Invention of the Jews

Sands book sounds fascinating. But will I read it?

Intimacy has yielded to oversharing

"Intimacy has yielded to oversharing," a resonating statement from Stacy Schiff's review of Thomas Mallon's new book, "Yours ever, People and their Letters, on letter writing in the New York Times.

Route 102

Blueberry Farm,
Photo: Paul E. Kandarian/For The Boston Globe

Fond memories.

The Hadza, Gatherer and Hunter, Tanzania

Photo: Martin Schoeller, National Geographic ©

I was captivated, and later enthralled by Michael Finkel's article in National Geographic about the Hadza, but sad to learn how their land, like others who live similarly, are being pushed out and beyond their lifestyle.

How will "they live a remarkably present-tense existence" if we continue to discard their ethic.

Dreams

I had some strange dreams about President Obama, and Senator McCain. Am I reading too many blogs?

The President was in danger? McCain appearing seemed unrelated.

I went to news immediately this morning to make sure nothing dramatic was occuring.

This report by the ADL is not relieving my mind.

Paced too much, too soon

Although I promised myself 15 minute work outs in getting the house and my life in order, I went overboard today, cutting down boxes and moving stuff into the car.

I managed to exhaust myself with a 40 minute stink in the cellar: one laundry done, another in the ready mode and 1/2 or 3/4 of the boxes and some other recyclables in the car.

I did, however, manage to spend another pace time going through some files, and decide to discard an entire plastic bag full.

I also had that difficult discussion I had been postponing with B and it went better than I could imagine.

Setting a Pace in a Place, Part I

Setting aside work stations

bill paying and mail collection
journal workstation
wet medium
dry medium
doodling
eating

Thinking and Doing Art

Spend a minimum of 30min each day doing some form of art.


Paper work

15 minutes alternate dates; payments to be made promptly,
15 minutes alternate dates, filing and de-cluttering of old files


Sorting and disposal

At intervals, sort more paper, magazines, clothing, 15 minutes each, 2 times per week
At the end of a two week period, put the sorted items together for disposal: to second hand store, library, offer on network etc.

At intervals, break up boxes or better yet, break up boxes on the day they go downstairs
At intervals of 1 x per month bring paper to Honesdale Recycle or 1 x per month to New York Recycle - plan visit when going to either town**

Eating better

Fat fighting foods.

Quotes

Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.

Cyril Connolly
(1903 - 1974)

Quotes

Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossible before they were done. ~ Louis D. Brandeis

Procrastination

Act after you plan:

• start with a written plan of action to avoid getting distracted
• keep your plan simple and straightforward
• start with the one thing you must get done today to feel productive
• should be a manageable item you can complete in 10-15 minutes
• break the day up into a number of "action sessions" for other tasks
• balance the time spent planning with time spent creating or doing
• avoid over-planning -- another method of procrastination
• before ending your day, spend 10 minutes reviewing your progress
• take time to plan your actions for the next day

Be Vision directed

• your tasks should match your values or purpose
• if not, you will find it hard to summon the energy to tackle them
• bring each task into congruence with your basic mission
• if you can't, take it off of your list

Bite sized bits

• don't put any "to-do" on your list that takes more than 30 minutes
• if it takes longer, it's actually a series of smaller "to-do's"
• break each step out and list it separately
• you don't have to tackle all the steps of a project in one sitting
• spread a large task out over several work sessions
• you will see greater progress as you check more items off your list
• you will avoid getting bogged down in one large task or project

Decide to schedule it

• determine how much you can do or tolerate at a time
• don't push yourself too far or you'll get bored or frustrated
• plan these project "pieces" into your daily activities
• set a "completion point" for accomplishing each small task
• completion points give you an end in sight to look forward to

Good enough is good enough

• don't try to do everything perfectly
• perfectionism often causes procrastination
• perfectionists would rather put it off than do an incomplete job
• rather than perfection, aim for progress
• any small step toward completion is an accomplishment

Just do it!

• do the worst job (or part of the job) first and get it out of the way
• once you tackle the part you are dreading, the rest is a breeze
• stop spending time planning and just jump into doing it
• set a time limit -- "I'll file papers for 5 minutes"
• alternate unpleasant jobs with tasks you enjoy
• delegate out items you can't make yourself do

Plan around interruptions

• interruptions tend to occur in identifiable patterns
• notice when interruptions occur, by whom, and why
• take steps to prevent those interruptions before they occur
• if they can't be prevented, learn how to delegate to someone else
• if they can't be delegated, learn how to delay until you are finished

Remember to make it fun

• make the project and environment as pleasant as possible
• play music, open a window, have a cold drink, etc.
• give yourself the best tools and work space for the project
• take a few minutes to organize your work space
• a clean desk allows you to focus without visual distraction
• it's only a chore if you think of it as a chore

Staying motivated

• find an "accountability partner" to track your progress
• schedule a regular time to check in with a friend or colleague
• rewarding your accomplishments encourages productivity
• give yourself a break, a treat, a nap -- whatever is a reward for you
• reward every step along the way, not just the end result
• the bigger the accomplishment, the bigger the reward

(The above is taken in whole from Ramona Creel. Copyright resides with the author. Content provided by OnlineOrganizing.com -- offering "a world of organizing solutions!" Visit www.onlineorganizing.com for organizing products, free tips, a speakers bureau, get a referral for a Professional Organizer near you, or get some help starting and running your own organizing business.)

Another Way to be organised: Moleskine

The Woman Who Named God

Poet and scholar, Charlotte Gordon, undoubtedly did massive research to bring, "The Woman Who Named God," to print. With so little narrative in the Old Testament about Hagar, one is left more with interpretation than fact. However, conjuncture about the role of Hagar to Abram (Abraham) and Sarai (Sarah), and later to Islam, couldn't come at a better historical cross-roads as Islam, Christianity and Judaism all continue to spar for their special place as God's Chosen.

One could postulate or fantasize about how the Middle East would have been a different landscape, with other issues, if Hagar and Ismael had remained with Abram and Sarai, or conversely, how Islam might have never emerged if Abram had followed his first instruction's from Yahweh.

It appears more women are entering the biblical writing arena, each exploring either other female biblical figures like Gordon, or exploring biblical implications, like Elaine Pagels and Karen Armstrong. Each bring a unique vision to what has been traditionally the purview of men. I welcome their perspective and applaud their academic resourcefulness.

Quotes, Shaw said,

George Bernard Shaw

A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing.

Good lot of movie references for the end

Following the caption for 2012, the article covers some movies I've missed.

Trust in a todo list

Call Verizon to reset the two outlets: bedroom, studio
Ask one of Jo-Anns boys to help me

1. move furniture around
2. rug to bedroom
3. remove rug in study-office
4. move chest upstairs
5. move small table indoors (I might be able to do this myself)
   

V - the movie

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor each morning the Devil says, "Aw crap, she's up!