Global warming?

The news has come out that researchers may have fudged some of their numbers to prove that global warming exists and that we humans are destroying out planet. Climategate has hit the news. Whether they have or have not is not the issue I want to tackle. I think the damning evidence that it is below freezing constitutes sufficient proof that something is up with our planet. Is it the next ice age?

My poor Earth. It has existed for so long and gone through so many cycles of life and change, to her this is probably just another phase. The fact that I am on the planet during this change is significant - to me. Extreme heat and extreme cold confirm to me that Ms. Earth is moody and is looking for a change. (Could it be Earth menopause?)

Just after Thanksgiving, around the beginning of December I was walking to my office. There was no snow on the ground yet, but it was bone-chilling cold. (As an arthritic woman, I know what bone chilling is...) I was enduring the cold and glad there was no snow; however, I was looking forward to snow because it may warm things up. Fast forward less than two weeks or so and now we have snow. Enough that (were it ever to get warm enough) it won't melt. It has not warmed up at all. If anything it is even colder.

I am hoping that winter will say goodbye by March and that we will enjoy a nice Spring. However, given our moody planet, it may be a short Spring and she will walk us right into a blistering hot Summer. I like the hot. I like getting into my car in mid-July and having a suffocating heat. It's like a great big hug. I don't like the hot steering wheel and I'm sure come Summer I will have something to complain about.

In the meantime, I will endure the winter because I know that it will not last forever. I will be patient and wait for the Earth to get over herself. I hope she can go back to the way she was in my lifetime without too much change.

Making Time

In an attempt to improve accountability and productivity in our office we were introduced to an accountability coach. For a ton of money per hour she gave us "tools" to "fix ourselves."

No one is perfect. Everyone has one thing or another they can improve on. Everyone can learn to be a little more accountable.

In one of our one-on-one meetings she told me to throw out all of my to do lists and use a tool she referred to as a "Complete Each Day Completely." First of all, as a to do list addict how am I to simply do away with the list? Without my task list I am convinced I would be unable to do my job - how would I know which client needed what?! Her rationale is that people who use to do lists try to cram too much into one day. She claims that we believe we can "make time."

Yesterday I made a short list of things to do when I got home. Nothing huge - simply a few little things (vacuum, weeding, make dinner, and go to the gym). Sadly, the only thing that got done was the gym.

This morning I woke up at 4:30am just because. However, in that amount of time I did my vacuuming and threw stuff into a crockpot for dinner. Two things on my "to do list" were done. I think I understand why to do lists can be detrimental - it can be completely devastating when things on the list are left undone. Added stress. No fun.

Even if I don't physically have a list written down there is always a to do list running in my head -- laundry, pay bills, pick up dry cleaning, call family, church stuff, and on and on and on.

Is it possible to exist without a to do list? Is it possible to have a to do list without "making time" and waking up at an thinkable hour because there are things that need to be done and I am trying to make time?

It's been awhile

T tells me that my blog has dropped to the "obscure" list on the many, many blogs he follows.

For our birthday we decided to get a laptop. For months now we've been sitting on the couch watching whatever shows we have piled up on the Tivo (oh I'm sorry, our Tivo died and now we have the horrible DirectTV DVR -- that is a blog for another time). Anyway, we've frequently mentioned how convenient it would be to be able to sit on the couch enjoying our time together all while working, Facebooking (is that a verb?), and other diversionary tactics to keep us multi-tasking so that we feel productive all while watching football games that never seem to progress.

The laptop is great. There is truly nothing better than schlumping on the couch with the world at my fingertips. Sometimes it is too much power. Where to go...what to do. I generally just end up playing Maijong - a fantastically addicting tile game that could be similar to dominos -- depending on what version is played.

So with the new laptop and the additional hour of "free time" I have found each day, perhaps I can revive this blog to a more satisfactory status.

There is one great downside to the laptop; however, it has greatly decreased the amount of cuddle time we enjoy each night. Perhaps I will need to introduce a time limit.

So many random thoughts running through my head, but all will have to be for another time. Time's up.

Is it Fall yet?

About a week before Labor Day something happened. It must've been a full moon or something, but all of a sudden I became so excited for Fall & Halloween.

It could have been that hubby has been on a "destroy every living branch in our yard" kick and removed branches from a very dead plum tree. Now the poor, bare tree has nothing but a trunk and a few large limbs -- it would look awesome with little paper ghosts hanging from it. The power company has come and "leveled" off tress that were a nuisance to them. They must get great pleasure in doing really crumby work. Another factor for the excitement may mean that I can almost ignore my yard and not feel guilty for it. Leaves are supposed to be dead in the Fall.

The autumn truly is my season. I was born in the Fall - I think mother nature knew that I could only be happy this time of year. I love the start of school - even though I'm not in it anymore, new pencils and school clothes still make me happy. That explains the lack of variety in my wardrobe. I have absolutely no Spring/Summer clothes and the winter is just recycled Fall-wear. It is probably for that reason alone that the Winter is bearable. I hate winter. Aside from the Christmas season, there is really nothing good about it.

Speaking of Christmas reminds me of decorating. While my basement is exploding with red and green decor (and a huge Christmas tree box that is always in the way), Fall is probably my next biggest decorating season. Aside from that the house stays the exact same way from January - October -- except this year. I think I'm pulling out the pumpkins and witches this weekend - half way to October, that is perfectly acceptable.

I just received my Crate & Barrel & Coldwater Creek catalogs. It's a good thing I can't go into debt for just thinking of all the things that I want.

So, it may be a little early, but Happy Fall everyone.

Life is messy

I love clean. I clean for fun. I read books on cleaning. (Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping House is a complete and "fun" read). Clean makes me happy. It makes me feel good. I feel like I have accomplished something and conquered my filthy environment.

A Bissel commerical had the tag "Life's messy. Clean it up". It figures a vacuum would give this gem of wisdom. (I hate vacuuming most of all -- I'm never satisfied and there's too much equipment and it still doesn't get all the corners and filth.)

Life is messy. Everyone has problems, struggles, "dirt". I'm just finishing up a series of books that walks through the premortal/mortal life. I wonder what it will be like to get to postmortal life and compare with what we once knew and what we have actually accomplished (or didn't accomplish).

I wish there was a way I could save my loved ones from their own dirt. Wouldn't it be great to have someone who could keep me away from my own dirt! I guess the good news is, it's just dirt... and there are lots of ways to get clean again. Too bad we it's so hard to remember that it's easier to stay clean when we are having so much playing in the yard.

Cold v. flu

Just as the weekend was starting, hubby said that he was congested. He also had a headache, but that is not uncommon given that he gets a headache anytime there is a shift in barometer pressure. All of the rain we have had the last few weeks just adds to that pressure.

Sunday morning I had the pleasure of waking up with a congested head. As the day progressed it just became worse and worse. I went to bed at 9:30 after taking 2 or 3 naps during the day.

Monday I have aching hips and joints and tunnel vision. I want to put a bullet through my head just to relieve the pressure and to see if I can breathe again. I Googled the difference between a cold and the flu. I am certain I do not have H1N1 (swine flu). I am fairly confident that I just have a cold and that by next week I should be myself again. I sure hope this week goes by fast!

I did learn some nasty facts about the flu vs. the cold that I will not share. Basically, unfortunately, this will not kill me – even though I wish it would. I would be much happier.

While I believe my husband passed this lovely cold on to me I do not believe he is suffering nearly as much as I. I wonder if I can give it back?

Does running ever become "fun"?

So in my best attempt not to let "middle-age" (is that really where I am?) get to me I've been working my tooshie off at the local rec center and at a CrossFit gym. I can't say anything has particularly changed in the year I've been going. Maybe the fat has shifted to other places - I have found muscles that I didn't know I had.

Yesterday's CrossFit workout seemed really simple - run 400 meters and do 50 squats 4 times. So basically - run about a mile and do 200 squats. At the rec center I've been doing run/walk intervals for 2.5 miles. The CF workout should not be hard. After my first set of squats my legs were jello. By the end of the workout I was ready to be done.

I am glad that I cannot go to CF on Friday's - today's workout looked like death. If it didn't kill you - you would want it to! Why is it that people seem to like to kill themselves?! And why is it that I am one of them?

Toad read me the most hilarious article on "Why I Hate Jogging" http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/05/21/run-forrest-run-why-i-hate-jogging/

Sometimes satire is so fun. If you hate to jog - you should check it out!