Credit Card Debt: Finally Below $5K

Posted by On Filed under Money
Credit Card Debt: Finally Below $5K

Wow. Today my credit card debt is under $5,000.

I’ve been racking up credit card debt since college, when I needed to study abroad in order to graduate with a degree in German, over 11 years ago. Student loans paid for all of the basic expenses, but I didn’t have a dime to my name to pay for weekend travel, food outside of my host family’s house, or souvenirs.

A few years later, I had debt totaling $40,000+, from student loans, a brand new car purchase and the day-to-day reliance on credit for splurges. Not all of my credit card debt was frivolous, though. I paid for some of my younger sister’s college tuition, I bought furniture and art, and there was a short period of time that I relied on credit cards while getting my consulting work off the ground. I wish I could have paid cash for those things, but I’ve made peace with those debts over the years.

Keep reading →

Reverse 100 Thing Challenge: 368 Things Decluttered

Posted by On Filed under Voluntary Simplicity / Minimalism 2 Comments
Reverse 100 Thing Challenge: 368 Things Decluttered

The Reverse 100 Thing Challenge is well on its way to 400!

The 100 Thing Challenge is about simplifying your possessions and getting down to just 100 – perfect for full-time travelers and digital nomads. On the other hand, the Reverse 100 Things Challenge is better suited for those of us with full closets and full junk drawers – the challenge is to get rid of 100 things.

Keep reading →

Getting Rid of 100 Things of Clutter

Posted by On Filed under Voluntary Simplicity / Minimalism 4 Comments
Getting Rid of 100 Things of Clutter

As a New Year’s resolution, I pledged to get rid of 100 things of clutter in my life. I figured there must be 100 useless things tucked away in drawers or closets, although I also worried that getting to 100 would be difficult.

Surprisingly, around March, I breezed past the 100 point mark! Some of the numbers were easy to come by: a big purge of cassettes, CDs and VHS tapes added up pretty quickly. As of today, I’ve gotten rid of 195 things and I have another 38 that I may donate to ReSOURCE in Barre.

Here are some examples of things I got rid of:

Keep reading →

A Staff Perspective on Graduation

Posted by On Filed under Pause for Reflection
A Staff Perspective on Graduation

On May 5th, I attended the Vermont Technical College Commencement. It being my first at Vermont Tech, there was a natural charge, but it got me to thinking about all of the official college events I’ve been to over the nine years I’ve been in higher education.

When I worked at Norwich University, there was Convocation, Commencement, all kinds of celebratory events and weekly parades, due to NU being a military college. (I do miss the parades.) When I worked at Goddard College, I attended more than 30 opening sessions and 30 graduations, since nearly each program had its own residency. At Vermont Tech, I’m getting back into the routine of a residential campus and the traditional touch points of an academic year.

Keep reading →

Movie Review: Albert Nobbs

Posted by On Filed under Movie Reviews
Movie Review: Albert Nobbs

I hate to write this, but Albert Nobbs was a flop. Every bit of it: plot, characters, acting, you name it.

First and foremost, Glenn Close played Glenn Close in this movie. I didn’t see a character, a man or even a woman masquerading as a man, the entire point of the film. I saw Glenn Close on screen, with faint hints of Sarah Cooper, Close’s character from The Big Chill. The voice was clearly a woman’s/faux-man’s voice and couldn’t fool anybody. Close’s hair was good, in only that the short cut really looked like her own hair, which it wasn’t. But Close’s feminine lips, eyes and smile lines thoroughly overshadowed the Nobbs character.

Keep reading →