Did you accomplish anything today?

[Poppylicious]

I went to the big annual antique show.

I wanted to go to one of our failry big antique fairs this weekend, but I talked myself out of it because I knew I'd buy something I didn't need with money I don't have.  Also, it's at the local animal shelter so we would have had to go and look at the pussy-cats and then we would have had to bring one home ... (we wouldn't, but we would have wanted to!)

 

Today I have showered, prepared the veg and meat to throw in the slow cooker when I wake up in the morning, washed one load of washing and just meandered about online.  Oh, and I did a bit of dancing on the Wii (it's been too long!)  It all equates to a fairly lazy Sunday before a busy first week back at work following the Christmas break. Early mornings ... ugh ... *shudder*

[jbeany]

I wanted to go to one of our failry big antique fairs this weekend, but I talked myself out of it because I knew I'd buy something I didn't need with money I don't have.  Also, it's at the local animal shelter so we would have had to go and look at the pussy-cats and then we would have had to bring one home ... (we wouldn't, but we would have wanted to!)

Oooh, the pets would be tough to pass up! Do they label the older cats and dogs as "Vintage" items?

  I can look at all the old stuff with my sister and just point at things and think - "Flashback!"  without buying anything, but only if I have a shopping list and a set amount to spend.  I wanted a fun pill box and the coat hooks.  I didn't find anything I loved that would work for either thing, at least on my $50 budget, so it was easy to pass on the rest.  (Not that I didn't love some of the Tiffany compacts I could have used for pillboxes, but I'm not carrying a $200 pillbox in my purse, even if I could have afforded it.)  There are a lot of vendors at this show who are designers who remake antiques into various kinds of useful things or artwork, and I love to go look for ideas for my thrift store finds.  Plus they had an Old House Expo, subtitled "Caring for your largest antique," and that was interesting, too.

I haven't accomplished a thing yet, but I'm working on it!

[WishIKnew]

Went to church.  I've been to this one three times now and think I may have finally found "my" church.  I'm really liking it.  They have a deaf ministry and an interpreter at the service.  Very helpful!

[jbeany]

Finished the wreath with the floral picks I bought yesterday, and hung it up instead of the "Beware of Cat" wood craft I've had up on my front door at the last 3 places I've lived.  Time for a change!  It's not fancy, just light green and white berries, but it should be good for multiple seasons.  I can add hearts, shamrocks, eggs, whatever, as needed.

[jbeany]

OCD day.  Couldn't sleep, even though it was the first day I could sleep in all week.  Woke at 6, gave up trying to sleep and got up at quarter to 7.  So far, the entire house is tidied, dusted, and vacuumed, the bathroom is scrubbed top to bottom, the sheets are changed, and the last load of laundry is in the dryer.  Taking a quick breather before I start on the kitchen floor.  Then treadmill and errands.  Not bad for the first 7 hours of my day!

[CebuShan]

OCD day.  Couldn't sleep, even though it was the first day I could sleep in all week.  Woke at 6, gave up trying to sleep and got up at quarter to 7.  So far, the entire house is tidied, dusted, and vacuumed, the bathroom is scrubbed top to bottom, the sheets are changed, and the last load of laundry is in the dryer.  Taking a quick breather before I start on the kitchen floor.  Then treadmill and errands.  Not bad for the first 7 hours of my day!

Wow! jbeany, if you're bored you can always come over and do that to my house!         

I thought it was good that I am up , made coffee & made my bed!   

[Riki]

OCD day.  Couldn't sleep, even though it was the first day I could sleep in all week.  Woke at 6, gave up trying to sleep and got up at quarter to 7.  So far, the entire house is tidied, dusted, and vacuumed, the bathroom is scrubbed top to bottom, the sheets are changed, and the last load of laundry is in the dryer.  Taking a quick breather before I start on the kitchen floor.  Then treadmill and errands.  Not bad for the first 7 hours of my day!

Wow! jbeany, if you're bored you can always come over and do that to my house!         

I thought it was good that I am up , made coffee & made my bed!   

I didn't even get that far.. I'm still in bed..

[IGould]

I took the children and got them new footwear, outfits, university resources, back packs and cups. Yes, it was a really lengthy and costly day, in situation you were thinking.

[jbeany]

Is it Friday yet?  Is orientation week over yet?  Puhleeeease?  I'm wiped out!  12 new paralegal and law students who needed to know every procedure, computer system and program we use in the clinic, 20 client files to learn divided up between the 5 students I'm supposed to be working with this term (16 of them case files I've not handled before), 2 court hearings, 5 client meetings (one for a case and law student I'm not even working with, but he didn't have anyone else available to help then), and two added cases from the clinic's supervising attorney's practice that I've worked on for him without any of the students involved. And it's only Wednesday.  I've been the first one in the office most of the week, and have stayed until at least 7 every night.

I signed up for this willingly, right?  I think....  Because it looks good on a resume and is good experience. 
Yeah, that's it.  I just need to keep reminding myself of that!

[Kitty Cat]

Today I did well, considering. I've had a pretty bad cold/virus that I've been battling for a little while. I only want to sleep at this point. I did grocery shopping, changed the cat box, did all the laundry, cleaned out the wood stove, brought in a lot of wood for the stove and took some of the severe cold medicines I picked up from the store. It's been helping, it did knock me out and tomorrow, I can already tell you I am doing nothing. Absolutely nothing more than I need to do. I've heard we have arctic temperatures coming in starting tonight and I think sweatpants and a sweatshirt with a cozy blanket will do just fine. lol   

[jbeany]

Hurray, I survived the craziness!  I slept in this morning, got up and did my semi-mandatory 1 mile on the treadmill, and sorted through my books.  A local bookstore buys them for cash.  They took 14 of the 20 I took with me, and gave me $15 in cash.  I was good - I only bought one for 50 cents while I was there.  I did pick up a few at the thrift store, but they were a couple of kids books in Spanish, so I can have reading material to practice with, and a giant dictionary I want to try to make a book safe out of.

I spent my book money on groceries to make pralines.  That's next on the list of things to do.  I want to have them done and ready to go before I need them on Monday for my dish-to-pass for the club dinner.

[cariad]

Aaaaagh, I'm not in the best of spirits at the moment! I researched my visa options today. I got a good feeling from one consulting agency, so I emailed them a few basic questions and they said I should plan to be in the US at least a month! A month!!!!! My friend is still trapped in Michigan, no visa in sight. She was promised it over two weeks ago.

I did the usual cleaning and sorting, and as usual not as much was accomplished as I had originally planned. Must start being more realistic.

The boys and I have started a new Tuesday routine. They get out of school at 3:15 and have to be about a mile down the road by 4:45 for their choral group. On the way, we pass one of those tea rooms set in an old half-timbered cottage with winding staircases, sloping ceilings and creaky, uneven floors. It's a bit of a rabbit warren in there, with tiny little rooms hidden everywhere. I am always reluctant to try new establishments without Gwyn - I dread that initial awkwardness as you orient yourself to a new environment.

Well! I decided I could not take another visit to Cafe Nero -  good God, may as well go to starbucks, it is impersonal and character-free in there, but my friends always seem to drag me in there. I took the boys and I have rarely encountered a more welcoming atmosphere. Gwyn wound up joining us as he got off his weekly site-visit early. We ordered the afternoon tea that came with sandwich of our choice (egg mayonaise) gianormous scone with bullets of butter, clotted cream and jam, and slice of cake from the cake trolley (chocolate fudge), plus a pot of tea. Boys ordered hot cocoa and chai. Then Gwyn ordered cream tea when he arrived. It was amazing - I told the boys we've found our Tuesday afternoon hangout.

We dropped the boys at choir practice, Gwyn dropped me back home, he worked for a bit, I phoned my father to talk visa plans. Gwyn collected the boys, gave them a bite to eat and watched a video with them. Then, when we finally got them to bed, little Dyl comes downstairs to say "I don't know if it's bad...." Oh, not the ideal start to a sentence. I asked him if he had vomited on the bed because he looked shaken. No, not that awful. I had left him reading his Simpsons comic, and apparently his pot of slime that he made at a birthday party "just popped open". It slimed his pajamas, all of his sheets, his duvet cover, and every last pillow slip (3 on his bed!!!) And there is still plenty left in the container. We are out of single sheets, so Gwyn had to jigger a set of queen sheets to fit. I guess life would be pretty dull without my kids....

[MaryD]

Clotted cream!!  Yum, oh yum.

[jbeany]

"just popped open"   

Today was my day off from the pro-bono clinic.  Which, of course, means one of my desperate law students picked me up at 12:30, and I was his traveling notary for the next 3 and half hours.  Outside.  Walking.  In negative degree wind chill.  I was supposed to be home getting things organized for the craft class I taught tonight, but luckily, I had most of it done over the weekend, or this morning when I got up early.

I also sent off another job app.  I've got a good feeling about this one. It's the office of the professor who runs the clinic where I volunteer.  The office is just him and his partner.  He called his partner to give me a verbal reference, which consisted of "She's a really good legal assistant - and she used to be a pastry chef, so she brings in treats all the time."     Can you tell he has a HUGE sweet tooth?  The other clinic attorney wrote me a reference letter as well, (on clinic letterhead, which has the head professor/partner's name on it, which is even funnier than the verbal reference on the basis of his sweet tooth). The Dean of Paralegal Studies from my university, who is in charge of the paralegal students who take the clinic class, not only wrote me a letter, but called him directly to tell him he'd be a fool not to hire me.

So, pretty much guaranteed an interview at least.  I'm hoping the Work Opportunity Tax Credit he will get for hiring someone on Ticket to Work will be the final touch to getting hired.  Oh yeah, that and the fact that I can work either part or full time and don't need health benefits. 
Yeah, that should do it.

I've got another app out right now for a Program Director to run a non-profit mediation center.  I'd be the assistant to the Executive Director - who is also someone I've volunteered for at another pro-bono legal center before I started at the law school's clinic.  One way or another, all the volunteering is going to pay off!

[AnnieB]

I am really plugging for you, Jbeany! 

Today I relaxed, read email, listened to the radio, stayed nice and warm inside since it's ***brrrr*** outside, began to think/do a little research about long term plans for taking classes, working etc....overall, a laid-back day.

[jbeany]

Ah, no go on the non-profit.  I'm collecting enough rejection letters to start wallpapering with them.     But, still hoping for the call from the partner.  I also jumped through all the website hoops to sign up with a local temp agency, and applied to a job through them.  Got two more to do tonight, if I can get through the computer applications with wanting to through my screen out the window...

[Riki]

I spent most of the day knitting and watching Dark Shadows... and when I'm done running through this site, I'm going to watch Dark Shadows and knit.. *LOL*

[cariad]

OK, after reading that lawyer's endorsement, now I want to hire you, jbeany. Tell the partner to get on with writing up an offer, or I'll be spending money I don't have to relocate you to England.

Today, sorting, cleaning, sorting, cleaning, sorting, cleaning. Trip to market where we always buy waaaaaaay more fruit and veg than any family of four could reasonably eat, and today was no exception. Dropped loads of donations off at the charity shop.

The best accomplishment - THE BEST - was yesterday. We finally enrolled Dyl in a professionally-taught street dance class. I have been trying to find something for Dyl that would be like football and karate are to Aidan, something that he just never wanted to stop doing, something that was just for him where he would not be in Aidan's shadow all the time. This has been a huge problem for him because Aidan is always praised lavishly and people will come up to Gwyn and me and tell us how phenomenal Aidan is without ever mentioning Dyl (that kind of hurts, actually). A few weeks ago, an Indian acquaintance of mine who often rides the same bus as me said "I really like your older son." Thanks, but WTH, the only time you ever see my kids is at the bus stop, you don't know anything about them, what is it about Aidan? I was both flattered and a tad insulted.

Usually I ask Dyl how he liked a class and he'll answer with a tepid "it was good" or "it was fun". He never sounds like he means it. But yesterday, walking to the car, I asked him what he thought and he said "It was awesome! I love it!!!!" (and yes, I could hear the exclamation points!) and then we got him home and he burst in the door and said to his brother "Aidan, that was the best class!!!!" The teacher was so sweet, so energetic, so enthusiastic and she taught them real moves and praised Dyl repeatedly for his dancing. She even demonstrated one of those moves where you are kind of balanced on your head and shoulder. I asked Dyl if he minded that there was only one other boy who was much younger than him in the class, and he said he wouldn't care if he were the only boy. We have found our place for him, and once he (hopefully) switches schools, she teaches at that school after-hours, so it will be far more convenient. I can not possibly overstate how thrilled I am that we've found an activity for him that he is good at, loves, and that is taught by a teacher who recognises what a truly delightful boy my little guy is. 

Oh, and Dyl had his first day of French club yesterday - a club that Aidan is already in. He immediately told the teacher je suis Americain and she was well impressed with that. Aidan also told me that the teacher complimented Dyl on his accent. What a triumphant day for my under-appreciated boy.

[Lexxtech18]

I've accomplished 6 hours of work and...... losing my glasses. xD I think they're in my car though.  Oh and omg, you guys, tonight after work I'm actually going to go out and play some cards with friends!  It's been so long since I left my house to do anything other than dialysis or work. Feels good.

[jbeany]

OK, after reading that lawyer's endorsement, now I want to hire you, jbeany. Tell the partner to get on with writing up an offer, or I'll be spending money I don't have to relocate you to England.

You'd need to get a Wizard of Oz tornado to move me.  I'm not leaving this house after all the work I put in it!

Today I made a double batch of ham and sweet potato soup and a batch of kahlua cashew fudge, did a load of laundry, made a birthday poster for a friend for Monday, and finished a book.  And ignored all the other stuff I was supposed to do!

[cariad]

You'd need to get a Wizard of Oz tornado to move me.

Hmmm. Well, that sounds more economical than a transatlantic airline ticket.

[Kitty Cat]

Yesterday, for the first time in more years than I can count, I went to the mall by myself and shopped.

I met my daughter and her family for lunch, the little guys starting melting down and I really didn't want to go home yet, so I did it!!! For me this is huge! I did everything with Mark, we enjoyed each others company so much and I'm still learning how to do things without him.

I'm looking at this as a gigantic step in the right direction for me  :yahoo

[MooseMom]

Yesterday, for the first time in more years than I can count, I went to the mall by myself and shopped.

I met my daughter and her family for lunch, the little guys starting melting down and I really didn't want to go home yet, so I did it!!! For me this is huge! I did everything with Mark, we enjoyed each others company so much and I'm still learning how to do things without him.

I'm looking at this as a gigantic step in the right direction for me  :yahoo

This post made my day, Kitty Cat.  I can understand why this little outting respresents such a huge moment in your life. 

[boswife]

oh ((((((((((((((((((((((((( kitty cat)))))))))))))))))))))))))), im so happy that this is starting for you.  I thought about you today and said a quick prayer.  bless you and all you do... 

[thegrammalady]

i emptied the dish washer...does that count?