Personal Life Update: Forward Double-Time

1. I've gotten a credit card now. Yesterday I received a complimentary note from the bank advising me of my credit score (Equifax only) and explaining what considerations 'adversely impacted the credit score.' One of those was stated "proportion of loan balance to loan amount is too high." This was perplexing. I had to think about it for a bit, because I couldn't figure out what specific financial meaning the word "amount" has...until I realized it was the original loan amount. The balance is just how much I owe, that part was crystal clear. Well, since I'm eligible to pay $0 per month and have only been paying down interest since entering the repayment period, the loan balance is nearly identical to the original loan amount--probably higher, given the unsubsidized loans that accumulated interest while I was in school. So because the principal isn't decreasing at a fast enough rate, that negatively impacts your ability to get additional future loans (basically what you need a good credit score for), since whether a bank wants to give you a loan is conditioned on whether you'll pay it back, naturally. So this all seems pretty logical.
2. I'm getting around to doing tricep and lat workouts now at the gym, in addition to the usual routine of biceps and traps. I can really feel the impact it has on the back muscles. Pulling anything toward you, especially if you're rotating your shoulders, is bound to contract these muscles. The improvement is appetizing--it's making me eager to keep it up and do more. I still haven't been able to get up early enough for morning runs, however. I know that when the weather gets hotter in the summer, if I don't run before sunrise, the sun will kill my energy level and ruin a large part of the benefit of the workout. To accomplish waking earlier, I'm going to have to attempt going to bed much earlier, and to accomplish that, I should try to avoid taking in any caffeine after 4 pm, or 3 even, so that I don't forcibly remain awake when I go to bed.
3. I paid off one small loan this month, which only had two more installments left, so it should be taken care of totally now, and I can focus singlemindedly on the loan servicer for my Department of Education-owed loans. 'Keeps things simpler.
4. I'm gonna start working on more poems, and Topical Bible Study content for the blog. I've got a real backlog to work through. And it's been far too long since the last time I posted much of that nature.
5. I'm beginning to apply to degree-related work, with an eye out for post-baccalaureate programs. On days off, I have a tendency to want to take it very slowly and not stress out. But when I walk into work, now, I'm almost immediately struck with the thought that I shouldn't be there, and need to get moving to do something more with my life. Almost one year should be quite enough, no? So I'm trying to harness that motivation and make it carry over to my days off, to goad me on and make progress during my downtime. Laziness in this area has a very direct effect in terms of dragging out how long it takes to get anywhere. 

~ Rak Chazak