Running "Me" like a business.

Not sure this is a new years resolution, or just a rant, but I'm increasingly curious about what it would look like if I began responding in kind to every obnoxious business practice that plagues us in modern times. A few examples: 

Let's start with the ubiquitous "Terms and Conditions." I think it's high time I develop some terms and conditions for anyone who would like my business. I would include provisions about per-minute charges for wasting my time on hold, and a mandatory inconvenience charge if I need to pursue a refund because the product is defective or unsatisfactory. 

Another annoying time waster is the retail companies who are constantly hitting you up to donate a little extra something-something every time you make a POS purchase. Time for me to set up my own non-profit organization, the "Helping My Kids Buy Stuff Foundation." When CVS asks me if I'd like to donate to whatever random fund, I will whip out my little envelope and brochure, and ask the manager, if I can count on CVS for a corporate donation to HMKBSF. A worthy cause! 

Shall we move to the lovely Multi Level Marketing companies? I love how these companies enlist the services of my friends and neighbors to use every sneaky approach to ply their wares. I'll be setting up a Paetron account so next time I get invited to "Sally's Super Purse Pals," I can quickly reply and invite Sally to join, "Maria's Pithy Insults Club." Sick burns for a small monthly fee OR custom ordered insults to fit any jerk or occasion. 

Anyway, that's my business plan for monetizing my life. More to come, I'm sure! 

End of Summer

 I don't have time to write here about everything we did over the summer, so I'm not even going to try. My objective today is figuring out if my A-Z Priorities and Procrastination list is going to work for me. So far today, I've walked dog (with son), scheduled my tax classes for Oct and Nov (this took too long just to set up), some laundry progress, watering plants, soc. media. and made lunch. I am now holed up in a dark room (due to apparently irritating my eye by gardening for hours yesterday after eye appt. dialation. (I planted radishes, carrots, kale, rocket and peas for hopeful fall harvest--although i know it is a little late.) 

Anyway, my objective now is to focus on 1 hour of writing. (and maybe a little extra). 

Here's the issue, with these daily priorities--I'm trying to make sure I do the things I love and need to do, and not let my time get frittered away on unimportant stuff. So I'm trying to block out some writing time every day, but not let everything else slide. However, this is at odds with my preferential way of working, which is to work in projects or blocks, and spend a whole day or two focused on one thing. However, the burnout in between and the somewhat random focus on these projects is leaving a whole lot on the back burner. Also, I should not have abandoned to-do lists, 

The U-verse internet has just dropped again. This continues to be a problem and when my online classes, and kids online classes have started, we need to have a reliable connection. 

The other issue with priorities and lists is that they can sometimes get in the way of spontaneity and joy, and, you know, just plain old wasting time. They are also getting in the way of my writing, because I have this fear that if I start writing, I will either A. waste time staring at screen and not get much done, or B. enjoy myself, find a productive groove, and then spend too much time, get behind on other things, and not write again for a week. 

Both these are just excuses. Time to get to work writing. I can always make a to-do list in one hour from now. 

May be almost over

Well, I missed writing here the whole month of May, and I'm not going to reprise everything I did the past 24 or so days. I'll just focus on what I did today, and maybe touch on a few other topics if they come up.

The main accomplishment of today was more gardening. I pulled off most of the plastic covers, and planted a few more sections of the square foot garden. Replanted all the peas, because only two or three plants came up. I've draped some plastic over them now, hope it keeps the birds out, or whatever has been disappearing my pea seeds. Ooh, need to do the same with the beans I planted today, right now. Okay, that's done, and hopefully they haven't yet been robbed by a bird.

Today's sowing was beans, more carrots and radishes, some more lettuce and green onion, and dill. Tried to transplant a couple of turnips into spots that got robbed. They wilted quickly, so not sure if they will take. I still need to complete all the "construction" including deeper boxes for potatoes, poles and fencing for green beans, cucumbers and zucchini and some type of angle ramp for the zucchini to climb towards the upright. Need to string up the pea climbers too.

Watered a bunch of stuff including the annuals, red white and blue flowers I planted in the expanded flower garden area. Flowers look good right now with creeping phlox in full bloom, and irises and peonies (which I split) starting to bud. Looks like dianthus is coming up again, but there are still gaps and holes (literally) in the garden. Lots of same plants I've been splitting, and missing all the things that didn't survive the weather or the animal. Columbine--gone. Yarrow--gone.  Shasta Daisies--gone, Black-eyed Susan, gone before it even started. Irish moss--made it for a while, and then weather took it. The damn woodchuck eats all this stuff. I've surrounded the annuals with two layers of fencing right now, which means of course, they they don't look as nice as they should.

It was blazing hot today, so I probably worked slower than I could have. Back inside, I showered and then cleaned the shower as the mildew went crazy in the heat and while we were gone to the cottage for the weekend.

I do need to make myself an actual to-do list now, for the new few days, and so, goodnight.

Missed May 1st

Trying to do a little bit more writing of what I have accomplished. However, actually accomplishing things takes time, and leaves less time for writing. Yesterday was Friday. I spent the morning researching a compensation issue regarding work, and dealing with personal finances, and then I did a big cleanup in the flower garden area. Still need to dig out the encroaching lilies of the valley. This took most of the afternoon, and was uneventful other than when I disturbed a hibernating toad and bee.

Helped Sarah, who wanted to make "Froggy Bread," so we had rolls and bread with our grilled chicken dinner. After dinner Matt and I prepped the grid for the square foot garden. Then we did a fire in the firepit and had lil smokies, popcorn and marshmallows and lots of deep and frivolous talk with the kids, and stayed up so late I didn't even read before bed.

Today, I did a little more financial planning work in the morning, and then I planted the first round of seeds, lettuce, scallions, brussels sprouts (fingers crossed for better results this year), kale and snap peas (fingers crossed that something doesn't eat these seeds). Labeled everything, covered up the empty spots so they don't get festooned with tree buds, and transplanted half a peony and planted an Easter lily.

Tried using up some of my chive pesto in stuffed mushrooms for dinner. Used very little pesto and ended up with way too much cheese filling, so I had to make a whole plate of hors d oeuvres, which were nice, but the kids did not like. Used the mushroom stems to make mushroom rice, and a grilled pork tenderloin. Strawberries. And Sarah made banana bread for dessert/snack. Once again, a filling day, food-wise. Didn't feel like a lot was accomplished, but Matt brought up all the patio furniture, Sarah cleaned the patio and table, and Robbie did his black belt test via zoom video chat.

The mundane household tasks seem to be expanding to fill the available time, and I definitely do NOT like that. Somehow need to communicate some kind of urgency. Of course kids do not experience this feeling at all, and in fact are experts at finding "something else" they must do, whenever a mundane household task is brought to their attention.

Anyway, we finished watching Ozark tonight, and might try to read some more before bed. At some point, maybe tomorrow, I need to test my replacement mixer. But this is supposed to be for what I HAVE done, not a to-do list. However, without actively working on a to-do list, I seem to lose track of all the minor things to do, like sorting the mail and putting away clutter, and why do these minor things always seem to add up to so much time?