Monday, December 13, 2010

4x4 Beauty...

The beautiful "urban Christmas tree" you see pictured above was described over the weekend as a "ghetto Christmas tree". I'm still smarting a little from my house guest's ignorant comment but what can you do? There really is no accounting for taste or a lack of imagination!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

39 Minutes To Spare...

As I tucked myself into bed this evening I reflect on all of my accomplishments from the day...
1) Informational interview with a delightful retired social worker and her cats!
2) Played receptionist at the senior center and made great strides in the New York Time's cross word puzzle while there.
3) Researched graduate programs
4) Watched Glee.

And just as I was about to flip off the lights I realized I had forgotten my newest to do task "Stay true to my promises"...

So here I am a daily update. By the way the books I decided to start reading are as follows
- Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (I already read about 3/4s of it but left it on a plane. This new copy I'm not letting go of!)
- Paula by Isabel Allende. (Apparently I like memoirs written by women when their daughters are gravely ill. Last year at this time I was reading The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. Merry Christmas!)

I will post tomorrow!!

Monday, December 6, 2010

I'm Trying, I'm Trying...

It's always a mistake to make promises in absolutes. For example, in my last entry I promised daily updates on my new life of leisure -- that post was one whole week ago. From now on I promise to not make promises I don't intend to keep and at the time I had absolutely no intention of actually writing daily. I just said that to appease you. Apologies. But I've grown up and I am now ready to make a vow to write daily.

Moving on. So that you all don't worry I can tell you that one week into unemployment and I'm feeling pretty good. I spent some quality time with the seniors last week. Me and my troup of elders experiencing the early stages of memory loss wrote a poem or two, sang along to some lovely banjo strumming, and even line danced a bit. Outside of my time at the senior center I've been so busy brunching, lunching, and feeling festive I've had barely a moment to reflect on my current state of borderline destitution (I jest, I jest. I'm collecting unemployment people so clearly I'm rolling in cash!).

Now that the novelty of not having to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day has started to wane I'm ready to really take advantage of this valuable period of freedom and start accomplishing and exploring in ways I can't when I'm bogged down with 40 hours of employment. Perhaps each day I can add one thing to my to do list (back to that failed to do list from my last post!). Today I can start simple...

- Start reading a book that doesn't have to do with the following:
old people, aging, psychology of aging, dementia, depressed caregivers, happy caregivers, medicare...

This sounds do-able. After I select an appropriate literary masterpiece I will update my loyal , no matter how miniscule, readership.

Until next time -- and by next time I clearly mean tomorrow!
Your Friendly Neighborhood Old Lady In Training