Blogging and Goal Help 3/1/10

I have to admit that yesterday was pretty productive. I planned the week's meals and wrote them on the calendar, went food shopping, posted off Mirror's Edge and learned to knit!

The week's meals:

Tonight: Ham, potato wedges and veg
Monday: BBQ with rice
Tuesday: Chicken curry with potato wedges
Wednesday: Something tinned; Stuart goes straight to college so I am on my own.
Thursday: Pasta
Friday: Chinese with my parents?
Saturday: Out for a meal with Math and Charl.

Plus there's still plenty of biscuits around and a lot of tinned stuff for lunches. The whole point of the meal planning exercise is to empty out my cupboards before I switch them around during my annual leave later this week.

After meal planning, I went food shopping on my own while Stuart began work on his millionth assignment (more on that later). I spent just over £70 which was hefty for what I bought but I suppose that's the cost of living these days. It didn't seem fair though. Most of the stuff I need for dinner next week was already in the cupboard. What's expensive is the fruit and the Dolmio stuff I take to work. I really need to look at a way of producing yummy, microwavable meals that are cheap and easy to prepare. There were a few toiletries and things that are more expensive than food but it seemed really hefty for what we eat.

I would have gone to Cardiff with the Mothership had she had the energy. That scares me: that my mother doesn't have the energy anymore. I worry about her shoulders and her carpal tunnel syndrome reoccurring. It makes me sad.

In the end, I stayed home and we went to Mum's for chilli later. Then she got the knitting needles out and taught me my first bit of knitting! I was so excited, although I keep getting it wrong. I should be crossing over the needles, slackening my hands more etc. But hey ho, it's my first shot and I was quite pleased with my effort. There's a photo on my Flickr under day two of Project 365.

Last night, while my mother taught me knitting, Stuart came back over and worked. He hasn't worked much over the holidays and it's now caught up with him. He's got a pile of assignments to do and not a lot of time left in which to do them. I try and help out with food and encouragement. I think he'll beat himself up over it because he didn't work in the week leading up to Christmas, but as I already know from endless experience, self-depracation gets you nowhere. Therefore, I spent yesterday and will now spend today doing my own thing while he gets through his work.

I am back in work tonight. I like nights but I also like days. I've liked the routine being on days has put me in. These last three mornings I've been wide awake at 9am and I attribute that to working days. There's none of this "oh, let me stay in bed" feeling I get when I work nights. My body is truly rested and it's telling me that. I love feeling as productive as I do when I work days. I think I would love to work days full-time but there's the quitting college thing I need to get around i.e. telling my colleagues and feeling their scorn/pity/disappointment. I may do it after the January exams.

In light of my need for a calm day, this is my to do list:

• Buy the sellotape dispenser and M&S utensil rack
• Track my progress on Joe's Goals (and edit the damn content!)
• Listen to three chapters of HP, making notes as I go.
• Watch an episode of Gavin & Stacey
  
• Note how many e-mails I get today in my project book
• Write some thank you cards.
  
• Put together the new lamp
  
• More knitting?
• Take a photo for Project 365
  
• Preen myself for work: shower, wash and straighten hair, pluck eyebrows etc.
• Draft out my personal statement (in work)