things i would like; a pictoral or day 212

a new winshield.

a new bathing suit.

a new sofa (this is frivilous, but that's ok).

dedicated handicap parking on my street.

a new mattress.

the new mattress and parking should come with my next paycheck. bathing suit and possibly winshield after that. the sofa might be a tax return splurge.

fat farm or day 205

i was watching "the biggest loser" this week and although i kinda hate that it's a competition and that people get voted off, it did make me think about finding a weight loss spa, if you will. a place where i can be away from my life for a few weeks and re-learn how to eat and exercise. and that isn't like a boot camp. i don't need it to resemble high school gym class and i also need a place that understands that i'm willing to try stuff, but that there are some things i know i can't do. well, i did some looking and i think i found the place. i keep forgetting the name, but it's in vermont. it's expensive, but i figure if i try to save up to do it, i'll see how badly i really want it. i wish i could go this winter, but it will likely be next fall or winter at the earliest. plus, it's about a two and a half hour drive from the haskell library and opera house, so maybe i can take a drive up there and cross another item off my list. which will require me to have a passport, which is another item off the list!

that's all i've really got this time. my new boots are good. i'm still breaking them in, but they seem to be getting better with each wear.

see you next time.

polenta, sopes, tamales or day 191

it's almost 200 days? damn.

it's been a couple weeks of taking stock. not necessarily doing anything with said stock, but considering the stock none-the-less. are there hyphens in none-the-less? i dunno.

in this vein of taking stock (vain?), i'm realizing that although i do need to lose some weight and i do need to consider what i eat, nothing really changes when i write things down. i look back at the month and see that, for half the time, i stick to the program and the other half, not so much. i did also see that even when i go "off" what i should be doing, i don't usually do it in great excess. i'm not giving up on the idea of weight loss, but i know that i need to find a way that actually works for me. and well, yeah, i probably need to put a little more real effort into it to (rolls eyes). at the very least, i'm still taking water aerobics twice a week. yay!

continuing on in trying out fiscal responsibility, i made a full payment on my student loan, which i believe is the first time since, oh, maybe sometime in 2007. i plan to make full payments each month. this fulfills one for goal #24. i did have an overdraft this pay period, which really bummed me out. but, it was only one and i had 2 pay periods prior without. i will continue to try to avoid them.

i bought new boots, which was goal #48. i haven't received them yet, so hopefully they fit and are comfy, etc. i hope so, because they are super cool:

i added to my #33 goal of being proactive at work by completeing the last of my 3 online classes that i signed up for. it was on being an active listener and proactive manager. really lame, but it's done.

finally, my apartment is in an almost fresh slate state. goal #51 is to keep it tidy before it becomes a project. this is what i will aim to do. the bathroom especially.

for next time, for real this time, EXERBYCLE! also, hopefully, new winter coat and bathing suit.

allegheny, something that starts with m, and the other one or day 177

over the weekend, i went to visit emily in pittsburgh. my dad called me last night to ask me how the trip went and i told him that the rivers make it hard to get around. he asked me if i could name the rivers and my answer was, allegheny, the one that starts with m, and the other one. so, you see, perhaps i should make one of my goals to be better with geography.

my trip to pittsburgh *kinda* fulfills #90, which was to take a road trip to some place i have never been. i say *kinda* because the directive was to randomly pick somewhere on a map and go. so, it was pre-meditated, but, i had never been there before. i will still try to do the random one.

i wrote in a couple blogs back that i had gotten names of lawyers to try to start sorting scott stuff out, which i haven't delved into yet; however, i did tell my dad that i was planning to start. this conversation could've gone badly and had i planned it, it probably would've. but, i was able to sneak it into a conversation we were already having and he seemed receptive. not sure i'll get any help from them, but it's a step.

#42 was to create a budget and stick to it. for a month now, i've done just that. i've gone 2 pay periods with no overdraft fees (that's 2 for #78!) and am working on a third. by next pay period, i should be able to start getting stuff i want/need like a mattress and new bathing suit. at this point, i will change this to a completed goal.

#56 was to straighten/tidy apartment before it becomes a project. i'm slowly getting the project part done with, so that i can move onto the tidying part. my front bedroom got an overhaul on monday. i even got dizzy a new cat box. so, now, the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom are the 3 left to finish. with the librarian party coming up, it will get done!

sherman loves pandora and i'm sick or day 169

last week, i made a budget and damn if i haven't followed it. it's been a little tight this week, but ultimately, this will lead to...wait for it...not getting an overdraft fee! so, not to count my chickens before they hatch, it would seem that i will successfully make it through 2 pay periods with no fees. if my plan works, things should start looking up financially by the end of september and i can start doing things (also on the list) like replace my windshield and buy a new mattress. oh and maybe some new shoes and clothes, since i've been wearing the same everything for too long.

another future purchase will be a rowing machine. since i can't seem to find a class that i can take, i started pricing rowers to buy. i found a rower that i've used before for $350, which is pretty reasonable. i'm hoping to get that by late fall/early winter.

last week, i had set 3 goals for myself to accomplish and i managed 2 of them: i did paper one of the canvases i bought and hung it in my room. i still have the other one to do and think i might even get to that this week. i also cleaned the hell out of my living room. there was dusting and ceiling cobweb removal involved. it still needs a little more organizing, but i feel i did enough to list it as a finished goal. i did not exerbycle. this week for sure!

now, if you don't mind, i'm going to go home early and get back in bed.

guarana antarcrica or day 159

it's been a couple weeks, but here's what i got:

#3 was to swim at least twice a month. val and i have been going to water aerobics since march and there is usually some swimming/water walking done post class. starting in a couple weeks, we'll be taking the class twice a week. i want to try to get more post class swimming in on those days. this will mean i'll actually swim 6x/month. yay!

#15 was to start getting the ball rolling on scott's future care. well, i have names of lawyers and am doing research into who might be best. i know i'll have to be in the right place financially to really do this, but i have to start somewhere, right?

#25 was to get new tires and yesterday, after 3 hours in the pep boys waiting room, i got 4 new tires. in the time i waited, i wrote about my feelings, plucked my eyebrows, went to the bathroom 3 times, updated my facebook status twice, renewed my car insurance for the next 6 months and set up automatic payments for said insurance. none of this has anything to do with my 101 things, i just wanted to mention it.

#42 was to create a budget and stick to it. actually, i came up with a budget while i was at pep boys too, come to think of it. this pay period was the first in way too many in which i did not incur an overdraft fee (satisfying at least 1 for goal #78). i planned out everything i have to pay and came up with how much i can spend daily. it's a little tight this 2 week period, but i think i can stick to it. i'll let you know around day 173...

#50 was to look into a rowing class. i did this and it seems cost and/or time prohibitive, but i will keep it on the list as i've wanted to do this for about 14 years.

#51 was to take more advantage of physical therapy. as i mentioned in an earlier post, me and my therapist decided that i have probably done as much good as PT is going to do for me. i had my last session last week, but am armed with exercises to continue doing and an open invitation to come back if i feel i need to.

#91 was to find the recipe for fudge foldovers. i found it and will make them at least by x-mas.

goals for this week or two include doing something with the paper and canvas i bought for decorating, thr thorough cleaning of one room (not sure which yet), and exerbycling.

you win some, you lose some or day 140

did i clean my spare room this weekend? you bet your sweet ass i did. i should've taken before and after pictures to post here. it took from about 4 to 10:30 saturday afternoon and evening, but it's done. no more dried cat puke (ew, i know), you can see my futon, clothes have been hung up, craft stuff has been WEEDED and organized. i moved my craft drawers to the kitchen, since that's where i do my craft stuff anyway.

aug 1 was my projected date to have lost 10 lbs by. well, i weight exactly the same. i know where i've fucked up and the week i was off work, i wasn't really monitoring. plus, i'm pre-menstrually bloated. none the less, i do have to try harder. so, i begin again in earnest. we'll see where i am on oct. 1.

also, i changed #25, the frivilous goal of making careless whisper my bitch to getting new tires. WAY more important.