Friday 7 January 2011

Oh alright then....

Given as how I've signed up for a writing class (see last post), I might as well solidify some NY resolutions that are swimming around in my head.

1-Get more exercise (of course). The irony is that since we aquired the mutt in April last year, I've been walking her a lot. My legs and bum are not bad but I'm not burning nearly as many calories as I did on the eliptical. That has resulted in excess flesh around the waistband. I've never had much of a waist but it's actually starting to look more out than in. Not good.

2. Get out more. If you met me you'd never take me for an Introvert. (Stop chortling everyone who knows me.) However, when I do the Myers-Briggs thingy, I come out as an INTJ, - the "I" standing for introvert. Now, when they say "introvert" they're not meaning the wall-flower type. Heavens, no. They mean - someone who prefers to work on his/her own, which would be me. Once I've dropped the Little Guy off at school and walked the dog, I have a habit of spending the rest of the day on my own in the house. Bliss.

I can't blame myself really. If you'll remember, because of the enormous age gap between my kids, by the time Little Guy went to school full time, I had spent 200 16 consecutive years at home with a small child in the house full or part time. I know.  Do you wonder that I crave silence and solitude?

However, to stave off batty old woman-ness, I have decided that I need to meet people for lunch at least once a week, and other wise to go out and talk to others. (The writing class ticks some of these boxes thank heavens.)

3.Finish house projects - Again, in my own defenc/se, we moved into this house 7 years ago when I had a 5 month old baby (plus two big kids) and a brand new publishing deal. I was a bit busy to say the least, so things like the guest bedroom never really got the full interior decor magic wand, and other things around the place were left for a while. Ok, for 7 years.  Unfortunately now the list is growing before my very eyes. After 7 years of wear and tear, there are new items, like -  should I have the kitchen cabinet doors replaced, does the front hall need a paint job, should we replace the handles on the Queenagers' dresser? (Probably a yes to that one since they appear to have disappeared completely. Hmmm..better check under her bed.)

4. Don't do them all yourself  - Being a bit of a crafter, I like to make curtains, padded headboards and the like. I'm not always that good a finisher-offer, whether through lack of time or just plain old-fashioned loss of interest. Occasionally I bite off more than I can chew, like the day I puchased $150 of gorgeous brown chenille fabric (50% off) to cover an over-sized armchair. I bought a pattern for a loose-fitting slip cover and was ready to go. Cannot understand the sodding pattern at all, and I'm not cutting into expensive fabric until assured of a happy ending. So it's sitting in the guest bedroom like a discarded bridesmaid's dress. I thought about getting someone in to do it, but that would put the finished cost at well over the worth of the chair itself. I think I will make the slip cover out of old sheets first, then battle the extreme boredom I always get when doing something over again exactly the same way. (I hate knitting sweaters because I get bored on the second sleeve.)

Moral - get the professionals in to start with.

OK, I think that's enough to be torturing myself getting on with.

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9 comments:

  1. I like the solitude in the house too. So calm after the noise levels when the boys are at home.

    As for house stuff, it's quite nice being in a rented house and knowing there's nothing I can do/have to do about anything! I had so many years of there always being something to sort out in the house, that it's really liberating.

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  2. Each mine pie I consumed over the festive period came with a promise of exercise in the New Year, so I've got to do it!

    Good luck with finishing off the projects, I've got a few of those I need to do as well. Not fun!

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  3. I emphasize on the introvert comment. I often feel like I'm either an introverted extrovert or an extroverted introvert.

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  4. Those were good resolutions!
    Good luck with them!
    Maggie (ISFJ) X

    Nuts in May

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  5. 16 years? SIXTEEN YEARS??? I'm amazed you ever show your face outside any more. I've now had only 6 1/2 and I've completely gone off music (noise), going out (noise), staying in (noise), ...

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  6. I totally relate to the need to have time on your own. My days are similar, usually, though at the moment we have a very extroverted friend staying who talks to me constantly and it's driving me NUTS! I find myself going out just to get away from him.

    I also relate to the depletion in exercise levels since getting a dog. I used to be pretty fit and about 3 stone lighter before the Hairy Hound arrived. It drives me mad that people say "Ah, they make you exercise, don't they?" NO THEY DON'T! They take up what was previously my gym slot with their walks, so it's now difficult to find time to get to the gym. I do run a bit, but I'm not a huge fan of running.

    Oh, and we've been in this house 10 years and never decorated the kitchen, dining room (which has a damaged bit of ceiling from an old leak. We don't notice it any more) or the hall, stairs and landing (which has old fashioned but unobtrusive wallpaper on). Really must get to at least one of them soon. Though possibly after Son's room which has squares of sample paints on the wall that have been there several months now... oops.

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  7. I so relate to the thickening waist problem. My bum is fast disappearing and the plump buttocks that once were now seem to have defied gravity, floated upwards and ended up round my middle. Let me know if you find a miracle cure!

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  8. Introvert? *chuckles* erm. nope. But I do get your point of being on your own quite a bit. I guess it comes with your profession.

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  9. I've read that the "I" Meyers Brigg refers more to how you restore your own energy. Extroverts do it by interacting with others. They will go out to bars and talk to strangers to revive their inner energy stocks, whereas introverts need time alone, even if they very much enjoy being with others. Being with others is still energy sapping, not energy giving. Neither is good or bad. I love all that personality typing stuff! I'm ENTP! One of my friends got a totally different result when she took the test while pregnant, very interesting!

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