Future plans that include things like horseback riding, saving animals and fondue

In case you're wondering I'm still beaming about putting in my resignation at work. You'd think I was expecting twins after a doctor deemed me infertile -- that's about how stoked I am (though my current situation comes with the bonus of having no poopy diapers involved!). 

On Tuesday Boss Man asked if I would please, please stay just one more week, they would really appreciate it if I did, and I said okay because....well, I'm not sure why I said okay. It was like a knee-jerk reaction when you step in an unassuming puddle of puppy urine you didn't notice on your kitchen floor. Icky, but something that couldn't be avoided because that's what you get for getting a puppy in the first place. J said later that I agreed to it because I'm responsible, that no matter how badly I was treated I persevered professionally on my part. Which I'll go with, I guess he does have a point. Plus it makes me sound even more amazing and effervescent, which I like. 

So my little hombres, my last day is February 11, whereupon clouds and oceans will part as I will never, ever have to ride the disgusting subway again, wake up at 6am (unless I'm catching a flight to somewhere exotic like Rome or Buenos Aires), or watch homeless people fornicate on the sidewalk on my way to work every morning. No, I have bigger plans than that. During the last six months I've slowly compiled a list of Things I Plan To Do Once I Quit. The list is as follows:

• Write. Back to writing books. Freelancing articles. Blogging more. I will write and often.

• Get back into horseback riding. I used to ride Dressage and I miss it. Harder to do now when I'm nearly 30 and realize the harsh realities about horses (i.e., being around one long enough could get you killed and/or seriously hurt. Hello? Did you not see Madonna with her broken clavicle during her equestrian Confessions on a Dancefloor phase??!). But there was a time when these thoughts didn't cross my mind and I rode fine. I must recapture that spirit of invincibility.

• Start taking kickboxing again. Oh the joys of punching a bag with the thought of it being TC's face! There's an LA Boxing a couple blocks from my apartment, but the more I walk by it the more I'm turned off by the whole LA Boxing franchise. It seems like a total "bro" hangout, where men in cut-off tank tops and military haircuts pull up in their ginormous F150s and spend hours comparing bicep sizes in the mirrors when they aren't staring at girl's butts. No me gusta. If I can't find a more unsteroided version of a kickboxing studio nearby then I'll opt for taking yoga and pilates classes.

• Volunteer at an animal shelter. Heartbreaking, I know, but this was another thing I used to do when I had the time. I hope to get back into it again; it was uber satisfying work that made me feel like I was making a difference.

• Start an animal rescue foundation. This has been on my dreams list for a while now (probably since 2007). Will it happen tomorrow? No. But this is a goal for the longer term.

• Enroll in corporate finance classes. Math as related to the stock market fascinates me, as does trading stocks. I want to become more well-versed in things like reading company balance sheets, using P/E ratios and analyzing stock charts.

• Become fluent in Farsi and Italian. I've got a pretty good handle on Farsi (I can understand 90%, speak about 50%) but I want to speak and understand 100%. Italian I used to know a little bit of from studying abroad in Florence, but that was many moons ago and I've since forgotten most of what I know. If I could become conversationally fluent I would be satisfied.

• Read the New Yorker religiously every week. As in the paper version, which I have yet to subscribe to since I know the copies would just begin piling up. After I quit, I will read the New Yorker to my heart's content.

• Read two novels a month. This is more than feasible; right now I average about one novel a month. 

• Run for city council. A long-term goal I hope to shoot for in a few years. In the meantime I've got the city council calendar handy and am planning to sit in on upcoming meetings and slowly meet the people on council. (It's never too early to begin campaigning -- especially when you're wearing Cynthia Rowley!)

• Start a fondue restaurant. Another long-term goal that J seems keen on as well. He had some great ideas for the venture the other night and though we're nowhere near making this puppy a reality at the moment, it's nice to know that this could be something the two of us decide to do together -- even if he only takes the role of silent investor.

• Try rock climbing. Dangling 20 feet above a thin blue rubber mat as I frantically clutch onto edges of artificial rock? Why not.

So far that's my list. Will make addendums as they crop up.