Over the weekend, my husband, daughter, and I checked out one of "places I want to get to" this summer: the Barnes & Noble that recently opened in a nearby shopping center.
It did not disappoint. We spent way too much time there and one of us (I plead the fifth) spent too much money as well.
Next up: the beach vacation that's a standard summer trip for us, hopefully with our daughter along for the first time in several years. My husband (the planner) has been making lists and "necessary purchases" for the past two week. I (the pantser -- as in "by the seat of my pants") have been tossing things into laundry baskets and making piles of things to take along (can you tell my organizational style is I need to see it?) And yes, I've also gone old school, creating a few lists to keep track of what's been done and what remains to be done.
I have a few other lists, too, of things I want to do between now and the start of fall semester. Like my beach lists, they fall into predictable categories.
- What I’m reading: Sooo many things! I actually made a short list of books to finish this month so I could focus my reading pursuits. The goal is to complete at least two of the books on the list. Unfortunately, I'm so delighted to have time to read whatever I want that I find myself hopping from one title to the next which doesn't bode well for successful completion of the original short list.
- What I’m watching: One of the books I'm hoping to finish (What's Next?) focuses on the television show The West Wing, which I recently finished re-watching. The book has inspired me to check out another old Aaron Sorkin show (one that was new to me) called Sports Night. I’m also watching a baking championship show and trying to work my way through the list of miniseries and movies on my to-be-watched list. If you have a suggestion for something worth watching, please drop it in the comments.
- What else? (a.k.a. other fun stuff): Duolingo – mostly French, but also chess. I'm making time to work on my collage projects, drawing and coloring, along with doing more cooking than I do during the semester, but that’s not really saying much. Hopefully also getting back to crocheting and journaling. Oh, and digital games, mostly the New York Times puzzles and Words With Friends.
- What I'm writing: In addition to my minimum of 10 minutes a day of "new words," I'm hoping to pick up the threads of other projects that get dropped when things get busy -- an article here, a submission there -- as well as being a more faithful blogger and perhaps coming up with a few new ideas.
- What I hope to accomplish: Painting the trim in the dining room (don’t ask me how long ago I painted the walls. Again, I plead the fifth). Getting rid of the equivalent of a magazine a day until I get rid of the backlog. (Buying two new ones at Barnes and Noble did not help, nor do the active subscriptions that bring new issues in the mail). De-cluttering my basement, one box or bin at a time which has been, at times, an interesting trip down memory lane.
- Who I want to hang out with: Family, of course. I'm also looking forward to a succession of lunches and coffee dates with friends -- far easier to schedule in the summertime. But, with so many things to keep me occupied, hanging out by myself isn't such a bad deal either.
(Image by André Santana Design André Santana from Pixabay)