Playing Games & Playing With Knives

61: We haven't played any new games for a long time, but I found Castle Keep at the thrift store and it looked interesting. It said "ages 8 and up", so I figured I could handle it.

Talked hubby and son into playing a few rounds. Eh. OK but not great. The playing pieces are pretty cool looking; maybe I can use them in some future creative endeavor.

62: Got a first-aid certificate from Red Cross. Haven't had one for about 30 years.

63: I generally hate computer games and anything classified as a brain game. So I Googled "brain games" and came up with this. I checked out every game on the website and this is the only one I actually liked.

64: Rob is the official knife-sharpener in the house. He's always telling me how easy it is, but I've always resisted learning. Today I had him show me how. He's right; it is easy!

Don't you think it's a good idea that I took the first-aid class before I started playing with knives?

Routine-Breakers: Month Two Review

Doing things in a different manner: 9 Days
Doing something new: 19 days
Days of deprivation: 2

The further I get into the challenge, the more skewed it's going to be towards doing something new and creative. It's really getting difficult to think of ways to do things differently, particularly since I'm not a very routine-oriented person to begin with.

   

                      Random photo: Karni, who died last month. RIP.

Hearts, Dreams, Beads and Shoes

Routine-breakers, days 57 through 60

57: I'm usually a Valentine's Day grinch (Hallmark holiday! Bah, humbug!) but I figured I'd go with the flow and make cutesy Valentine goodies for Rob. These are the same as the regular granola bars that I make, but I made these in heart-shaped, silicone baking cups and wrapped them in gold foil to look all fancy:

58: I programmed myself at bed-time to remember my dream. I know I dream, but I usually forget what it was by morning. This was not the most exciting dream to remember: I dreamt that I had a janitorial job at the Y, and spent hour after hour collecting and washing the towels.

59: I was fixing a seam on a shirt I got from a thrift store, and I spontaneously fancied it up with some beads I had on hand.

60: Did you know that there are all sorts of ways to relace your shoes? Many of them require two sets of shoe-laces, but I followed this tutorial to bar-lace my Converse. Here is the before and after:

Taking Suggestions for Routine-Breakers

Days 52 through 56

52: It was bed-time and I still hadn't broken a routine, so I slept nekkid. (I don't usually.) I don't like it, and didn't sleep well. Every time I changed position, some part of my body hit a cold section of sheet or brought in a fresh, chilly gust of air.

53: I am not a singer. Pretty much the only time I feel compelled to sing is when a birthday cake is brought out or during the chorus of Bohemian Rhapsody. Today I sang in the shower. I got through all the lyrics of Cat Steven's "Moonshadow" twice.

54: I haven't used nail polish since I was about 12 years old. Today I painted my toe-nails:

55: On my walk to the thrift stores, I stopped at Starbucks and bought coffee. This probably wouldn't be a routine-breaker for most people, but I don't think I've been out for coffee for over a year. Got a tall soy latte, and it was yummy.

56: I went all OCD and avoided stepping on lines all day. Talk about a way to suck all the joy out of a walk. When you have to pay attention to the ground, you can't really notice anything else.
*****

I'm finding it more difficult to come up with routine-breakers. I've already used up all the easy ones, like switching hands, sitting in a different spot, etc. Anybody have any great ideas?

Hula-hoops, Hobbits and Eskimo Kisses

Routine-breakers Days 43-51

Day 43: I got out the hula-hoop that's been sitting around for a dozen years (I bought it for my kids) and played around with it. Not only can I still keep it twirling around my waist, but I did some twirling around my legs and arms that I never even did when I was a kid. It was so much fun, I've been doing it every day since.

Day 44: The break-room at work has a serious coffee mug and spoon shortage. Instead of being perpetually annoyed about it, I went to a couple of thrift stores and bought some to take in. (20-cents per mug, 15-cents per spoon. What a deal!)

Day 45: My husband always mixes the oil into the new jar of almond butter. I did it today.

Day 46: I reversed all my dresser drawers; left to right, and right to left. Took a few days to stop opening the wrong drawers.

Day 47: I hate having the remote control, my husband likes it. For our evening movie (A Fistful of Dollars) I DEMANDED possession of the remote. (Wow, I even figured out how to use it!)

Day 48: Remember eskimo kisses? A combo of rubbing noses and sort of a side-nose nuzzle. Robbie and I both liked this one; we're still doing it.

Day 49: Haven't listened to an audio book in years, but it seemed like a good idea. So I dug out the CD set of The Hobbit and spent a couple of enjoyable hours listening to it while doing some domestic chores. I'll be continuing with it today.

Day 50: Even when I'm at work, I usually have a meal ready for Rob to microwave. At the very least, I have the food in the fridge and tell him what to do with it. Not today:

Charlotte's book just happened to be sitting there, so I figured I'd include a gratuitous book plug.

Day 51: NO COMPUTER! AT ALL! Oh, the agony...I felt so disconnected from civilization!