Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans. To quote Sonia Sotomayor "with fear for our democracy, I dissent." As someone with a dog who has refused to go outside passed 7:30pm for a week now, I can't really focus on this particular holiday at this particular time. I do get a day off work, so that's something, I guess.
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Let's look at my quarterly goals for Q2. Q1 goal review here, if you're interested.
Area 1: Professional
1. Create and implement a system for onboarding online students by the end of the year ✔
1. Create and implement a system for onboarding online students by the end of the year ✔
April: I'm officially becoming the advisor of record for online freshpeople in one of our online programs.
May: I'm working on creating a calendar for online orientation sessions that the three main departments I work with can pass out.
June: It's just happening. I'm onboarding people now. LOL.
2. Do a networking event on campus at least once a month ✔
April: I attended a conference
May: I attended a training for instructors of a seminar I'll be teaching in the fall for first year students and met several people on campus while I was there, and did a meet and greet with people who will be assisting with first year registration
June: So many things in June with first year orientation. Definitely met this.
3. Do another Excel course at a a slightly more advanced level ✖
April: No progress
May: No progress
June: No progress
4. Maintain fifteen or fewer emails in my work inbox - the rest must be filed appropriately ✔
April: Six emails in my work inbox as of 4/24, two in my hotmail (my main personal account) as of 4/24, and zero in my gmail (personal account for job stuff)
May: I'm late to it, but as of 6/2, I have five in my hotmail, zero in my gmail and ten in my work email inbox
June: As of 6/30, I have two in my hotmail, zero in my gmail, and fourteen in my work email inbox
5. Take off one mental health day for myself as a do nothing day during the quarter ≈
April: No progress
May: I took off three hours on a random Thursday to get my hair done, but that doesn't count.
June: I took off early one day to get my hair done, took off two days in late June to deal with some of my husband's medical stuff, but I had an entire morning in which I did an extra long workout and took the dog to the dog park, so if I put those together, it was sort of a mental health day. Hm. I need to work on this.
Area II: Pets
1. Continue to track the number of times I walk Hannah, as well as the length of the walks ✔
April: We walked 77.39 miles in April, but I was out of town for five days during that month, so that's not a bad number. It's an average of 2.58 miles per day (3.1 miles per day for the 25 days I was actually in town, but that's not actually the metric I use). Pretty good, all things considered.
June: It rained so much this month and my husband has taken over the afternoon walk most of the time. This is temporary for the summer and it's making my life smoother after work because it's easier to fit in exercise. Our total was 75.67 miles, which is an average of 2.52 miles over the month. I'll take it.
2. Grooming of some sort for Hannah every week (bath, nails, etc.) ✔
April: 3/4 weeks - Not bad considering I was out of town for a week.
May: 4/4 - So many baths and brushings. The dog is a shedding maniac.
June: 4/4 - Absolutely. The shedding is out of control. Also, she stinks a lot.
3. At least one brief training session for Hannah 70% of the time ✖
April: 15/30 (50%) days - Egads. Not great.
May: 16/31 (51.6%) days - Hannah is noticeably worse at training these days. A lot of this is because I'm out of town or have evening responsibilities, but I think I need to do some training at other times during the day if I can't be there during our regular training times.
June: 20/30 (66.7%) days - I thought we were doing better than this!
4. Play with Zelda at least once a week ✖
April: 2/4 weeks - Poor Zelda.
May: 1/4 weeks - Poor, poor Zelda.
June: 2/4 weeks - Poor, poor, poor Zelda.
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| Zelda was so excited to play with this blue rubber duck. |
Area III: Health
1. Formal exercise of at least 30 minutes or more on 80% of days ✖
April: 24/30 (80%) days
May: 21/31 (67.7%) days
June: 26/30 (86.7%) days
Total for the quarter: 71/91 (78%) days
2. Meditate at least three days a week ✔
April: 11/30 days - I would have given myself credit for meeting this goal with 12 days. Womp womp.
May: 14/30 days - Yes!
June: 18/30 days - I did it!
3. Go outside for at least 24 minutes a day ✔
April: 28/30 (93.3%) days - I'll take this.
May: 25/31 (80.6%) days - Rough.
June: 30/30 (100%) - Done. Despite the stupid rain.
4. Figure out a decent post-workout recovery shake ✖
April: No progress made.
May: I literally never even thought about this for the entire month.
June: I have an appointment with a doctor next week to discuss health stuff and maybe that will be the encouragement I need to do this.
Area IV: Reading
1. Read at least one non-fiction book a month ✔
April: I listened to The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule
May: I listened to All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot.
June: I read The Work of Art by Adam Moss.
2. Read at least one book I already own this quarter ✖
April: Nope. All library books this month.
May: Nope. All library books again this month.
June: Okay, no, but hear me out. I tried. I DNFed a book I owned and then I put in the Little Free Library in my neighbor's yard. I feel like I should get partial credit this month.
3. Keep my reading spreadsheet up to date ✔
April: Done. See my April reading list here.
May: Yes. May reading list here.
June: Yes! See here.
4. Read at least one book every month to complete the top fantasy books by women authors list ≈
May: I read Mammoths at the Gate and a couple of Mercedes Lackey books.
June: I didn't. Oh, no. I'm really letting myself down here. I did try to read another Lackey book, but I DNFed it. Does that count?
Area V: Fun stuff
1. Finish the dress I'm currently sewing and complete at least one more clothing project ✖
April: Never even thought out this once.
May: There's a sewing class I might take next month that could help me with this.
June: Okay, that sewing class is a regular thing and I might try to sneak that in during the next quarter. I am not giving up on this dress.
3. Go out of Wisconsin at least once (trips to Michigan and Iowa don't count unless I don't see family) ✔
April: Just to Michigan to see family.
May: I went to Ohio and saw Bestest Friend and went to my alma mater.
June: I stayed home and was grateful for that.
4. Track number of pieces of snail mail sent ✔
April: A couple of returns, some business, and a handful of birthday/congratulations cards for a total of eight pieces
May: One Mother's Day card, a couple of bills, a condolence card, a couple of thank you cards, four birthday cards, and a postcard for a total of eleven pieces
June: A business thing, six thank you cards, some House on the Rock postcards, one Father's Day, two birthday cards, and two clothing returns for a total of fifteen pieces
5. Learn to play chess ✖
April: Ha ha ha. No progress made.
May: No progress made.
June: No, but I learned the NATO alphabet.
6. Do at least one thing outside of my work, household, grocery store, or public library every week ✔
April: Yes!
May: More than I ever wanted to.
June: I did it.
7. Continue tracking expenses ≈
April: Ugh. I fell off the wagon as soon as I went out of town. Hopefully I can go back and update my spreadsheet soon.
May: Mostly. Some of my cash expenses are not being tracked well.
June: Cash tracking is still garbage, but I'm getting better.
Q2 Fun Stuff
8. Figure out the earbud situation. ✔
I have some Google Pixels. I don't love them, but they're fine.
9. Not necessarily "fun," but I need to figure out my finances ASAP. I've had a full quarter to see how I'm spending money and now I need to figure out how to allocate money so I'm putting more in savings. ✔
I did up the amount of money that was automatically going to my savings.
10. I have three photos from my mom's house that I'd like to get framed and display in my office.✖
These photos are still sitting on my desk. *sigh*
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Do you know the NATO alphabet? Does anyone want to come and play with poor neglected Zelda?
I think learning the NATO alphabet is a fun thing, like knowing all the state capitals or the US Presidents in order. (I've been trying to master the latter for ages; it just won't stick.)
ReplyDeleteMy cats simply refuse to play. Maybe now at age 14+ they are Over It. But they were like that years ago. I used to have Forced Active Play sessions every day, but I was the only one getting exercise. They simply stared at me and rolled over. I donated SO MANY EXPENSIVE CAT TOYS to my grandcats. If I knew Zelda then, I'd have shipped them to her. Poor dear baby.
In fifth grade I had to memorize the presidents and it was so hard for me. Now my brain is old and I would never be able to replicate that!
DeleteZelda only plays for about a minute or two, but she plays HARD when she does. I just hate it because the dog will try to interfere, so we can only play with her when the dog is isolated in the mudroom or something. Still. I should prioritize it more. She loves it so much.
I like the one mental health day each month goal.
ReplyDeleteI currently have a cat play gig for my neighbor who is out of town, but once they're back I'd be happy to play with Zelda...oh wait it's an 8 hour drive so once we figure that part out I'm in.
Well, I didn't even get a full mental health day this quarter, so obviously I'm not great at it.
DeleteAnyone who wants to play with Zelda is welcome to come over! You'll just have to stay for a few days until she's comfortable enough with you to let you touch her.
I read a few books I owned last month (I had preordered them and then immediately read them!) I like the variety of your goals, I am astounded by how many you have! *slinks away, goalless*
ReplyDeleteGoalless lady who just wrote a whole book! You don't need goals if you actually get shit done, you know what I mean?!
DeleteThe range of your goals, Engie! I'd be rounding up the 78% to 80% and calling it done... lol.
ReplyDeleteThat is not how I operate, Maya. No cutting corners here! I didn't make my goal and I have to take the big red X.
DeleteI agree with Maya- you should get a B+ for that workout goal, rather than a red X!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny because my daughter was just talking about the NATO alphabet, because our school has an aviation program that her best friend is in. I only knew Alpha, Bravo, Charlie. But I looked it up- who came up with these words anyway? Lima? Papa? Oscar? Seems like we could have done better than that.
I can't come over to play with Zelda because I'm too busy neglecting my own cats' playtimes : (
Papa gets me every single time. Dumb.
DeleteAll the cats in the US need to unionize and insist on more playtime from their humans!
Oh! I didn't realize it was called the NATO alphabet! I learned it years ago - my husband uses it a lot in his life as IT support, and we have a poster in the playroom with it.
ReplyDeleteI think those DNF books should count! I mean you moved one book you already owned out of your house, and I think that's *really* the point of reading one's own library. Otherwise TBR books one owns are in a strange limbo state of "keep" or "not keep."
Okay, I'll give it to myself that I tried to read a book I owned, didn't like it, and got it out of the house. You're right that it's the spirit of the goal.
Delete*not-so-happy* Independence Day, I guess... or, maybe we should celebrate today as long as it still has meaning? Sigh. This week was ...tough.
ReplyDeleteI wanna try Suzanne's cherry protein shake (https://lifeofadoctorswife.wordpress.com/2024/06/07/five-favorite-things-friday/) maybe also an option for you?
Yeah, protein shakes are an option. I have had this debate with myself before - I just don't know when I would drink a protein shake. Like...as a breakfast replacement? But then I lose the protein in my breakfast. I don't know how to make it at work, so while a mid-afternoon snack sounds good, I don't know how to do that with my work schedule. LOL. We'll see. There has to be a solution.
DeleteI think from pictorial evidence, Zelda leads a charmed, delightful life.
ReplyDeleteAlso. The goals here, Engie. Mind blown. You do so well, my friend, and I truly enjoy reading them and seeing all the progress you make.
Zelda's life is pretty good, but there's not nearly enough play in it!
DeleteWow— you are doing great on your goals, and I love the detail with which you track them.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently doing a wellness challenge thing with a team at work and I'm not going to lie, the tracking is currently out of control.
DeleteI think you're doing great! Lots of green checkmarks. I would absolutely count the book you DNF-ed! The goal is to read a book from your shelves - and even if you DNFed it, you still attempted it and then gave it away to a good home. That counts!
ReplyDeleteZelda, Lila, and Eloise need a support group. "Cats With Boring Moms Who Never Play With Them." They could probably come up with a catchier name.
I think the DNF book is actually in the spirit of the goal, too. Maybe I should have given myself a green check for that.
DeleteOur poor cats. They truly should unionize and demand playtime in their contracts.
Ah, I wish I could play with Zelda! Too bad Zoom won't work for that. Maggie doesn't seem to want to play with me: she loves me for my lap. Nice job on your goals, give yourself a pat on the back.
ReplyDeleteThis is the true confession: Zelda only plays for like a minute or two, goes insane, and then trots off to sleep. Playing with her would literally take me less than 120 seconds! I'm such a bad kitty friend.
DeleteI think you accomplished an amazing amount of stuff! The thing that grabbed my attention was: You're sewing a dress?! Yay! I can't wait to see it whenever you finish it!
ReplyDeleteOh, heavens. I've been sewing this dress for years. The thing is that I'm stuck on this one part of the pattern and I don't understand what it wants me to do, so I think I could finish the dress if I could figure out this one step. And then maybe I could move on to a different dress!
DeleteI should learn the NATO alphabet. My retired colleague had it taped to his monitor and I meant to tape it to mine but I need to figure out where I put it... I will say the most inane things because I don't know the alphabet. Like Y for Yoda. Which at least makes people laugh. I am often giving out tickers for our funds so you'd think I've get the NATO alphabet down for those products but nope.
ReplyDeleteI have upped my shouldless days up to every other month lately because it it kind of the only thing that will help me maintain my sanity. The work travel is a lot but it would be harder for me to be gone back-to-back weekends than to travel 3 weeks in a row, mostly because our so much happens on the weekend like meal prep, grocery shopping, laundry, etc. So the travel isn't too terrible for me - it's certainly hard for Phil, though. My next shouldless day is 7/19 but now Taco's daycare is closing at 12:30 that day because the co-owner sadly passed away which I am heartbroken about. She filled in for several months when the daycare director was out due to a car accident so we got to know her really well. We had assumed she had cancer as she wore a head covering at all times but I did not realize she had declined so I was just gutted when we got the email about her passing. And she's 2 years younger than me with young kids. Gah. And now I have left you the most depressing comment ever for which I am very sorry...
Y is Yankee, which is so hard to remember!
DeleteOh, man. I was about to say that it is hard for me to take shouldless days, but then I read the rest of your comment and man, time is finite and I should take more of them! It's a good reminder that sometimes we just need to prioritize!
I had a project to learn where all the states were and their capitals, and then branched out to the rest of the world, a few years ago. More of it has stuck than I thought would, but I could use a refresher. Learning the NATO alphabet sounds fun and I am pretty sure I'm never learning to play chess, so (tiny) challenge accepted.
ReplyDelete