The 2011 Challenge: February
The end of February marks the second update on the the #Reverb10 prompt for my blog-along with Sunflowerakb and chemgal18.
Here is the prompt for those who may have missed the first post:
What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011?
How will you go about eliminating them?
How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
You can find my list of 11 things here and my January update here.
***
Today I zipped my smallest jeans. I mean, it wasn't pretty, and I'm not wearing them anywhere classier than the locker room at my gym. They're not-quite-ready for anything other than a very big shirt. Okay, they're not the nicest jeans in the world, anyway--in fact, they probably should have been on the list of 11 things to exit my life in 2011. So why mention them here? Because this shows real progress on items 1 and 2. There are days when the gym scale claims I've lost 10 pounds in the past five weeks. (And, with Bravo replacing Spike in the GymTV lineup, I just might lose 10 more in the same amount of time.) There are noticeable reductions in the spare tires, and I've moved a few older sweaters back into the rotation. They're a little snug, but I like to think it's a reminder that I need to keep my eyes on the prize.
The day after I passed Exam 2 (hooray!) I settled down with a garbage bag, three boxes, and an open mind. The math-teacher books box is overflowing again, and I have a box of math club toys to send to K this week. (She'll pick through the books when she comes to visit in April.) I have a box of tutoring texts and supplies (culled down from 2.5 boxes) and a box of my research (and plenty of files still in my file cabinet...I really don't know what I can responsibly give up, and I feel like someone would like the hard copies of hundreds of algebra articles that I've collected over the years). I also sorted through the piles of clippings, photographing some of the cartoons, tracking down some of the recipes to add to my electronic file (which needs to migrate to Google Docs, to maximize sharability). I sorted out old glasses and edited the sunglasses collection to three, completely wearable, pairs. (Three might sound excessive, but I like to take at least two pairs down to the lake and then have a spare for my work backpack.) My only regret (so far) is hauling bags upon bags of trash down a very icy set of stairs. Tip: finish your purge before a blizzard hits, leaving your alleyway treacherous for months. I'm hoping to go through things again in a couple of months, likely editing more this time (specifically things for a shredder, once I track down someone with the apparatus).
My pledge to begin work on the foot issues was slowed down by my very first ever bloody runner's toe. (Yes, I'm proud. How could you tell?) It looks like all is healed and it's time to climb back on the wagon. As for ambivalence and fear--I'm sending out resumes, across the Midwest, and studying for an exam that (so far) consists of questions like "Using standard tables, what is the probability that a 28 year old man will live 14 more years and then die in the seven years following that?" Maybe I'll be purging those in the second half of this year.
It's not too late to join the 2011 Challenge! Just leave your url in the comments.
Here is the prompt for those who may have missed the first post:
What are 11 things your life doesn't need in 2011?
How will you go about eliminating them?
How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life?
You can find my list of 11 things here and my January update here.
***
Today I zipped my smallest jeans. I mean, it wasn't pretty, and I'm not wearing them anywhere classier than the locker room at my gym. They're not-quite-ready for anything other than a very big shirt. Okay, they're not the nicest jeans in the world, anyway--in fact, they probably should have been on the list of 11 things to exit my life in 2011. So why mention them here? Because this shows real progress on items 1 and 2. There are days when the gym scale claims I've lost 10 pounds in the past five weeks. (And, with Bravo replacing Spike in the GymTV lineup, I just might lose 10 more in the same amount of time.) There are noticeable reductions in the spare tires, and I've moved a few older sweaters back into the rotation. They're a little snug, but I like to think it's a reminder that I need to keep my eyes on the prize.
The day after I passed Exam 2 (hooray!) I settled down with a garbage bag, three boxes, and an open mind. The math-teacher books box is overflowing again, and I have a box of math club toys to send to K this week. (She'll pick through the books when she comes to visit in April.) I have a box of tutoring texts and supplies (culled down from 2.5 boxes) and a box of my research (and plenty of files still in my file cabinet...I really don't know what I can responsibly give up, and I feel like someone would like the hard copies of hundreds of algebra articles that I've collected over the years). I also sorted through the piles of clippings, photographing some of the cartoons, tracking down some of the recipes to add to my electronic file (which needs to migrate to Google Docs, to maximize sharability). I sorted out old glasses and edited the sunglasses collection to three, completely wearable, pairs. (Three might sound excessive, but I like to take at least two pairs down to the lake and then have a spare for my work backpack.) My only regret (so far) is hauling bags upon bags of trash down a very icy set of stairs. Tip: finish your purge before a blizzard hits, leaving your alleyway treacherous for months. I'm hoping to go through things again in a couple of months, likely editing more this time (specifically things for a shredder, once I track down someone with the apparatus).
My pledge to begin work on the foot issues was slowed down by my very first ever bloody runner's toe. (Yes, I'm proud. How could you tell?) It looks like all is healed and it's time to climb back on the wagon. As for ambivalence and fear--I'm sending out resumes, across the Midwest, and studying for an exam that (so far) consists of questions like "Using standard tables, what is the probability that a 28 year old man will live 14 more years and then die in the seven years following that?" Maybe I'll be purging those in the second half of this year.
It's not too late to join the 2011 Challenge! Just leave your url in the comments.