Tuesday, July 26, 2011

My Summer To-Do List

I’m pretty sure I have some form of Adult ADD.  I’ve worked hard to control/hide it because, well, who wants to have ADD?  I’m also pretty sure that if Ritalin or Adderal existed when I was a kid, I would have been a user.  Fortunately, I don’t think ADD existed as a diagnosis when I was kid, they weren't an option.  At any rate, one of the ways I manage it is by writing everything down.  On any given day, I have a list or two of things I need to do, people I should call, stuff I should think about.  I don’t always do everything on the list, but there is always a list.

   So, it was very fitting and normal that I made a “10 Things I Need To Do, Summer 2011" list back in, oh, about April.  Here’s my opportunity to revisit the list, see how much little I’ve accomplished, and in this age of over-sharing, make it public.

1.  Visit Idaho.  I kicked off my summer by visiting my friend, Linden, at his ranch in Idaho over Memorial Day Weekend.  He sold his Upper East Side pad and bought a 108-acre ranch in what seems to me to be the middle of nowhere.  I thought he might be a little nuts to do this (it’s a long way from everywhere and 108 acres is a lot of land) but I’m so glad he is.  It was a glorious trip to a part of the country I don’t know a lot about.  It was so good that I’m trying to make it a yearly trip. (He doesn’t know this, yet).  Status: Completed

2.  Develop an exercise regimen.  It’s funny; I haven’t actually gained much weight, but it seems the weight I already have has shifted.  For the first time, I have a gut and I’m not happy about that.  So, I’ve started running again … something my doctor and knees told me in 2001 I probably shouldn’t do anymore.  So, I’m not actually running.  I’m doing a pathetic run-walk routine to ease the pounding on my knees, and it’s a little annoying because I want to run, but much better than not doing much at all. Technically, I could mark this Completed because I did develop an exercise regimen. Part Two of this task should include “sticking to it” … which I’m kinda working on.

3.  Find a publisher for my smart, funny, delightful book, The Spinsterlicious Life.  This is really a wish more than anything else because I’m finding it more difficult than I expected. I’m going to leave it at that because I get cranky when I think about it too much.  Status: Not Completed

4.  Spend a week in Martha’s Vineyard.  Not yet, but soon.  House is rented, ferry is booked, excitement is brewing.  Hurry up, August.  Status:  Almost Completed

5.  Launch a T-shirt line, in support of my as-yet-unpublished book, and blog of the same name.  This is a new venture for me and a whole new area that I know nothing about.  I’m working with a T-shirt designer who’s got some great ideas and I’m really excited. I’m crossing my fingers that we’ll actually launch this summer, but at least I’ve gotten started.

6.  Set up The Highline as my office annex. I love The Highline.  It’s a beautiful park high in the sky (for a park), made from miles and miles of old and unused railroad tracks.  It’s so New York.  I want to be there all the time.  I guess I can’t actually make it my official office, but since I work from home I can pretty much work from anywhere so I’m spending more and more time there.  I need to figure out a way to shut out the background noise when I’m on the phone; clients don’t believe I’m actually working.  Status: Still Thinking About It

7.  Decide whether to let the New Guy go — or — put a little more effort into making him want to stay.  I’m pretty close to a decision here.  I'm not that into it and my gut’s telling me it’s not right. I’ve learned it’s usually smart to go with my gut.  Status:  Close to Completed

8.  Finalize my Western Road Trip plans.  Yay!  I’m super-excited about this.  In October, three of us (and our dogs) are taking a road trip out West. We’re flying to Mount Rushmore, ending at the Grand Canyon, and stopping at lots of great places along the way, like Yellowstone Park, Devils Tower, Crazy Horse Monument … and wherever else strikes our fancy.  We need to put a few more details in place, and I should be working on that.  Status:  Not Yet...But Soon

9.  Add at least one new client to my roster.  I'm happy about this one.  Status: Completed.

10.  See how many different summer cocktails I can discover.  I’m having a lot of fun with this one. You get it, right?  Status:  Ongoing.

What about you?  What fun outings do you have planned for this summer?



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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey - you've done a LOT more than you think you have ..... especially since you only made the list in April - that's only a few months ago!

Re the book publishing - if you can't find anybody to do it consider self-publishing with an "on demand" service ..... you can then sell it online where it will be published on demand .... ie. when someone wants it then it gets printed. (at least I think this is how it works - google around for more information)

2 holidays - I hope you'll post some photos on your blog while you're away??!! ;-)

i0lan....

eleanore said...

Thanks, iolanda! And, yes, I do plan to post a few photos from my travels. Not enough to bore, but just enough to share the experience. Stay tuned!

Rhona said...

Pretty good list. At least you finished or actioned a lot of them. Your trip to the West sounds absolutely amazing!!
Have you even heard of RiverHouse Publishing? I have no connection but thought of them as soon as I read this post. http://www.riverhousepublishingllc.com/#!about-us

eleanore said...

@Rhona- thx a bunch. I will def look into them