Here are 10 things I have been up to lately!
1. Flylady. My friend Megan introduced me to Flylady exactly
one month ago. The flylady program is essentially a free email list that
assigns one task every day that you should spend no more than 15 minutes on.
Each week has a different area for you to focus on, and by the end of a month,
you should have hit every (almost) area in the house. The emails can get a
little annoying because they use the same email list to send “testimonials” which
are essentially product reviews for items in the flylady store. I have since
transcended the email list entirely and have
gone to daily checkings of the flylady/cozi app. I did like the emails
for a while, because checking the emails throughout the day while at work made me anxious to go home and clean. In the
long run, it probably led to better daily compliance for the flylady missions.
It doesn’t take long to get tired of the emails, though. The website sends over
10 emails a day.
I do find value in subscribing to flylady instead of an
equivalent 15 minute a day cleaning regimine because flylady gives structure to
my efforts. It is comforting me to know that I can clean my bathroom mirrors
today and flylady will remind me to do it again in a month and not sooner. This
system empowers me to overlook the small things with the understanding that I
will get to it eventually.
I highly recommend the program because it has changed my
entire relationship with my home. I used to get stressed out when I clean, eventually
giving up because it was an insurmountable task that would defeat me every
time. I would never buy anything for
cleaning or decorating because I decided it would only contribute to my
stockpiles of clutter. Now I clean and declutter happily knowing that today
will be more organized than yesterday, and every day that I stay with the plan,
the closer I will get to the magazine-esque living space I’ve always dreamed
of.
Maybe someday I could be responsible to have something like
a white couch or carpet? I can only dream.
2. Rancho Bernardo Fire. This event is really recent. I was
so busy at work yesterday that I didn’t even have the presense of mind to peek
out of the window and know even one thing about the world going on around
me. I didn’t even figure it out until I
got a text from a concerned (and definitely more in touch) friend that a huge
1500 acre fire was blazing less than a mile from where I live and work. I felt
an immediate concern for Buffy and started seriously considering my emergency
action plan. It is just so hard to focus at work with plumes of billowing smoke
visible from our shop front windows.
3. I am engaged! Alex and I have decided that we should tie
the knot. May the wedding planning begin! I’ll try to keep you updated on how
that goes, but there are so many websites out there for wedding planning, I
don’t know what I can really contribute.
I want a long engagement because I have quite a lot going on in my life
and I do not feel the need to get married right this second. At the same time,
a year to 16 months feels like a massocistically long period of time
considering how much mental energy this is taking.
4. My birthday is soon. Very soon in fact. I want
desperately to go to Las Vegas even if only for a short trip. I know I am not a gambler or even a moderate
drinker, but it’s a spectacle, and a world renowned one at that. Its silly I’ve
never gone as an adult. While some of my
friends say that 26 isn’t a vegas-y number, I still think I can have golden
memories visiting the hoover dam, fremont street, and the Bellagio spa. I could
also use the engagement as an excuse, I think. Do people go on engagement
trips, or am I stretching it too far?
5. Its T-1 week until I am a student again. I am taking my
first foray into graduate school with a 6 week morning summer statics class at
SDSU. I am so nervous. Should I buy a binder? A new backpack? I hope I make
friends, do well in my classes, and really gather something valuable from my
return to higher education. At the very least, it will be a lot of time
driving.
6. I am reading again. The last time I checked in I was
re-reading Gone with the Wind. I have fallen down the slippery slope of
harlequin romances. Don’t judge. Sometimes you need to take a break from
serious literature. I just finished reading The Princess Bride. I also wrote a
review which can be read here.
7. I visited my Parents in Missouri at the end of
April. I think you can gather my
experience from that trip pictorially starting here.
8. I bought a new Fedora while in Missouri. I know you
probably don’t think that I am a huge hat person, but I am. I really really
really am. I own tonnes of hats and never wear them. That is just how I roll. During
my trip to Sedalia I bought my most expensive hat to date, a vintage Mallory
Stetson. I feel so bad spending so much money on a hat I know will sit on my
shelf 360 days a year. I just hope that I will own it forever so I can forever
grace my bookshelf with style and substance.
9. I have started pilates again! This probably is a sign
that I have detached emotionally from climbing a bit. Its hard when I no longer
have a consistent climbing partner and several of my close friends are
suffering from beginning of season injuries. I myself have fallen drastically
out of step from my trip to Missouri. I just couldn’t get back into the rhythm
of my daily exercise routine for nearly 3 weeks after that red eye flight
marathon weekend. I am just now revamping my cardio – strength – climbing
routine, and these pilates classes are really helping me do it. I need to get
back that belt notch I lost.
10. I am planning out a new painting. I have a mockup, but I am not quite ready to
share it. It is going slow because I have quite a lot on my plate right now. I
wanted to do an streamlined art deco architecture inspired painting, but I am
also debating a highly emotional Hellenistic frida kahlo inspired painting as
well. I tend to paint rather clinically, so maybe I should try to broaden my
style a bit.
That is it! I love recalling my life with these list posts
because it helps me recall how excited I am about all my projects and plans. Hope
to hear from you all soon,
Maria
