The To Do List

[Mark.]

I hope the assignment goes well, AJ - and that you survive the visit of the Italian pharmacist

I hope everyone's having a good week

I'm on holiday now until a week on Saturday, so I've spent the last two days catching up on housework and 'other work' (proofreading: I have a job to finish for Tuesday, but it's a fairly short booklet so it shouldn't be very difficult).

Today's to-doing:
1) Catch up properly with BE
2) Proofreading
3) Reply to long-neglected friend
4) Arrange for the installation of a new electricity meter
5) A writing project I'm involved in has kicked off again. I need to i) start a new story for it; ii) save the (currently abandoned) story that it's replacing in a 'future possibles' folder and tidy this folder; iii) attend to some project admin
6) Hot bath with a good book (Adam Zamoyski's history of Poland)

Have a great day, all

[aj]

Hi all.
Pickles hope you managed a nice relaxing day too while everyone was out. I eventually got around to vacuuming on Wednesday (procrastination) and realised I probably hadn’t done it since the Christmas tree came down. That’s the problem when you live on your own, you don’t think you make a mess

Jjjj you like tidying don’t you ( nice to have you back, you too try and have some rest on your week off).

I’m working with someone I have never met today, five days, four different people, usually I would relish the opportunity to have a good old chat with someone different.

I finished C25k on Wednesday, so now need to work out how to get to 10k. I haven’t quite managed 3 miles yet, 2.5. So I was thinking I might do another week of 30 minute runs and gradually increase by a few minutes each time. At least now I can put my own playlist on the IPod - I just need to work out how to do it.

Ciao, Adios, Goodbye

[Mark.]

I finished C25k on Wednesday, so now need to work out how to get to 10k. I haven’t quite managed 3 miles yet, 2.5. So I was thinking I might do another week of 30 minute runs and gradually increase by a few minutes each time. At least now I can put my own playlist on the IPod - I just need to work out how to do it.

Excellent work, AJ! And I think your plan for increasing the runs sounds good. I'm intending to start C25K again from Monday. I'd also been wondering how to continue after completing the initial course, so I'll be really interested to know how you get on.

Jjjj you like tidying don’t you

I have to confess that the older I get, the more like Jack Lemmon in The Odd Couple I become. I honestly think it's a replacement for boozing. I used to obsess about having to finish all the beer in the house, or whatever, and now I'm obsessed (slightly... cough, cough) with neatness and order

I try not to be too anal about it. However...

I eventually got around to vacuuming on Wednesday (procrastination) and realised I probably hadn’t done it since the Christmas tree came down.

I think my heart actually palpitated when I first read this

[pickles]

“ I have feet...and they make prints ...”

[Mark.]

“ I have feet...and they make prints ...”

I loved that line too! Must watch the whole film again sometime soon!

[pickles]

I have to say I’m a bit ‘funny’ about certain things . We had left daughter at home to look after junior ,whilst taking younger dog to a neurologist. When we got back ,there were bits of dried mud in the hallway . Daughter did say she was looking for the collar ,and had walked in her walking shoes . I had to sweep it up straight away , it erked me . This morning the social worker put her scarf on the table ........... I was staring at it for a bit ,it was bugging me . I imagined moving the scarf to put over the chair ,but I didn’t . Would have thought it was rude . Maybe next time I will just put it on the hook .

Once a friend of daughter’s,father , put his hat on the table . ..........

Did some tidying up anyway . Don’t worry aj I’m still finding Christmas pine needles under the radiator. They even could be from the year before ! Dog hair is a difficult one, no matter how much you hoover , you still get dog hair ! Well done on the run btw !

Hope all other to doers are well .

[Mark.]

When we got back ,there were bits of dried mud in the hallway . Daughter did say she was looking for the collar ,and had walked in her walking shoes . I had to sweep it up straight away , it erked me

I'm like that too, Pickles! It really bugged me yesterday. I did all the hoovering but then I had to let the dog into the garden. Of course, she came back in with wet and muddy paws (she has feet...and they make prints!). I don't mind the damp prints too much, but I am pernickety about knowing that these muddy prints will eventually dry into dust on the floor. But that's just life with a dog, I guess!

I just took her out for a short walk. It's really wet and wild out there! But I won't worry about the carpets again until tomorrow - I promise

[aj]

Why do you think I chose a Cockapoo

[Mark.]

Why do you think I chose a Cockapoo

[aj]

To do:
Work half-day
Walk doggy
Hunker down over laptop until I....
Run (plod) for 30 mins
Shower/tea
Hunker down over laptop until....
Bedtime.

I’m having that usual conversation with Mum around about this time..
‘Tea tomorrow’?
‘I have an essay to write’
‘I thought it was supposed to have been in on Thursday, and you had a few days extra’?
‘I did’
‘Well you’ve had a couple now’
Gritting teeth ‘I’ve been at work all day and I’ve been sat here with you all evening’
‘Oh yes, Tea on Sunday then’
‘I can’t I’ve an essay to write’

to all.

[aj]

To do:
Walk doggy
Go out for breakfast with Mum - I think that’s what’s called a compromise
Hunker down over laptop until...
Another walk with doggy
Make spagh bol- tea for the next three days
Hunker over laptop until...
Bedtime.

I think I am finally getting there, mindset is in place and thread seems to be working. I definitely make it harder for myself. Although it struck me yesterday as I couldn’t understand why I felt like I hadn’t done enough reading that I hadn’t. The lunchtime’s normally spent reading are now taken up with dog walking, quite a lot of hours since the beginning of January. At least now it makes sense.
I know I seem a bit ‘sad’ but I’ve taken to YouTube to watch how others do it, write essays, youngsters obviously, but it has reinforced my making it harder for myself. I am very envious of their laptops too, ones that you can read on one side and write on the other I know I know, are they all like this, or is this a MacBook? Mine’s a cheap Lenovo. I wish I’d have had something like this the past few years, life would have been much easier.

Anyway I’m rambling, to myself

[pickles]

Hi aj. Think you tube is handy in things like that . I said about the yoga video , but also had looked up things on there at times . Just try to avoid reading comments if it starts to derail. OH has looked up on how to fix a washing machine , or cameras , watches .

Walked dogs in this once again windy weather! Yesterday was an Ikea couple of hours. Think we went at the right time , as it was starting to build up by the time we left . Went to a decent supermarket too .
Came back and did a bit of a house clean .

Today is an easier day . OH is watching Rambo .... ah well , boys and their toys .

Nice afternoon ,to doers .

[Mark.]

Oh, I hope the essay is going well, AJ I did chuckle at your conversation with your mother! But, like Pickles says, YouTube can be useful for all sorts of things. I used it recently for trying to fix our front door handle. Ok, I did eventually have to get the locksmith out, but I managed to patch it up for the few days necessary.

To done:
Proofreading (but not enough)
Watched a lot of rugby
Went to a gig in Glasgow
Walked dog in a sunny spell betwixt heavy showers and strong winds
Watched Doctor Who
Felt tremendously tired so went to bed too early
Woke up too early and got up and wrote this...

To do:
Proofreading (lots of)
C25K 1/1!
Walk dog
MUST arrange for new electricity meter to be installed this week, while still on holiday from the shop...

I hope everyone's had a good weekend and has a good start to the week


Où est le Rachel, Danny, John, Action, et al?

[aj]

Yes, I often Youtube ‘how to’.

To do:
Work - boss is back - no more working all day
Doggy
Work
Home
Run 30 minutes
Shower/tea
Essay
Bed

Enjoy your C25k Jjjj. I went out on Saturday to do my first ‘own’ run with my own music and deciding not to keep running up and down the same road, I mistimed it so I had five minutes left after getting to my front door. I ended up running around the back alley and past my front door four times. Luckily the rugby was on, so there was no chance of running () into anyone. It was a nice run though.

[Mark.]

I ended up running around the back alley and past my front door four times. Luckily the rugby was on, so there was no chance of running () into anyone. It was a nice run though.

Thanks, AJ I'm still in awe of your 30 minute runs. I'm just back (and still puffing) from my 1/1. It's a funny business, isn't it? I felt distinctly embarrassed on the walk from and then back to the house, passing all the neighbours' windows! And I stuck to the quiet roads around the waste ground for the actual running/walking. But, despite the icy drizzle, it was good fun

To done:
1) Because I got up early, I caught up on the proofreading sooner than anticipated. I reached a point where I had only a few last checks to make and decided to leave them until tomorrow morning (deadline day)
2) Took the dog for a good walk
3) Returned and checked emails: out of the blue, the publisher wondered if I could possibly make her day by returning the job by mid-afternoon instead of tomorrow. I could - only through the fluke of having started working on it so early this morning
4) Finished and returned job
5) C25K 1/1
6) Wrote this

To do:
1) Long hot bath with a book
2) Dinner
3) Early to bed. It'll probably mean waking up too early again, but that worked out well today

I hope everyone's afternoon is going well!

[Mark.]

It'll probably mean waking up too early again

Told you

[aj]

[aj]

I’m assuming you’ll have done run 2 by now then Jjjj

I’m up earlier than normal, I could fit in a quick dog walk, maybe.

To do:
Dog walk - maybe
Petrol - go get
Work
Dog walk
Work
Tea Mums- pancakes - yes this is why I am going . The girl I worked with last Friday and I somehow got to talking about family, I was telling her about Mum usually having doggy, but had not had him in a while, hence my need to go lunchtime. After a while she asked ‘how old is your Mum’? I said 76, said she ‘Oh, my Mums only 74, I thought yours must be in her 90s’. It wasn’t until the next day that it occurred to me...How old did she think I was .

to all.

[Mark.]

I’m assuming you’ll have done run 2 by now then Jjjj

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are going to be my running days, AJ, and I'm sticking to that (hopefully... )

The girl I worked with last Friday and I somehow got to talking about family, I was telling her about Mum usually having doggy, but had not had him in a while, hence my need to go lunchtime. After a while she asked ‘how old is your Mum’? I said 76, said she ‘Oh, my Mums only 74, I thought yours must be in her 90s’. It wasn’t until the next day that it occurred to me...How old did she think I was

Hee hee! Something similar happened to me a few weeks ago, when I was talking to a couple of the twenty-year-olds at work. Jason said something like that to me and Ian (who knows I'm 44) burst out laughing and said, "Jay, how old do you think Mark IS?"

After a bit of embarrassed thought, Jason replied: "I don't know - 57, maybe?"

Now I laughed. But then Jason just made everything so much worse by saying: "Aww, shit - sorry. I was actually guessing lower than I really thought, just to try and flatter you if I still got it wrong."



To do:
I have a whole pile of things I could and should do, but i) my wife's in the Big City for the day, and ii) I still have four days of holiday left, so motivation is lacking for anything other than...

• 1) A really good walk with the dog - but where? I checked the forecast online earlier and it seemed like a day of sunshine and showers. I've since looked again and realised that the "showers" are actually hail showers, not just drizzle. Nevertheless, I feel like going a bit further than normal, so maybe up into the hills above the town (not as far as that makes them sound, but still a good escape from the grim, grey streets below)

• 2) Practise songs? There's a session on Friday that we normally go to, but I'm not feeling in the mood for it right now. I could look through songs, though, and try to find something to inspire me

• 3) If I was really good I could arrange a date for the new electricity meter to be fitted...

• 4) I shall re-diarise the whole of pile of things I could and should be doing, and fill up Weds, Thurs, Fri so that I'm too busy to feel quite so unmotivated tomorrow (and this new list will more than likely include today's item 3)

• 5) Turn off slow-cooker at 4

• 6) Eat (not necessarily as early 4, though

• 7) Bath, book, bed

• 8) ...but this can be done first: feed dog, have coffee, and ponder where to go for a walk

Have a good day, all - and enjoy the pancakes

[DannyD]

Thanks Jjjjj. The annual pppppancake day. Our basics bank meets today, so they're sharing pancakes as well.

To do.
Something.
Motivation is zilch.