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Category Archives: Books

October – Three Months Left

29 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by cosmichomicide in Books, Changes & Progress, Cheapskate, Health, Home

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books, certifications, goals, health, home, organize

Only three months left in 2013.  I suppose I could wait until December and reflect back, but it seems a better idea to reflect back when I can make some adjustments.  Did I accomplish what I wanted to accomplish?  Are there things I still want to accomplish from “way back” at the beginning of the year?  Have things changed?

From a finances standpoint, I still need to dig into my insurance (home, car) costs.  I discovered when the insurance company came to review my house that I was drastically overinsured.  With a 17 year old in the house, my car insurance also went wonky and now that I am going to have to purchase a car this is something that is still on my list.

From a professional standpoint, I didn’t complete the upgrade technical certifications that I had originally wanted but I also discovered that my focus has changed, not only professionally but personally.  I no longer identify myself as the pure geek that I have been for so much of my career but now see myself as process focused.  So mid-year I dropped the emphasis on the technical and application certifications and dedicated myself to ITIL certifications.  I have three tests and two courses remaining until my ITIL expert is achieved and this is a goal I wish to continue.

I’m horribly behind on my reading, that should be an easy one to pick back up as I enjoy it, but I need to make some adjustments – likely I will be adding a commute, so I am investigating audio books as an option as well as adding reading into my daily “to-do” list so that I don’t skip over it for things that seem more important but really are not.

Doing something for 30 days is wonderful and for October I will be taking a picture every day.  The purpose of this is not to get a bunch of amazing pictures, though that would be nice, but to start paying attention to the world around me and perhaps looking at it in different ways.  I’m also going to continue with a TED talk per day as I have found that both enlightening and inspiring.

Fitness and health, I’ve been appallingly slack.  That’s the largest focus of the next three months, difficult as it is going to be now that the lovely weather is ending and the winter cold is seeping in.  Resetting a bit, I’m aiming for simply regular exercise and a diet improvement by creating good habits – October will be 30 days of exercising the dogs, November will be 30 days of “eating in”, December will be 30 days of morning yoga/stretching.

Finally, we started the year planning to redo one room per month.  Instead we completed the guest bathroom (which looks marvelous) and made the front porch inviting and then had the exterior of the house painted – which was such a huge improvement we felt better about the whole place.  From here through December, I’m changing focus a bit to surveying each room and identifying what needs to be done, the cost and effort involved and doing serious decluttering of the remaining “stuff” that isn’t really enhancing our lives.  In the course of this, I’m also going to identify the things we love and use that need repairing, upgrading or replacing.

So, to summarize:

  • Untangle insurance (and put it on the annual checkup list)
  • ITIL Expert certification
  • Catch up on reading
  • Develop and continue good habits in 30 day increments
  • Survey the home improvement needs

Seems doable, let’s see how it goes. 🙂

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Still Catching Up – Yikes!

28 Monday May 2012

Posted by cosmichomicide in Books, Changes & Progress, Health, Minimalist, Paperless, Travel

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books, certifications, goals, health, minimize, organize

Amazing how fast the year has gone by – school getting ready to be out, summer vacations starting.  While I’m not taking the summer off, I’ve decided to focus on completing and extending goals – upping my game to a 10K, repurposing the office to the heir’s new room, home improvements too long neglected, finishing up all my certifications and updates.  So, the punchlist is:

  • Bill simplification – June is the month for the last utilities budget billing which should finish this off.
  • Bank changes – Need to close the last account and move my safe deposit box and all will be clean, neat and consolidated.
  • Will & Retirement – just need to get this one done
  • Certifications – upgrade the existing ones, move forward on my ITIL expert
  • Books, books and more books – Goodreads challenge
  • Health and fitness – 10K by the end of the summer, allergy testing
  • Bucket list – update and cross off one per month, cause I’m not getting any younger

And finally – upload all the pictures from the earlier finished goals!

2012 – Off and Running!

01 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by cosmichomicide in Books, Changes & Progress, Health

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books, goals, health

Officially entered the Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2012.  Going for 80 books this year and a secondary challenge of 50 of those being books already in the house that promptly leave the house to support the decluttering and reduction theme.  I’m also planning to try and do reviews for the 5 star books this year, including publishing them here as well as Goodreads.  I suppose I could have gone for more total books since I actually closed out 2011 with 95 books, but I don’t really want my head exploding in several years if I jump too high too fast.  Now to pick the perfect inaugural book for 2012!

Also finalized the 5K choice when I ran across the NC Half Marathon (and 5K) at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on March 25th.  Not only is it nearby, but the timing is pretty well perfect and hey, the shirts are cool looking, LOL!  I figure I’ll try for two 5Ks in the spring/summer and then make a decision about a 10K in the fall.  I’ve decided to use the Couch to 5K program in conjunction with my RunKeeper and hit the YMCA on my “off days”, hoping that keeps me from damaging myself again.

Sooooo… the first mini-resolution is complete and I’ve already started sifting through the Christmas stuff towards the second.  Tree will be coming down on Twelfth Night (that would be Thursday), so look for the decoration purge in next weekend’s post (I even took before and after pictures).

Build on Good Habits!

28 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by cosmichomicide in Books, Changes & Progress, Health

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books, goals, health, paperbackswap

  • The problem:  None really.  Yay me!
  • The resolution:  Schedule that 5K and join that reading challenge.
  • The long term solution:  Healthy and brilliant, of course.
  • Before:  Wobbled through my first 5K in December and read 75 books in 2011.
  • Step by step:
  1. Identified 2 local 5Ks in April.  Will register for one of them in February based on my schedule.
  2. Laid out a training plan for a 5K and one for a 10K.  If all goes well, 10K in the fall.
  3. Decided on 80 books for 2012 on Goodreads (just waiting for the 2012 Challenge to start so I can sign up).  My end of the year total for 2011 was 90, goal was 75, so that seemed like a reasonable increase.
  4. Pulled out all the books that are in my TBR pile and are wishlisted on PaperbackSwap and put them in the bedroom bookcase – that way I should get to ship them out as soon as I finish reading them.  Double duty on minimizing/decluttering!
  5. Got a library card (you’d think I would have done this already, but back when I traveled it just wasn’t practical to take loaned books with me).
  6. Set up a route in RunKeeper to the post office (to mail off those books) and to the library.

A New Year Right Around the Corner

18 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by cosmichomicide in Books, Changes & Progress, Cheapskate, Minimalist, Paperless

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books, goals, money, paperless

So, year after year I’ve noticed consistent themes and progress (which is good) but not closure really.  I’ve decluttered and my life is much lighter, but not quite “there”.  I’ve trimmed and cut and budgeted, but still not quite “there”.  I’ve even knocked a couple of items off the old bucket list.  That said, I still don’t feel that I’m entirely focused on “the important things” because I’m surrounded by (and in some cases drowning in) “the other stuff”.  So I think that, this year, I’m going to focus each month on one problem that’s eating up more time than it should, eliminate it and put in a way to keep it at bay – completely closed.

Finances have been a consistent time consumer for years as has the paper that surrounds them.  I’ve made some inroads (refinancing, reducing, consolidating) but they still chew up more headspace than they deserve.  So they are on the list.

Clutter in the form of paper also drags on year after year, though the handy shredder has helped a lot.  I still find myself moving paper from place to place as I “can’t quite decide what to do with it”.  This year, I decide.

Home repair and improvement and all the “stuff” that goes along with it (and the yard is included in this) is possibly the biggest albatross around the neck.  And it ties to both the finances and the paper.  Time to resolve.

Health and well being is last but hardly least.  Less stuff, more time, better habits, better food, greener, better quality and less expensive.  What do I need that I don’t have, what do I have that I don’t need, what does the family really use that could stand an upgrade or streamlining?  Simple questions and this year we find the answers.

Four categories, twelve months, 52 weeks.  At a rate of 4 hours per week, 16 hours per month (divided up ever how it makes sense).  While I’m sure there will be gaps and random posts and such, the goal this year is to pick one problem in each category at the beginning of each month, document the issue and resolve one each week.  And by resolve, either completely eliminate the issue or integrate a habit so it doesn’t become a problem again.

So, January will be:

  • Finances – Set autopays, text/e-mail notifications, review 2010 and pick a location to start putting the “important information” as I come across it.  (Especially that which is needed for taxes.)
  • Paperless – eliminate one entire bookcase by sales, donations, trades or recycling.  Remove the bookcase from the house.
  • House – clean out the “Christmas clutter”, organize and pack up only what will be a pleasure to unpack next year.
  • Health & Sanity – time for the 2012 reading challenge and registering for my next 5K.

Wish me luck. 🙂

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2013 Reading Challenge

2013 Reading Challenge
Karen has completed her goal of reading 65 books in 2013!
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65 of 65 (100%)
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2012 Reading Challenge

2012 Reading Challenge
Karen has completed her goal of reading 70 books in 2012!
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2011 Reading Challenge

2011 Reading Challenge
Karen has completed her goal of reading 75 books in 2011!
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