Sweetheart Run

I went up to Mohawk Park this morning for the Sweetheart Run. My training group did both the 5K and the 10K, so my total mileage for the day is 9.3. Ron and I went to Savastano’s afterward for a Chicago-style pizza, in honor of the fact that the Cubs returned to Mesa yesterday. Spring training has started, which means that I am no longer acknowledging the existence of winter.

I’d had some good intentions about cleaning the house this afternoon, but then I looked at the calendar on my phone and realized I was supposed to be at the Reading Room from 1:30 to 5, so the house got another big dose of neglect. I was tired and went to bed when I got home, so now I’m playing catch-up.

On my plate this evening: pick up the pile of dirty clothes from the bathroom floor, clean the bathroom, clean the refrigerator, clear the coffee table, clean the living room, declutter the bedroom, clear the kitchen cabinets, clear the kitchen table, sweep the kitchen floor, review for a math quiz, and make a QuikTrip run. We’ll see how much I accomplish. Maybe if I get everything done, I can devote some time to a real blog post….

Emily

Decisions, decisions

Here are all the things a responsible grownup would do this evening if she were in my position: write two freelance articles, look up the answer to an editor’s question and e-mail her back, write lesson plans for the pre-AP class, clean the kitchen, declutter the living room, fold the laundry, declutter the office, clean the bathroom, clean the rodents’ cages, run an errand, pick up snacks for homework night, and put stamps on some letters to parents so I can drop them in the mail.

Here is what I am doing: drinking blue Gatorade, blogging, Twittering, Facebooking, and listening to the Grateful Dead. 

What shall I do next?

To be sure, I’ve done a little work today — I bought two plants for my classroom and repotted them, washed two loads of laundry and dried one, stoked the fire twice, and reorganized all the files on my hard drive — but as Saturdays go, this one isn’t exactly the most productive I’ve ever had.

I have about five hours to redeem myself before I head to bed. Maybe I’ll fold those clothes on the bed before I head out in search of that monitor riser so I can get started on those freelance articles….

Emily

Keeping myself honest

This isn’t the world’s most exciting blog post, but hopefully by putting the list of stuff I need to accomplish online, I’ll be more inclined to get through everything and thus save myself the embarrassment of having my readers see what a terrible slacker I am. Here are all the things I need to get done this weekend so I can enjoy my Thanksgiving break without having a lot of stress nagging at the back of my mind:

Clean the bathroom, declutter the living room, dust the living room, dust the hall, dust the kitchen, declutter the bedroom, dust the bedroom, clear the kitchen table, put away dishes, clean the stove, clear the counters, do dishes, wipe down the cabinets, clean the fridge, sweep the kitchen, scrub the kitchen floor, wash a load of laundry, fold a load of laundry, wash another load of laundry, fold another load of laundry, wash a third load of laundry, fold a third load of laundry, declutter my computer desk, declutter my other desk, declutter my office shelves, declutter the office floor, dust my office, sweep the carpets, grade papers, record grades, plan the rest of my poetry unit, read the Lesson, work on my Hamlet unit, make a phone call, put together a packet of makeup work for a kid who doesn’t have Internet access, make a pouch for my school ID, make posters for my bulletin boards, design a seatcover for my classroom chairs, make pouches for our magnetic poetry kit words, and watch Kenneth Branagh’s version of Hamlet.

That’s just today’s list. Tomorrow, I plan to run the Route 66 Half-Marathon and watch the new James Bond flick.

We’ll see how much I can get done in one afternoon. The Branagh Hamlet is sort of a prize for getting through the rest of this with my sanity intact….

Emily

Crazy afternoon

I procrastinated a bit yesterday — other than running three and a half miles and getting unduly angry over a stranger’s ill manners, I didn’t accomplish much.

Today was shaping up to be equally useless, but after a three-hour nap this afternoon, I decided it was time to start catching up, so in the past hour and a half, I’ve done two loads of laundry; cleaned the stovetop, counters, and kitchen table; swept the kitchen floor; cleaned the refrigerator; picked up the clutter from my office floor; cleared one of my desks; and started the process of rendering a little beeswax we harvested last weekend.

I still have to clear this desk, clean the bedroom, sweep the carpets, clean the living room, clean the rodents’ cages, feed a bunch of scraps to the hens, clean the bathroom, take out the trash, Photoshop a bunch of images, burn a CD of photos, update three Web sites, and read the Lesson.

If I get all the housework done before dark, I think I’ll go wash the car and then treat myself to a slushie.

Emily

New rules

This isn’t the world’s most exciting blog post, but one function of a blog is to serve as a substitute for mass e-mailings. With that in mind, I would like to make a brief announcement concerning my e-mail habits:

Things have been nuts around here for the past five months or so. They are about to get nuttier.

To preserve my own sanity and ensure that I have time to fulfill all my responsibilities and commitments at work, at home, and in my personal life, I am going to be limiting the amount of time I spend online, particularly where e-mail is concerned. Specifically, I am going to set aside 30 minutes a day to check and reply to e-mail. To make the most of that time, I am no longer replying to messages that do not require a response. I am no longer mediating disputes. I am no longer entertaining requests for help doing things that the sender could do himself with minimal effort. And I am no longer reading messages that start with “Fw:Fw:Fw:Fw.”

Please do not take this personally. I am not upset with anyone. I am just busy, and I am trying to prioritize my schedule, exercise a little self-discipline, and give my full attention to those matters that need — and deserve — it.

Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Emily