This is a blog about changing bad habits, forming new ones, and believing that goals are more easily achieved when you share them with others. All you need is one good friend, or at least another motivated person, to keep you on track. What do you want to achieve this month? Finally cleaning that garage? Going out for that dream job? Getting in shape? Finishing that book you've been reading for a year? Writing a book? Or maybe just remembering to eat breakfast every day. The more specific the better. Make a list of Five Things, share it with a friend, and challenge each other to complete it! My friend Kit and I are tackling new projects monthly - join us, and tell a friend! =-)

Click here to see how it started!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Oh So Busy...

I've been trying to stay on top of my list this month... and I guess my efforts over the last several months have been paying off, because I was offered a long-term temporary job teaching first grade!

As I get ready to start it, I feel like there's a million other things going on - sub jobs, planning a trip to Vegas, studying for my class, already stressing about buying gifts and plane tickets for Christmas, doing dishes and laundry constantly, sending H off to L.A. for work every Monday and welcoming him back every Thursday, cooking to save money on food, steam cleaning at home to save money on dry cleaning... but I really...really...really... shouldn't complain.  Things are good.  Crazy, but good.

Exercising has been the hardest thing to keep up with.  But I did manage to get out twice last week.  This week, I'm sick, but hopefully I'll be better by Friday - when I start my new job!!

More later... I hope!  Check my Twitter for updates (see link at the right)!

Also, here is Holly's list, which I got last week:

1.  No drinking 3 days a week.
2.  Floss 3x per week
3.  Scour floors in bathroom
4.  Exercise 2x per week
5.  Write 5 preplans for work every week

Good luck, girl!

Monday, November 1, 2010

NOVEMBER KICKOFF!!

Hello all, here is the latest from the Land of Five Things - it's a new month, so you know what that means... a new list!!

Kat's List
1.  Exercise 3x/week, 30 mins min.
2.  Clean the back bathroom
3.  Do 2 hrs. of homework 2x a week, must start Mon. or Tues.
4.  Limit internet surfing (for leisure) to 20 min./day
5.  Pray and read 2 pages of the Bible 3x/week

I've been going overboard surfing the net lately, and I find myself wasting a LOT of time (and consequently getting mad at myself if other stuff doesn't get done.  It's okay if it's work related or just checking email, but YouTube and Facebook are serious TIME KILLERS!!!  GaAAAAAA!

Unfortunately, Blogger.com is being weird and not letting me post pictures right now, but I'll post pics of Halloween as soon as I can.

Don't forget to check out my updates at http://twitter.com/SweetKatLeen !!!  (see link at right)

Kit and Holly should be joining in this week, so I'll hound them for their lists.  If anyone else wants to join in, let me know, and I'll post your list and challenge you to finish it!  

And now...

A REFLECTION ON OCTOBER

October went fairly well, but my exercise habits are slipping.  I need to remember to take my clothes with me so I can exercise anywhere, anytime.  I have no good excuse, I just need to get off my butt and go for a walk if I have a spare 30 minutes!

I did a good job going to bed around 10:15.  I think it more or less became a habit, so I didn't feel the need to put it on my list in November.  

Meditation was really a good thing for me, and I also hope I continue that even though it's not on my list for November.

The refrigerator is now sparkling clean, and I will post pics of that process soon (I'm sure you're dying to see).  There's just nothing more exciting.  I'm only half joking... It actually makes me feel really good, cuz every time I open the fridge, I'm greeted with the white splendor of cleanliness... ahhhh.  Zen.

I eliminated the Games item on my list because it was unrealistic.  There are some sub schedules that just don't allow for much deviation from the teacher's instructions.  I did some games, but I need to find other ways to incorporate fun into my subbing.  But it did get me thinking.  

 What I notice...

I notice a little more focus from myself, a little more willingness to do tasks that aren't on my list (I also consolidated things in the garage to let us walk around easier, and I swept out the storage unit to allow me to move stuff out of the garage into there).  I have been feeling more calm in the classroom, due to the exercise and meditation.  

I would like to post some thoughts from Kit too, so I will ask her to expound on Five Things.  It would be good to get multiple perspectives on it - it is, after all, a project in progress, an experiment, and she is my first guinea pig!  So I have to give her kudos for being there for me all these months, sticking with it, and believing in me and the idea. 

Thanks, chica.  Luv ya.  =-)

Friday, October 29, 2010

October is Almost Over!

My, my, it has been a while, hasn't it?  It has been an eventful month in the life of 5 Things, with a trip to Milwaukee, AIDS Walk, and Halloween coming up.  So how are we busy people doing with our lists?

Kit has been faithfully updating me on the status of her laundry, exercise, and the grooming of her cat.  She also updated the contacts in her phone, accidentally calling me a few times as she did so.  She also uploaded some more photos of her honeymoon trip to Facebook so we can see her at the Tower of London and next to the weird Japanese art installations that marred the halls of Versailles.

Holly never quite got her list to me, but she is still on board for next month.  I think she may need a little incentive... like if she accomplishes everything one week, I'll buy the first round when we go out for cocktails.

As for myself, I've been doing okay with my list.  Exercise and meditation have been challenging to keep up with, but they have been really good for me.  Also, going to bed by 10:15 (or thereabouts) has also helped with energy and keeping me from getting sick.  The games thing was a dud (I can't count on having an opportunity to fit them in during the school day), but at least it got me thinking about making a list.  The refrigerator is almost clean (I've been doing it in stages).  Two more small shelves and the door shelves and I'm done.  I had to use excessive amounts of Goo Gone to get unidentified sticky matter out of various crevices.  Lord knows how long it's been there...

So we get to finish October with a party, otherwise known as Halloween.  Still not sure if said party will be in L.A. or in San Diego.  But either way, I will be decked out in the same outfit I wore to Monster Ball:

Monday, October 18, 2010

Exercise#1, 2 AND 3...

I was wondering if I could count this as all 3 exercises for this week... haha just kidding.  But can it at least make up for me doing only 2 last week?

Yesterday, October 17, I participated in AIDS Walk Los Angeles.  It took quite a bit of effort to get there - an hour of driving around, getting stuck and rerouted, going to 3 parking structures, which were all full (and driving up and down 2 of those structures to find out that they were full!), waiting in a line of cars squealing their tires on a steep hill in the rain, trying to get up to Sunset Blvd., and finally parking on a street a half a mile away from the start line.

Once we got to the start line, we were 1 1/2 hours late, and they were starting to take down the markers of the course, so we weren't certain where the course was, and we took a wrong turn that made us cut out five miles of the walk!  Oops!  So we found the mobs of people who were closing in on the finish line, and we walked against traffic on the other side of the street, in the opposite direction, until the route turned, where we would have picked it up if we if we hadn't gotten diverted.  Also, our team had gone on ahead, so I didn't get to see Kit (who was also participating) until hours later.  That'll teach us not to be late to a walk, ever again!!

Once on the walk, however, it was really fun, great exercise, and not as crowded this year on account of the rain.  I didn't mind the rain because I was wearing water resistant clothes, and it was very light rain.  Everyone was having a great time cheering each other on, and there were lots of dogs walking too, and people wearing outrageous costumes.  Check out some of the sights:

colorful characters

walking the dog

hey, if you're gonna tag a building, this is one of the nicer things you could say...

there were nuns of all colors of the rainbow...

H and I crossing the finish line



Monday, October 11, 2010

October Things!

I finally got a hold of Kit's list, so here it is:

1. sort and organize my trip pix. pick out at least 10 pix I can share with friends/relatives/put on FB
2. groom the cat
3. exercise 4 times - at least 1x per week
4. add my speed dials to my new phone which includes updating their contact info
5. clean the shower



Still no word on Holly's list yet, but she's doing her best (this is all new to her).  Will update when I hear from her.


In the meantime, I tweeted that I did some of my exercising in Milwaukee, so I wanted to upload some pics I took on my walk (I needed to walk off all that cheese, beer, and Bratwurst!)


City Hall

The Milwaukee River

The white thing beyond is the Calatrava architecture of the Milwaukee Museum of Art

As the wings begin to close...

Fully closed - I took a video of it closing, and it was fantastically slow.  You can barely see it moving.  So, you know, don't expect a life-changing event.

Riverwalk - not sure who this statue depicts, but he has Gene Simmons' tongue

Fall colors...sigh... we just don't get this in San Diego...

Thursday, September 30, 2010

September Reflection - but first, an announcement!


Five Things is gearing up for its 5th month in existence, and we have a new person on board!  My friend Holly is joining in, and she is excited to write her list.

So that’s my little announcement. =-)  

September was a challenging month in the life of Five Things, because of Kit being in Europe for two weeks, my throat muscles freaking out on me, and being sick two weekends in a row.  Despite two of my list items being duds, I did pretty well with the rest of the list.  Here’s the breakdown:

Exercise
I did well the first few weeks, but this month I required a lot of extensions, and STILL didn’t get my 3 days of exercise in.  Being sick didn’t help.  The kinds of exercise I was doing was also interfering with my singing (too much upper body work strained my neck).  Arrgh.  But on the positive side, I did some good running and tried Jazzercise for the first time (did you know it’s the #2 most prosperous woman-owned business in San Diego?).  It’s semi-cheesy, perky aerobic fun. 

Sleep By 10:15
This one was a challenge, but it was a HUGE benefit for me.  I was less moody and more functional during the week.  I cut myself a little slack and if I was in bed no later than 10:29, I counted it a success.  Staying up until even 11pm is really bad for me. 

Teacher’s Journal
This was a fun, easy, and helpful little item.  I just wrote down the cool stuff I gleaned from my subbing.  If I liked a teacher’s methods, behavior management, lessons, or anything else, I wrote it down and kept it in a red envelope.  Someday when I need some ideas for my own classroom, I can look through the notes. 

Singing 30 min. 3 times a week
This one became problematic when my throat muscles started getting very tense in the first week as a result of the weight lifting I was doing at the gym.  I sang 3 times the first week, then I had to rest my vocal cords to relieve the tension.  I’m still having issues with my throat, so this will not be on October’s list.  It’s too bad, but maybe when my throat calms down, I can add it back because it really helps with choir.

Follow a Schedule
This was a bad idea from the get-go, because a rigid schedule does not give you leeway for life.  Life happens and schedules get thrown off, and it really put way too much on my plate.  This was a sneaky trick by my subconscious to make me revert to my bad habit of trying to do too much all at once.  The whole PURPOSE of Five Things is to focus on 5 simple things so you don’t get overwhelmed by 50 different things.  Bad Kat.  The only good thing was the 15 minutes of tidying, which I did somewhat regularly, and which may reappear on later lists…

I will update with Kit and Holly's October lists, and as for myself, I will start in earnest when I return from Milwaukee on Tuesday.  Until then, ciao for now!!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Jazz Hands!!

Last week was challenging because I was sick over the weekend, and then this weekend my allergies went CRAZY with this abominable heat wave... but tonight I finally managed to get back in the saddle.  Here's what I've done so far:

Exercise #1
I went to Jazzercise for the first time ever!  I went from the 90 degree weather (at 6:45 at night) into a frigid air conditioned studio and skipped and toe-tapped for a solid hour... I'll be feeling it tomorrow.  It was pretty fun, and the best thing is it was totally free!  I have a week pass I found in the coupon mailer, so I doubt I'll continue after it expires (I should also use my gym membership) but it's fun to mix things up.

Okay, I'm off to bed (by 10:15!).  Also, I went to bed 3 times by 10:15 last week.  I'm liking this item...


Saturday, September 25, 2010

Busy Week

This week I backslid a bit.  Maybe it's not having Kit around... btw, she got back from Europe last week, so hopefully we can resume when she's up to it.

I never got around to Exercise #3 for last week, and this week, I did Exercise #1 on Monday (gym, 45 minutes, bikes, treadmill, weight machines, stretches).

I didn't sing this week because I'm still having the tension issue in my throat.  I sang at choir the other night, but I didn't sing that well.  If I try this one again, I'll reduce it to practicing once a week.

I've gotten to bed by 10:15 two nights this week.

I've dutifully kept up my teaching journal, and I subbed every day this week.

The schedule thing flopped, but I may try again with the 15 minutes of tidying in October.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Exercise #2

Exercise #2
Today, H and I took his car to get detailed, and rather than take two cars, we took the one car, dropped it off, and walked about a mile down the road to eat lunch (not my idea).  Even though I was starving and we're both fighting off a cold, we walked 15 minutes each way (eating Lebanese food and buying some wine in between).  So there's my 30 minutes to check off Exercise #2.  So yeah, I need an extension for Exercise #3...

Exercise #3 (from last week)
SPEAKING of which, I forgot to update on Exercise #3 from LAST week, which I did this week as an extension on Sunday - I did a Billy Blanks DVD for 40 minutes.  That kickboxing six-pack-at-50-years-old powerhouse reminds me of the good ole' days of doing Tae Bo at UCLA.  You kinda of look like you're on speed while you're doing it, but Billy Boy and his hyperactive routine really make me sweat in a way that Karen Voight just can't... sorry Karen, I'll still keep you around for yoga.

Exercise #3 from this week will have to happen Sunday.

Work it, Billy!

Teaching Journal
Got more than a page of notes from my time in a 7th grade Language Arts class and a 6th grade class at a local middle school.

Schedule
The schedule was a bad idea because it defeats the whole purpose of FIVE Things - it should give you Five main things to focus on so that you actually have a chance of accomplishing them.  I haven't figured out what I'd like to replace it with yet.  Perhaps just the 15 minutes of tidying per day...

Bed by 10:15
Went to bed at 10:22 on Thursday night.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Wait, what day is it?

Having some major memory problems... I will update on this week, and then I will do my best to remember how I finished out last week:

This week:

Exercise #1 - went to the gym Monday night, having cleverly packed my gym bag and taken it with me to work - and yes, I am getting some pretty steady sub work now.  I did the elliptical for 10 minutes, and the treadmill for 12, but my stamina is waning (probably since I'm getting less sleep due to work).  I did weights and chin-ups too.  I've decided to reduce, if not mostly eliminate, my upper body weight lifting because of the effect it has on my singing.  See the singing section below for elaboration.

Singing #1 - I did this Monday night after coming back from the gym, but to be honest, I didn't make it to 30 minutes because my lungs were already too exhausted.  But I'm giving myself credit for trying.  I did about 15 minutes and then had to rest.  Another hitch - my upper body-building is interfering with my vocal production.  Rhoda, my voice teacher, was right - singers should not lift weights or do any other kinds of exercise that causes the neck to strain a lot.  For some reason, I'm using different muscles to sing now, and NOT the right ones.  So, I guess I'll have to put my dream of doing unassisted chin-ups on the back burner... sigh... =-P

Singing #2 - Tuesday night.  I did the full 30 minutes and then some.  Again, though, my vocal cords felt strange, and I couldn't access my high notes without some tweaking.  Hopefully, giving the weight-lifting a rest will allow me to get back to normal.  It seems, however, that I'm never without SOME tension in my neck and throat.  Despite that, I did my exercises, sang some Edith Piaf, a Mozart aria, and some showtunes.

Singing #3 - Wednesday night.  This is choir night at church.  After bell choir, which I'm also a part of, I did regular choir for one and a half hours.  I'm giving myself credit for this being my 3rd singing because  my throat is acting funny.  Don't need to OVERstress it this week.

Bed by 10:15
Doing okay with this one, although I lose track of which nights I do it.  The first one was Monday night, when I went to bed at 10:18, then Wednesday night was 10:29 - I figured, as long as it was in the 10:20s or earlier, I could count it.  Okay, maybe I shouldn't do that next week... but at any rate, it got me into bed earlier than if I hadn't set that limit.  As one who has to rise at 6am, it does wonders for my stamina.  Gotta do one more night this week...





Teaching Journal
I have been remembering to jot down ideas from each day I subbed this week - much of this week has been aide work and special ed classes, so I can't really glean too much in the way of general ed activities, but here are the notes I took in the few general ed classes I did teach (of course no real names or school names will appear here, for privacy purposes):



Friday, September 10, 2010

Updates

Teacher's Journal
I'm not per se journaling about everything, just gleaning a few activities and/or techniques I see on the job.  Subbing went well, I had an awesome class, and I snagged an extra chart that can be used for teaching 6th graders about early hominids, plus a few good books for read alouds and supplementation.

Exercise #2
Did this Wednesday afternoon - went to the gym, did elliptical for 15 minutes, and weight machines for about 20.  I'm doing more with my upper body, in my (vain?) attempt to someday lift my own body weight on the chin-ups bar.  I couldn't do this when my 5/6 student teaching class had their physical fitness exam, and less than half of the kids could actually DO this.  So the gym has this cool machine that lifts you up based on how much assistance you want, and your feet rest on a weighted bar.  The goal is to do the chin-ups without the weighted bar.  I desperately need the weighted bar, for I am a weakling...

Go to bed by 10:15, up within 8 hours
I succeeded in doing this two nights this week - Tuesday and Thursday - but this morning I dropped the ball.  I fell asleep on H's lap last night from 9:15-10:45 (he fell asleep too), and then got up from the couch and into bed at 11:00.  This would have been fine, except I didn't get up within 8 hours.  Yes, I rebelled.  I slept in until 7:30, so all in all, I got between 9 and 10 hours of sleep, including my little nap.  There was no sub work to be had this morning, so I did not have the motivation.  So I may have to go to bed exceedingly early on a Friday or Saturday night.  Or maybe extend it to Sunday...



Sing 30 minutes
I sang quite a bit on Monday night, so I have to sing today and tomorrow in order to be in good vocal shape for the service on Sunday.  I attempted to sing in the car last night going to and from meeting a friend, but I wasn't in the car long enough.  Gotta do it at home when no one's home.

Follow schedule
Okay, okay, I'm starting to realize that this was a sneaky attempt of mine to force myself to do more than 5 Things, which, as I know, is hard for me to do.  The whole purpose of 5 Things is to make is POSSIBLE to accomplish 5 Things, not 15.  Some of the things on the schedule I do automatically already, like water the plants and take out the trash.

However, the schedule does have one major merit - the regular Tidying item does help keep stuff from accumulating too long, so I like doing that for 15 minutes when I get home.  Except I go over the 15 minutes a lot.  Also, the studying schedule needs to be more specific, but if this hadn't been a weird week  due to the holiday, I might be ahead on the studying.

So in sum, I should have picked one thing, like the tidying or the studying, instead of a whole schedule.  It was a nice idea, but maybe a schedule should be something I'm working TOWARDS, ultimately.  I'm going to see how the schedule works for next week.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

First Day of Subbing... stay tuned...

This has been a funny week, with Labor Day throwing off my schedule, so I'm being a little lax.  Saturday night, H and I went up to Julian, a little mountain town 1 hour east of San Diego, to get away.  It was a quick but dense little trip, consisting of a Grape Stomp (we tasted wine but didn't stomp - did you SEE those grapes?! ew), star gazing at the Observer's Inn, a restless night with no AC, and a trip to the California Wolf Center (cool animals!).

It looks fun...

...until you see what they're stepping in.  Ew. SO not.

N-n-n-nice d-d-doggy... (Alaskan Wolf)


Teacher's Journal
Fortunately, I also have my first day of subbing in the new school year, coming up on Thursday.  A friend of my sister's called me up (she is a teacher) and hooked me up with one day this week and two other days later on.  So now I can start my Teacher's Journal and steal her ideas!!  hehe

In Bed 10:15
Well, by 10:23 anyways.  I got up on the first ring of my alarm at 6:20 am.  I dreamt that I had missed this alarm and woken up at 8:15 am, missing the 8-hour limit prescribed by my Five Things.  But I woke at 5:20 and saw that I hadn't missed it... So I got up at 6:20 and now at 7:33 I am wishing I were back in my warm bed.  I have never been a morning person, so this Thing is meant to help me tolerate the mornings.  I am anything BUT "bright-eyed and bushy tailed" at any hour before 8:00 am, unlike my husband, who is irritatingly "Top O'The Mornin' To Ya!" long before my sluggish brain has registered that it's awake.  Haha, bless his little heart... But even though some of us were not built for mornings, most of us have to work in them... (I'm fighting the urge right now to go crawl in bed, compounded by the fact that my nose is running like a sieve, and anti-histamines aren't helping).  Dear God, give me the strength not to slide back into the cocoon-like warmth of my lovely, pillowy bed, and sleep until I wake naturally... I can see this item is going to be a challenge, but beneficial for me.  Now I must go apologize to my husband for sounding like Debbie Downer when I talked to him a few minutes ago (I try to explain to him that it's just the natural tone and speed of my voice for the first two waking hours... he doesn't understand...).  Top O'The Mornin' To Ya!


Exercise #1
Monday afternoon, H and I played tennis for 45 minutes.  I got tired pretty fast, and he ended up winning the set 6-4.  Arms feel nice and sore today.  

Sing 3x
Normally, I wouldn't count rehearsal as one of my Five Things singing, but it was such a workout for my out-of-shape voice, that I'm going to count it this week.  We practiced for the memorial service on Labor Day at 7:30, singing for 2 hours.  I managed to squeak out a high B, but I need to sing more between now and the service if I want people to detect WORDS and not just shrieking.  

Follow Schedule
This Thing has been incredibly hard for me to do.  I'm chalking it up to the fact that Labor Day threw me off a bit.  We weren't here most of Sunday, and Monday we were doing H's laundry and Tobi-ing (steaming out wrinkles).  So I shopped for food Monday and Tuesday, cleaned on Tuesday, and will study and cook today, Wednesday.  My problem is I spend too long in one task, and never move on to the other ones.  I cleaned our room and filed papers for WAY too long, and never got around to cooking or studying, and then I had to go downtown to have dinner with a friend I haven't seen in years.  Next week will be the real test of how well I can follow my schedule (and if the schedule is, in fact, workable). 

Okay, my main task right now is to eat and take care of myself so that this runny nose doesn't develop into full-blown "I feel sick."  Woman's gotta sub tomorrow, can't be havin' no runny nose!!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

First Week of September

Got 5 new things to focus on, but since it's a short week, I'm picking just a few things to focus on.  I exercised on Tuesday, and I hope to exercise tomorrow and Saturday.  The Teaching journal won't start up until I get some sub work, which should start soon... hopefully.  Teachers, start getting sick, k?  j.k.

I should sing tomorrow too, because my husband (alright I'll choose a name so I don't have to keep calling he-who-will-not-be-named "my husband" or "hubby" all the time - how about Henry?  Like in The Time Traveler's Wife, a good, strong, romantic name...  no, maybe just H) H and I are rehearsing on Monday (yes, on Labor Day).

Sadly, we are rehearsing for a memorial service for someone from our church.  We are very happy to do this, even on Labor Day, because the man who passed away was a good friend of ours.  A good man who will be missed.  God Bless him, D.M.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

August is Over!! What Did I Accomplish?

September 1 hereby kicks off the first day of our 4th month of the Five Things Project.

Before launching into what September holds in store, I need to reflect on how August went.

Exercise: I did pretty well, although a few weeks a I needed an extension on the 3rd exercise, and the last week, I skipped the 3rd one altogether (complicated by the fact that I was out of town at Kit's Bachelorette shindig, which was, btw, FABulous).  I am forever keeping exercise on my list until it becomes a habit, because it has been so good for me.  I can run longer, and my back has not hurt me in a LONG time (remember when I posted that I slept on the floor for 3 days?).  When I went in for a job-related physical at a clinic last week, when the questionnaire asked me if I exercise 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes, I could actually say YES!  So look for this item to be on the list for September.  =-)

Job Applications: The only week I didn't do it was the last one.  Oops.  But I was very good about it all the other weeks, applying to 2, sometimes 3 jobs per week, and I got a few rejection emails as a result!!  Woohoo, that means they actually read my application.  The only prospect I got was I was accepted into the Escondido sub list, but that was from when I applied last November!!  But hey, if you don't apply, then you're guaranteed not to get a job.  Like Woody Allen said, "90% of success is just showing up."  So even though school has started by now, I'll keep applying, but it won't be on my list.

Stick Shift Lessons: I had two lessons with my mom this month, and while I'm not quite confident to go out on the road alone, I think I could operate a stick if I had to.  It's fun putting around in my mom's little classic VW bug!  When I get more competent, I'll surprise my husband by trying out his Beamer... if he'll let me =-)

Teaching Binder:  I had several options for this one.  It was mandatory to read a children's book, and I finished Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson.  Good little read.  Managed not to cry.  Then I could either type/organize notes from the credential program OR search for lessons for my Teaching Binder.  I mostly typed my notes, but I did search for lessons once.

Garage Sale:  This was by far the hardest thing to accomplish this month, because there are some things that are hard to rush.  I was not quite done sifting through the stuff in the garage, determining what was junk or trash, what I could sell, and what I should keep.  I sold some clothes to a thrift store for $22 cash,  dropped off some other nicer clothes at a consignment store, and the rest I will try to sell at the garage sale.  I even put a suit from Bloomingdale's on EBay, but it didn't sell.  I think the consignment store is a great way to get rid of nice stuff, because I get 40% of the selling price if it sells.  If not, I can get it back or donate it.  Anyways, I didn't get to the garage sale, but I did get closer to being ready for it.

Five Things should not penalize you for not completing things, although if that's what you decide is necessary, you can agree to a penalty with your partner.  Kit and I found more intrinsic satisfaction in getting the things done, and as long as effort was put forth, it was okay if some things weren't complete.  If a major item is not completed, I try to build something into the next month to help me complete it.

The September List is up on the right!  I'll have more on that later.  Ciao!

Starting mid-week, I won't finish everything on the list this week.  But here's Exercise #1:

Friday, August 27, 2010

I Need an Extension... again...

It's Friday night, and I have yet to do my Teaching Binder #2 (reading), Apply to 2 jobs, Stick Shift lesson, and the Garage Sale may have to be postponed until next month.  I think the issue with the Stick Shift and the Garage Sale was that I wasn't specific enough on what was to be accomplished each week.  I shall be more specific next month.

I will definitely need an extension this week.

Oof.  This week has been annoyingly unproductive.  Why?  No good reason.  Probably because I haven't worked in 3 weeks.  I've had a few essential tasks which made it hard for me to be available to the temp agency, such as showing my niece around town and getting my TB test updated (which can only be done between the hours of 8 and 4:30).  So I got those done, as well as these other things:

Exercise #3 (extension from previous week):
Did yoga in the house on...Monday?  Gosh my memory's getting foggy...

Exercise #1:
I went for a walk Wednesday afternoon around Mission Bay with my French conversation partner.   We discussed jobs, health care, music, and religion, with me bumbling in my terribly rusty français... don't practice nearly enough...

Exercise #2:
Did 40 minutes of toning with my blue exercise ball.  I love the squishiness of it, it's forgiving on my poor squeaky joints.

Teaching Binder:
I typed up my notes from the credential program, almost finishing one of the notebooks.

Tomorrow, I'm going out of town for Kit's big BACHELORETTE BASH WEEKEND!!  We're staying downtown L.A. and going to a spa, among other things, and the kicker - she's already married!!! LOL.  =-)  Better late than never, I say.  Then she's going on a belated honeymoon to England, France, and Belgium.  Luckyyyyy!!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Extension Day...

I did end up asking Kit for an extension on exercise this week... and I still have yet to do it... so I may be doing it at 11:30 tonight with my yoga mat...

For last week I did:

Exercise #1: Friday, I went to the beach around 4, and then left at 5 when the Marine Layer started rolling in like the Independence Day alien spaceship to cover up the entire coast.  I headed to the gym, where I ran for 20 minutes (1.2 miles, walking for some, but running at 5.5 mph for a good 15 minutes - somewhat of a record for me in recent years).  Amazingly, I didn't get cramps, and my Achilles tendons didn't swell and ache, a sign that perhaps my consistent exercise is paying off.

Exercise #2: Saturday, while my hubby played tennis with a buddy, I went for a brisk 40 minute walk.  That hill at the end is always a killer - I always run up it, and it's 30 seconds of pure exertion.  I had Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" running through my head...


It was a pretty warm day, and along the way, I was compelled to rescue about four worms that were about to become crispy worms on the sidewalk.  Do I get Good Samaritan points for that?

I sure he would have said "Thank You" if his head weren't already buried in the ground.

Then I promptly went home and washed off my worm hands.  


Thursday, August 19, 2010

A Little Behind...

Maybe it's the heat, maybe it's all the carbs I've been eating, but I am LETHARGIC this week!


1.  Exercise - haven't started yet - today's the day!

2.  Teaching Binder #1 - completed Tuesday - read for 45 minutes in "Bridge to Terabithia."
Teaching Binder #2  - completed Wednesday - searched for lessons for 40 minutes

3.  Stick Shift - as noted, did that on Monday with mom


4.  Garage Sale - I may be ready by the end of the month, but my weekends are rather busy, so it may not actually take place until early September.

5.  Jobs - I applied to 3 jobs on Wednesday!

Naughty Kat loves her carbs - homemade Margherita Pizza


I applied here and to two other districts today.


Teaching Binder material - wasn't it nice when the hardest decision you had to make was what shapes to make the body, head, and legs of a geometric animal?

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Driving Miss Crazy

Stick Shift

Monday, I got a start on my stick shift lessons.  My practice car is my mom's awesome 1965 VW bug.  It's charmingly simple, with these funky seatbelts that latch onto a hook between the seats (there are no seatbelts in the back, riders beware).  The gas tank is under the hood at the front, and you have to kinda "guess" when it's full by looking into the tank to see how high the gas is.  The gas gauge is broken, so you also have to kinda guess when you need gas.  There's only one sideview mirror, and the top speed is about 60, so my parents almost never take it on the freeway anymore.  But it is immaculately maintained, and sometimes they take it to a local classic car show.

The good thing for me is that my parents tell me it's one of the easiest cars with which to learn stick.  After getting gas, my mom and I went to a flat, remote part of the neighborhood to practice.  I already knew some of the basics - put it in first gear, clutch, then gas, while gradually letting up the clutch, then clutch, shift, gas, etc. - but it took a while for me to get the feel of how hard to press with my feet.  I don't quite have the magic touch, and sometimes the car roared a little too loud if I didn't let off the clutch soon enough, and sometimes I was afraid to press the gas because the engine revving scared me a little.  I also had to put most of my body into braking.

I also had trouble feeling when the car was in neutral.  Sometimes I thought it was in neutral but it was really still in 1st or 3rd.  I would jiggle it and think it was in neutral, but then I'd turn off the car and discover it wasn't.  Thankfully, I didn't stall until the very end, after I'd driven up our driveway.  Stalling in my husband's old car was a violent, bouncy experience that scared the crap out of me.  The bug just kind of shut off, mercifully.

I wasn't as nervous this time, so I think this might be possible.  Soon, I have to try taking it on a heavily trafficked road.  Yikes!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Exercise #3

Exercise #3

Saturday evening, I went to L.A. Fatness, and worked out for a good 50 minutes.  I spent the longest I have ever spent on an elliptical - 20 minutes - and got a fabulous burn in my glutes.  I also did multiple machines to focus on that area, as well as legs.  I did a little upper body to balance it out and then went home to make dinner.  So I did 2 cardio sessions this week!

A Reflection...

I've noticed that over the course of this project, my overall productivity has improved.  Because I'm forcing myself to do some things that I don't really want to do (but know I should), I'm more willing to do other odious tasks that aren't on my list.

For example, Saturday, I finally got to the root of the problem with our sliding closet doors - they are so hard to move, I have to throw my whole body weight into each door to get to my clothes.  I dug all the crap out of the tracks they roll in, and then I took off each wheel and discovered that each one had HAIR wound up around it like a yo-yo, making it very hard to spin.  I spent hours pulling the hair out of the wheels with my tweezers (which I sterilized afterwards) and now, I can push the doors with my hand and they actually KEEP ROLLING!!

Anyways, productivity is a habit, and if you find yourself making excuses and rationalizing your right to sit on the couch and do nothing all the time, then you can explain away the need to do anything.  I'm far from running my life like a ship captain, but I'm less frustrated doing the everyday things I dislike (probably also because I'm more relaxed as a result of all this exercise).

Kit Update


I know I don't update very much on what Kit is doing, but she is doing well.  We've both gotten to a place where we don't constantly update each other, but work quietly on our lists.  We trust each other that we are hard at work on our lists, and the need for a penalty has dissipated.  We look forward, instead, to the reward of celebrating with each other, and we also find the project intrinsically rewarding to the point where we don't need the carrot dangled in front of our noses.

Kit still has migraines, but she has been able to reach her exercise goals the last two months.  She also succeeded in feeding her moody kitty, Loki.

Cute, but apparently Loki is not very low-key.  

So, today I intend to set a date for my first stick-shift lesson with my mom.  Wish me good luck!  Or better yet, brake a leg!  Bad, I know...

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Teaching Binder #2

Teaching Binder #2 
Last night I copied the notes out of my credential program notebooks for 45 minutes... until the power went out.  Then I just organized my notes into categories (i.e. Social Studies, Math, Language Arts, Discipline, Techniques, etc.).

The idea is to have a comprehensive list of tips that I can look up by subject to plan a classroom someday.  It would be nice to be able to pull all my ideas off the top of my head, but even the best teachers don't do that.  We were told the best way is to "Beg Borrow Steal" ideas.  I will definitely be doing this a lot more when I start subbing again in a few weeks.



Garage Sale
My neighbor said she didn't have as much stuff as she thought, so she probably won't do it with us.  I think I will go ahead and plan it without her, but she said she knows another family that may be interested.

Stick Shift
Going over to my parents' house to get some things for the garage sale (and possibly EBay) and also to take a stick shift lesson with my mom.  I think I drove my husband nuts with my panic and hyperventilation when he tried to teach me... wish me luck!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Teaching Binder

Teaching Binder #1  -
Tonight I read for 30 minutes in "Bridge to Terabithia," which is a great read.

Does walking around in 3-inch heels at the Monster Ball count as exercise?... I didn't think so either.

This is actually me, and for those of you who don't know what the Monster Ball is, it's Lady Gaga's concert.  Heap big fun.

Garage Sale:
I spoke with our neighbor, and while she doesn't have any stuff to sell herself, she knows another family that might have a ton of stuff.  Haven't set a date yet...

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Exercise #1 and #2

My niece is in town, and I'm showing her around local colleges, so I combined the two days of walking and am calling that:

Exercise #1
several hours of strolling around college campuses (hey, some of them have hills and/or stairs!)

Exercise #2
My niece and I went to L.A. Fitness last night with a one-day pass I printed online and convinced the desk lady that my niece could exercise with me for one night, even though she wasn't a local resident (and not even in-state, but they didn't have to know that).  We worked out for 45 minutes, and I did my cardio for 17 minutes.  Half of it was on the bike, but my darn knee clicked the whole time, so I switched to the elliptical.

Monday, August 9, 2010

A Brief Update...

Very tired... past 11pm and so drowsy I almost just submitted a cover letter with the wrong school's name on it.  I was saved only by the fact that EdJoin would not let me attach a .doc, so I caught my mistake before resaving it as .pdf, thankfully.  Note to self: make sure fully awake when applying to jobs.

Job Applications
Applied to two jobs - one a Kindergarten French/English Immersion program, the other a 2nd Grade position at a progressive Classical Academy.  Will see how goes...

French Immersion


Private School


Garage Sale
I left a message for our neighbors asking them when they want to do this thing.  Haven't heard back yet.  Too lazy to run down and talk to them when I heard them come home tonight...

Exercise may happen tomorrow, with my niece in tow.  =-)  We walked her around some college campuses today, but it was too leisurely to count as cardio...  My back is much better seeing as I did some focused exercise on the machines last week, doing countless repetitions using my lower back and shoulder blade muscles (personal trainers out there, I'm sure you know what those muscles are called... Google help me out... possibly Teres Major or Trapezius).  Also, converting my bra into criss-cross shape on the back alleviated the pressure on my shoulder blade.  Okay y'all, I'm so tired it's painful!  G'night!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Fried...

A little tired this week... my back has been bothering me so I slept 3 nights this week on the floor.  Also, I have a theory that bras are causing nerve damage on my left shoulder blade.  Possible? (TMI?)

Nevertheless, I've done the following list items so far:

Exercise #1:  Walked at my work breaks, 45 minutes on 3 days, combined.



View of the freeway from the sidewalk by the learning center

Exercise #2:  Got stuck in La Jolla (awful, I know) picking up a mended suit during rush hour, so I said, screw it, and parked by the cove to go for a jog (covering my cardio for the week).  Not a shabby place to go for a jog.  More like idyllic.  Gotta get stuck there more often.

Beginning my jog...


The tide pools

Ah... La Jolla.  Now back to reality.

Job Application: as I said yesterday, I applied to 3 jobs - two in SD, one  in Irvine.  Nothing now to do but wait...



Teaching Binder #1: On Tuesday, I searched for lessons on Teacher Vision, and got distracted by a website showing how to diagram sentences.  (Is it weird that I find that extremely fun?)  Did find a lot of cute worksheets and lesson plans.

Teaching Binder #2: I started reading a book on my teacher to-read list - Bridge to Terabithia.  Somehow, I made it through elementary school without ever having read it.  Very good so far.  Not sad yet, but I'm bracing myself...

Garage Sale and Stick Shift:  I haven't started these two yet... I didn't set a once-a-week requirement, but I hope to not postpone these till the end.  Should I make myself do something each week?  Probably, b/c they both kinda scare me.

Okay y'all, bed time!  As Jason Mraz once said, "Live your life, get your sleep, be a dork."  =-)

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Three Applications

Just knocked out 3 job applications.  Woohoo, now the only thing left for this week is to think about the garage sale and how the heck I'm gonna learn stick... it seriously terrifies me.  I nearly killed my hubby's car trying one time, stalling so hard in the middle of the road (with other cars waiting) that the car bounced probably a foot off the ground.  I need, like, a month on a deserted parking lot.

BTW, Kit just contacted me with her list, so I shall post it.  I heard she went to the gym last night. =-) You go, girl!

Sunday, August 1, 2010

The Last Week

This last week went by fast, and I was in L.A. for part of it.  Here's what I did to round out the last week of our 2nd month of Five Things:

Garage Sale:  On the garage sale front, I talked to my neighbor about having a multi-family garage sale, and he tentatively agreed.  Next month, we will actually have it.

Health Insurance:  I finally got my agent Jeff on the phone and found out he represents all the local providers, which is great, because he won't sway me towards one or the other.  He gets commission on whatever I choose, and he's free of charge to me.  So he told me more about Anthem and Kaiser, and recommended that we reconvene in November when I'm closer to needing a plan.  Who's knows, maybe I'll have a job with benefits by then...

Teaching Binder:  I researched more lessons, which I need to print, and I ordered a few cheap children's books to use with some of the lessons.



Balcony project: I rolled up the green floor and tied it up using several trash bags.  I took it down to the trash area and swept the balcony one last time.


On Sunday, I went for a walk around my neighborhood for the previous week's Exercise #3 that I missed.  Then I did three more for the week:

Exercise #1 - walked at both of my breaks at work:



Exercise #2 - swam in the pool at L.A. Fitness for 40 minutes.  Hence the wet stringy hair.  I had never ever used the pool at the gym.  After the first 5 minutes of laps, I was pretty tired, so I did water aerobics/ballet, tread water for 5 minutes, and paddled using a floaty thing.  Then I did some more laps to finish up.  Tiring!  That, and my eyes burned all the next day.  Note to self: buy goggles.  Really good workout, though.



Exercise #3 - I walked around downtown L.A. all day!  I downloaded a map of sights to see and was a  tourist all day while my hubby worked.  It was surprisingly fun...

Walt Disney Concert Hall



Our Lady of Angels Cathedral



The Police Department with a reflection of City Hall



I ate in Grand Central Market



The Biltmore Hotel



L.A. Public Library

Angel's Knoll, the hill where they sit on a bench in "500 Days of Summer"