Procrastination

I have a project that was due three hours ago, and I have ... oh ... about three hours to go on it. And I promised I would have it to him first thing in the morning, East Coast time.

So, of course, I am here in Blogland instead of plowing through the last half of the book.

Why did I not finish it today?

Well, there are many reasons. For one, until late last night (when I was lying in bed thinking, "Hmm, that's strange that he said it was due on the 25th. The 25th is a Sunday, and nothing is ever due on a Sunday."), I thought it wasn't due until the end of the week. So first thing this morning (after fighting the battle of the flies in my kitchen), I checked the due date and realized with much much much dismay that it was due today at 6 p.m.

So you would think I would sit right down and get to work.

You would think that, but you would be wrong.

You see, tonight was Book Club night, and I was hosting. And last Thursday, when I threw a little get-together for some girlfriends here at my place, a friend showed up 15 minutes EARLY (?!?) and then made a comment about how much of a procrastinator I am. Ummmm, excuse me. You show up early while I am still prepping. You don't offer to help. You don't bring anything to the potluck. And yet I am the one with the bad time management skills (which, OK, yes, I do have bad time management skills ... but hey, at least wait until the official party start time to accuse me of not being prepared). Anyway. Long story longer, I was a little defensive and absolutely determined to have everything all set to go tonight as soon as that same friend showed up (and, by the way, she showed up early again ... with a huge bag of peaches for me to either can or freeze or turn into salsa or something but nothing to contribute in terms of food ... which really is OK, but still). So off I went to the grocery store this a.m. to prep everything for the pasta salad. Then I came home and cleaned up all the fly carcasses and cooked up dinner. Then a friend stopped by for a visit. And then Mr J came home for lunch. Which left me with a whopping 2 hours in which to cram in a 10-hour project.

So now here I am, hoping to the high heavens that our incredibly obnoxious neighbors decide to shut down their "musical" jam fest before Mr. J comes home while also thinking about possibly sitting down to actually finish the project.

Aren't you glad I stopped by for this scintillating little chat?

Just Things

Per usual, I don't have a theme today. Just this pretty photo of our hibiscus plant and some random thoughts bopping around in my head.


Like, why does a young kid who apparently just finished his basketball practice at the Y feel the need to use the handicap button that automatically opens the doors for him? Are his arms so worn out from tossing that big heavy ball? Does the time that he has to wait as the button slowly works its magic to open the doors give him a rest from all his aerobic activity? Does he just like using up the Earth's resources? I mean, it's not like those doors are heavy ... not even remotely.

And ... our "just do it" campaign is going strong and steady around here, though yesterday was a bit of a laze about. After Saturday's weeding and planting and taking 440 pounds of garden crap to the dump and then loading the trailer with even more pounds of the previous house owners' junk from the basement (which we had been successfully procrastinating cleaning out for the past 2 years), the idea of waking up early on a beautiful Sunday morning to replace the seal on the downstairs toilet just didn't inspire us. So instead we enjoyed a brief respite, sipping bloody mary's by the Owyhee Plaza pool with friends, before heading off to Micheal's to continue our home improvement projects. Most of the framing of pictures is now done. Maybe this week I will finally hang some on the wall. Two years of rooms with bare walls is getting a little old.

And ... how on earth can it be 10 years later? I remember like it was yesterday, and yet so much has happened since then. To us personally (mostly all good). To our friends (ditto). To this country (not really all good at all). And to this world (ditto). I remember how kind everyone was to each other that day and for a few days after. We pulled together. We were considerate. People actually looked each other in the eye and smiled and said "Thank you" or "Please" or "How are you?". As tragic as it all was, our reaction as a country gave me hope. And it makes me so sad to see how pulled apart this country has become ... by politics, rhetoric, fear, anger, fanatics on both sides ... by the fact that there are two sides ... us and them. It frightens me.

But, I can't dwell on all that. Because it is overwhelming, and it makes my heart hurt.

So instead I try to focus on what we have ... good friends, loving family, a gorgeous pooch (even if he did help destroy our couch), a roof over our heads, food in our slowly dying fridge (reminder to self: call the fridge repair guy), an income, silly kids at the Y, and fresh coffee in my mug.

Cheers to that.

Twice in One Month?!

Leave it to me to decide to try NaBloPoMo just before one heckuva busy Labor Day weekend. Hey, I made it through one entire day in a row. That's got to be a record for me.

We had a fabulous weekend, with two back-to-back days on the Main Payette, rafting with friends. The weather cooperated with lots of sunshine and a slight upstream breeze to keep us cool. Then yesterday was yardwork-a-pa-looza. Our tree count is now up to 17 on our .22-acre lot. It's all starting to look fabulous. If I can figure out how to download photos from our camera, I'll post some pics.

After a lackluster August with a lot of sitting around, watching TV, reading books, and not having much energy, Mr. J and I have decided on a new motto for the rest of the year: Just do it. It's very original, don't you think? We are considering making some kind of bumper stickers or something so we can make our millions.

Seriously though, so far, this Nike attitude of ours is working pretty well. Granted, we haven't tackled the basement yet (which has been on our to-do list since we moved in two years ago ... but everything in good time). But it feels good to be getting things done around the house.

Now to just get out there and do some exercise. In addition to lazing about this summer, we have been to about a gazillion barbecues, where we stuffed ourselves full of meat and apps and desserts and alcohol. I finally caved and bought pants a size larger, because I'm tired of cramming myself into my old jeans, which are literally busting apart at the seams. So today starts the regimen. Get some work done this morning, go to spinning class (eek), and then work some more. Then grill up some nice, healthy chicken, with fresh corn from our garden and, of course, zucchinis (which I am just about sick of by now) and basil.

So starts the let's just get fit regimen. Let's hope this lasts longer than my one-day record for blogging!

I Think It's a Sign

I just saw in my inbox that the September NaBloPoMo theme is "returning." I guess that's the final kick in the pants I need to get back onto my so-so-long-neglected blog. Hello, blog world, I am back. Let's see if I can make it stick for a while.

I have absolutely no excuse for not stopping by and chatting. I do come to this little blog nearly every day to keep up-to-date on all my blog friends. I just haven't felt like writing. Not for any horrible, sad reason. In fact, it's been a rather nice summer (and spring and end of winter). Our days have been filled with work and gardening and the usual fun stuff with friends. No big trips, though I did just return from the East Coast. Yes, I did decide to visit family during one of the bigger storms to hit the New Jersey/Connecticut/Massachusetts area. And yes, my folks and I did drive from Plymouth MA to New Haven CT just as the storm was wreaking (wrecking?) havoc on western Mass and Vermont. But hey, thanks to the horrendous weather conditions, there was no traffic and no toll payments on the Mass Pike. That has to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Bonus!

Other than that, life goes on as usual. Well, OK. A little out of the usual ... Mr. J had a fabulous time in Morocco. I never did stop by here to let you all know that he was working on Mark Burnett's latest adventure reality production, Expedition Impossible. Bad wife that I am. I should have been getting the word out so everyone we know watched it (even if he and I only watched four of the ten episodes). Fingers are crossed that he'll be invited to work on the next season (if they decide to pick it up again). If you do happen to go back to catch any of the episodes, you can see him for a fleeting moment in episode 9. He's the raft guide with the green helmet. Yes, yes, I will ask him to sign any photographs and will send them out via express mail to all his adoring TV fans! Seriously though, the whole things was right up his alley, combining all his years of various work experiences into the perfect fit.

Anyway, here I am returning to the blog world. No big fireworks or parades. Just an incredibly boring update on this life o' mine.