Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Each day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the seventh day of the month is "Contact."
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Area I: Reading
1) Read at least one book each month that I own but haven't read yet
2) Read at least one non-fiction book a month
3) Finish reading all the Women's Prize for Fiction books
4) Keep my reading spreadsheet up to date
5) Finish the 2023 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge
I have eight more to go as of writing this:
- a book I bought from an independent bookstore (I'm probably not going to do this)
- a celebrity memoir (I think I'm going to read Caitlin Moran's memoir)
- a book I bought secondhand (I'm probably not going to buy a book, but I might get one out of one of the Little Free Libraries in our neighborhood)
- a book I should have read in high school (I'm going to try Yellow Wallpaper)
- a book by an author with the same initials as me (this has proven to be very challenging - I have some good titles, but can't find them though my library resources - if you have any DW ideas, please feel free to chime in)
- a book that takes place entirely in one day (I have a Libby hold for a book that should fulfill this)
- a book about a holiday that's not Christmas (I have Daisy Darker on my Kindle right now - I've heard that it's about a birthday party and I'm going to consider a birthday a holiday)
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| These are the books I own that I haven't read yet that I think are going to be my reading choices. |
Area II: Connection
1) Send snail mail to D/M/K every month plus at least one other "just because" piece of mail to a random person I know
2) Post to my blog every day
3) Text T/T/D/M every week
Area III: Post-pandemic reentry
1) Say yes to invitations to things, regardless of whether or not I want to go
2) Do at least one thing every week that is outside of my household, the public library, or the grocery store
3) Go on at least two weekend trips that aren't for the purpose of visiting family
Area IV: Health
1) Do formal exercise sessions of 30 minutes or more 80% of days
2) Meditate for at least five minutes three times a week
3) Inspired by Lisa, go outside at least 23 minutes a day. This should be easy with the dog and all, but I'm going to track it and see how I do.
4) Find a new dentist that will accept our insurance
5) Use my vision benefit for the year on some more contacts
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| My glasses are a bit too heavy to be comfortable to wear every day, but contacts dry my eyes out. I am going around half blind every day because none of my sight correction options are comfortable. |
Area V: House
I seriously pared down these goals because I realized this area is not my area of focus.
1) Go through every tote in the house and declutter them
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| Random photo of Zelda because cute. Also, note her shaved rectangle on her belly. It has not diminished her power. |
Area VI: Hannah
1) Take her to the dog park at least once a month
2) Do short training sessions with her at least once a day
3) Dremel her nails once a week
4) Track her walking
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| What a glorious creature. You wouldn't know she was neurotic, would you? |
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What do you have for books written by authors with the initials DW? I have Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z by Debra Weinstein on hold, but what if that book doesn't work out?
Looking forward to your weekend trips! I love when you recap getaways <3
ReplyDeletePoor eyesight is the bane of my existence. I had laser surgery this year and it is still a bit of a bugger to recover from. Sigh. I am so jealous of people that can just...see...and always have been able to just...see. My vision is much better now than it was after the procedure, but I still get more eye discomfort than I'd like. Win some, lose some...
Yeah, I think you were brave to do that eye procedure. I don't think I ever will. I'll just deal with being half-blind, I think.
DeleteFluffy kitty belly!
ReplyDeleteAhem. If you don't want military sci fi (Honor Harrington by David Weber) and if you think calling Kate Douglas Wiggin (Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm) an author with your initials doesn't count, then I don't have any other ideas, I'm afraid.
I can't believe how hard this DW thing has been! It's made me sort of wonder what "popular" initials are!
DeleteI had to find a new dentist on my list for this year (we'd moved too far from our previous one), which I did, and have just been for my second checkup with him. Finding a new dentist is even worse than having to look for a new doctor.
ReplyDeleteI just ran through my books on Goodreads, and the only author with DW initials is Dallas Willard, so I can't help you. That's a tricky challenge.
My dentist retired and the new dentist at the practice has a terrible bedside manner, so I'm giving him one more appointment to turn things around and since I'm pretty sure he's not going to, I need to start looking at other dentists. There's a shortage around here, though, and I have terrible gums, so I can't skip an appointment. *sigh* I think it's going to be a DEAL.
DeleteWhat a fun challenge! How about the poet Derek Walcott for DW?
ReplyDeleteHmmm..I hate to say this to you, Maya, of all people, but it would be poetry as a very last resort. I'll keep it in mind, though, if things get super dire!
DeleteLOL. Point noted. I that case, how about this series? https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/dw/46798/
Delete*In that case
DeleteI hear you on the eye woes. My vision is 20-40 so I don't need to wear glasses, but I have a lot of blurriness from dry eye syndrome. I've put off scheduling my annual checkup because I know the doc is just going to tell me there's nothing that can be done for dry eye. Sigh....
ReplyDeleteYes to weekend trips just to see what's out there!
Oh, I'm pretty sure my weekend trips will be to visit people, but maybe just a weekend trip to visit a FLW house or something could be arranged!
DeleteThat's a tough reading challenge- I"ll keep my eyes peeled for a DW book. Speaking of eyes, I wear contacts and my eyes get pretty dry. My eye doctor suggested eye drops, and I guess they help. I want Lasik.
ReplyDeleteI'm too scared of eye stuff for LASIK. Also, everyone I know who has done it has had to have glasses later anyway, so I don't really see the point. Oh, well. I'll just wander around with everything in a fuzzy glow.
DeleteThat reading challenge is intense! I love your focused goals though. The cycling book looks interesting - curious what you think of it after you read it. I can't think of any DW authors... that's tricky!
ReplyDeleteHa. The reading challenge has been hard for me this year. Some years I'm done by the end of October, but that is not going to happen this year!
DeleteI bet you are killing the 23 in 23 goal since you have a dog. I ended up falling off the wagon because work got so insane that even taking 23 minutes for a walk outside became very challenging! Some days I struggle to find time to eat lunch. I really hope things calm down soon. I don't have any DW recommendations but I had to kind of laugh because you share your initials with someone I work with that is absolutely LOATHED by so many people! He's always referred to as DW. Those are also my boss's initials.
ReplyDeleteI am killing the being outside 23 minutes each day goal. I think I've only missed one day the entire year! Having a dog makes it really easy.
DeleteDW is surprisingly hard. I didn't think it would be this hard!
I looked through my Goodreads list and the only DW authors I have are Dawnie Walton (and I know you read her book) and Danny Wallace. I read one of his books yeeears ago (Charlotte Street) and it was fine. (WHICH MEANS MAYBE YOU'LL LOVE IT?!?!?!) IDK. Maybe use your Engie nickname and reread Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, haha.
ReplyDeleteI hate wearing glasses but I can't wear contacts daily because they dry out my eyes (especially since 90% of my day is spent looking at a computer screen) and jump around in my eyeballs too much. (I wear contacts FOR astigmatism, but they don't seem to help much.) I am sooo excited for LASIK in 9 days.
I can't wait to hear all about your LASIK!!
Delete"Say yes to invitations to things, regardless of whether or not I want to go" - TEACH ME :)
ReplyDeleteYou just say yes. And then, even when you'd rather stay at home in your pajamas, you go. It's not easy, but I do it. LOL.
DeleteYour post-pandemic re-entry goal of: "Do at least one thing every week that is outside of my household, the public library, or the grocery store." Yep, I need to add that to my list. I so enjoy not going places that trying to feel the spark/convince myself to do things has not happened consistently yet.
ReplyDeleteI realized that it wasn't so bad when I made the goal for myself. Yes, sometimes the place I go is just a new to me county or state park, but it's something! Sometimes I do go to social events. I am not nearly as much of a hermit as I was this time last year.
Delete