Funny What Having Guests Over Can Make You Do

We moved into our new house right before Halloween of last year. We stripped most of the paint off the stair banister with plans on sanding it and paiting it. Well, it stayed stripped and ugly.

We also had to have some of the drywall removed and replaced in the half bath downstairs. That, too, remained unpainted and ugly.

And then we decided to throw a party for our daughter's 5th birthday. Funny how having guests over can move you into action.

After looking at the ugliness for 4 months and not minding, we got it taken care of in a matter of days knowing that other people would be seeing it.

The bathroom I did all by myself. I walked by it and thought, "It's time." Then I told the husband not to bother me and to watch the kids as I proceeded to grab the primer from the garage and spent the rest of the evening prepping and then priming. The next day, I woke up bright and early, headed to Lowes, chose a paint color and got the rest done.

The stupid banister took a much longer time. It took a couple hours every night of scraping and sanding. Finally I was able to prime it. And then with the help of the husband and his friend, we slapped on several coats of paint.

#58 and #61 done.

It's Been Awhile

I completely failed my biweekly work filing. There's a giant stack of filing that I've hidden in my drawer so I don't even have to look at it. Sigh.

I did the make-up every day for a week. That was easy. I did that the first week I started this blog. It's hard to tell, but my avatar is me on the 7th day wearing make-up.

The husband ordered some stuff from The Gap earlier this month and I wanted something, too. So I looked through the site and found a perfume that sounded like it smelled good. Washed Cotton. And surprise, surpise - I actually really like it!

The Gym

So I went to the gym today to work on Goals #10 (Lose 20 pounds), #11 (Run 3 miles in 30 minutes) and #14 (Go to the gym a lot more). I haven't been to the gym in about a month. And prior to that one time, maybe two months. Basically I haven't been getting any kind of regular exercise for probably 6 months now. In a nutshell - I am an out-of-shape fatty.

I told myself that I would just walk to get used to exercising again. But secretly I knew I was going to run because walking is for out-of-shape losers. Well, I walked one minute and then ran the next minute. I even ran at a super slow pace (4.5). And I was tired! Watching that minute pass on the screen was sheer torture. It was like it was moving in slow motion. So I alternated walking and jogging that super slow pace. My initial goal was 30 minutes, which got shortened to 20, which in turn got shortened to 10. After the 10 minute mark, I just walked until the time said 25 minutes, like the out-of-shape loser that I am. 25 minutes, 1.65 miles. At least I have about 2.75 years to reach my goal. Hooray!

01/12/09 - 25 minutes - 1.65 miles
01/13/09 - 30 minutes - 2.03 miles
01/26/09 - 32 minutes - 2.24 miles
03/27/09 - 30 minutes - 2.0 miles
04/01/09 - 27:23 minutes - 2.0 miles
04/03/09 - 26:30 minutes - 2.0 miles

# 82 - Adobo Recipe Obtained

I used to work at a place in Berkeley a few years ago. My coworker, Jenny, used to bring lunch for me all the time (probably because she felt sorry for me). Anyway, she made the best adobo. She gave me the recipe a few times and every single time I tried to make it, it was horrible because I am a crappy cook. Anyway, I bugged her again for the recipe. I shall try making it this weekend.

Woo-hoo! One task accomplished!

First Day

Okay, so I haven't accomplished any of my tasks yet. However, I've called my dentist and scheduled a cleaning for two weeks from now (#15). I've also checked out a site to see how much this perfume would cost. (#70) We stayed at a swanky hotel this past weekend and they had some pretty nice shampoo, conditioner and lotion in the bathroom. I loved how it smelled. And the shampoo and conditioner made my hair really soft. The perfume was only $40 on their web site.


The cologne bottle design is pretty butt-ugly and I'm not exactly sure if it's an actual spray that you put on your body or just spray around the house.


Anyway, just typing up my list and getting it on here and figuring out all this Html crap was a task in and of itself.

Day Zero

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.