It’s funny how things work out. I’d been planning to do a month-long series of something this summer and was actually considering something for July, but my thoughts had been pretty scattered lately and I just wasn’t putting any commitment to the task. But it had been lingering on the edges, ya know? And then, out of the blue, just last evening, I received a Facebook wall post from a high school classmate asking me to post a new list! Actually, his words were, “I’m jonesing for some Listography. Please, oh please feed us one of your whimsical little lists…” How do you ignore such a plea?!? You don’t, I tell ya! You just can’t. So, with that little kick in the booty I begin another month of Listography. Just for fun. Just because. And apparently, by popular demand (or something). Thanks for the motivation, Scott! I really needed it!
This first post doesn’t really qualify as a true list (it’s more of a survey), but I’m gonna go with it nonetheless. It just seems appropriate right now.
THINKING OF THE WEEK THAT JUST ENDED
Who made you feel good this week? This will be the strangest of all answers but also very telling of my personality and current life. I had no physical contact with anyone all week long. I spoke on the phone with my sister and my mother a few times, but all of my contact with the outside world came via Twitter and text. Sad? You might think so. But I really enjoy having weeks like this. I don’t feel lonely — I mean, I “talk” to people online all day long! — and I like being able to check out for a while. During this particular week I didn’t feel wonderful as it began, so it took several days to just get myself in a state of enjoyment. My only companions have been friends via social networks and the characters on all the TV shows I watch. So, to answer the question about who made me feel good this week? Really, I didn’t feel that great at all. But I did have a couple of moments. I can’t really count that as a Win, but at least there was a bit of movement in the isolation.
What was the biggest mistake you made this week? I absolutely ignored some important tasks this week. They weren’t earth-shattering, but there were some things that needed to be done around my flat, and I simply ignored them. This means, of course, that I now have to plan them for next week (and even this weekend). It’s not cool, and I’m grumbly over it. But I did it to myself and I accept that responsibility. Grrrr.
What did you do this week that moved you closer to reaching your goals? I really only accomplished one little thing all week. No, two. Two things. I got 95% caught up with some work tasks (and had permission to put the other little things off until next week), and I created a subway style list for my summer journal. Those two things were kinda big to me.
Is there anything you did this week that you wish you’d done differently? I started off this week with a better sleep schedule — getting up with the same alarm no matter how early in the morning my bedtime actually came — but somewhere toward the middle of the week it all came crashing down. I slept and slept and slept through one full day without ever realizing it was happening. I wish I had that one day back, just so I wouldn’t have had the 24+ hour wakeful period that followed. It only takes one shift to change the entire rhythm. :-/
What did you most enjoy doing this week? What little time I spent on it, I really loved working up that subway style list. I’ll post it soon from the pages of my summer journal, but I must say that any time I get to create something from a blank canvas — be it Photoshop or scrapbook page or just a happy list — I really, really love the process. It’s creativity at its finest, just taking a blank page and watching your vision come to life. I never tire of it!
How did you procrastinate on important tasks this week? One huge task I ignored is my kitchen and the fresh produce that I’ve accumulated over the past couple of weeks. Every day I intended to cook up the loads of squash that my mom left for me, and every day I intended to cut into the watermelon that was given to me. But every day I put it off a little longer. Now I fear that things have spoiled, but I just didn’t make myself do it. Today is the day to deal with all of it. For sure. And I can only hope it’s not too late. [Sorry, Mom.]
What did you learn this week? In the midst of my feel-bads and tiredness and lack of motivation, I spent a bit of time reading through my collection of blog feeds in Google Reader and found myself inspired by interesting food combinations. I know I always proclaim a lack of cooking and a lack of desire for cooking, but this year I really do want to put these fresh foods into my life and make a habit for health. I fell off the wagon miserably after only two months (see my overly ignored Pilgrimage blog), but each new week I begin with the intention of stepping back up to the plate. [Uh, the metaphorical home plate of baseball, that is. Not the dinner plate. Or maybe it is!] But my own brain tends to get in the way of my motivation, convincing myself that cooking meals will take a long time and require much effort in my less-ventilated kitchen and will not yield that much food which will mean I have to do the entire process again in just a few days. And so I talk myself out of the entire deal and make ridiculous little bowls of food that don’t actually accumulate to a meal. But this week, while reading through a few blogs, I found a few women who take daily photos of the food they eat and the meals they create. Single women, cooking for one, and married women cooking for only two. I needed to see these meals! When I actually cook I always make recipes for families of 4. And then I eat that same dish four meals in a row. Which only contributes to my boredom and lack of desire to make anything related to food. Yet, I’m always inspired by the cooking shows on Food Network, and I’m always intrigued by the small dishes I see on these food blogs! This week, while perusing this cool little site in Japan and also poco-cocoa and even shutterbean, I had this little epiphany: food doesn’t have to be complicated. A meal can be made from pinto beans topped with chopped tomatoes and shredded cheddar cheese. Add a side of that watermelon I need to cut, and voilà! Dinner. Or lunch. And far better for me than a lot of other things I’ve been eating lately. This week I learned to stop thinking so much when it comes to “cooking.” Instead, it’s time to just take stock (sorry!) and make meals out of few ingredients. It’s time to stop trying to create, and instead just eat what’s good and available. That’s a very hard thing for me to do, and it’s probably the reason I’ve not been willing to cook all these years. I always want to create when I need to just make. I really hope this is a lesson that is now learned for good.
Lastly…
What’s the funniest thing that happened to you this week? I don’t really experience many funny things these days since I’m, you know, alone so much, but this week actually gave me a story to tell. In fact, it happened just last night. I’m responsible for a pet this week, having to visit her home and refill food and water each evening while her family is out of town. She’s a real character, this beagle girl, and within hours of her family’s departure she found her way out of the backyard to roam the neighborhood streets. I quickly got the call to head over and put her back in, but there’s a bit of an opening in the gate that allows the dog to escape time and again. The only way to (supposedly) contain her is by shoving the garbage bins against the broken section of the gate, but this particular day was garbage pick-up, which meant the opening would be exposed most of the day. When I arrived at the house I put the beagle girl into a kennel in the garage until I could return later and move the bins in front of her escape hatch. I returned later in the evening to attend to all these puppy duties, and as I was beginning the process I mistakenly assumed that this sweet little girl would remain sweet and content into the evening. Instead, she darted from the kennel before I realized she was gone and proceeded to run full stride down the residential sidewalks. My split-second opportunity to restrain her slipped away before I even knew what had transpired. For the next 30+ minutes I drove down the streets of the neighborhood, calling out to this silly dog and attempting to corner her in one yard after another. I drove a few feet, then exited the car and tried to catch her. She escaped my grasp and ran a few more houses away, and I returned to the car and drove toward her next stopping point, where I again exited the car and attempted to catch her. I did get her once, just at the end of her street, when she was suddenly dazed by the horrific growls coming from one particular fence with a “Beware of Dog” sign posted on its planks. Beagle girl was stunned and so was I! But the fact that I was able to get my hands on her as she lay still in the grass with a terrified look in her eyes did not produce the result of getting her into the car for a trip back home. Of course not! Instead, she recovered quickly and again darted from my grasp before I could pull her off the ground. So we started our little dance again. Drive, stop, stare each other down. Run, drive, stop, stare, run some more, drive some more, stare some more. For several neighborhood blocks I prayed and called out to the blasted little beagle, all the while wondering where all the neighbors could be and why there wasn’t one single person outside to help me corner this girl! I was streets away from her home by the time we encountered a young couple in their front yard. Thankfully, they managed to coax the dog over and keep her still so I could bring the car close enough to get her inside. Of course, to this couple and their two young daughters, the beagle girl was the sweetest little thing they’d ever seen! She just lay on her back and let everyone rub her tummy as if she’d planned this whole thing. I just let her believe that, too, until I was able to scoop her stocky little body up and plop her into my front seat. If I could’ve buckled her in, I’d have done it! Our short drive back home found us both panting from the heat and the chase and the frustration and the annoyance of it all. I swear she had a look of smug satisfaction in her eyes, too, and I decided that the entire episode was meant to teach her family a lesson about leaving her alone like this. Unfortunately, it wasn’t her family who had to chase her down! :-p In the end, though, it’s hard to be angry at a beagle girl. But if it happens again, I may just have to call in reinforcements.
I’ve classified this list as “Journal Your Story.” It was found among 119 prompts for a journal jar at Abundance Blog.
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Bloggiesta has begun! Throughout the weekend I’ll be working on my blog – visibly and behind-the-scenes – in hopes of spiffing up a few areas, clearing out the cobwebs from an unplanned summer hiatus, and adding new content to kickstart a new season. Though my To-Do List is a bit more lengthy than I imagined, I don’t expect to complete all of these tasks over the next two days. Instead, this will be my jumping-off point to an upcoming redesign project for 2013. As the weekend progresses I’ll return to this post and cross off completed items. I find gratification in the crossing off of lists, so I’m hoping to see a decent amount of accomplishment by the time Monday morning rolls around. Here’s to a successful Blogging Fiesta!
