30 posts tagged “resolution challenge”
I've been Little Miss Productive here at work, but not so much at home. I'm fairly recovered from my soul crushing bike ride of Sunday (see previous post) and ready to sign up for my next challenge, the PBR Off-Road Tri in October. It's sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, not Professional Bull Riders, in case you were confused.
EDIT: I checked our results from Sunday and we weren't DFL (Dead F-ing Last) after all! w00t! We were 8th out of 12 in our division. I wasn't even the slowest biker. Shocker!
It's a sprint and I'll be doing the whole thing, which means I'll have to get back on a swimming schedule again. I used to be hardcore a few years ago, training with all the people who were getting ready for Ironman events. Just for the swim, though, not for the rest of it. That's way too much work and I do have a social life.
So enough about that. I head to Park City, Utah, for the first week of August for the annual girls trip with my former college roommate. Somehow I feel like I was only recently on vacation, then I remember that I was. I haven't scheduled any time for next year yet because I'm sick of maxing out my vacation days and not having any flexibility for sponaneous trips. Like Boston. Wah.
Okay, here goes. I'll add in my schedule so I can feel like I did something even if I do nothing.
1. Go to Diamondacks v Cubs game (tonight)
2. Check out new Jamacain restaurant downtown (tomorrow night)
3. Write postcards to German relatives (picked up some from Flagstaff)
4. Practice sax solo so I don't completely embarrass myself in front of everyone at church on Sunday
5. Get haircut
6. Run once
7. Ride mountain bike once
8. Swim once
9. Finish one magazine from the pile
10. Practice Spanish lessons
11. Finally get around to posting another Resolution Challenged list.
Now I feel like I'm back in the game.
So busy here at work, no time to do much - not even my Resolution Challenge list! Mostly because I'm too scared to look at it and see what I didn't get done.
This week - busting my butt at work, busting my butt on the Bike of Maim in prep for the triathlon this Sunday. I'm hoping my butt will get tired of all this busting and go away, or at least reduce in size. Not happening as far as I can tell.
Anyway, I haven't seen Little Black Stray Cat since yesterday morning. There is evidence that he's been eating his food. I'm sure he's fine wherever he is.
Yesterday I filled up the gas tank in my car. For the second consecutive month, I've been able to get over 400 miles to a tank. I've been trying some 'hypermiler' techniques, like coasting into stoplights instead of riding the gas then riding the brake. As long as no one is behind me, I've been able to see how far I can get without my foot on the gas. This morning I discovered I can give my car gas as soon as I go through the parking gate and coast all the way to my spot. It helps that I have a downhill section going into my level. Fun times!
The current lack of scorpions in my place is both pleasant and unsettling. I know they are out there somewhere. Maybe with the rain and the recent cool-off, they'll be happy outside for a little while longer.
Okay, better get back to it. Catch ya on the flip side!
Thanks for the help with my resolution challenge list, Dino Comics!
T-shirt design is inspired by this panel regarding tattoos. Good advice here for you, arbed!
I need to add two more items to my to-do list for the week:
6. Practice Spanish - we learned numbers last night! I need to work up a cheat sheet to help me out.
7. Practice sax - I have my annual summer solo coming up at church in a few weeks. At least I think it's in a few weeks. It could be this Sunday. I had better check. O_O
I have the music and doesn't look to have too many thick concentrations of little black dots. That's how I can tell at quick glance how challenging a piece of music will be.
I rode the Bike of Death this morning to get used to it again. Good Buddy Dave gave it a tune-up and said while it was 'old school', it was high-end in its day. I told him it won a lot of races, then I bought it and now it's a washed-up has been.
He also said one of the shifter thingies was bent and asked if I had ever fallen over while on it. "Yes. Multiple times."
Anyway, it's a blast to ride. Light and fast. (Unlike me - har!) Getting on and off is always a challenge. So I went across the street to the high school and rode around in the empty parking for half an hour to get reaquainted with it. Good times!
Considering I started my morning with a colposcopy, I can only hope my week will keep getting better. So much for that clean bill of health I had at the beginning of the year.
How's that for an entrance? Yay for TMI on a Monday!
A little tiny biopsy off to the lab. At least this time wasn't excruciatingly painful like the last one. I was able to walk upright afterward, so I count that as bonus. Good times.
I'm not sure if the very sympathetic nurse made it easier or harder.
"These can be really scary. Are you okay? A lot of women get so nervous. It's a stressful procedure."
I wasn't scared or stressful until then, so I think she made it worse.
Anyway, if you or anyone you know has girls in the family, I urge you to get them the new cervical cancer vaccine. My nieces have just had their first shots. Hooray!
Now to my list from last week:
1. Confirm cat watcher (URGENT!)2. Pack for NYC3. Buy NYC postcards to send to German relatives - CRAP! I spent all my money on food, booze and entertainment. No postcard shopping took place.
4. Read mags and sketch kitties on airplane - watched movies on the way out (Penelope and Bucket List) so only had time to read on the way back.
5. Flirt with new age-appropriate airplane boyfriend (the odds are good, so I may as well add it) - Nope. Maybe my luck has run out. Eh, that's okay. I like the ones I still have. :-)
6. Walk across Brooklyn Bridge
7. Check out East River waterfalls
8. Have fun with DKN and TJ! SUPERFUN!
For this week:
1. Sketch kitties for painting
2. Ride bike 3x to prep for July 20 race
3. Write letters to German relatives
4. Read three magazines from stack
5. Finalize baby shower plans (I'm a co-host, but really all I'm doing is picking up the cake and writing a check. It's very important to surround yourself with people who love organizing these things more than you do.)
I have meetings and other things going on this week so that will cut down on time to do much else than that. Let's see if I can finally get around to finishing off an entire list for once.
Have a great week everyone!
Let's just jump on in. First, last week's results:
June 23-29
1. Confirm cat watcher for July 4 - Regular cat watcher will be gone. Oh noes! Need to get backup!
2. Decorate fridge with postcards - No tape!
3. Sketch kitties for portrait painting prep - Will take on airplane with me for five hour trip to NYC
4. Workout four times - SIX! And I'm still fat and out of shape! :-P
5. Dust - No, but I need to considering I discovered my vacuum bag had come unattached after cleaning on Sunday. Great.
6. Finish two magazines from the pile - Finished three, two more came in the mail. Will take a stack on the airplane as well. I always carry enough mags to get me through a year, even if the flight is short.
7. Write letter to German relatives - Fail. Just lazy on my part, even though they sent me a postcard this week.
So I'm a loser. Let's try this again:
June 30 - July 6
1. Confirm cat watcher (URGENT!)
2. Pack for NYC
3. Buy NYC postcards to send to German relatives
4. Read mags and sketch kitties on airplane
5. Flirt with new age-appropriate airplane boyfriend (the odds are good, so I may as well add it)
6. Walk across Brooklyn Bridge
7. Check out East River waterfalls
8. Have fun with DKN and TJ!
I'm so excited about the weekend. Dr. John called last night and we went over some advance preparations. He's a doll and is going to buy a hair dryer so I don't have to pack mine. We talked about stocking up on hangover treatments and I suggested he acquire us some saline solution. He thought hooking us up on IVs would be great, "It's like magic!", but I'm not sure that will happen. It's a good idea, though.
When MomH and I were in NYC in November, we had lunch in Little Italy and I had the best gnocchi of my entire life. It would be great to go back, but why eat in the same place twice when Manhattan is full of fun restaurants and cafes.
Now I have to figure out what to wear. It'll be warmer than last time so I won't have to worry about freezing my tail off again!
What have you been putting off all weekend?
My to-do list. In its entirety.
Okay, maybe I'm not THAT bad, but I can't vacuum in the living room because Elvis is in there sleeping. He's too cute and sleppy to move.
I also can't decorate my fridge with postcards because I have no tape.
But I do have the time and motivation to take and post pictures of my cat and my refrigerator. Huh.
Anyway, I've been fairly productive all weekend. I should go grocery shopping but it's so darn hot I don't feel like stepping outside. I walked to church this morning and was really woozy and light-headed by the time I got there. It was probably due to not eating breakfast and my low blood pressure, but I still hitched a ride home anyway. I think we're supposed to be 110 or 111 today. Blarg.
Okay, enough of this goofing off. I should probably get back to checking things off my list.
As Ms. Pants pointed out today, we're nearing the halfway-through-the-year mark for 2008. I know, I know, where has the time gone and what do I have to show for it? We'll let's start with my Big 2008 list and see how I fare on the Slacker Scale.
1. Finish the quilt I started in 2003. Upon learning of this resolution, MomH told me to bring the quilt home at Christmas and we'll finish it together - "There, now you have 11 more months to put it off." I love my mom.
2. Replace the sliding patio door with new, energy efficient version. Added bonus: tighter seals to keep out my scorpion friends. Still on the list, too hot right now but really should get it down before too much time goes by.
3. Buy new, energy efficient refrigerator. Added bonus: A freezer that doesn't destroy everything it holds. DONE! Now I have to put the postcards back on it. A friend came by and noted the lack of postcards and was very sad and disappointed."Now it looks just like every other refrigerator." I'll get right on it this weekend.
4. Sign up for another race to keep motivation up for working out. My training for the Big Race in February centers around Shame Avoidance. Wanting to not be the weakest member of the team is the most powerful reason to stick to a training schedule. Mountain Man Triathlon, July 20. Only doing the bike - 24 miles with a change of elevation of 6,500 ft to 7,500 ft. Or close to that. Good Buddy Dave still has my road bike, I'm a little behind in my training. (DUDE! Where's my bike?)
5. Get out my oil paints and complete one picture. Paints are out, sketchbook out, picture chosen, time needed.
6. Paint the spare room - but not with the oil paints. Not started, but I did clean the room up a bit and can at least see the floor.
7. Keep up the good work. (Always end on a positive!) Rock on!
8. Send non-stalkery love letter to Rob Gifford. Sigh.
One of my early week challenges was to get to bed by 10:00 p.m. regularly again. This is one has been sticking and I'm happy about it. I was dinking around too late at night for no reason so it's nice to be back to my early bird schedule.
Okay, enough of that. Here's what I didn't do last week and what's on the plate for this week.
1. Limit Vox (NO!!!) to get cracking on big work projects (I ended up staying late a lot instead)
2. Dust (I did vacuum again, though)
3. Confirm cat watcher for weekend/July 4 (pending)
4. Pack for camping (didn't go after all)
5. Get birthday gift for Thursday night party6. Finally post a Resolution Challenge list
June 23-29
1. Confirm cat watcher for July 4
2. Decorate fridge with postcards
3. Sketch kitties for portrait painting prep
4. Workout four times
5. Dust
6. Finish two magazines from the pile
7. Write letter to German relatives
There, I think that's a manageable list. Don't want to set the bar too high, after all. :-P
I'm such a slacker I'll do a post and the RC in one. Efficiency, baby.
I slept until near noon yesterday, and would have slept even longer had a friend not called. It's embarrassing to be asked if you were woken up when it's 11:30 a.m. I was really tired, though.
Desert Jeff, his girlfriend and a few others came over for a rousing night of board games, pizza and wine. It was fun, even though Jeff invited this gal from work who was trying to go all Alpha Dog on me. Anyway, as I told Jeff when he called to apologize for inviting such a rude person, I'm an old dog who doesn't need to prove anything to anybody anymore, so I just ignored her efforts to be the annoying yappy dog who is trying to be bigger than she is. Not sure why I bring that out in some women, but I've been to other parties where some chick feels the need to follow me around and piss on my leg. Whatever makes you feel better about yourself, sweetheart.
Patricia, Desert Jeff's girlfriend, took home the scorpion I had captured and was keeping in a tupperware container. When Jeff called yesterday, he asked if I could catch another one for her. She had put Scorpy in the freezer to see if he would defrost and wake up in the morning. He didn't.
Why would I be keeping a live scorpion in a container in my house? Well, I saw it on Friday morning seemingly in the throes of death. To show I actually do have some compassion, I didn't squish him but thought I'd let him die in peace. ("Oh, so suffocating/starving it to death is more humane?" Yeah, yeah.) But when I got home from work, it was still alive and really pissed off. So I thought I would keep him around and do a Scorpion Death Match with the next one I found. I'm really not that compassionate after all. (Thanks for the idea, Cranky! Ha!)
I'm not sure I can count this in my Kill Tally, since I didn't actually kill it myself. I'll have to check the rules.
Anyway, big week at work, lots going on in the evenings and I'm going to try and go camping this weekend with friends. Need to get out of the heat. Supposed to be 112 today. Ugh.
1. Limit Vox (NO!!!) to get cracking on big work projects
2. Dust
3. Confirm cat watcher for weekend/July 4
4. Pack for camping
5. Get birthday gift for Thursday night party
6. Finally post a Resolution Challenge list
Catch you on the flip side!
I need to send my non-stalker love letter to Rob Gifford. He's in China at the moment so I have some time before he gets back to his London office.
