The night before last, I was watching my roommate play Zelda, and I accidentally fell asleep on the couch. I woke up at around 9am when I heard heavy steps up the stairs outside of our apartment and a knock at the door.
Lo and behold, it was my brand new laptop.
Can you believe I didn't even end that with an explanation point? I have no idea why I've been so blah these past few days. Maybe the full reality of having a new laptop hasn't really hit me? I haven't had anything to be this excited about for a while. Maybe my medications are impacting my ability to be excited? Maybe the fact that this was such a long drawn-out process made me come to terms with it a little while ago.
But that really isn't important. I NEED to get work done this weekend. I've been lazy and procrastinating.
Yesterday pretty much all I did was get all my usual programs configured on my new laptop, play Guild Wars, and download stuff for The Sims 2.
Today, even though I really want to unzip all my new downloaded goodies and play The Sims, I need to do some work and clean my room. Well, not ALL today, but probably today and this weekend coming up.
So here's what I'm going to do... reward myself for good work. If I clean my room I can go download some more stuff for my Sims and go ahead and unzip/install them. However, in order to play The Sims, I have to get the sidebar system done for this website I'm working on. So yeah, sure, if I procrastinate working, I can do housework and play The Sims, but in order to spice it up and get the bagillion add-ons I downloaded, I HAVE to work.
By the way, I've stopped including productivity stars in my posts. Instead I include them in my Joe's Goals chart.
Now off to work!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
I am... ALIVE!
The past month has been hell. Busy as hell, that is. Working on Anime Jobs, going to Katsucon, a week full of doctors appointments, the snow storm, and my being sick from the waist down, to put it politely... not exactly a walk in the park. Today is the first day in a long while that my schedule isn't hectic, my power is on, I don't feel like crap, I have a working computer, and I'm awake all at the same time!
To cut a long story short, these are the major goals I've accomplished in the month of March:
I have a few revisions to my current goals before making any new ones.
To cut a long story short, these are the major goals I've accomplished in the month of March:
- I went and got my first pap. They also asked if I wanted to do some free STD tests, so I couldn't refuse. My STD tests all came back negative as I had expected, but I'm waiting for the results of my pap. At 19, I knew it was important for my health to get it done. So that was really a big (painful) step towards living a healthier life.
- I've been speaking with a number of friends to try and get a loan for a laptop. Having no credit in this economy is like having no paddle downstream and someone waving one at you upstream. It's literally impossible for me to get any line of credit for a laptop. Fortunately a friend of mine is ordering a laptop for me with his own money, and I will pay him back every month until it is paid off.
- Anime Jobs, LLC is officially established! This will be a partnership between a friend and I. Hopefully it will generate a fair sum of money for the amount of work I've put into it thus far!
I have a few revisions to my current goals before making any new ones.
- First and foremost, the resolution in progress to buy a laptop will change to paying back the full sum of the laptop.
- Also, the mini resolution to develop normal sleeping habits will probably change a little bit as soon as the weather gets warmer. My apartment gets hot as hell when it warms up outside, and I can't afford to put on the air all the time. I'm thinking my best bet will be to sleep during the day while it's hot and work while its dark and/or cool out (ideally from 6PM to 11-12AM).
- Keep accurate records of business expenses
- Drink 8 cups of water per day.
- Work 10 billable hours per week.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Water Intake
As if I don't have enough health problems already, I get postural hypotension. Bascially whenever I get up from a sitting or lying down position, I get lightheaded and even black out sometimes. Usually they're followed by debilitating headaches that last for hours.
I've decided that I need to be drinking more water during the day. I don't take in enough fluids, and that could be decreasing my blood volume, making my blood pressure drop. Once my roommate empties her half gallon milk jug in the fridge, I'm going to rinse it and use it as my water bottle for during the day. I'll mark the levels for each cup of water. This will make it SO much easier to keep track of how much water I take in in a day. I tend to forget how many glasses I drink when I refill them!
I've decided that I need to be drinking more water during the day. I don't take in enough fluids, and that could be decreasing my blood volume, making my blood pressure drop. Once my roommate empties her half gallon milk jug in the fridge, I'm going to rinse it and use it as my water bottle for during the day. I'll mark the levels for each cup of water. This will make it SO much easier to keep track of how much water I take in in a day. I tend to forget how many glasses I drink when I refill them!
Missing Days
January 26
I walked about 5 miles to 7 stores to find some NOS Powershots! I also spoke with someone who builds computers who may be willing to build one for me for free. Also, I created the template system for the environmental website I've been working on and worked out all the kinks.
January 27
Purchased and installed the script needed for a site I'm creating for a client.
January 28
Can't say I've really accomplished anything today... really tired and unmotivated.
I walked about 5 miles to 7 stores to find some NOS Powershots! I also spoke with someone who builds computers who may be willing to build one for me for free. Also, I created the template system for the environmental website I've been working on and worked out all the kinks.
January 27
Purchased and installed the script needed for a site I'm creating for a client.
January 28
Can't say I've really accomplished anything today... really tired and unmotivated.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Today will be an epic day
It really needs to be!
As soon as the sun hits the porch, I'm going to paint my shelves again. That's right, I'm not holding off until spring like I said before. I was about to put them up in my room, but they looked horrible in the different lighting so I determined they needed a second coat before I put them up. What can I say, I'm a perfectionist. It should be getting to 40 today, and that isn't much cooler than when I put the first coat of paint on.
Then, once I get that second coat on the front and sides of each shelf, I'm going to head to the mini-mart around the corner to pick up some NOS powershots. If they don't have them there, well... I may just have to walk to the other shopping center about a mile away and tie my second scarf around my head to keep my ears warm. That or wait until my roommate gets up to bug her again.
Other than that, my day really isn't planned out. I just have a huge list of things to do:
I'm going to go ahead and start laundry now.
As soon as the sun hits the porch, I'm going to paint my shelves again. That's right, I'm not holding off until spring like I said before. I was about to put them up in my room, but they looked horrible in the different lighting so I determined they needed a second coat before I put them up. What can I say, I'm a perfectionist. It should be getting to 40 today, and that isn't much cooler than when I put the first coat of paint on.
Then, once I get that second coat on the front and sides of each shelf, I'm going to head to the mini-mart around the corner to pick up some NOS powershots. If they don't have them there, well... I may just have to walk to the other shopping center about a mile away and tie my second scarf around my head to keep my ears warm. That or wait until my roommate gets up to bug her again.
Other than that, my day really isn't planned out. I just have a huge list of things to do:
- Implement theming system for client's website
- Make specified changes to the client's website
- E-mail notify clients of 2 days out of office
- E-mail environmental client
- E-mail potential client
- Check on status of purchasing PHP script for another client
- Laundry
I'm going to go ahead and start laundry now.
At Last
My computer is finally cooperating. After running an arsenal of scans, my computer is malware-free. I've also installed quite a few programs to prevent this from happening again. I have to admit a big part of it was my firewall and the fact that I was using the default Windows firewall. I've switched to ZoneAlarm, and it played a major part in stopping all those annoying Internet Explorer pop-ups from the malware. MajorGeeks support forum was such a huge help in removing all the crap from my computer, as well as setting up a solid line of defense against malware.
Yesterday, all I did was lounge around the house while scans were running. There really was nothing else I could do. But even though I did pretty much sit around on my ass all day, those scans really saved my computer. So my rating for yesterday (as in Saturday) is:
January 24th
As for today, well... I had a few things planned and got them all done. I was planning on waking up at 2, but didn't get up until 2:30. By the time I had done laundry and taken a shower, I was already behind schedule. I was planning to go to the store to get some things, but by the time I set out the sun was already starting to set. Unfortunately I don't own a car, and at this point I no longer own a hat to keep my ears warm, so to say in the least the 30 degree weather with a light breeze was a little too much to bear walking about 2 miles round trip. On my way walking back to my apartment, I texted my roommate asking if she would take me to the store, and pretty much once I got back to the apartment we headed out. We got back around 6:30, I started to defrag my computer, and fell asleep around 9. Three hours later I woke up and watched two movies with my roommate while the defrag was finishing.
And here I am.
January 25th
I barely did anything today, but I did set out to do what I had planned. I also ran defrag on my comp, which is making it run quite a bit smoother.
Today my goal is not to sleep. I know it sounds horrible, and I know it goes against one of my resolutions, but these next two weeks before Katsucon I absolutely have to get these two projects done. Tuesday I pretty much have to clean all day and primp and preen myself, then my boyfriend is coming to visit for a few days. It's really bad timing and I should have asked him to come another time, but I've been putting work before family entirely too much as of late. I figured why sleep when there are more important things to be done? Besides, I can always sleep when he gets here. I sleep so much better when he's around anyways.
Oh, by the way, I think 10 points for the scans and preventative measures is good. How productive could I really be if my computer crashed? Not very!
Yesterday, all I did was lounge around the house while scans were running. There really was nothing else I could do. But even though I did pretty much sit around on my ass all day, those scans really saved my computer. So my rating for yesterday (as in Saturday) is:
January 24th
As for today, well... I had a few things planned and got them all done. I was planning on waking up at 2, but didn't get up until 2:30. By the time I had done laundry and taken a shower, I was already behind schedule. I was planning to go to the store to get some things, but by the time I set out the sun was already starting to set. Unfortunately I don't own a car, and at this point I no longer own a hat to keep my ears warm, so to say in the least the 30 degree weather with a light breeze was a little too much to bear walking about 2 miles round trip. On my way walking back to my apartment, I texted my roommate asking if she would take me to the store, and pretty much once I got back to the apartment we headed out. We got back around 6:30, I started to defrag my computer, and fell asleep around 9. Three hours later I woke up and watched two movies with my roommate while the defrag was finishing.
And here I am.
January 25th
I barely did anything today, but I did set out to do what I had planned. I also ran defrag on my comp, which is making it run quite a bit smoother.
Today my goal is not to sleep. I know it sounds horrible, and I know it goes against one of my resolutions, but these next two weeks before Katsucon I absolutely have to get these two projects done. Tuesday I pretty much have to clean all day and primp and preen myself, then my boyfriend is coming to visit for a few days. It's really bad timing and I should have asked him to come another time, but I've been putting work before family entirely too much as of late. I figured why sleep when there are more important things to be done? Besides, I can always sleep when he gets here. I sleep so much better when he's around anyways.
Oh, by the way, I think 10 points for the scans and preventative measures is good. How productive could I really be if my computer crashed? Not very!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Good Gawd, Woman!
So I've been trying since 2PM trying to get this malware off my computer. Internet Explorer keeps on throwing up random windows with the title "From Internet Speed Monitor." It wouldn't be so annoying if I actually USED IE, considering it would probably open up new tabs and not detract from my work so much. But no, I use Firefox and Internet Explorer keeps on popping up over everything.
FACKFACKFACKFACKFACKFACKFACKFACKFACK!
Ungh. I'll post more later, hopefully after I've fixed this abomination and gotten some work done.
January 23
Household turmoil pretty much prevented me from getting anything done. Hooray.
FACKFACKFACKFACKFACKFACKFACKFACKFACK!
Ungh. I'll post more later, hopefully after I've fixed this abomination and gotten some work done.
January 23
Household turmoil pretty much prevented me from getting anything done. Hooray.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Time to get my butt in gear
There's nothing I want more in this world than a comfortable computer chair right now. I keep on squirming in my chair every few minutes, and it's really beginning to make me angry. I guess once I finish this blog entry I'll go ahead and move into the living room onto the couch... but no TV!
I'm kind of disappointed in myself for slacking off this past week or so on my resolutions. I stopped keeping track of my food on SparkPeople, and I haven't exactly been keeping up with Joe's Goals either. Not to mention I haven't even worn my retainers since January 6th! And of course my sleep schedule is crazy, as always.
I'm thinking about SparkPeople, and how it really isn't necessary at this point considering I'm doing a much better job of eating and being mindful of what goes into my body.
So, these are things I need to concentrate on!
So, my goal tonight for sleeping is pretty much to go to sleep once I start feeling tired (instead of forcing myself to stay awake to work) and record the time I go to sleep. I can sleep 10 hours tonight, but cannot wake up any later than 3PM.
And lucky me, once I finish this post my roommates are out the door so the living room is mine! Time to move to a more comfortable seat.
I'm kind of disappointed in myself for slacking off this past week or so on my resolutions. I stopped keeping track of my food on SparkPeople, and I haven't exactly been keeping up with Joe's Goals either. Not to mention I haven't even worn my retainers since January 6th! And of course my sleep schedule is crazy, as always.
I'm thinking about SparkPeople, and how it really isn't necessary at this point considering I'm doing a much better job of eating and being mindful of what goes into my body.
So, these are things I need to concentrate on!
- Check off tasks on Joe's Goals every day.
- If I start not feeling well or I feel that I'm slacking on my diet, post a food diary on SparkPeople to see where the problems lie!
- Brush those teeth and wear my retainer every day (and night).
- Try to get back into a normal sleep schedule by:
- Limiting myself to 10 hours of sleep per night
- Not allowing myself to sleep past a certain time (cutting back every day)
- Setting a schedule and a definite goal to reach over time
- Limiting myself to 10 hours of sleep per night
So, my goal tonight for sleeping is pretty much to go to sleep once I start feeling tired (instead of forcing myself to stay awake to work) and record the time I go to sleep. I can sleep 10 hours tonight, but cannot wake up any later than 3PM.
And lucky me, once I finish this post my roommates are out the door so the living room is mine! Time to move to a more comfortable seat.
Before Katsucon
It's always a bad time for me, right before an anime convention. I'm rushing to get things done in time for the big day, and my work just never seems to end. I stop sleeping, and am multitasking to the point where I'm sewing, typing, and chatting on the phone all at the same time. Not to mention there's usually something in the oven-- burning.
Well this con takes the cake.
By February 13th (when Katsucon starts) I have to have two websites done, promotional materials designed and printed, a costume finished, and enough money to pay for my share of the hotel room and food. It may not sound like a lot, but the websites alone are going to kill me.
I'd get into it more if it weren't 7AM and I weren't in desperate need of sleep. Tomorrow I'll elaborate and write a all about the things I should be doing and not ignoring!
Here are my ratings for the past few days:
January 22
Started the day off lazily, but busted my butt once WifeSwap was over!
January 21
Had my friend Mike over. Barely did anything work-wise!
January 20
Watched the inauguration and did a few chores around the house.
Well this con takes the cake.
By February 13th (when Katsucon starts) I have to have two websites done, promotional materials designed and printed, a costume finished, and enough money to pay for my share of the hotel room and food. It may not sound like a lot, but the websites alone are going to kill me.
I'd get into it more if it weren't 7AM and I weren't in desperate need of sleep. Tomorrow I'll elaborate and write a all about the things I should be doing and not ignoring!
Here are my ratings for the past few days:
January 22
Started the day off lazily, but busted my butt once WifeSwap was over!
January 21
Had my friend Mike over. Barely did anything work-wise!
January 20
Watched the inauguration and did a few chores around the house.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
This House is Not a Home-- It's an Office!
Woah. I kind of went through the motions of it all, and now that I look back on it I keep on telling myself, "That's how an office SHOULD be run!" I can't go through all the details, because I really do need to be getting to bed, but basically today I've been juggling three customers, a bunch of phone calls, a bunch of e-mails, and customer service with two companies.
Last night I also managed to slice and code that pivotal design I made for that one company. You know, the design I had been stuck on for months? Point-worthy at 25 points according to my pre-defined list of point-earners! But since I still have to theme it to the framework I created for the customer, I'll go ahead and give myself 15 points now and 10 points once I've finished theming.
Ah, I've got to get to bed, so here are my ratings:
January 19
January 18
Although I got the design coded late at night, I barely did anything else that day because of my headache!
Gotta wake up before noon for the inauguration tomorrow! Night.
Last night I also managed to slice and code that pivotal design I made for that one company. You know, the design I had been stuck on for months? Point-worthy at 25 points according to my pre-defined list of point-earners! But since I still have to theme it to the framework I created for the customer, I'll go ahead and give myself 15 points now and 10 points once I've finished theming.
Ah, I've got to get to bed, so here are my ratings:
January 19
January 18
Although I got the design coded late at night, I barely did anything else that day because of my headache!
Gotta wake up before noon for the inauguration tomorrow! Night.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
My Head Hates Me
I woke up this morning with a headache. Again. I'm beginning to think it's my sinuses occasionally being a pain in the ass as I have allergies. Although I take Allegra, I need to really be taking Allegra D (with a decongestant), but can't afford it.
I've barely accomplished anything today since my headache didn't go away until about 9:00PM.
I'm working with a difficult client, and it just aggravated my headache. I've just been thinking tonight that I should steer clear of that work until tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to work on something straightforward that I am in control of. My difficult client tends to think he knows best, and it irks me that he would rather me do low quality work and have something ready for the next day than give me a week to put out some quality work. It makes me especially angry because my payment is a percentage of the revenues from the website I'm working on for him, and if it looks unprofessional as a result of his decisions, I'm the one that ultimately suffers. So for today I'm going to work on another client's website that I KNOW will look good and give me some positive thoughts to sit with until tomorrow.
I've barely accomplished anything today since my headache didn't go away until about 9:00PM.
I'm working with a difficult client, and it just aggravated my headache. I've just been thinking tonight that I should steer clear of that work until tomorrow. Tonight I'm going to work on something straightforward that I am in control of. My difficult client tends to think he knows best, and it irks me that he would rather me do low quality work and have something ready for the next day than give me a week to put out some quality work. It makes me especially angry because my payment is a percentage of the revenues from the website I'm working on for him, and if it looks unprofessional as a result of his decisions, I'm the one that ultimately suffers. So for today I'm going to work on another client's website that I KNOW will look good and give me some positive thoughts to sit with until tomorrow.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Couch Calling
I find myself sitting back on the couch in the living room while typing away on my laptop and watching TV. For some odd reason I feel so exhausted. Just sitting at my desk in my uncomfortable chair was really distracting me from the work I needed to do since I barely had the energy to maintain my posture. I only have one more thing to do today to finish my list!
I did a lot today, including a bunch of things not on my list. I picked up the living room this morning after Mike left, put all the dishes in the sink in the dishwasher, took out the trash, got the mail, called my mom, picked up my room, swept the kitchen, vacuumed the dining area, vacuumed my room, rinsed out some cans, crushed 2 bags full of cans, and of course rated the days before I implemented the productivity stars. Speaking of which, my rating for today:
January 17
As soon as I'm done with this blog entry, I'm going to go make some revisions on one of my client's websites, continue watching TV, and go to bed.
I'm probably going to bed early tonight too!
I did a lot today, including a bunch of things not on my list. I picked up the living room this morning after Mike left, put all the dishes in the sink in the dishwasher, took out the trash, got the mail, called my mom, picked up my room, swept the kitchen, vacuumed the dining area, vacuumed my room, rinsed out some cans, crushed 2 bags full of cans, and of course rated the days before I implemented the productivity stars. Speaking of which, my rating for today:
January 17
As soon as I'm done with this blog entry, I'm going to go make some revisions on one of my client's websites, continue watching TV, and go to bed.
I'm probably going to bed early tonight too!
Catching Up with January
Here are my reviews for the days before I implemented the star system (for rating my productivity for each day.
January 12
January 11
January 10
January 9
January 8
January 7
January 6
January 5
January 4
January 3
January 2
January 1
January 12
January 11
January 10
January 9
January 8
January 7
January 6
January 5
January 4
January 3
January 2
January 1
Income ho!
First off, I have to say the invoice I just sent out is worth a hefty 10 pts. I'm not going to disclose how much it was for (because my finances are a bit of a personal matter...) but I do have to say it took me a lot of time and effort to get that thing ready to send out. Also, a good chunk of that money will be re-invested in my business... so hooray for me! I'd also like to give myself a measely 1 point for the invoice template I created (that basically encourages customers to pay earlier). I would have given myself more, but the sheer amount of time I took to make it pretty kind of defeated the purpose since it delayed me sending out that large invoice.
I had a friend over today, so I didn't really get much done. I did have a fun day, though... and I finally saw Wall-E! Cutest movie ever. I also got a Hollywood video card today to add to my repertoire of useless membership cards in my wallet. I ate LOTS today (thanks to my friend Mike) and thankfully that's a good thing since I've been skipping out on meals lately.
So onto my productivity rating for today (more like yesterday at this point).
January 16
I wasn't too productive today since I had Mike over, but we all can't be working all the time!
I'm going to head off and get some much-needed sleep now!
I had a friend over today, so I didn't really get much done. I did have a fun day, though... and I finally saw Wall-E! Cutest movie ever. I also got a Hollywood video card today to add to my repertoire of useless membership cards in my wallet. I ate LOTS today (thanks to my friend Mike) and thankfully that's a good thing since I've been skipping out on meals lately.
So onto my productivity rating for today (more like yesterday at this point).
January 16
I wasn't too productive today since I had Mike over, but we all can't be working all the time!
I'm going to head off and get some much-needed sleep now!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Extra, extra!
Bloody hell... what a night. I've been working for almost 12 hours straight on the same mundane task. If it wasn't one thing, it was another, basically. I made an intricate e-mail template only to discover that HTML e-mail wasn't exactly supported. Then I made a few divs to insert in a .pdf attached to the e-mail, only to discover that dompdf doesn't support the CSS float or position properties. THEN I spend hours tweaking the thing to work within the limitations that I had with both CSS and X/HTML with very little documentation...
I know you probably didn't understand a lick of that, but trust me it was a huge relief to rant about that.
I had a long list of things to do today, but I only managed to get a few things done due to how friggin' long that whole deal took me. I have to admit, the day started off slow (I got back in touch with an old friend and we talked for hours) but once I got to work... it just never seemed to end.
I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow too, so I'm going to have to wake up early. I'm going to cut this post short, post my productivity stars, and get my ass to bed! Ciao!
January 15th
Even though I didn't get a lot done on my list, the challenges I faced today (and muddled through) earn me that extra star.
I know you probably didn't understand a lick of that, but trust me it was a huge relief to rant about that.
I had a long list of things to do today, but I only managed to get a few things done due to how friggin' long that whole deal took me. I have to admit, the day started off slow (I got back in touch with an old friend and we talked for hours) but once I got to work... it just never seemed to end.
I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow too, so I'm going to have to wake up early. I'm going to cut this post short, post my productivity stars, and get my ass to bed! Ciao!
January 15th
Even though I didn't get a lot done on my list, the challenges I faced today (and muddled through) earn me that extra star.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
No Shelving Til' Spring
I know I said yesterday (erm, the day before) I was going to get up in the morning and put the second coat on my shelves. Not a lot of thought went into it, so it didn't take too long to poke a bunch of holes in the plan. The thought started running through my head that the paint may just freeze since the high temperature for Wednesday wasn't going to reach far above freezing. This just goes to show how last minute plans end up.
Today I was however able to do the dishes. It may seem like a small task... but since I haven't exactly been feeling well the past few days and my roommate forgets to rinse off her dishes, both sinks were full. One with horribly stinky, grimy, and caked-on dishes, the other with empty aluminum cans that I needed to rinse out and dry for recycling. The dishwasher was also full (and clean). So I took care of all that much to my roommate's delight.
I was going to hard boil some eggs today, but since I've never done this before, I didn't know I should leave the eggs in the fridge for about a week until I do it.
I also checked on a client's site to see if it propogated, only to discover that it needs some SERIOUS updates. Then I went ahead and nearly completed the template for the e-mail that gets sent out with every invoice. That will definitely be done tomorrow (along with implementation and sending out that overdue bill).
That pretty much covers my list of things that were to be done today... just goes to show what goes through my head and what actually gets done.
OH! And I updated my instant message client, Pidgin. Since I liked LeechBlock so much, I wanted to tackle my next time-waster: instant messages. I was hoping in a newer version of Pidgin they would offer some more features in the area of away messages to make it so I won't constantly be peeking at incoming IMs when I'm working, and it seems they've added a new option to "mute" IMs (disable sounds and hide new windows) while your status is set to away. Hopefully this too will allow me to become more productive.
But right now, I'm feeling really really sleepy, so I'm going to write my to-do list for tomorrow on my desk calendar and head to bed... but not before giving today my productivity rating:
January 14th
I give today (well technically yesterday) a 3/5. I was fairly productive, but didn't exactly get done what I had planned.
Night night.
Today I was however able to do the dishes. It may seem like a small task... but since I haven't exactly been feeling well the past few days and my roommate forgets to rinse off her dishes, both sinks were full. One with horribly stinky, grimy, and caked-on dishes, the other with empty aluminum cans that I needed to rinse out and dry for recycling. The dishwasher was also full (and clean). So I took care of all that much to my roommate's delight.
I was going to hard boil some eggs today, but since I've never done this before, I didn't know I should leave the eggs in the fridge for about a week until I do it.
I also checked on a client's site to see if it propogated, only to discover that it needs some SERIOUS updates. Then I went ahead and nearly completed the template for the e-mail that gets sent out with every invoice. That will definitely be done tomorrow (along with implementation and sending out that overdue bill).
That pretty much covers my list of things that were to be done today... just goes to show what goes through my head and what actually gets done.
OH! And I updated my instant message client, Pidgin. Since I liked LeechBlock so much, I wanted to tackle my next time-waster: instant messages. I was hoping in a newer version of Pidgin they would offer some more features in the area of away messages to make it so I won't constantly be peeking at incoming IMs when I'm working, and it seems they've added a new option to "mute" IMs (disable sounds and hide new windows) while your status is set to away. Hopefully this too will allow me to become more productive.
But right now, I'm feeling really really sleepy, so I'm going to write my to-do list for tomorrow on my desk calendar and head to bed... but not before giving today my productivity rating:
January 14th
I give today (well technically yesterday) a 3/5. I was fairly productive, but didn't exactly get done what I had planned.
Night night.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Leechblock: My Online Babysitter
Last night I added a new tool to my repertoire to prevent me from wasting time on certain websites during the day when I should be working. It's called LeechBlock and it's a Firefox extension that prevents you from visiting websites you've specified during different times of day (or more than x minutes out of the hour).
Although there are safeguards you can enable to prevent yourself from circumventing LeechBlock through its options, I choose not to make it too difficult for myself to go to those websites should I find myself hell-bent on visiting them. I use it as more of a reminder to myself that I should be working and not Plurking. To become too reliant on something like this (by disabling the ability to turn off LeechBlock) would prevent you from having any sort of self-control when it comes to your internet browsing. Besides, you never know when you'll have work-related things to do on social networking sites.
Currently I have the following settings enabled:
Well I better get back to work, or else I may have to add Blogger to that list!
Although there are safeguards you can enable to prevent yourself from circumventing LeechBlock through its options, I choose not to make it too difficult for myself to go to those websites should I find myself hell-bent on visiting them. I use it as more of a reminder to myself that I should be working and not Plurking. To become too reliant on something like this (by disabling the ability to turn off LeechBlock) would prevent you from having any sort of self-control when it comes to your internet browsing. Besides, you never know when you'll have work-related things to do on social networking sites.
Currently I have the following settings enabled:
- For the following sites
- www.plurk.com
- www.myspace.com
- www.facebook.com
- Block between 3PM and 10PM AND
- If visited for more than 30 minutes out of the hour
- For Monday through Friday
Well I better get back to work, or else I may have to add Blogger to that list!
The Shelving Saga
I know I said I was going to try and get some things done tonight not too long ago in a previous post, but I'm thinking it may be more prudent to get my butt to bed (since all that food made me sleepy) and wake up early to put that final coat on my shelves. It's been over a month (or even two) that I've been trying to get this done, and from the looks of it the temperature is just going to continue going down this week.
Also, I've been thinking about it for quite some time now, but a star system for rating the productivity of each day would be very helpful in tracking my... well... productivity! For example, if tomorrow is a very productive day I might give it 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 5 stars. I'll have to go back on the past 13 days and rate them, but it should be easy considering I've written a blog for every day detailing what I've done.
So I'll go ahead and give a rating for yesterday:
January 13th
I made the star images myself for my old blog TinkerBot, so be sure to ask me before you use them, 'kay?
Well I guess I'm heading off to bed for realsies this time! Night.
Also, I've been thinking about it for quite some time now, but a star system for rating the productivity of each day would be very helpful in tracking my... well... productivity! For example, if tomorrow is a very productive day I might give it 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 5 stars. I'll have to go back on the past 13 days and rate them, but it should be easy considering I've written a blog for every day detailing what I've done.
So I'll go ahead and give a rating for yesterday:
January 13th
I made the star images myself for my old blog TinkerBot, so be sure to ask me before you use them, 'kay?
Well I guess I'm heading off to bed for realsies this time! Night.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Food is good, food is great!
I finally have food in the apartment. I was so proud of myself in the store-- instead of succumbing to my every desire and buying all the junk food in existence, I restricted myself and bought appetizing alternatives. I know the word 'restrict' sounds so harsh, but I realize how much my poor eating habits are contributing to my feeling like crap every day. So while it may make me feel good to eat a candy bar for a minute or two, it will contribute to me feeling ill the rest of the day for lacking in the nutrients my body needs.
This morning was miserable, though. All I had left to eat were two pieces of bread. I could barely accomplish anything because I felt so badly. Not only was I hungry, but my blood sugar was low and I had a pounding headache. I can't even say if it was worse than last night, when I wasn't even able to post because of issues that honestly, I'd really rather not talk about.
Maybe I can accomplish some things tonight before I go to bed now that I feel so much better.
Oh, and by the way you'll notice I posted another section in the sidebar full of tools I use in conjunction with the blog for future reference.
So yes, anyways, I'll post tomorrow (erm... later today) xD
This morning was miserable, though. All I had left to eat were two pieces of bread. I could barely accomplish anything because I felt so badly. Not only was I hungry, but my blood sugar was low and I had a pounding headache. I can't even say if it was worse than last night, when I wasn't even able to post because of issues that honestly, I'd really rather not talk about.
Maybe I can accomplish some things tonight before I go to bed now that I feel so much better.
Oh, and by the way you'll notice I posted another section in the sidebar full of tools I use in conjunction with the blog for future reference.
So yes, anyways, I'll post tomorrow (erm... later today) xD
Monday, January 12, 2009
Nutrition
Last night when I was illin', I joined this site called SparkPeople. I wanted some place where I could get advice and encouragement for my eating and exercise habits, and I have to say I love it so far. It's a free site where you can set nutritional, exercise, and weight loss goals that offers meal plans, exercise videos, and lots of other great free resources. So far I've been using their nutritional planner to keep track of my daily nutritional intake, and I've discovered I consume far too few calories a day. Also, the calories I do take in are mostly empty and of no real nutritional value.
I've determined these are my nutritional/exercise goals for the coming months:
I've determined these are my nutritional/exercise goals for the coming months:
- Eat more, but make healthier choices. In other words: more calories, but far fewer empty ones.
- Stick to whole grains! They're better for my hypoglycemia.
- Shop more often so that you can carry all your groceries and walk to and from the store instead of bumming a ride.
- Get a Playstation so I can get back to playing DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) and have fun with my cardio workouts.
- Try to get in those 8 glasses of water a day. It's so hard, but it's important to try my best.
- Hopefully get some normal bowel movements in there.
Hooray for Food Poisoning!
Well, not exactly. I've had food poisoning before and this was nothing compared to it, but I do know that I got majorly sick last night from something I ate or drank. I had a teeny tiny bit of Sake, some Hershey's Kisses, Mini-Reese's, sausage, and some iced tea. Strange combination, I know... but I'm thinking it was the sausage.
And I have to admit, I barely got anything done yesterday. I also couldn't paint my shelves today since I slept in late as a result of being sick. Well, I pretty much just allowed myself to sleep in since I felt it was best. Had I not been sick I would have set my alarm for 11 or so.
Today I absolutely must get my BambooInvoice billing system back up. If I can do that today, I'll be pretty happy.
Oh, and my mom deposited some money into my bank account for food this morning. I feel kind of bad, especially since I didn't ask her (until later this afternoon). I already owe her some money from October. I'm owed a bunch of money from a bunch of people, but my bank account is nearly at zero. I can't STAND owing people money... I was pretty much happy with starving myself up until today to spare asking my mom for food money. She told me I didn't owe it back to her because it was her Valentine's gift to me. It makes me feel especially uncomfortable since her and I have a rocky relationship and somehow she thinks by giving me money it will make everything all better. But financial support and emotional support are two entirely different things.
And I have to admit, I barely got anything done yesterday. I also couldn't paint my shelves today since I slept in late as a result of being sick. Well, I pretty much just allowed myself to sleep in since I felt it was best. Had I not been sick I would have set my alarm for 11 or so.
Today I absolutely must get my BambooInvoice billing system back up. If I can do that today, I'll be pretty happy.
Oh, and my mom deposited some money into my bank account for food this morning. I feel kind of bad, especially since I didn't ask her (until later this afternoon). I already owe her some money from October. I'm owed a bunch of money from a bunch of people, but my bank account is nearly at zero. I can't STAND owing people money... I was pretty much happy with starving myself up until today to spare asking my mom for food money. She told me I didn't owe it back to her because it was her Valentine's gift to me. It makes me feel especially uncomfortable since her and I have a rocky relationship and somehow she thinks by giving me money it will make everything all better. But financial support and emotional support are two entirely different things.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
I Don't Want to Stand Up.
My head has been pounding since I woke up this morning... erm... afternoon. I'm going to take some ibuprofen and hopefully by the time I wake up tomorrow morning it will be gone. If not, well... I won't be a happy camper.
Just as I expected, I wasn't entirely too productive today. I swept my bathroom and the kitchen, and I attempted to do dishes, only to find that the dishwasher needs to be fixed again. Luckily I did manage to do some business-like things today, though. I added 4 things to my DeviantART, which I've apparently gotten a few comments on asking me to do some design work. Normally I wouldn't give myself points for adding to my DA, but since it seems to be drawing in some customers I think I deserve 4 points; one for each deviation. Apparently I also have someone on Plurk asking me to do some graphic design work as well.
Well, I'm going to head off to bed. I'm going to save putting that second coat of paint on my shelves for Monday since waking up early tomorrow might just make my headache worse. Not to mention the paint fumes and the fact that I'm severely allergic to latex >.<
Just as I expected, I wasn't entirely too productive today. I swept my bathroom and the kitchen, and I attempted to do dishes, only to find that the dishwasher needs to be fixed again. Luckily I did manage to do some business-like things today, though. I added 4 things to my DeviantART, which I've apparently gotten a few comments on asking me to do some design work. Normally I wouldn't give myself points for adding to my DA, but since it seems to be drawing in some customers I think I deserve 4 points; one for each deviation. Apparently I also have someone on Plurk asking me to do some graphic design work as well.
Well, I'm going to head off to bed. I'm going to save putting that second coat of paint on my shelves for Monday since waking up early tomorrow might just make my headache worse. Not to mention the paint fumes and the fact that I'm severely allergic to latex >.<
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Nightmares
I had some huge issues with sleeping last night. I fell asleep just fine after playing my nightly 3 Mah Jongg puzzles, but once I was asleep I started having horrible nightmares. I usually have nightmares a lot anyways, but they usually aren't very upsetting or disturbing. The only nightmare I remember jolted me awake at 8:50 AM and made me break out in a cold sweat. I really should have gotten up then, but I was so cold from sweating that I curled up in a ball to try and get warm, only to fall asleep again. Then I woke up at about 2:15, only to lay in bed for another hour thinking about things. Finally I got up, got something to eat, and took my medications.
My eyes are all puffy and my head is killing me (from oversleeping) at the moment. I hope I can still be productive today.
I really need to update the billing/invoicing system on my website. I use a version of BambooInvoice that I've modified to fit my needs, so in order to update to their newer version I have to first update my BambooInvoice installation, then modify it again. I'm also trying to implement my new "Pay Now, Pay Later" payment plan, which will involve some more tweaking of the app to include the extra information in the e-mail that gets sent out with a new invoice in pdf format.
My eyes are all puffy and my head is killing me (from oversleeping) at the moment. I hope I can still be productive today.
I really need to update the billing/invoicing system on my website. I use a version of BambooInvoice that I've modified to fit my needs, so in order to update to their newer version I have to first update my BambooInvoice installation, then modify it again. I'm also trying to implement my new "Pay Now, Pay Later" payment plan, which will involve some more tweaking of the app to include the extra information in the e-mail that gets sent out with a new invoice in pdf format.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Carb Zombie
I've been a zombie since about 5 this afternoon when I brought my shelves in. I've been staring off into space and mindlessly doing tasks all day. Delirium, what a familiar feeling; reminds me of my high school years.
I didn't go out to the club tonight, so that means I can get to bed at a reasonable hour. Hopefully my sleep schedule will be back to some semblance of normalcy within the next few days.
Today I pretty much called a client, made some changes to the design mocup I sent her, and started working on my new "Pay Now, Pay Later" payment policy. I'll have to explain that some other time. These long blinks are making it a little difficult to type xD
Note to self: put second coat on shelves on either Sunday or Monday (whenever the porch is dry after the rain tomorrow).
Night.
I didn't go out to the club tonight, so that means I can get to bed at a reasonable hour. Hopefully my sleep schedule will be back to some semblance of normalcy within the next few days.
Today I pretty much called a client, made some changes to the design mocup I sent her, and started working on my new "Pay Now, Pay Later" payment policy. I'll have to explain that some other time. These long blinks are making it a little difficult to type xD
Note to self: put second coat on shelves on either Sunday or Monday (whenever the porch is dry after the rain tomorrow).
Night.
At Laaast...
I've started painting my shelves! At 2:15 I can paint the rest, then I'll let them sit out there until around 5 to finish drying. I'll bring them in for the night and wait for another sunny (and hopefully not so cold) day to do a second coat.
And you know what this means? I woke up before noon today. It's pretty amazing, lol.
Right now I'm waiting for some water to boil so I can make myself a nice lunch of soldiers and eggs. It's a British thing... my Nana used to always make them for me and it's my favorite kind of egg.
Well, I'm going to go check on the pot on the stove!
And you know what this means? I woke up before noon today. It's pretty amazing, lol.
Right now I'm waiting for some water to boil so I can make myself a nice lunch of soldiers and eggs. It's a British thing... my Nana used to always make them for me and it's my favorite kind of egg.
Well, I'm going to go check on the pot on the stove!
Insomnia
I tried so hard, I really did. I felt tired and I laid down in bed at around midnight. And there I was for another 2-3 hours, still awake. I know the worst thing to do when you can't sleep is to continue lying in bed, so I went ahead and got up to play some Mah Jongg on my DS and hang out with my roommate.
And here I am. I think I'm tired this time (then again, I thought I was last time) so I'm going to try it again.
I just have to be up in 6 hours to start painting my shelves. Yep, today's finally the day! Let's just hope I actually wake up when I'm supposed to.
And here I am. I think I'm tired this time (then again, I thought I was last time) so I'm going to try it again.
I just have to be up in 6 hours to start painting my shelves. Yep, today's finally the day! Let's just hope I actually wake up when I'm supposed to.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Second Thoughts
I've added tags to about 60 of my 457 screenshots in my design
inspiration gallery using JCap, which leaves me at about 13% complete.
But somehow even though I've gotten this far, I'm thinking I might be
better off creating my own PHP/MySQL application. I just don't seem
to have the flexibility of adding and removing keywords/tags like I
really need to. More thoughts on this later as I'm blogging from my
phone at the moment. Maybe even tomorrow considering I'm tired before
midnight for once.
inspiration gallery using JCap, which leaves me at about 13% complete.
But somehow even though I've gotten this far, I'm thinking I might be
better off creating my own PHP/MySQL application. I just don't seem
to have the flexibility of adding and removing keywords/tags like I
really need to. More thoughts on this later as I'm blogging from my
phone at the moment. Maybe even tomorrow considering I'm tired before
midnight for once.
--
Sent from my mobile device
On My Health
I've always been a very unhealthy person-- emotionally, physically, habitually... and I really think the issue needs to be addressed. Even though I've gotten my mental illnesses under control (minus my supposed OCD) and I'm still a skinny-mini, I'm beginning to see the effects of malnourishment & lack of exercise on my body.
9 times out of 10, I pretty much force myself to eat; if I didn't I wouldn't eat more than one small meal a day. I'm hypoglycemic, which means I have low blood sugar. If I don't eat, my blood sugar will get lower, I'll start to feel sick, and eventually pass out. I've had doctors recommend to me that I use a blood glucose meter, but I know my body fairly well since this problem has been ongoing for a number of years now, and can tell when my blood sugar is low. I really need to be eating more than 3 meals a day and having snacks in-between. At this point I'm lucky if I have 2 meals and maybe a snack. I don't eat as much as I should because:
Now, the next area of concern may come as a surprise: I need to exercise more! As a web designer I spend almost all my time sitting down in front of a computer screen. I find myself getting winded going down stairs (skinny little me!) and I get light headed a lot of the time when I get up from sitting down for a long time.
In conclusion, I really just need to adopt a healthier lifestyle. I'm going to add to my Joe's Goals chart:
I read a blog entry last night about taking care of yourself and how important it really is. It brought to my attention that I'm really lacking in the area of self care (as most women are) and while it is important for me to be accomplishing all these goals, it's important to sit back and take some time to tend to myself.
9 times out of 10, I pretty much force myself to eat; if I didn't I wouldn't eat more than one small meal a day. I'm hypoglycemic, which means I have low blood sugar. If I don't eat, my blood sugar will get lower, I'll start to feel sick, and eventually pass out. I've had doctors recommend to me that I use a blood glucose meter, but I know my body fairly well since this problem has been ongoing for a number of years now, and can tell when my blood sugar is low. I really need to be eating more than 3 meals a day and having snacks in-between. At this point I'm lucky if I have 2 meals and maybe a snack. I don't eat as much as I should because:
- I have a busy schedule; I forego eating because it's just easier to not go through the time to make something.
- I forget to eat a lot of the time; most people know to eat when their tummy starts to rumble or they begin to feel hungry and it's very rare that either of those things happen with me
- I find myself restricted to a limited budget; because of the irregular payment schedule of my job, I often find myself without money to buy food
Now, the next area of concern may come as a surprise: I need to exercise more! As a web designer I spend almost all my time sitting down in front of a computer screen. I find myself getting winded going down stairs (skinny little me!) and I get light headed a lot of the time when I get up from sitting down for a long time.
In conclusion, I really just need to adopt a healthier lifestyle. I'm going to add to my Joe's Goals chart:
- Exercise (more checks & more points the more activity I do!)
- Eat Breakfast (extra points for a healthy choice)
- Eat Lunch (extra points for a healthy choice)
- Eat Dinner (extra points for a healthy choice)
- Eat a Snack (extra points for more snacks or healthier snacks!)
I read a blog entry last night about taking care of yourself and how important it really is. It brought to my attention that I'm really lacking in the area of self care (as most women are) and while it is important for me to be accomplishing all these goals, it's important to sit back and take some time to tend to myself.
On A Roll
So, an update to that last post where I kind of abruptly, well... ended the post.
I found this program called JCap that takes care of all my design inspiration gallery needs without having to spend a few hours to write my own script. It doesn't eat up a lot of system resources, it doesn't add anything to your existing files, it isn't loaded with a bunch of features I'm never going to use, and best of all it's FREE.
Not to mention I can totally store my gallery on a cd once it's big enough and have the keywords/captions I added still intact (so long as I keep the text files in the same folder as the images).
I've added captions and keywords to 30 of my 457 screenshots! I didn't even realize I had that many... Apparently that means my inspiration gallery as it stands at the moment is 6.5% complete. That was only after spending about 20 minutes figuring out and adding captions to the program. This should be done in no time!
EDIT: Oh, and by the way... I'm going to sleep now xD
I found this program called JCap that takes care of all my design inspiration gallery needs without having to spend a few hours to write my own script. It doesn't eat up a lot of system resources, it doesn't add anything to your existing files, it isn't loaded with a bunch of features I'm never going to use, and best of all it's FREE.
Not to mention I can totally store my gallery on a cd once it's big enough and have the keywords/captions I added still intact (so long as I keep the text files in the same folder as the images).
I've added captions and keywords to 30 of my 457 screenshots! I didn't even realize I had that many... Apparently that means my inspiration gallery as it stands at the moment is 6.5% complete. That was only after spending about 20 minutes figuring out and adding captions to the program. This should be done in no time!
EDIT: Oh, and by the way... I'm going to sleep now xD
I'm Invincible!
Wow, go me. I woke up this morning feeling as worthless as a designer as ever, and now I've gone and sent off a design mocup to the customer. Score! Being a big roadblock now (hopefully) out of my way, I think this design deserves 10 points. You can't even begin to realize what a relief this is... a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel so ready to take on the world now.
I really think it was designer's block, as I like to call it. It was just this seemingly endless period of... blah. I made this awesome Christmas card for the company my dad works for, then I kind of fell out of it.
But I'm back!
I have to say my design inspiration gallery helped me out a lot, but a huge thing that I realized while browsing through my screenshots is that I need to be able to search for them by tags or keywords. While I DO have apache with PHP/MySQL installed on my computer, and I'm perfectly capable of making my own database-driven screenshot search engine, I think there may be a program out there that can handle sorting/tagging pictures for me.
Looks like I have a little project to do. Sounds fun!
I really think it was designer's block, as I like to call it. It was just this seemingly endless period of... blah. I made this awesome Christmas card for the company my dad works for, then I kind of fell out of it.
But I'm back!
I have to say my design inspiration gallery helped me out a lot, but a huge thing that I realized while browsing through my screenshots is that I need to be able to search for them by tags or keywords. While I DO have apache with PHP/MySQL installed on my computer, and I'm perfectly capable of making my own database-driven screenshot search engine, I think there may be a program out there that can handle sorting/tagging pictures for me.
Looks like I have a little project to do. Sounds fun!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Behold!
Okay, so I've really been struggling with this one design for the past month or so. Whenever I get down to it, I just seem to spew out these designs that start with a decent concept, but end up looking like crap. I kept on saying to myself that it was the company's logo (it's ridiculously unbalanced) and their color scheme (green and gold... the ugliest combination evar) but once I modified their logo and changed the color scheme, I still couldn't seem to come up with a design. As of right now, I have 8 scrapped designs!
My boyfriend called me earlier, and I randomly found myself working on a design while we were talking. Lo and behold, it was actually DECENT. I'm not going to use it, but it's definitely given me the confidence I need to go on and create a better design.
I actually woke up early today. Even if it was 3PM, it's still 2 hours earlier than I would normally wake up. And I did my best to force myself up and out of bed even though I was still tired. Sad, isn't it? I went to bed last night at about 5AM... and completely on accident. I got distracted...
That's pretty much it thus far today. I have to go clean out my earrings now.
My boyfriend called me earlier, and I randomly found myself working on a design while we were talking. Lo and behold, it was actually DECENT. I'm not going to use it, but it's definitely given me the confidence I need to go on and create a better design.
I actually woke up early today. Even if it was 3PM, it's still 2 hours earlier than I would normally wake up. And I did my best to force myself up and out of bed even though I was still tired. Sad, isn't it? I went to bed last night at about 5AM... and completely on accident. I got distracted...
That's pretty much it thus far today. I have to go clean out my earrings now.
Immune System on Vacation
I wasn't able to do much of anything today. I woke up late (at about 5:00PM) and felt sick to my stomach for the majority of the afternoon. Then my roommate started watching bad horror movies... which I couldn't seem to resist!
I need to get back into a regular sleeping schedule (like I've mentioned before) and the only way I can seem to do that is go to bed when I feel tired, then wake up early. Even though it's almost 2AM now, I'm a long way from getting to sleep. I tried getting to bed early last night and well, it didn't work out too well. I figured Monday would be the best day to get back in the groove of things... since Friday I'm going out to the club, Saturday we're having a party, and Sunday I'm probably going to the movies with my friend Mike. Sunday night I'll go to bed as early as I can (not before I feel tired, though) set my alarm for ~10 hours later, wake up, and if I don't feel tired I'll just stay as active as I can to make myself tired. Or even try to be active on Sunday to make myself get to bed early that night.
I'm thinking I may walk to the nearest shopping center to try and find a job again. I'm getting to the point where I'm considering in working in the food service industry again... just because my clients are horrible at paying their invoices on time.
Well, I'll post again once there's something interesting to report on. For now, I'm going to try and get a few things done.
I need to get back into a regular sleeping schedule (like I've mentioned before) and the only way I can seem to do that is go to bed when I feel tired, then wake up early. Even though it's almost 2AM now, I'm a long way from getting to sleep. I tried getting to bed early last night and well, it didn't work out too well. I figured Monday would be the best day to get back in the groove of things... since Friday I'm going out to the club, Saturday we're having a party, and Sunday I'm probably going to the movies with my friend Mike. Sunday night I'll go to bed as early as I can (not before I feel tired, though) set my alarm for ~10 hours later, wake up, and if I don't feel tired I'll just stay as active as I can to make myself tired. Or even try to be active on Sunday to make myself get to bed early that night.
I'm thinking I may walk to the nearest shopping center to try and find a job again. I'm getting to the point where I'm considering in working in the food service industry again... just because my clients are horrible at paying their invoices on time.
Well, I'll post again once there's something interesting to report on. For now, I'm going to try and get a few things done.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Grape Lady Moment
Holy crap my teeth hurt. Not ALL of them, just my problem teeth... around my left canine. The tooth right next to my canine towards the front used to be twisted almost all the way around, and was never completely fixed from my braces. My orthodontist modified one of my retainers to help it turn the extra 5% it needed to go. And of course, because I haven't been wearing my retainers like I'm supposed to, that one tooth shifted the most.
I don't exactly grind my teeth when I sleep, but I nibble/gnaw lightly if there's something in my mouth. That's just pushing my retainer further onto my shifted teeth, forcing them to shift back faster, making them hurt more.
I honestly could not sleep because of the pain, so I had a snack (which hurt my teeth more!) and took some ibuprofen. I can't take ibuprofen on an empty stomach or else I will inevitably get sick.
So now to play Mah Jongg on my DS to distract myself from the pain until the ibuprofen kicks in and I can get back to sleep.
Looks like I can't start enforcing this "normal sleeping habits" bit until my teeth stop hurting. Trust me, this is NOT an excuse... I'd much rather be forced to go to bed early than be experiencing this pain!
I don't exactly grind my teeth when I sleep, but I nibble/gnaw lightly if there's something in my mouth. That's just pushing my retainer further onto my shifted teeth, forcing them to shift back faster, making them hurt more.
I honestly could not sleep because of the pain, so I had a snack (which hurt my teeth more!) and took some ibuprofen. I can't take ibuprofen on an empty stomach or else I will inevitably get sick.
So now to play Mah Jongg on my DS to distract myself from the pain until the ibuprofen kicks in and I can get back to sleep.
Looks like I can't start enforcing this "normal sleeping habits" bit until my teeth stop hurting. Trust me, this is NOT an excuse... I'd much rather be forced to go to bed early than be experiencing this pain!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Cruel and Unusual
Agh, so I just put in one of my retainers and it is TIGHT. I made sure to take some Tylenol after putting it in so any pain that may result from it will be dulled at the very least. Fortunately I have a very high pain tolerance (unless it's a headache). I can tell my teeth have shifted, but if I wear my retainers on a regular basis they'll go back to where they should be.
As you've probably noticed in my sidebar, I've started to use Joe's Goals. It's a website where you can basically create a daily checklist (of positives and negatives) of tasks and assign different point weights to each of them. I'm currently using it to keep track of my blog posting activity as well as taking care of my teeth and taking my medications.
Today I went ahead and added some links to the social networking sites I am on to my personal professional site. I know that seems like an oxymoron, but it's more of a toned down personal site that wouldn't freak out potential customers if they were to stumble upon it. Also, my personal and small business clients like to get to know me first before working with me. I added about 9 links with logos, corrected an existing link, and deleted another link I had on there. Since this is design-related work and it is more of a resource for my clients, I'm going to give myself some points for it. But not a lot because it wasn't exactly wise use of my time since it was fairly low on my list of things to do. So 3 points will do.
I'm back to not being able to paint my shelves. I have to wait until the porch is dry again because my roommate wants me to paint them out there, but let them dry inside. Looks like Friday morning will be my best bet since it will stop raining Wednesday night and the porch needs a day to dry.
Oy, I hate waiting!
As you've probably noticed in my sidebar, I've started to use Joe's Goals. It's a website where you can basically create a daily checklist (of positives and negatives) of tasks and assign different point weights to each of them. I'm currently using it to keep track of my blog posting activity as well as taking care of my teeth and taking my medications.
Today I went ahead and added some links to the social networking sites I am on to my personal professional site. I know that seems like an oxymoron, but it's more of a toned down personal site that wouldn't freak out potential customers if they were to stumble upon it. Also, my personal and small business clients like to get to know me first before working with me. I added about 9 links with logos, corrected an existing link, and deleted another link I had on there. Since this is design-related work and it is more of a resource for my clients, I'm going to give myself some points for it. But not a lot because it wasn't exactly wise use of my time since it was fairly low on my list of things to do. So 3 points will do.
I'm back to not being able to paint my shelves. I have to wait until the porch is dry again because my roommate wants me to paint them out there, but let them dry inside. Looks like Friday morning will be my best bet since it will stop raining Wednesday night and the porch needs a day to dry.
Oy, I hate waiting!
Back Problems
Oh, and I forgot to include in the last entry that my back has been bothering me. The chair I'm using at my desk isn't exactly comfortable (then again my posture is horrible) and it's causing some problems. If I get a new (more comfortable) chair, it'll definitely add some points to my business goal.
Sunlight? What's that?
It's funny to think I went to bed right before the sun rose this morning, and woke up right after the sun set. Actually, it's pretty bad. I woke up with a headache and an aching back.
This leads me to adding two more mini-resolutions:
Well, there are my two new resolutions! I think it's important to not restrict yourself to the goals you've set at the beginning of the year... it's best to be as productive as possible.
As for today, well, I'm going to start painting my shelves once my roommate goes to work.
This leads me to adding two more mini-resolutions:
- Develop some normal sleeping habits and
- Wear my retainers on a regular basis.
Well, there are my two new resolutions! I think it's important to not restrict yourself to the goals you've set at the beginning of the year... it's best to be as productive as possible.
As for today, well, I'm going to start painting my shelves once my roommate goes to work.
First Bad Day of '09
I had some family issues on my mind today, and I honestly wasn't in much of a mood to do anything.
I've been stuck on this one website design for months now, and it's really beginning to bother me. I went ahead and made some minor changes to the logo I was provided to make it easier to work with for a design, and then I went to trying to create a site design.
I got sidetracked for a few hours looking for design ideas, and ended up taking in excess of 255 screenshots for my design inspiration gallery >.< style="font-weight: bold;">25 points for me.
Once I was done with taking screenshots and I felt I had significant ideas to go ahead back to the drawing board, I was disappointed to discover that yet again the designs just weren't coming together.
Now at 3AM I've decided it might just be a good idea if I go to bed and clear my head.
I've been stuck on this one website design for months now, and it's really beginning to bother me. I went ahead and made some minor changes to the logo I was provided to make it easier to work with for a design, and then I went to trying to create a site design.
I got sidetracked for a few hours looking for design ideas, and ended up taking in excess of 255 screenshots for my design inspiration gallery >.< style="font-weight: bold;">25 points for me.
Once I was done with taking screenshots and I felt I had significant ideas to go ahead back to the drawing board, I was disappointed to discover that yet again the designs just weren't coming together.
Now at 3AM I've decided it might just be a good idea if I go to bed and clear my head.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Still Have That Momentum!
Today I:
I realize I haven't mentioned my design inspirations folder yet. Basically I take screenshots of websites with creative designs or design elements to serve as inspiration for when I can't seem to come up with a good website design. I took about 11 screenshots today to add to the library. I'd have to say each of them are worth about a point each... so 11 points for me!
As for the javascript libraries, I decided it might be a good idea to have them at hand since I test a lot of scripts. Some free scripts you find require that a certain library be installed, and I often find myself limiting myself to scripts that don't require a library. Now I can expand my options! I've installed 4 libraries, and at 2 points each that equals another 8 points.
And great news: my roommate is going to allow me to paint my shelves indoors. Hopefully I'll be able to get to that within the next few days!
Well, it's time for me to go to bed. Night everyone... it's been a long day.
- Vacuumed my bedroom/office
- Cleaned my bathroom
- Picked up some more in my room (put my favorite poster up!)
- Took a bunch of screenshots for my web design inspiration folder
- And uploaded 4 Javascript libraries to my server.
I realize I haven't mentioned my design inspirations folder yet. Basically I take screenshots of websites with creative designs or design elements to serve as inspiration for when I can't seem to come up with a good website design. I took about 11 screenshots today to add to the library. I'd have to say each of them are worth about a point each... so 11 points for me!
As for the javascript libraries, I decided it might be a good idea to have them at hand since I test a lot of scripts. Some free scripts you find require that a certain library be installed, and I often find myself limiting myself to scripts that don't require a library. Now I can expand my options! I've installed 4 libraries, and at 2 points each that equals another 8 points.
And great news: my roommate is going to allow me to paint my shelves indoors. Hopefully I'll be able to get to that within the next few days!
Well, it's time for me to go to bed. Night everyone... it's been a long day.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Attempting to Make Up For the Morning
I crawled out of bed at 4PM to discover the balcony was dry! After finishing up my morning activities I used the last bit of sunlight to sit outside and sand the two remaining shelves.
I'm going to ask my roommate if I can paint the shelves indoors... I was advised that the paint wouldn't dry correctly in temperatures under 50 degrees Fahrenheit. It being January, the temperature outside rarely peaks above 50.
I'm going to ask my roommate if I can paint the shelves indoors... I was advised that the paint wouldn't dry correctly in temperatures under 50 degrees Fahrenheit. It being January, the temperature outside rarely peaks above 50.
Morning of Fail
I'm awake, but plans aren't exactly going as I had hoped.
Last night my drafty window kept me up into the wee hours of the morning. Despite my being tired, I rolled out of bed at quarter 'til 8. I walked into my living room and peered out onto the porch to see what the weather was like, only to find that the porch was still wet from a few days before when it had rained!
I can't sand or paint that wood in a wet workspace for obvious reasons, so it looks like I'm going to have to hold off on the shelves for now.
It's a bit disappointing, especially since I can't even begin to consider working on the shelves until the porch is dry and there is at least one sunny day in the mix. According to AccuWeather, it's going to be raining for 3 out of the next 5 days. I'm going to have to wait until the porch dries before I can even consider checking the forecast again!
Well, I can't say I'm too terribly disappointed right now considering I'll be able to go back to sleep and get some much-needed rest! Maybe a good sleep will lead to some good point-earning ideas later on today.
Last night my drafty window kept me up into the wee hours of the morning. Despite my being tired, I rolled out of bed at quarter 'til 8. I walked into my living room and peered out onto the porch to see what the weather was like, only to find that the porch was still wet from a few days before when it had rained!
I can't sand or paint that wood in a wet workspace for obvious reasons, so it looks like I'm going to have to hold off on the shelves for now.
It's a bit disappointing, especially since I can't even begin to consider working on the shelves until the porch is dry and there is at least one sunny day in the mix. According to AccuWeather, it's going to be raining for 3 out of the next 5 days. I'm going to have to wait until the porch dries before I can even consider checking the forecast again!
Well, I can't say I'm too terribly disappointed right now considering I'll be able to go back to sleep and get some much-needed rest! Maybe a good sleep will lead to some good point-earning ideas later on today.
Two Steps Forward!
I completely forgot to mention! While cleaning my office, I found some money! Goes to prove that even the most mundane tasks have their rewards. This will go towards my laptop fund, putting me at 1% of my goal amount.
Measly, I know- but at least it's something.
Measly, I know- but at least it's something.
Day 3 & Light at the End of the Tunnel!
I've been busting my butt since about 10:30PM cleaning my room/office! For once, I have a lot to show for the hours I've spent... I can see my floor! Haha, well I could before, just not this well. It's 2:30AM now and I'm about 90% done with the cleaning aspect of my room. All I have left to do is:
I figured I'd wake up when the sun rises (supposedly 7:25AM) to take my medications, sand the remaining two small shelves, eat breakfast (since I have to wait a half hour after taking my medications), then immediately start painting thereafter.
I think now that I've put all this effort into getting my room ready to work in, I'll go ahead and give myself 8 points. I was planning on 10 for cleaning AND completing the shelves, but I think I can split it up into two different things because of the amount of work involved. So 8 points right now for having cleaned and making room to work in my office, and an additional 5 points once I complete the shelves (for the sake of increasing productivity by organizing my office).
So I guess I'll see you bright and early at around 7:30AM... less than 5 hours from now, sheesh!
- Pick up the remaining things on my floor.
- Put everything to go on my new shelves in a box.
- Vacuum
- Dust
- Sand remaining shelves
- Paint the shelves
- Put shelves on wall & load them up!
I figured I'd wake up when the sun rises (supposedly 7:25AM) to take my medications, sand the remaining two small shelves, eat breakfast (since I have to wait a half hour after taking my medications), then immediately start painting thereafter.
I think now that I've put all this effort into getting my room ready to work in, I'll go ahead and give myself 8 points. I was planning on 10 for cleaning AND completing the shelves, but I think I can split it up into two different things because of the amount of work involved. So 8 points right now for having cleaned and making room to work in my office, and an additional 5 points once I complete the shelves (for the sake of increasing productivity by organizing my office).
So I guess I'll see you bright and early at around 7:30AM... less than 5 hours from now, sheesh!
Friday, January 2, 2009
The Initial Hurdle
It's 9PM on January 2nd and I still haven't accumulated any points! That isn't to say I haven't done any work... but I haven't exactly finished what I'm in the process of doing.
Oddly enough my first task for my business resolution is to clean up my room. My bedroom functions as both an office and, well, a bedroom. Unfortunately it's so cluttered with mess right now that I can't even use my desk.
Now, I DO have a very comfy couch in my living room that I'm able to use my laptop on, but I think it would be a great step forward if I were to actually use my office. The biggest downside to the living room is the TV; it distracts me and keeps me from working. If I were to work in my office, there would be fewer distractions and hopefully I'd be a bit more productive!
I've been working all day to get my room cleaned and have made some progress, but I highly doubt it's going to be done tonight. Especially since I have some shelves to paint before I can even clean up around my desk!
Tomorrow I'm definitely waking up early (since it's supposed to be sunny), putting the first coat of paint on my shelves, then laying them out on my balcony to dry. But that means I'm going to have to sand the remaining two shelves tonight!
Oddly enough my first task for my business resolution is to clean up my room. My bedroom functions as both an office and, well, a bedroom. Unfortunately it's so cluttered with mess right now that I can't even use my desk.
Now, I DO have a very comfy couch in my living room that I'm able to use my laptop on, but I think it would be a great step forward if I were to actually use my office. The biggest downside to the living room is the TV; it distracts me and keeps me from working. If I were to work in my office, there would be fewer distractions and hopefully I'd be a bit more productive!
I've been working all day to get my room cleaned and have made some progress, but I highly doubt it's going to be done tonight. Especially since I have some shelves to paint before I can even clean up around my desk!
Tomorrow I'm definitely waking up early (since it's supposed to be sunny), putting the first coat of paint on my shelves, then laying them out on my balcony to dry. But that means I'm going to have to sand the remaining two shelves tonight!
Keeping Track
I've obviously started this blog to try my best to keep my New Year's Resolutions. While my smaller (mini) resolutions are more black and white, my bigger resolutions have no definite beginning and end. In order to keep track of my main resolutions, I've decided to implement a points system.
When it comes to earning money for a laptop, I earn points for every dollar I save (and lose points for every dollar I spend of that saved money). The laptop I'm saving for will cost about $800 with the protection plan I'm looking to get for it, so I'm pretty much aiming for 800 points. Once I reach 800 points and my laptop comes in the mail, I'll have accomplished my resolution!
My resolution to build up my business isn't so clear cut. Since there is really no end to building up my business, I will simply accumulate points by performing certain actions that positively affect my business. For example, if I give out a business card, I earn 1 point. The more impact an action has on my business, the more points it will earn. I will have a goal of how many points I need to earn by the end of the year, and divide it up monthly so I can keep track of which months I've been productive, and which months I've been slacking off. If I end up earning fewer points than I aim for at the end of the year, I'll know I either haven't been working as hard as I should, or that I didn't set a realistic goal for myself. If I reach my goal at the end of the year, I'll just keep on going earning points!
Keep in mind that I haven't really gotten a hang of this points system yet. The first month will really determine my exact point goal for the end of the year. At this moment my points goal for the end of the year is 5,000. That may change once I add up my points at the end of the month!
When it comes to earning money for a laptop, I earn points for every dollar I save (and lose points for every dollar I spend of that saved money). The laptop I'm saving for will cost about $800 with the protection plan I'm looking to get for it, so I'm pretty much aiming for 800 points. Once I reach 800 points and my laptop comes in the mail, I'll have accomplished my resolution!
My resolution to build up my business isn't so clear cut. Since there is really no end to building up my business, I will simply accumulate points by performing certain actions that positively affect my business. For example, if I give out a business card, I earn 1 point. The more impact an action has on my business, the more points it will earn. I will have a goal of how many points I need to earn by the end of the year, and divide it up monthly so I can keep track of which months I've been productive, and which months I've been slacking off. If I end up earning fewer points than I aim for at the end of the year, I'll know I either haven't been working as hard as I should, or that I didn't set a realistic goal for myself. If I reach my goal at the end of the year, I'll just keep on going earning points!
Keep in mind that I haven't really gotten a hang of this points system yet. The first month will really determine my exact point goal for the end of the year. At this moment my points goal for the end of the year is 5,000. That may change once I add up my points at the end of the month!
A Late Start
It's already the 2nd, and I haven't even written about my resolutions! But slow and steady wins the race... right? I sure hope so, or else I'm going to have to track down that proverbial jackrabbit... and eat his children for dinner. Just kidding!
On to the resolutions! You'll see in the sidebar I've already listed a few. I have my bigger resolutions and my mini resolutions. My bigger resolutions are the ones I'm really keeping track of, and my smaller ones are just general goals I may have that I can't really monitor.
Buy A New Laptop
This one's huge. I currently own a '98 IBM ThinkPad. Don't get me wrong, it may be old as hell, but it's the most reliable computer I've ever had. At the same time... yes, I know- it is ancient. ~600mHz with ~128mb RAM is pathetic, especially since my business requires me to run Adobe programs. I've had huge problems with running Illustrator, and it will randomly shut down while I'm working since my computer is too slow to handle it. At this point I don't feel comfortable with taking on any more clients until I can have a system than can handle the workload. At this point though, I need to make more money to get a new laptop, but I need a new laptop to make more money! What a dilemma.
Build Up My Business!
A very vague resolution, I know. But I can't even begin to express how important of a resolution it is. The economy is so bad right now that all my usual employers in other industries are really cutting back. I will now have to rely on my web design/development business as my sole source of income.
And here's a quick rundown of my mini resolutions. I may add more as the year progresses... because you can never limit yourself when it comes to your goals!
On to the resolutions! You'll see in the sidebar I've already listed a few. I have my bigger resolutions and my mini resolutions. My bigger resolutions are the ones I'm really keeping track of, and my smaller ones are just general goals I may have that I can't really monitor.
Buy A New Laptop
This one's huge. I currently own a '98 IBM ThinkPad. Don't get me wrong, it may be old as hell, but it's the most reliable computer I've ever had. At the same time... yes, I know- it is ancient. ~600mHz with ~128mb RAM is pathetic, especially since my business requires me to run Adobe programs. I've had huge problems with running Illustrator, and it will randomly shut down while I'm working since my computer is too slow to handle it. At this point I don't feel comfortable with taking on any more clients until I can have a system than can handle the workload. At this point though, I need to make more money to get a new laptop, but I need a new laptop to make more money! What a dilemma.
Build Up My Business!
A very vague resolution, I know. But I can't even begin to express how important of a resolution it is. The economy is so bad right now that all my usual employers in other industries are really cutting back. I will now have to rely on my web design/development business as my sole source of income.
And here's a quick rundown of my mini resolutions. I may add more as the year progresses... because you can never limit yourself when it comes to your goals!
- Keep Up With This Blog!
I really think this one is self-explanitory! - Obtain One Web-Related Certification
I don't really know if certifications are the way to go, so I figured a trial run of one certification (ie: W3C's XHTML/HTML/CSS Certification) would give me a good idea of how it would impact my future opportunities of employment, as well as earning potential. Not to mention obtaining that certification would get me accustomed to studying for future certifications. Being self-taught, studying for a certification would also fill in the gaps; anything I may have skimmed over from initially learning something will be covered! - Start a Savings Account
I REALLY need to start saving some money. I spend what I earn, and that's a really bad habit. Hopefully with giving my business a good kick-start I'll have more money to play around with and consider saving.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Why I've Started This Blog
There's a simple reason why I've started this blog. Take the following into consideration:
When it comes to New Year's resolutions being kept
I'm not too keen on becoming just another statistic. I have some major goals I've set for myself this year, and I think through monitoring my progress, as well as receiving support from others, I'll be able to beat the odds and keep my New Year's Resolutions!
So join me in keeping my resolutions for this year (and hopefully many years to come)!
(Statistics Provided by: Research: Statistics on new year's resolutions)
When it comes to New Year's resolutions being kept
- 75% are maintained after the first week
- 71% only make it past two weeks
- 64% are still kept after one month
- And after 6 months, only 46% of New Year's resolutions are still standing the test of time.
I'm not too keen on becoming just another statistic. I have some major goals I've set for myself this year, and I think through monitoring my progress, as well as receiving support from others, I'll be able to beat the odds and keep my New Year's Resolutions!
So join me in keeping my resolutions for this year (and hopefully many years to come)!
(Statistics Provided by: Research: Statistics on new year's resolutions)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
