Oy vey, the To Do list is threatening my existence. I’m so behind, mostly because I’ve spent the last two weeks sitting on said behind, babysitting the puppy. However, the realization that I’ve been remis in her crate training has come with a little extra time for me to do non-puppy activities, so hopefully I’ll be able to play catch up.
I’m writing today, or rather, procrastinating. I’ve got an actual idea in my actual head, something that hasn’t happened in months, nay, a year. Since whenever it was that I finished my last writing workshop. Do other fiction writers have that issue? No, they are probably way more disciplined than I am. Anyway, I’ve got an idea and a start on what I hate to describe as the N-word, but yeah, something significantly longer than a short story. What’s weird is that I’ve actually got two Significantly Longer Than A Short Story ideas floating around in my brain. I wish the plots were at all compatible because I’d totes combine those babies and kill two birds with one stone, but sadly, there’s no way to combine a zombie/shark story with a time-travel/altered history story, right? Not without some serious bleeding from the ears, anyway.
In other excitement, very predictably the rising temperatures and longer days has awoken my home improvement maniac. It’s a double-edged sword because I have ample time to get stuff done right now, but it’s paired with the fear of spending any money whatsoever. However, the spill down the stairs along with a bout of pneumonia left me pining for a first floor laundry like Ward & June’s, which was so unbelievably awesome to use while they were in Cancun, and almost made me remove the (fucking) prefix to the word “laundry” (I said ALMOST). However, in talking to Ward, it’s apparently not that big of a deal to move the connections around, especially since what is our library/spare room is currently directly above where the washer and dryer sit in the basement anyway. Esteban is uber against this move, since he’s got his entire book collection in the library, but then I pointed out that I managed to put all of my books in my office, which is the smallest room in the house, meanwhile his office is the second biggest room in the house (and was the original master bedroom, before they put on the addition in the 60’s), so does he really need to have TWO rooms? Also, it’s not like he’s doing the laundry, and I suspect there are months that go by without him ever venturing into the basement.
In other words, suck it up, monkey boy.
Actually, I’m really torn about the whole thing. It seems such a shame to devote an entire room to our little bungalow to what is essentially a uni-task, but on the plus side, we’ve been talking about turning that room into an extra bathroom and cutting a hole in the wall so that we’ll have an easier route to a bathroom when we’re in the bedroom (currently it’s about 57 feet (and two puppy gates) to a toilet from our bed, which means that when you get back from a late night bathroom visit, you’re pretty much wide-fucking-awake). On the minus side, we’re losing any hope I ever had for having a guest bedroom. It was a feeble attempt anyway, because when we have guests stay over now, they end up getting a blow-up mattress (which Jincy used to sharpen her claws and is now a deflated, pointless piece of rubber) stuffed between a treadmill and a bookcase full of books about wizards and robots. The long term plan is to turn it into a laundry room / extra bathroom, similar to the situation at Ward and June’s but for right now, it’s going to house the (fucking) laundry machines and a treadmill. We’re still not sure what to do with Esteban’s books, but I’m hoping that I can consolidate them into his office without having to store some elsewhere. Here’s hoping, anway. So that’s what’s on deck for the immediate future.
That and finding some source of income, of course. There’s always that.
If you’re the kind that loves list, I’ve posted an updated version of the To Do list after the jump. I’ll be wiping off the completed items (and at least two of the things that are crossed off ended up being abandoned) but I do enjoy seeing the items crossed off. It makes me feel a little less like a complete slacker.
Everything with a * is in progress.
Office
• Clean off desk
• Fix Printer
• Pick up floor
• Clean off recliner
• Organize bookshelves
• Organize closet
• Closet Doors!!! (sand/paint/reinstall)
• Finish porting over old PC
• Get PC out of here
Bedroom
• Pick up garbage
• Pick up all dirty laundry
• Sock baskets
• Goodwill clothes
• Sort clothes that should be sold*
• Clean garment steamer*
• Clean off dresser top (mine)
• Clean off dresser top (tall boy)
• Steam and hang curtains
• Put all books away
• Shoe sorting
• Refold racks
• Reorg dresser drawers*
• Flip mattress
Other House Stuff
• Pantry!
• Spice Cupboard
• Linen Closet (hall)
• The horrifying office of the man of the house (save until last)
• Clean breezeway
• Frame Amy Casey print and hang
• Attack area by basement stairs
• Attack other side of basement stairs
• Attack general open/disorganized area
• Clean out den
• Move cat box and cat’s food/water into kitchen (puppy-proof)
• Deal with den’s light switch/outlet plates
• Wax and polish hardwood floors
• Measure kitchen backsplash for tile
• Measure countertop for soapstone
• Boxes for cleaning out library
• Prep library for transition to laundry room
• Hang Jellyfish photos
Random
• Clean out car
• Valentine CDs*
• Package and mail back return items
• Cancel Wine Club
• Deal with Product Anarchy Forums*
• Return Kate Spade purse
• Get cedar chest from parents house
• Call About diploma
• Frame diploma
• Cancel milk delivery
• Reduce Netflix
• Drop off cat food at Humane Society
• Finish David & Tyler’s Wedding Pictures
• Jincy appt for spaying (Fourth time’s the charm?)
• High School reunion website/planning meeting on Sunday
Blog/Internet
• Deal with phpbb madness*
• Fix RSS issue with Product Anarchy/TMB
• Send Jenette survey/questionnaire
• Finalize Blogher plans with Ozlem
• Order/Design new business cards for blogs
• Email PR people for Product Anarchy
• Follow up on outstanding product reviews (S, J, M?)
• Finish playing with Dearest Mabel auto posting
• Upload html to Weetacon.com
• Send email to Chadwick
• Port over old Diaryland entries
- 2008
- 2007*
- 2006
- 2005
- 2004*
- 2003
- 2002
- 2001
- 2000
- 1999
• Set up Myname.com with resume
• Decide which, if any, short stories will be made available on site
Weetacon
• Bags for charity raffle
• Referee/Judges items
• Attendee hats
• Decorations
• Program (Shawn will print/bring)
• Deal with medal situation
• Foam board
• Bus contract/revise
• Confirm with Sleigh Ride people
• Money to June for food
• Make logos
• Name tag brilliance
• Finish game plan (ha!)
• Call Dycksville Bowl
• Put coats and spare gloves in Steve’s truck for sleigh ride
• Order more medals
• Send donation addresses/amounts to Paul’s Pantry
• Make/Edit video and upload to Youtube/Facebook/Blog*
• Tentative dates for Weetacon 2010?
Work Crap
• Make Appt with Outsourcing Person
• Clean off old computer
• Get personal items from office/clean out desk
• Bring Amy book for camera
• Cancel Corporate Credit Card
• Update resume
• Update Linked In
• Send email to Brandon re:Shine
• Order new cards (personal)
• Send resume to outsourcing person, finish elevator speech (blech)
• Final expense report to ex-employer
Travel
• Hotel for Writer’s Conference in DC
• Make arrangements (dates/bus/hotel/etc) for Camp Rehab*
• Girl’s Camping details
• Hotel for Blogher
• Plane tickets for LA Tiki party for July 4
