Me. Just de facto.

I think I picked the wrong focus for this week. I haven’t done a lick of Spanish, but I’ve managed everything else that was on my list of possibilities, and then some other things I hadn’t even thought of. Like Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. I did not expect to be spending so much time listening to it! But he and his wit and wisdom have sucked me into his world of financial peace, and I have to know what he thinks about everything! Social security. 401K’s. My outfit for tomorrow. Oh, Dave! Tell me what you think!!!

In leuiw…lue…loo (whatever) of my failure, I’m going ignore the nagging guilt and talk about racquetball. I’m actually copying this from an email I sent to someone earlier today.

I have to admit, tennis and I are not friends. One of the reasons I like racquetball so much is that I feel it’s the more likable cousin of the racquet sports family. For one, you’re in an air conditioned area. I hate being hot, and the sun likes to annoy the crap out of me by being perpetually in my eyes so I can’t see the tennis ball. And it makes me sweat like a man. Then there’s the whole containment thing. In tennis, chasing the ball all over the park is sad…and trust me, my skills require that I chase the ball more than I hit it. In racquetball, however, you need only to walk a few steps to retrieve the ball…in an air conditioned area! (That’s my favorite part. Can you tell?) And then there’s that wonderful “Wa!” noise the racquetball makes when you hit it just right. I call those little blue racquetballs Wally for this very reason.

Tada! De Facto Elle reigns supreme today! I don’t even feel bad…that’s how much she reigns.

Me. Just random.

Today has to be categorized as a “Bad Day”, but I don’t care. I had a very nice day, even if I only accomplished half of my goals. Some days are just meant to be pleasant, especially when it’s such a lovely spring day. I feel like I’m in Bambi when the snow melts and those flowers magically pop out of the ground. There were even horses running around in a field across the street from my new job. How charming!

Here are the top three reasons why I love my new job (in a very particular order):

1. I get to wear girl shoes.

2. No one throws up on me.

3. If someone does throw up on me, I’m pretty sure I get to go home.

And even if I didn’t get any Spanish homework done today, I did get two lessons mailed out. That’s worth celebrating (and a shout out to Kimberly for helping me do it!). I wish with all of my heart that house elves were real. Nothing could please me more than to come home to find that I do, indeed, have a floor and that it is carpeted. I think it’s brown. I can’t remember…it’s been a while since I’ve seen it. This is the most random post ever. Not very focused tonight, friends. I need to trim my nails.

Me. Just refocused.

Day 1 of “Elle’s Literate Week!” has been a semi-failure. I have not read 3 news articles (nor do I intend to), have not started The Me I Want To Be (no chance of that, either), but I have listened to Have a Little Faith in my car (that’s only because I was too lazy to switch over to the radio). I was up at 8:00 this morning, but had little luck with arriving 10 minutes early everywhere I went. I was 5 minutes early to work, just on time to dinner, and late to coffee with a friend afterwards. I’ve lost a bit of my gusto for my self-improvement project. I think this calls for a little vision casting!

When I think about Improved Elle, I think of her in increments. First, there’s next week’s Improved Elle – more literate and more timely. Then there’s next month’s Improved Elle, Improved Elle 3 months from now, etc. Tonight, I want to talk about the latter.

3 months from now, I want to be more organized – live a little less cluttered day to day. That’s where the time management comes in. I want to have more time to do things like read, which is where time management and my literacy endeavor come together. And I want to live in a space that encourages growth, not hinders it. Currently, my personal space reflects my life: controlled chaos. Piles have overtaken my furniture and floor, and while they’re organized piles, they’re clutter and mess. The same is true of my car. I think I saw a pop tart flying around the passenger’s side this morning. Those pop tarts are so tricksy…

So, 3 months from now, I want to have created environments conducive to self-improvement efforts. And I want those environments to encourage me to give my best. How’s that for a little vision casting? I feel better already! And in the spirit of my “no more tomorrow” commitment, I will go read three news articles. Booyah!

Me. Just punctual.

I’ve decided that there needs to be some sort of organization to this self-improvement. Just picking things that I need to change at random will probably result in me wasting more time and having a stressful time doing it. Therefore, I declare that each week will have a focus. This week is Time.

I’ve already covered the whole “wake with the glory of the morn” bit, and that’s going *insert sarcastic tone here* swimmingly. In my defense, reader(s), I worked a closing shift last night and didn’t get home until almost 11pm. And then I had to play facebook for a while. Not to mention that stirring ice skating competition at the Olympics. *Side note: Scott Hamilton made me giggle the first few times I heard him commentate, but now I think he’s brilliant. I’m no ice skater and need to be told when something’s good or bad. His emotional outbursts give me the cues I need to respond accordingly. *The end of side note.

Back to time. On my way home from the doctor’s yesterday (getting my open wound covered with strange tape a Snoopy band-aid…yay?) I congratulated myself on being at the doctor’s office ten minutes before my scheduled appointment. That felt very Improved Elle-ish to me, and so I introduce another point of betterment: punctuality.

My best friend’s mother, who acts as a sort of second mother to me, was once asked to describe my weaknesses. “I love Elle just the way she is,” she declared loyally. “If there was one thing I wish was just a bit different, it would be how she is always just a little bit late.” And so, dear Mrs. Scheid, I give you your wish. Your wish of 10 minutes.

Therefore, I will wake up tomorrow (yes, at 8:00 am) and be at work 10 minutes prior to my shift. Improved Elle would also make sure to arrive with a fresh cup of coffee from Gloria Jean’s. Well, if I must!