Monday, October 25th

I cancelled my flight today. I felt sick doing it. I was still unsure of my decision, but think I was doing the right thing. I should get back $90, which is more than I expected. It was just the taxes, so I thought it would only be about 10%.

So, I will be in Lima for 2.5 months in total! I am going to try to make this a productive month. I want to start doing yoga and pilates to improve my back, and I will make jewellery, do TIG editing and management, put my jewellery on Etsy, and I also want to read the analects of Confucius, or at least part of it.

So, those are my plans. I also want to bake some stuff. I want to make sugar cookies and maybe snowballs, and eventually I will make an apple pie for Dean and Ruth. Not yet though. I have to work up the nerve! I haven’t done one in so long! I don’t think I have baked a single thing in about a year! Maybe that’s something I can start doing again when I get home.

Most importantly, I want to start taking better care of my back. The yoga and pilates have to become something regular in my life, even if I don’t do it for long each day. When I get home I can start using my wii, but I still want to keep up with the yoga. It’s easy, and should be relaxing, and I know it would be good for me.

So, if I can do some of those things this month, and get into the habit of exercising, and of being more productive, I think it will be really good for me.

I also want to think about what to do for a living when I get home. I am hoping that I can keep tutoring and making jewellery and not have to do a full time job, but I don’t know if that will be possible. I think that if I have a good amount of stuff to make jewellery with from here, that could be a good start for my jewellery business, but I really need to work on where to sell it. I think I need to approach businesses, and hopefully sell stuff in my friend Alessia’s new store too. I need more ideas of where to sell. Also, I may or may not continue selling things in the shop in Oromocto. There’s really almost no income coming from that, and not nearly enough to cover the expenses of going there once a week.

I also need to publicize more for my tutoring business. Maybe I should put an ad in the newspaper. I should probably make business cards for tutoring too.

I will look for some part time jobs too. Maybe that can be enough to do for a while. Maybe I can find some online part time work. That would really be ideal, and let me keep tutoring and making jewellery, but give me a steady income and possibly a flexible schedule.

I am watching Grey’s Anatomy while writing this, and I just heard this line:
“In this situation, the right decision is making a decision.”

It seemed very appropriate considering my recent agonizing over the decision I had to make.

. . .

[later tonight]

I went to the grocery store tonight with Gabby. I got lots of good food. I spent 200 soles. I now have no Peruvian money. I have to change my American money into soles now.

I got a lot of ice cream and Gatorade. I am already thinking of what else I want to get next time though, sadly. I also got peanut butter and york peppermint patties, both of which cost a ton here. About 15 soles each, I think. Around 6 dollars. And it was a small jar of peanut butter and a small package of mints. But they’ll be worth it. I think I might make chocolate peanut butter squares. I got stuff to make sugar cookies too. I’ll leave the other ingredients for later. I was afraid I’d go over the amount I had in my purse, because I didn’t have a credit card or a bank card on me.

Sunday, October 24th

I am almost completely decided that I’m not going to Ecuador. It just seems like the negative aspects of going are far outweighing the negative aspects of staying here, and outweigh the positives aspects of Ecuador too, I think.

It could be boring here, but it will be safer.

The movie last night was great and I’m in kind of a contemplative mood. I found the Analects of Confucius online today and I’m going to read through some of that. I also looked at some quotes from the book Eat, Pray, Love, and that made me want to read the book.

October 23, 2010

Today was a great day. Gabby and I went out. I wanted to go to the Centro and go shopping, but Gabby didn’t know how to get there and felt it was a bit dangerous anyway. So I decided we should go to the park by Larcomar. We looked around, shopped a little, went to Chili’s for lunch, and browsed some more.

Then we went to the mall by the house and watched “Eat, Pray, Love” with Julia Roberts. It was great. I really enjoyed it, and it really made me think about a lot of things, including why I love to travel.

I’m still undecided about my trip to Ecuador, though!