books | BulgingButtons

March 18, 2018
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Never Will I Ever…

I’ve been doing some Spring Cleaning (yes, I think the capital letters are appropriate in this instance) and I’ve learned some things.

First, I learned that I’ve been harboring some items for far too long. Way beyond their useful lifespans. Why? I’m not a hoarder. Am I? No. Most definitely not. However… I do have “collections” of things that I really don’t need to collect. Some of it is purposeful, but some of it has crept up on me over the years. I really didn’t need to keep those stinky old sneakers and that sweater I loved as an undergrad.

I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but I managed to purge my closet of six bags of items. It’s all shoes and clothing, and that makes me somewhat embarrassed, but I’ve gotten quite a few nice new items over the past year, and I feel really good in those clothes. As a result, I don’t wear some of the older items, and frankly some of them were really never quite “me” from the get-go. Six bags later, and I feel relieved. Less stuff. Less clutter. Less to fret over.

So that takes me to the concept of “never will I ever.” Here are some things I’ve decided fit in that category:

NEVER WILL I EVER

Read all of the books that I’ve loaded onto my Kindle and loaded into my bookcases
Sew up all the beautiful fabric that I’ve collected over the years
Complete all the unfinished projects that are collected in bags and boxes
Completely break the clutter habit
Figure out the keys to maintaining healthy habits

My home feels better than it did. Lots of little projects have been accomplished over the past week, thanks to Spring Break, but there are so many others that haven’t even been touched.

Never will I ever run out of things to do, that much is for certain.

January 21, 2018
by BulgingButtons 2 Comments

Any Resolutions?

I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions this year. I haven’t in a while. I know that I’m horrible at keeping them, and then I feel guilty, so I just avoid that whole thing.

I do, however, tend to take stock around New Year’s, which I think is pretty common.

A few thoughts I’ve had are:

Jeez, I’ve eaten a lot of crappy stuff over the holidays. Better cut that out.
Golly, I’ve gotten pretty lazy. Better get moving.
I like books. A lot. I should make time to read more of them.

That’s about it. Simple, right? And yet maybe not. So no, I didn’t make any resolutions, but I’m trying to eat better, move more, and read more. So far, so good.

Eating at home has been a help, and so has the passage of the holidays. There are fewer temptations, and less justifying this little treat or that little indulgence. Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from perfect, and just today we were discussing the fact that vegetables really need to make up a larger portion of our meals, but January is better than December was in this regard.

As far as exercise goes, the fitness challenge at work couldn’t have come at a better time. There is plenty of support for getting up and getting moving throughout the day, and it’s been helping. My Fitbit has been much happier since I’ve been giving it more steps to count each day.

That leaves the reading. I was lucky to get a new Kindle as a gift, along with a sleek new case for it, and I’ve been enjoying it. I also read a “real” book a friend loaned me a while ago, and it was fabulous. I’ve read six books so far in 2018, so I’d say I’m off to a good start.

So that’s where I am with all this resolution-type stuff? How about you? What are you trying to do in the new year?

May 24, 2017
by BulgingButtons 2 Comments

Online Learning and Procrastination

51zS47EOayL._SX320_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg My son and I are both taking online courses at the moment. His is an intense, college level math course. Mine is a self-paced book study for professional development credits. We both tend to be procrastinators. Here’s what’s happening.

My course was supposed to start during my Spring Break, back in March, but the questions weren’t ready. I thought I would read the book, answer a few questions, and be done. Not so.

I read the book (The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion), and frankly enjoyed it, but still the questions weren’t available. I read it as a digital library loan, and others were waiting for it, so naturally I had to return it. Well, then the questions were posted. By this time I was back to school, and my time was far more limited. Still, I read through the questions and was shocked to find that there were 22 of them! Oh, and some of the questions required additional reading. Hey, wait a minute… nobody said anything about that at the beginning of the book study!

I ordered a copy of the book because there was no way I could answer the questions without a paper copy of it in front of me for reference. I got the book, put it in an easily noticeable spot, and carried on with my life, forgetting all about the book study.

Fortunately for me, the moderator sent out an email not too long ago reminding everyone that the book study was wrapping up at the end of May. Yikes!

Okay, I told myself, you have the last week of May off. School is out and summer work hasn’t begun. You can do this!

Well, so far so good. Last night I stayed up until almost 3 am answering questions that I could easily recall and find support for in the text. Those requiring more careful rereading and reading additional texts are still awaiting my responses. I’m about a third of the way done, and I’m sure I’ll complete it in time. At least that’s what I say now.

Deep down, however, I know I’m a procrastinator. I know that I’ll probably get down to the wire on this one. And I’ll probably scold myself for it, too. Sad, but true.

Anyway, I’m a fan of online learning for the flexibility it allows, but it worries me because it allows you to put off your work until you’re in a position where it’s do or die. Those deadlines come and go, and if your work isn’t submitted, too bad.

My son, fortunately, seems to have figured this out more quickly than I have. He’s really surprised me. Every day he takes over my desk with his computer and his math book and he does his work. I sometimes wonder if this is really the same kid who never seemed to do homework in high school (but really, he did, I swear it). I can’t complain, whatever he’s doing is working, so I should probably change my ways and try to be more like him.

It seems that the student has become the teacher. I’m okay with that, I really am.