I'M A USEFUL MEMBER OF SOCIETY!

I got a job! I've been trying for months to get a job at the fitness center of the YMCA where I work-out 6 mornings a week. I thought that I was going to be hired back in October because one of the employees was leaving for the Peace Corps. But then there was a snag in his paperwork and he said he wouldn't be leaving till the end of March.

However, there was a sudden vacancy at the front desk, and some of the employees who know me put in a good word for me, and there I am! I have a part-time job as a "Member Services Associate". I'm thrilled to have my foot in the door, as well as getting free membership. Oh, have I mentioned that it's only a 5 minute walk from my house?

Oh, yes, so I believe this counts as a routine-breaker for Day 12: Filling out my employment paperwork and getting my first hour of training yesterday.

Creativity as a routine-breaker, Part IV

Day 10: Every time I throw out a toilet-paper roll (into the recycle bin), I always think that I should do something with it. I never know what, but something. This day, I was inspired by something I saw on the internet, so my routine-breaker was to quit procrastinating and do the same:

Done with a combo of stickers and Sharpie pens. He now lives on a ledge above my dining room window.

Day 11: No music or radio today. This was torture! I usually have the radio or my music library on all day. I had the constant, nagging feeling that I was missing something.

Day 12: This one deserves a post of its own; stay tuned.

Day 13: I wake up at 4:10am in the morning, start the coffee pot, and then do some mobility/warm-up exercises. Because I'm half-asleep, I do the exact same routine every morning. This is when routines are really useful, because you can get things done without thinking about them at all. But last night my brain was racing (because of events on the mysterious day 12) and woke up at 2:00am, so I messed around with my warm-up and added a new hip mobility exercise which will now be permanently added to my routine.

Backyard Carnage, Routine Breakers Part 3

Days 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9

Day 5: Washing and drying dishes on opposite sides of the sink. I don't have a dishwasher; it's all done by hand. Switching the two sides is quite tricky, because there's not much space and I don't usually need to think about how to turn and move things to keep from whacking into the faucet or other dishes.

Day 6: I switched sides of the bed with Rob. (Sleeping, that is.) Isn't he a good sport?

Day 7: Merry Christmas to all! Instead of using my automatic coffee maker, I made all my coffee today by dripping it directly into my mug with a filter holder.

The coffee tasted great, and it was a bit stronger than usual, but it's a pain in the butt standing there and waiting to add more water as it drips, so I'm reverting to using my coffee maker.

Day 8: Sitting on the opposite side of the table while eating. No problem; I don't think I grew any new brain cells with this one.

Day 9:  I usually wait until New Year's Day to take down the Christmas decor,but I decided to do it early. Probably because right before the holidays, I bought a new tablecloth I really like.

A couple of days ago I was in the laundry room when I looked out the window and saw this:

Hawk? Falcon? I know nothing about birds. Let me know if you know what this is.

He was plucking and eating his pigeon for over an hour before he grabbed it in his talons and flew off over the fence.

Routine Breakers, Part 2

Days 2, 3, and 4

I really hated day 2! My routine breaker was to stand at the computer. I took the chair away so I wouldn't forget and use it. The morning was the worst part, because I usually stumble out of bed, grab my coffee, and blob out in the computer chair while catching up on emails and forums. Wasting time just isn't as much fun when you can't sit down.

I had to prop up the keyboard and mouse on boxes so I could reach them. I don't have a desk job, but I do generally spend 2-3 hours on the computer at various times throughout the day. I definitely cut down on my computer time because of this change.

Day 3 was a breeze. I'm left-handed, and I switched to my right hand for all of my eating and drinking. No problem; I was a lot more coordinated than I thought I would be, and it didn't require much mental effort.

Today is day 4: Putting on the toilet paper roll upside-down. Because I'm doing it intentionally, it's not bothering me nearly as much as when it happens on accident.

'Twas the week before Christmas

Christmas doesn't excite me nearly as much as Halloween. But I'm not a total Grinch; I do attempt to make the house look festive:

Looks a little different than it did a couple of months ago.

Breaking Routines

I found an interesting blog called Make Something 365, which encourages people to pick a theme and make something within that theme every day for an entire year.

I'm not exactly a crafty person. I have my moments, and can create something nifty once in a while, but I don't think I could keep it up on a daily basis. It did, however, inspire me to come up with a 365 day challenge. Every day, I'm going to break a routine. The one "rule" I'm making is that it has to be an intentional change. If I accidentally plow my car into a house or have unexpected guests, that doesn't count.

As you can see from the picture up above, today I'm wearing my watch upside-down and on the opposite wrist. I'm a compulsive watch/time checker, so I figured this would make me a little more aware of how often I do it.

I doubt that my routine-breakers will be exciting enough to blog about every day, but I will attempt to summarize at least once a week.