sky

this makes me happy

no. 38 & 16

So this weekend I did pretty well for myself renovation-wise. 

Welcome to Wally (wallace stevens) and Gus (asparagus) to the Fisher/Dickey household!  Here are our kittens.  Pat is a terrible kitten parent.  he can't say no to them.  If gus wants to sit in the refridgerator for awhile - no problem, pat will put him in there.  Its very funny to me. 

We drove out to warriors mark, pa to get them from perhaps the nicest couple alive.  They had found the mother when she was pregnant and brought her in the basement, let her have the kittens, trained the kittens (litterbox and dry food), gave them away to good homes, and are getting the mom spayed later this week.  So kind.  AND they had about 5 billion cats.  Everywhere you looked, it was crazy.

I also read my 1st of 50 books.  It took me awhile to get through it:  "A Fraction of the Whole" by Steve Toltz.  It was strange.  And one of those books that I actually hated at the end but can't stop thinking about for days afterward.  Which I think is an indicator of a good book. 

Next up:  Olive Kitteridge.

week no. 2 (i think?)

oh i'm not so good at remembering these goals.  but they sneak up on me and i get some things done anyway! 

so i got my windshield fixed.  you can still see the little crack, but overall - it looks much better and is so wonderful to have one less thing hanging over my head making me feel like one day i'll just be buried under all the little things i couldn't be bothered to do.

AND i got my checks for my closed accounts.  pay day!

yesterday and today i've been as sick as a dog, pretty much terrifying pat with my stream of conscious talking.

but this weekend i'm determined to be productive and happy.  including a round of scrabble today and a venture to town tomorrow to look for tights to wear under a dress.  i want to be trendy for one minute.  don't make fun of me. 

i also hope to find some pretty good buttons to start my collection. 

be sure to check out the list below to see how much i've done (its not that much, don't have high expectations) 

additionally, pat and i got some pretty incredible engagement photos taken. 

 

i love them and i love him.  

happy weekend.

week 1. no more open bank accounts

So today I called National City and  Chevy Chase and cancelled my accounts.  It took all of 20 minutes.  Why in the world have I waited 7 years and 2 years respectively to get rid of those? 

And the super bonus is that I'll be getting checks ($200 and $100) in the mail!

In other news - its snowing like crazy.  As I look out my office window I see the tree branches straining with the weight of the snow. 

As for my list - I've crossed off what I've done so far and highlighted in blue the things that are in progress.

Project Renovate

Lately I dislike myself.  Quite a bit.  Because I'm so lazy and unenthusiastic about anything and everything. 

So I decided to stop being a reality TV addict who is just letting days slip by unnoticed.  I want to renovate the way I live my life - restructure to make time for the things I really care about and really want to do.

I am so stupidly lucky to be very much in love, have a fantastic family, a job that I love (and coworkers who are legitimately my best friends), friends from all over, so many opportunites to see the world.  Yet I can be such a slug - waking up, eating food, going to sleep.

These are my goals for the next 2 years and I'm hoping I can be successful at about 80% of them in that time.  So today is October 5, 2009.  I'm going to try to report on how I'm doing with them by reposting every so often, crossing out those that I've done - maybe giving you an update or two.  But I'm really bad at updating things unless its facebook - so don't set your expectations too high :)

In reality I think sharing this with all of you will help me actually stay with it and do the things I'm saying are important.   

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am blatently ripping this concept off from other people around the internet. 

If you see something on here that you'd like to do with me or help me with, just point me in the right direction.  Wish me luck!

Project Renovate

around the world (and the community)  (0/10)

1. Go to South America or Israel
2. Go to Grand Canyon
3. Go to Seattle
4. Visit 3 wineries (0/3)
5. Go to 4 small town festivals (0/4)
6. Go to Vegas
7. Go to Boston
8. Go to Charlotte
9. Go on a road trip. Just for the sake of a road trip - no specific destination necessary
10. Go to the Penn State Arboritum

once a student, always a student (0/14)

11. Complete Spanish Rosetta Stone
12. Take a cooking class
13. Take Piano lessons for 1 month
14. Learn to drive stick shift
15. Take a yoga class
16. read 50 books (6/50)
17. read 10 books that won awards (preferably Booker Prize or National Book Award) (3/10)
18. Learn how to locate every country on a map
19. Read a random wikipedia article once a week (10/96)
20. Watch every Oscar winning movie for Best Picture
21. Learn how to do something from siblings (Katie, Allison, Andy - Rumy, Katie, Greg)
22. Learn how to juggle
23. Take a graduate level Lit class
24. Read BBC or New York Times every day for one month

improve my evenings  (1/14)

25. Frame Pictures and hang in my house
26. Grow rosemary, basil, parsley, thyme, and oregeno
27. Organize Photos online
28. Organize Photos in boxes
29. Organize books
30. Organize computer files
31. Decorate bedroom
32. Research where my family comes from
33. Make bulletin/inspiration boards for my room
34. Make an indoor garden
35. Organize kitchen and keep it organized for one month
36. Get the right lighting in the house
37. Plant a tree
38. Get a cat

enhance myself (4/18)

39. Cook 3 new recipes per month (15/72)
40. Cook with a new ingredient 20 times (5/20)
41. Close Chevy Chase Credit Card
42. Close National City Debit Card
43. Put $200 in savings per month (I upped it to $150 for a couple months)
44. Get my finances in order
45. Go to bed at 9 each night for one week
46. Don't watch TV for 2 weeks straight
47. Keep bathroom clean for one month
48. No alcohol for one month
49. Create 20 recipes on my own (6/20)
50. Write my will

51. Get wisdom teeth out

52. Write my promises
53. Get Married
54. Journal 1 time per week (2/96)
55. Work out 4 times per week for 3 weeks in a row at the gym
56. Get a facial

be a professional (0/4)

57. Write an article from my thesis
58. Publish article
59. Revisit the study
60. Research intended and unintended cross region

make friends with my community (or other communities) (0/17)

61. Visit a new local business once per month (3/24)
62. Go to 50 bookstores (2/50)
63. Attempt to surf
64. Attempt to ski or snowboard
65. Beat Pat in Street Fighter 4
66. Run a 10 k
67. Go bike riding
68. Go picnicking
69. Fly a kite
70. Watch 5 sunrises (0/5)
71. Go on a hot air balloon ride
72. Go to church
73. Pull an all nighter
74. Go on a hike
75. Spend one whole day outside - 24 hours at least
76. Join a book club
77. Go antiquing

love the people that love me (2/15)

78. Write 8 thank you notes per month (16/192)
79. Play a game (like scrabble) with Pat 1 time per month (3/24)
80. Take a photo every week (12/96)
81. Meet my neighbors (including canine cop next door, veronica across the street, and the house with a million kids)
82. Write my grandma a letter 4 times (0/4)
83. Have a snowman contest
84. Learn to play poker
85. Collect cool buttons
86. Have a poker party where we bet with buttons
87. Throw a party for every season:  summer, fall, winter, spring
88. Throw a fantastic birthday party for someone I love
89. Volunteer for 3 months with a local organization (preferably with kids)
90. Have a Round party (everything you eat is round)
91. Surprise Pat - really surprise him - 4 times (0/4)
92. Contact someone totally out of the blue 5 times (0/5)

those silly things (3/8)

93. Buy very hip boots
94. Buy a good pair of jeans
95. Get rid of that old ugly desk in the living room
96. Get my windshield fixed
97. Don't buy more than one dress per month

98. Donate every item of clothing I have not worn in a year

99. Do not purchase anything for one whole month (except food)

100. Buy completely perfect Christmas gifts for at least 6 people (2/6)