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Creepy College Story
I wear shorts as a precaution much of the time as I wear mainly skirts and dresses. My sisters started doing it first, it prevents embarrassing exposure, but for some reason, I didn’t have this habit in college. And I think this incident may have been one that made me finally realize the importance, perhaps also combined with my skirt partially blowing up when the college bus moved off.
Anyway, I usually went to the more deserted 4th floor of the library where you could find more empty desks or seating. But for some reason, on this day I went to the back of the 3rd floor and sat down at one of those tiny double desks where you have to watch your legs don’t touch the person’s on the other side. There was someone sitting on the other side. I think maybe after that person left a few people came and went, I’m not sure about the chair. Somehow a guy ended up on the floor where the chair should have been. Meaning, far too near my feet for such a position.
I was per usual wearing a dress with no protecting bike shorts, the dress was above my knees and my legs were crossed. I think because of my thigh-y-ness, that not much beyond thighs could have been seen, but I’m not sure. I think I’d let the shoe fall off my crossed foot. I suddenly noticed my foot was oddly warm despite nothing changing. I think I waited a bit too long before I looked down, and I swear a head (I believe face down towards my foot), moved from over my foot.
It was so slight a warmth and then so quick a movement, I had trouble putting together what had happened, but I think the guy was smelling my foot. I swear his face was down not up my skirt, and the warmth would have been his face over my foot.
My sister asked why I didn’t kick him? He moved too fast for one thing, for another I was too stupefied and uncomprehending to do anything more than slowly realize what just happened. I wasn’t scared, and I’m easily scared, and had I been scared I have the freeze response, fight or flight often comes rather late. I don’t know if that was because I’m an idiot or I did have a reading on the situation, that it was a freak thing, not a dangerous thing. Nevertheless, it was stupid of me not to immediately move. I believe he left first.
Anyway, its a hilarious story, I think and the weirdest thing I can remember happening to me. I don’t have very many creepy stories as I’m not pretty* and have the added protection of (usually) being a craven coward who avoids discomfort before danger could even think of arriving and have resting murder face.
*Older family members and their friends have differing opinions which leads into my next post.
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June 2021 Goals
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File state taxes
- Set up security system
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Keep up and continue to improve on my apartment organization and cleanliness
- In that vein, more specifically finish digitizing my recipes
- And clean and off table and keep cleaned off
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Start my new job
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Watch my spending, pay off some debt, save, and get my net worth back up since I quintupled my negative balance since April
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Keep up on my exercising, work on stretching, and try to get in better habits of walking
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Work through my backlog of borrowed and books I own but haven’t read (and may not keep)
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Sell some stuff and find more to purge
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Keep up habits of using up excess beauty supplies
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Finish my niece’s baby blanket and perhaps another or at least make significant progress on it
- Fix printer scanning issues
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Work Private Plan
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Better blogging and Instagram habits
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Train Bjorn (my sister calls him the electrocuted chipmunk)
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Work on getting back into more nonfiction
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Participate in the Enchanted Bookclub’s Emma readalong
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Continue to watch movies, try to focus a bit more on my list though
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What I Accomplished May 2021
- I got a new job that I start in early June. This is my first direct hire adult job!
- I read 5 books, including one of the borrowed and TBR I own stacks on my nightstand, I also started another.
- I watched several movies.
- I think I did manage to make my apartment considerable neater and more picked up. I’ve not listed or sold anything and didn’t sign up for the yardsale though.
- I’m trying to get into habits of using up my excess beauty items.
- While I didn’t finish a baby blanket, I knitted, maybe about a third of one, thereby getting more into the rhythm of knitting again.
- I’m working on getting a considerable portion of June’s blogging planned out.
- I’ve also been working on Blogilates glute challenge. I’ve missed some days, so its going to be over a longer span than 30 days, but still, I’ve been more consistent on that than I ever have on anything besides walking for years. I’ve also manage to stretch a bit after most days. I’m going to see if I can do her squat and ab challenges next.
- I’ve digitized most of my recipes from my recipe album into my Evernote cookbook notebook stack.
- I’ve worked on getting Bjorn (thanks to belly bands) more freedom. Now we need to work on the not chewing up of carpet, baseboards, etc. (as I’d like my deposit back!) and my stuff!
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Disaster Prep, Emergency Preparedness
I’m holding back on some of my historical and just human nature discussion. I do have paranoia issues, but also, I’d rather be “paranoid” in case turns out to be realistic than be “realistic” and have the craziness happen unprepared.
There is a balance between what most people do in blowing all the their money regardless of economic class (or as I saw in one staggeringly stupid comment on a Youtube video, “Our government promised we’d always have food,”) then selfishly panic buying in an emergency and turning into a paranoid hoarder.
I’ve been thinking about this as a lot of disaster prep information has come my way because of the pandemic, of course it actually also helps when one makes stupid financial choices like I tend to make to have plenty of food in the cabinet.
I think the safest way is to stay away from areas that have a tendency to attract disaster (such as large coastal cities), have a community, and have an emergency fund, and then have a food and essential stock, I think in that order.
Every state here can tend to have natural disasters. Our version of Texas happened several years ago (and we had more deaths in comparison to population), when we had 8 days without power in an ice storm; we stayed with my grandparents. Probably a good idea to look at your region of the world or country and see what natural disasters it’s prone to. There is also ready.gov for the US.
The Minimalists had a minimalist (episode 281) and a maximalist (as usual more detailed and helpful episode on this.
Nat Elison brought up one of his old podcast episodes reviewing a book. This gets dark. But I think darker based on my nature and understanding of history.
And then I saw this article. He also shares this site, ThePrepared.com
I think I want to work my way through this, both skills (I’ve also wanted to learn some wilderness survival stuff and self-defense skills) and things to stock.
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Happy Monday
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May 2021 Goals
So, another big change. I was regretting my new job from basically the beginning. And I kept trying to talk myself into staying or at least staying until I got another opportunity. I hated it and actually think some really unethical stuff is going on (remind me to never work for the government or anything to do with it!). I called my old boss and asked if I could go part time (I had been doing a few hours for them still, so doing a job I hated and working around 50 hours), and I think I have 2nd job lined up. But obviously settling all of that is really the major goal and as my finances are going to take a huge cut (people don’t be dazzled by the money, don’t jump in blind, I don’t really regret this, I feel like it gave me some independence back, but still a learning experience), and I have been too detailed for my erratic personality, I’m going to make this month’s list simple. Oh, and yeah, since we also significantly into May.
I’ve gone to my parents and this weekend to my grandparents to pick up packages (don’t trust here), do laundry and/or family birthday stuff plus had a vet visit and other errands for almost every single weekend day in addition to working about 4 hours on Saturday. I have something this Saturday and Sunday too, but at least I won’t be working. I’m hoping to get a job balance that is NOT 50 hours. And hopefully no family stuff until, wait there is Memorial weekend. I was going to say the 4th. Nope. I know there are a million people in my family so birthdays are a lot, but we used to combine the ones for April and May like we did the 6 (!) in August. I was trying to find out how often people who are on their own and within driving distance see their family.
- Figure out the job, finances, and work-life balance situation.
- Pay off some debt, save, get my net worth back up!!!!!! I’m SO glad I started doing a net worth exercise this year (excluding my teeny, tiny 401k, I have so little for retirement I’d better not do anything stupid to dip into that and pay penalties; I’m just measuring debt, savings, bank accounts). I did March and April together a bit randomly (hello wake up call), stupidly thinking I’d come back up from the dip I knew I took, um, no, I’m in the red. Yeah, really need to stop with so many installment payments. Seems obvious but STOP spending, I don’t have the money right now! And clearly I didn’t earlier either.
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File state taxes. These would have cost extra that would have taken my tiny state refund away, so I didn’t file state with federal, so I’ve been procrastinating on paper filing. I’m assuming there was an extension this year, but I don’t know how long.
- Finish organizing my apartment, at least so that it’s not visibly messy. Try to get into better cleaning habits. As I’m able to get more organizing baskets and to more specifically organize, make sure I’m also streamlining my stuff.
- Sell some stuff (sell rest at apartment yard sale next month).
- Use up stuff, like beauty items (do I really need three shampoos?) and yarn.
- Finish a baby blanket as part of using up yarn (we’ve had/will have 4 babies (3 girls thus far) in the extended family, I know I have yarn for two girl blankets and a neutral, but I’d like to NOT buy yarn and use up what I’ve had if possible).
- Read and then return or giveaway all the books on my nightstand (books I own but haven’t read and may not keep).
- Start exercising more consistently.
- Work more consistently on obedience training Bjorn. Work on crate and potty training. Little goober is almost 5 months, he should be able to hold it for longer than the two or less hours he currently is!
- Try to get better a blogging, get a bit ahead.
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Start that significant private project.
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Driving
I’ve been going through Foil, Arms, and Hog’s Oisín & Parents playlist, and one triggered some memories. Well, lets me real, a lot of them do.
Parents while driving, clearly this is a universal thing, although I didn’t have to learn on manual, I learned to drive manual later, if you could call it driving, I always left the driveway in a cloud of black smoke. I doubt I could pick it up again.
It’s been so long, but I forgot, my parents did so well I didn’t get my license until I was almost 20. Actually, I was scared before the yelling. At least most people don’t have to learn sometimes on a 12 seat passenger van with 5 siblings behind them, both parents in the car, Mom yelling from the back when I’m many car spaces away and a little sister crying in fear.
I also didn’t know that, its actually normal to slow down to turn, you don’t have to magically try to whip into the side road and not wreck. I don’t know why I got yelled at for slowing down, when I also most certainly would have gotten yelled at for spinning off the road.
My next younger sister got her license before me (I had my permit so long it expired!), and my brother, the next after her, got his permit less than a year after I got my license, and the two of them did most of the driving when we were in college.
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Spring 2021 Goals
I’ve kept a lot the same, as I was too ambitious in my goals and too lazy in my actions. I tried to simplify these, and there are some things up in the air at the time of writing.
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General
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Get moved into my apartment and get it set up
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Unpack and declutter, hopefully sell a considerable amount of stuff at a yardsale
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Start and keep up on Bjorn’s habits, training, and health
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Work on my routines and habits
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Start working on more eco practices
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Health
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Clean rest on Sundays (and keep working on cutting down my Internet time)
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what did you enjoy as a child (making things, messes, play do, Legos, models, dolls, crafts
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End seasons with week off, maybe a 3 day weekend cabin
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Work on my eating habits
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Find a therapist I like and try Parsley health if I can or something similar, possibly may have to put this on hold.
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Start walking a round about way to avoid the sugar bowl, really work on the sugar issue, maybe with a fast
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Walk a couple times a week, preferably outside, this should be fairly easy as I need to walk Bjorn
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Stretch
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Some small exercise routines on an app
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Start tennis and horseback riding lessons
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I’d really like to lose 15-20 pounds (I need to lose more, but I think this range is doable for this period of time).
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Career
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Private goal #1
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Private goal #2
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Private goal #3
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Private goal #4
- Improve my job situation. I’m still waiting to hear on a few things which will affect my course of action in many spheres.
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Work on my tech learning plan, lets see if I can aim for around 150 hours (depends on work situation).
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Self-Improvement
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Break the lateness habit (look up tips)
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Try to work on no gossip, whining, complaining, cussing/exclaiming, exaggeration/imprecise speech, and petty politics rule and when someone else brings it up, don’t take the bait or state your resolution. When angry with family talk it out in the car and therapy
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Figure out how to ask questions to get people to think, rather than stating my own opinion (usually defensively)
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Work on Spanish and learning tech
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Work on habits and morning and evening routines.
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Work on my screen time (overlapping goal with Health).
- Work on blogging more consistently and better. Work on improving my writing.
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Finances
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Improve job situation
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Pay off all debts, try not to get new ones or at least as many (I’ve gotten into the habit of collecting a variety of installment loans, you know, like Affirm, and Paypal).
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Save a lot in backup and emergency funds
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Have a 2nd source of income
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Brainstorm a 3rd source of income, preferable passive?
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Learn to Live
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Horseback riding and tennis
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Do more online book groups and discussions.
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Take one in person craft class
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Attend at least one in person event (Arts on the Green June 12th at Yew Dell).
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Do some fun Springy things
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Those series of blog posts
- Work through my movie lists as well as any that interest me from the AFI and BFI lists. I’m trying to watch two movies a weekend. Really sit down and watch without hoping to other tabs, stopping in the middle etc. I’ve done pretty good, I’ve had to stop to walk Bjorn, but I’ve been watching far better than I have been for awhile now.
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Beauty
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Start getting facials
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Start getting laser
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Start getting 2nd braces
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Crafts
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Finish Mom’s gift (frame and all)
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Finish Harper’s frog, toad, and frances by end of February
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Finish three more baby blankets
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How I Did on My Winter/1st Quarter 2021 Goals
I’m trying to go by seasons and pick a theme. The theme from now until March 20th is Foundations.
Health
- Clean rest on Sunday (I heard this term for guilt free rest on The Perfectionism Project podcast, I don’t listen to it much, I find it hard to listen to, but I’ve received a few really great one point things that really strike me). Enjoy things I liked as a child and teen or similar things: reading, crafts, Legos, models, puzzles. NO screens.
- Speaking of screen time, I’m going to try and lock down my computer and phone with Cold Turkey for Sunday through F, meaning no social media, blogs, Youtube, news. I also will do any self-improvement stuff in the morning. And shut down the computer and put away the phone when I come home from work (overlapping goal with Self-Improvement). I’ve done better the last few weeks because I’ve been more interested in reading Georgette Heyer novels on my Kindle, but I’m still pretty bad on weekends.
- End each season with a week off or 3 day weekend in a screen free cabin.
- Start exercise and stretch habits, including some fun sport like ice skating.
- Work on my diet. I have eaten a frightening amount of candy at work lately. I might have to detour and walking around the sugar bowl which is right near my desk. I’m starting off with a sugar fast. I’m on day 6th as of Jan 9th, I’ve not had candy but I think I do need to be more careful about any added sugar.
- Find a therapist.
- Try Parsley health, see if there is someone in my state.
Career
- Private plan #1.
- Private plan #2.
- Private plan #3.
Set up and start on my tech learning plan. I’ve got to get into better habits, but yes, I’ve started this.
Self-Improvement
- Break the lateness habit (I need to look up tips).
- Institute a no gossip, whining, dumping (and calling in ranting), and petty politics rule and when someone else brings it up, either don’t take the bait or state my resolution not to talk in this manner.
- Figure out how to ask questions to get people to think, rather than stating my own opinion (usually defensively).
- Work on Spanish.
- Work on habits and morning and evening routines.
- Work on my screen time (overlapping goal with Health).
- Work on blogging and Instagramming more consistently and better.
Finances
- Maybe get a weekend temp job to finance some large apartment expenses and pay off some debts. I’m working on the job situation right now, fingers crossed it turns out in my favor.
- Save for a big vacation.
- Keep saving in down and emergency. I did, but then I made an expensive purchase.
- Start a non retirement investment account.
- Have a 2nd source of income from my private career plans.
- Brainstorm a 3rd source of income, preferable passive?
Learn to Live
- Take set of exercise classes such as ice skating lessons (overlapping goal with Health)
Join an online book group, I’d like to join The Enchanted Book Club deluxe, maybe in March, depends on what they are reading (overlapping goal with Reading). I didn’t join this one yet, but I am participating in two readalongs.- Take one craft class.
- Attend one event.
- Do some wintery fun things.
- Work on a certain series of blog posts, maybe.
Beauty
- Start getting facials if possible
- Start getting laser (in my dreams)
Crafts
Make paper, crochet, and maybe tatted snowflakes. I did quill two snowflakes from which are super pretty.- Finish Mom’s gift by end of January (frame and all).
- Make valentine decorations.
- Finish Harper’s Frog, Toad, and Frances by end of February.
- Finish two more baby blankets by end of March.
Study Subjects. I think that I may have to shelve this one for now, I have too many things going, and perhaps one or two subjects at a time would be better and right now those are/ought to be tech and Spanish.
- Sunday: Rest
- Monday: Logic
- Tuesday: History
- Wednesday: Geography
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Thursday: Christian Apologetics (even though I’m not a Christian, I still find this important)
- Friday: World Religion
- Saturday: Genealogy and Civics
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Interim Goals and Life Lately
I have tons and tons of random opinions in the form of blog drafts, word docs, and Evernote notes, not all of them need to be for public consumption, but I’d like to be posting a bit more than summaries as well as work on my writing and better analyze books and movies and such. However, that probably won’t be happening until I move and can get settled, especially since I’ve another huge thing for me up in the air.
I decided that since I feel like I’m in such a waiting period that I’m using it as an excuse not to do anything that I would make some interim goals. I made these with the idea that at most I’d get my apartment in 3.5 weeks and at least 2.5, but right now it’s looking like 3.5 from then I think or 2 weeks from now. I’ve modified these as I do.
My room, closet, and car are jam-packed with stuff, and I don’t really like working downstairs unless most people are gone as it’s distracting plus having to tote anything up and down stairs plus having my puppy upstairs.
Plan pantry stock list and put Mom’s recipes into Evernote notebook. I really need to work on this while I’m still here. I know I’ve written stuff on my recipe cards, but really, I prefer to read a recipe off my computer anyway.
Finish Mom’s and Georgette gifts. Well, maybe if I’d worked on them earlier, if I can work on them significantly, I will be doing good.
Get towels, security system, and printer.
Careful with money. I think I’ve done pretty well thus far.
See if I could get a job nearer tech related job. I’m actually a bit in flux in the job situation at the moment, I asked for a change that led to possibly an even better change.
Do 6 hours of Spanish.
15 exercise sessions. I’m talking about short and quick.
Do at least 25 hours of Codecademy/Treehouse. I’ve done about 3.5 hours thus far.This is the view of my room from the bed, I’ll spare you the closet. The car has a piece of furniture I want to sell, boxes, my shopping cart, my collapsible table, a duvet, and my insulated shopping bags.
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How I Did on My March Goals 2021
Didn’t I just put up these goals? Oh, yeah, I did them late.
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Bjorn Stuff
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Get the rest of his health, grooming, and fun stuff. I have one more set of shots to schedule, and then everything is scheduled. I’ve given him a bath, it was hilarious and sad, but I’ve got to work on the teeth and brushing. -
Work on the feeding system and plan. I’ve got to work on the nighttime food, but I’ve got a plan. -
Really work on the potty training.Since I started taking him out for walks, he’s had fewer accidents, I think he’s gaining more control and prefers to go outside rather than his litterbox as well. -
Maybe start of the command training? It’s a little early, so research
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Moving Prep
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Try to sell stuff, especially large stuff, before I leave, clear out and list fridge a week or two before, computer, etc. Partial, I’ve listed stuff on FB marketplace. I’m thinking that eventually I’d like to do a yard sale or join a larger yard sale as those seem to have more success.
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Go through Mom’s recipes and get some meal plans in place
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Plan container garden
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Health
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Start doing simple exercise and stretching. Well, I’m walking a bit with Bjorn.
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Work on getting to bed by 9:30. I think I’m just going to have to be satisfied with 10 to 7 sleep for now, it’s just a struggle to do otherwise, I kept thinking it was environment only, but I think it might be just biology as well, after all, a 9 o’clock bedtime is really early. Besides, it would rather hinder life trying to get home and wind down enough that early.
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Work on my Staywell
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Work on morning and evening routine, digital limits and controls
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Website and app blockers during week and Sunday, only sat can I read blogs, social media, watch youtube
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Night time needs to be puppy time, walk time, craft time, and reading and wind down
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Career
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Private goal
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Really work on Codecademy. I’ve started working on Treehouse and Codedademy together, this works better for me. I’ve set some intermediate goals for the waiting period before I get my apartment.
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Self-Improvement
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Work on lateness. Haha, this is SO bad combined with not enough work to do, I’m hoping the later situation is going to change soon.
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Work on no gossip, politics, complaining, cussing, exaggerating set up
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Work on Spanish
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Work on habits
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Work on training and grooming and caring for Bjorn (see above)
- Start planning for 2nd quarter
- Work on blogging, using up drafts and planning to cover a lot of April since I will be swamped
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Finances
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Financial Goals Before I Move into New Apartment
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Have all funds for Bjorn’s shots, meds, supplies, and neutering, buy rest of purchases. I think I’ve done pretty good on this, obviously, I have to budget a bit every few months for refills of things for him. Also, the vet bills have been significantly less than budgeted. -
Increase income streams?
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Sell some more stuff, furniture, fridge, comforter, etc.
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Pay off debt. I’ve made decent progress, I think.
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Build up checking account balance
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Buy exercises items
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Work on saving enough for laser, dermatologist, orthodontist
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Have all apartment fees ready in account by end of the month
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Build back all savings
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Buy printer
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Buy security system
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Have almost everything I need for my house and some money towards purchasing groceries, toiletries, paper goods, and cleaning supplies, particularly low waste items
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Beauty
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Research what is open in terms of facials
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Get back on track with skincare
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Work on body care and sunscreen reapplication
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Work on pedicure habit
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Crafts
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finish Mom’s gift
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Finish niece #2 blanket
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Finish niece #1 gifts (Frog and Toad and maybe Francis)
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Work on 3 more family baby blankets
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March Goals 2021
Yeah, so I know it’s halfway through March. It’s kind of a holding month for me. I really feel that I can’t do anything big until I move out, so I really need to start working on habits. A lot of things are going to be the same for last month, just simplified.
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Bjorn Stuff
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Get the rest of his health, grooming, and fun stuff
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Work on the feeding system and plan
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Really work on the potty training
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Maybe start of the command training? It’s a little early, so research
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Moving Prep
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Try to sell stuff, especially large stuff, before I leave, clear out and list fridge a week or two before, computer, etc.
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Go through Mom’s recipes and get some meal plans in place
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Plan container garden
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Health
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Start doing simple exercise and stretching
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Work on getting to bed by 9:30
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Work on my Staywell
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Work on morning and evening routine, digital limits and controls
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Website and app blockers during week and Sunday, only sat can I read blogs, social media, watch youtube
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Night time needs to be puppy time, walk time, craft time, and reading and wind down
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Career
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Private goal
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Really work on Codecademy
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Self-Improvement
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Work on lateness
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Work on no gossip, politics, complaining, cussing, exaggerating set up
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Work on Spanish
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Work on habits
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Work on training and grooming and caring for Bjorn (see above)
- Start planning for 2nd quarter
- Work on blogging, using up drafts and planning to cover a lot of April since I will be swamped
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Finances
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Financial Goals Before I Move into New Apartment
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Have all funds for Bjorn’s shots, meds, supplies, and neutering, buy rest of purchases
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Increase income streams?
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Sell some more stuff, furniture, fridge, comforter, etc.
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Pay off debt
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Build up checking account balance
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Buy exercises items
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Work on Saving enough for laser, dermatologist, orthodontist
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Have all apartment fees ready in account by end of the month
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Build back all savings
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Buy printer
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Buy security system
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Have almost everything I need for my house and some money towards purchasing groceries, toiletries, paper goods, and cleaning supplies, particularly low waste items
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Beauty
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Research what is open in terms of facials
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Get back on track with skincare
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Work on body care and sunscreen reapplication
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Work on pedicure habit
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Crafts
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finish Mom’s gift
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Finish niece #2 blanket
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Finish niece #1 gifts (Frog and Toad and maybe Francis)
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Work on 3 more family baby blankets
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