48 thoughts on “I Have A Million Things To Do . . .”

  1. The art of using procrastination on one thing to push you to do the thing you really want to do!
    Maybe the girls in the basement liked having your mind on other things for a while.

  2. That’s awesome! I too am procrastinating but not doing anything as fun as that.

  3. I don’t even know who all those people and things are meant to be, and I don’t care. It perfectly matches the feeling I get from the chapters you’ve posted.

  4. I cleaned out a lot of the hoard and basically slept after 1am today, ( I’m writing on my Monday evening) but I still went to work. I cleaned some there too. Where I got the motivation?! Who knows. Many other things were paused, even important things. So I’m about to do the records now. And write down all the ideas that have been popping in and out of my brain but I haven’t been able to sit still long enough to record.

    I feel like a teen again. Having a snack, going to do school work, 5fm on and I am actually enjoying it. With hindsight, a big sign of depression or a mopey episode for me was not enjoying the radio.

    Duolingo going well. Streak freezes used a bit, but getting better at consistent bits.

    Avoiding my personal stuff like redoing the CV and a proper budget and my 5-year diary that I have tried to start twice before, so to change it up the aim was start on my birthday. Six days later … yikes. So hoping to use that as the reward for finishing up my mandatory work.

    1. I am on day 133 of my Duolingo without having to use my streak freeze and have reached the Obsidian level. I can reliably write and read simple French but I can’t speak with any hope that anyone will be able to understand me. This is also after two years of classes. It is hopeless. I leave Friday for 28 days of vacation in SW France, excepting for the first 5 days in Amsterdam and Brussels. I have packed nothing. I still have 8 days that I have nothing booked for, nor any itinerary planned except 3 days in Bordeaux then 2 days in Paris at the end, then home. Where did I get the idea that doing my own planning was better than going on a tour? I think I need a glass of wine. Oh wait. I am going to France. Wine will not be in short supply.

      1. If you don’t already have them-I recommend the DK Eyewitness “Top Ten” series. You could get one for Paris, and whichever other cities you need plans for. Looks like they also have a Dordogne one that includes Bordeaux. They are portable, have fold out maps, and lots of good suggestions, including (my favorite) “Great walks and itineraries.”

      2. I also like the NYTimes’s “36 Hours in ___.” They pack everything in, but I usually find it’s a good idea to start planning. As someone who loves to travel but hates planning, I can attest that planning your own trip really is better than going on a tour unless the tour has exactly what you want to do! You get to go at your own pace, see the things you want to see, and skip the things you don’t want to see. I’d recommend looking up the top sights in those places, picking 1-2 a day (or more if you’re the type that likes to pack things in, but 28 days is a long time so remember to pace yourself!) that really appeal to you or that you really want to see, and then just exploring/wandering for the rest. Walk down random streets and go into random shops that catch your eye. Spend time relaxing in a cafe or check out a local grocery store and see what they have that you don’t have at home or what they don’t have that you have at home (lots of places stock way less peanut butter than we do in the US, for example, which I thought was interesting). Look up good restaurants near the sights and savor a really delicious meal. Find the best sunset spots.

        I’ve also got a packing list I made for my Asia trip you can check out if you’d like! It’ll be quite different from what you need, but some things will overlap, and it might get you started!

        For last minute bookings, check out Hotel Tonight. I’m not sure whether it’s only for the US though.

        Anyway, hang in there! You’ve got this!

          1. Hi Jessie — Here’s what I suggest you do, starting now.
            1. Use Booking.com to make the missing hotel reservations. I just stayed in Hotel Abbatial Saint Germain in Paris on the left bank. Terrific staff. 2. Use the packing list at Rick Steves.com. 3. Talk with your debit card bank and your credit card bank about using your cards while traveling. 4. Upon arriving at your first country, take about $100 or so in local currency. Mostly, you’ll be using your credit card.

            4. Additionally, if you’ll be using your phone, consider downloading an eSIM card before you leave. The Orange Holiday zen card for 14 days is $30 and pretty easy to download and can be topped up for around $20. You get a French (+33) phone number. It saved me a ton of money over using the AT&T international plan.

            Bon voyage!

          1. Or you could try Mambo, spicy-sweet peanut butter from Haiti. It’s the original version, and makes the most wonderful cookies!

          2. haha it really hits the spot for me, but that might just be because I’m American 😛 one thing I really like about it is its versatility — it can go either the sweet or savory route depending on what you pair it with!

      3. 9 days after my kid’s wedding we went to Europe for a friend’s wedding. I had a six day cruise booked after wedding number 2. Why a cruise? Because I was so freaked I couldn’t make a decision on where to go and it seemed easier to sample a prearranged slate. I felt like a man in front of the female hygiene section at Target. We fly home tomorrow.
        What I learned; 5 places in 6 days is exhausting and a lot of hotels in Europe do not have elevators. You will miss somethings because you didn’t plan ahead, but walking around without a plan can be awesome.

      6. It may or may not be a consolation, but French people will insist on speaking English to you. I am in Tunisia at the moment, and using French far more than I do in France.

  5. There’s a wind shift predicted which is not good. The closest fire is over 40km away but it’s 40 I’m of bush. Fingers crossed that all it does, if it has to shift, is push the fire back over already burned ground.

    I’m getting sentimental stuff and valuables in a pile and clothing in suitcases just to be safe.

    I hate fire.

    9. Be safe. I have So Much rain here. Almost two inches since early morning. Sending rainy thoughts.

    10. Best wishes for you & your family & animals & home. I hope you are all safe. Bushfires/wildfires are such terrifying beasts.

  6. Oh dear, Office Wench, stay safe! I was surrounded by fires here in San Jose in July 2020 and I have never been so scared. Sending good vibes your way!

    Jenny, it’s called “productive procrastinating” and is saves my life. lolol!

    ~Chelle
    Sweet N Tart Cherry

  8. I am not procrastinating. Nor am I anticrastinating. When it comes to crastinating, I am strictly neutral.

    Okay, I lied. I was pro until I lost two thirds of my lettuce crop. There should have been a lot more salads last month. I was hoping for a home-grown tomato or six. The red fire peppers have gone from purple to yellow, so I could harvest a few before they turn red, but if I procrastinate just a tiny bit more, I’ll get the red ripe death peppers I love. There will be flammable tuna or chicken salad sandwiches.

    Crastination is not always bad.

  9. If working on crossword puzzles is a good way to occupy your mind, I’m doomed by trying to put together the real names of the people in the collage. I only got a handful. Then I looked down and noticed I’m wearing two different socks. Same color but patterns are off.

  10. Jenny, thanks for the collage! It’s great! Whatever works for you, girl. I love that there is a post on a Tuesday. Or maybe it was late Monday? Whatever.

    I will take my truck in this morning and walk home, then walk back to get it, later. It’s a small repair. I postponed this a day, because it was wet all day yesterday. Not really raining, just wet. Now it’s raining this morning! The weather is literally so unpredictable, lately.

  11. Jenny, Coral is much prettier and younger than I imagined. Rose is beautiful. She really has an inferiority complex, doesn’t she?

    1. No, it’s the personality I was going for, not a portrait. Rose knows exactly who she is. Same with Coral, that’s Coral’s personality, not her age. It’s the reason that I often use different people as placeholders for the same character; it’s the emotional feel of the character that’s important, not what they look like.

  12. A last thought on Duolingo. I started Duolingo a month before going to France in 2022. By this year’s trip I was up to around 355 days. I was far more able to communicate in French this year. We stayed mostly at chambres d’hôtes (b&bs) where I needed to speak French first before falling back on English. My French isn’t too good, but it’s working. Also, I did one Duoling exercise whenever I could. That reminded me that I do all right within the controlled Duolingo world, so it was encouraging.

  13. I am procrastinating writing by doing necessary cleaning, gardening, and organizational stuff. Which is great, except I should be writing.

    I did get 1,000 words done yesterday, which is good, since last night I only got 3.5 hours of sleep, so it’s not looking great for brainpower today.

  16. I love that collage so much and I love your thought processes. Right now I’m sitting in a chair with a hot pad on my back thinking of all the things I need to get done and all the things I’d like to get done. Sitting and thinking that the hot pad on your back is it really lovely activity. Yesterday I joined the picket line for the writers Guild with my son and my grandson. I got a few cameos done and thought about getting back to editing. I also made curry. It started is vegan and then I took some of it out and added chicken and wishing everybody a , lovely, productive day. I’ll just sit here on my hot pad. At least for now.

    1. So glad you’ve been supporting the writer’s guild! Without them, even the best actors and directors and costumes and advertisers would soon find things just not working at all anymore.

      But good luck with the back thing. But meantime, hot pads rock!

  17. Being impulsive is the opposite of procrastinating. I had some Amazon points on my credit card, so on impulse I bought a fourth iDOO 12-pod hydroponic unit. It’s here, along with some EZ-Gro salad greens pod kit. I do not know where she will be placed – the Garden Wall is full. She may have to be suspended from the ceiling.

    In keeping with all the iDOOs being named with a “loo” sound, her name will be Lulu. She joins Lucy, Lupy, and Louise.

  18. Hmm. Pike. Very good name, love the name. Reminds me of Joe Pike, lead in Robert Crais’ mystery series.

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