101 week 1

SO, I have the damnedest timing and I kinda sorta had a nagging sensation in the back of my mind about how this was all going to pan out given my chosen 101 in 1001 start date of 7/15/12, but I kinda sorta tend to ignore those nagging sensations all the time.

I mean, what could possibly set you back by starting a 101 in 1001 only four days after closing on your first home - when so few of your goals have nothing to do with setting up a first (or any new-to-you) home?

 It's not like some goals weren't picked with the new house in mind (a kitchen I can move in! enough space to simply dedicate a corner to sewing & crafting! a park nearby! easier bike commute!) But most goals were picked ignoring the reality that is The Housening. Progress?

Weekly goals:

- daily journals
- weekly German
- weekly blogpost
- weekly diary
- morning workout
- DVD workout
- walk in park
- play music (2x) (1x - Worked out Mika's Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) on my Uke. FYI: That song is UKE HELL in its original key signature.) (1x Worked out Scissor Sisters' I Don't Feel Like Dancin')

Sporadic/ or Regular-But-Not-Weekly goals:
 - memorize poems (1/18 - Memorized Howard Nemerov's Political Reflection. Picked for its brevity and easy rhyme scheme. Starting simple, working my way up through the challenge. Or maybe I'll just keep it simple. Set that bar low!)
 - started saving
 - started strategizing personal website


Reflections: 
- I like the daily journaling, in part because I'm taking the Five Year Journal approach (only in a spiral-bound book I already owned. The thick hardback would be annoying, and I'm not going to spend $15+ on paper. I have paper). 
- Weekly German is going to be a bit difficult until I can come up with a system. I'll come up with that system when I'm moved into my house in a few more weeks. This isn't saying I'm not doing it, it's just that I'm using a free app on my phone while things are packed. Not. Ideal.
- Weekly blogpost, I'm hoping, doesn't default to my weekly 101 update. That wasn't a problem this week, but Birchbox comes monthly, not weekly, and I want this blog to be more than Birchbox and 101.
- Writing in a diary is weird. It's been years since I've done so, in part because I've felt pretty emotionally balanced. So, I have few demons to exorcise. But I still think there's value in making an attempt to write more deeply than a few words about each day. And maybe it will work into writing exercises, instead. 
- Working out didn't happen. Part of this is that painting a house is a workout in itself. Part of this is that my DVDs are packed. Part of this is that I'm great at making excuses ;) 
- Walking in the park didn't happen. A fair amount of time is spent at the house, yes. But that's painting time. And when we're done painting we just want to get to a shower and a bed. It might be a few weeks until I get on a walk. 
- Playing music was brief, but accomplished. I took about 15 minutes a couple of times this week to work out chords to songs I like. 


Also of note, I've found an opportunity to approach a specific goal from an unforseen angle. This came up suddenly on Tuesday. You'll hear more about it as it plays out at a later date.

WRENCH IN THE PLAN!
In the eminent house purchase, when we locked down on spending, my pull list at the Local Comic Store just piled....and piled...and piled. I stopped in Wednesday to check it out, and DAMN. I got some reading to catch up on (and some priorities to reconsider as to which books I want to buy regularly). And, I picked up the Captain Marvel #1 - my first Marvel purchase! And I really enjoyed it and will check out Cap. Marvel for the next few months. But it's gonna be tough to catch up on my comic reading and stay on top of the 101. That is, if I get off the internet ever...

So, not too bad for a first week. I upheld over half of the weekly goals, achieved a smaller sporadic goal, & started two longer-term goals. But I'm stressed about getting to the larger goals I have set with enough time to manage. I spent a few minutes around the middle of the week looking at my 101 and brainstormed/planned how to approach this week. I like having a gameplan.

P.S. Got a fab new purse! 

Irrelevant, I know.

The Mortgage Circle of Hell - what Dante feared to write.

Pardon my melodramatizing :)

But these are seriously things with which I've just dealt:

Providing my name & address on my 2010 W-2 forms. The very same W-2s they have copies of, on file, in their office.

And provide an explanation of why I'm earning more in 2012 than in 2011 & 2010. Now, I know I didn't hand them anything stating I was an enrolled full-time graduate student for most of 2010; however, WHAT THE HELL STUPID QUESTION.

I, apparently, did not get the memo. That memo being:

The American Dream is dead, folks. No more upward mobility for anyone.

Malling Antiques

There's an antique mall near my home that I visit about once a quarter or so. With the new house coming our way, I decided to check it out because 1) it had been a few months and 2) there are a few select pieces of furniture Mr. Burly and I don't have, so we're planning for those future purchases. (Product at this mall does not move too quickly, so I can go spy a piece and have a decent chance of saving for it before it is gone.) While I did find 1 item that fit the parameters we had in mind for it (just got to save now) and another that I hadn't been looking for but can be totally functional (just got to save for that, too), the better part of these trips is always the, um, "treasures."

What did I find today? (click to embiggen any picture)

1973 Playboy lifestyle guide:

More Indispensable: the space needed for cartoon tits, instead of  sizing & spacing text accordingly

Contents: I'm sad I neglected to visit "The A to Z of Sex" now. Rest assured, if the book is still there on the next visit, I will provide an update. Anyone have a letter preference?

But in case you were interested on their advice concerning sexual harassment...

You misspelled "Creepy":

Seriously, though, I have issues with infantilized things in adult situations, like wedding attire

I'm constantly reminded that I should purchase a record player in order to build an ironic vinyl collection. Would it be more ironic if I just collected terrible vinyl sans player?:

I do actually own records without a player. The one that started it?  A recording of Wonder Woman stories.

If I actually had the money to waste, why yes, yes I would put a large embroidered screaming flaming cock on my wall:

He's screaming because he's missing a toe. That, and  his general existential rage at his being.  I would name him Proust.

2 Birds, 1 Stone:

Q: How do we afford to remodel our rec room/ basement? A:  Start an illegal gambling hall in that very basement! Brilliant!

Lastly, panthers humping trees (matching floor lamps):

And they're not even excited about it. But apparently they grew bored with each other. This is why you don't open up your marriage if you can't communicate, kids. These two panthers are going to go home after this failed partner-swap experiment and have an ugly fight about who's idea it was. There will be no make-up sex, just misery and hatred and self-loathing. They'll divorce. One will turn to the bottle, the other to constant plastic surgery until no shade of its former self exists, and it is too hideous to look at. The End.

Mr. Burly: Those are....lamps?
Me: Yes, it's cut off in the picture but on top you add a bulb and a shade. Then you have matching panther-humping-tree floor lamps. But I don't know what type of shade you'd put on those...
Mr. Burly: Leopard print.
Me: Now that's just offensive to the panthers.
Mr. Burly: But...where would they even...There's no where to put those things!
Me: Flanking the front door. Duh.
Mr. Burly: Oh God...

(Don't worry friends, those entering the new house will still be greeted by Bucephalus and not some sad dendrophiliac panthers)

Home Teasers

While Mr. Burly & I hang in home-purchase limbo (i.e. that terrible time of financing between purchase agreement and closing), we are making many important decisions, namely: paint colors.

I don't know if I've worn him down in the four years we've been together, that COLORCOLORCOLOR is the way to go, or if he wore me down and I selected slightly less bright colors than if left to my own devices, but agreeing on colors has been practically painless.

A couple of weeks ago I went to [LOCAL BIGBOX HOMESTORE] to raid paint swatches. I discovered that I don't quite have the energy to agonize over swatches like I used to. So I picked up any book of pre-matched swatches that held any color I liked. Translation: I left the 2 or 3 books of earth-toned swatches and accompanying inspirational room pictures (if I want to see earth-tones, I'll go outside thankyouverymuch)(also, THANKGOD earth tones just aren't that popular right now). You know what? Pros are hired to make these families of colors that go well together. Why would I fight that? They make these huuuuge families of coordinated-but-not-totally-matchy-matchy colors. There's a ton of selection within these books. Selection that WORK. Which is what I would be incapable of otherwise.

So I picked up the books, and edited further the colors I didn't want. Translation: Taupe and all it's taupe-y ilk. Then I presented the selection to Mr. Burly.

Actually, for all the selection I had, I think I really only presented about 2 collections of colors. I dunno, maybe he peeked at the others when I wasn't looking. But I showed him the super-colorful palette I loved, and the other super-colorful-but-only-slightly-less-bright palette I also loved. And he was cool with option #2.

He's also contributed some great ideas toward painting design. Love Mr. Burly.

So, I feel it's too early to be completely forthright with the colors. I'm gonna be annoyingly vague (for anyone who doesn't know me), instead.

Dining Room: My favorite color!
Living Room: My favorite neutral to go with that color!
Hallway: Will match either the Dining or Living room!
Kitchen & Bathroom: Staying the current color for the time being (so, it will clash with the palette in general) - but the kitchen has so little paintable surface to begin with, and the bathroom needs the least amount of work out of all the rooms, so we're opting for no work at all. It goes with our current bath stuff anyway.
Master Bedroom: The complementary color of my favorite color!
Guest Bedroom: Same complementary color, plus a neutral!
Office: The most contended undecided space, I want a new color to the mix, but that might be too much. So it might just match the Living Room. Stay tuned!
Basement:
-Large Rec Area: Undecided, likely to remain white for a while
-"Bonus" Room: I think we're just shutting the door to this room. Really. Not even thinking about it, probably, until we're ready to address the basement as a whole, which will be a long time from now.
-Laundry Room: WONDER WOMAN! Somehow this makes perfect sense to me, even if it is a little bit logically awkward to others, but it's totally going to be my Wonder Woman/ other comic Showcase room. Because I don't particularly showcase my stuff, but I have a lot of it and don't just put it away in boxes. And there's a closet in this room (which makes little sense for everyday use) in which I can properly store my costume pieces.
-Half-Bath: meh. falls under the same level of concern as "Bonus Room."

Heck, maybe Mr. Burly has plans & designs for the "Bonus" Room that I am unaware of. Stay tuned...

If I gotta do it small,

then I'll do it small.

Just a quick post tonight to say that a purchase agreement has been made on what we hope to be our first home. Home stuff will quickly take over this blog if I am to continue posting. You've been warned.