On the doing of things
Something about my mother that frustrates the hell out of me is that she doesn't get things done. She knows that X or Y needs doing, and perhaps needs doing NOW, before some time limit runs out, and yet she doesn't do it.
This frustrates the hell out of me because I see myself do the same. It's annoying. It's like, "Why the hell aren't I doing this VERY IMPORTANT THING that I know damn well needs to be done because otherwise there will be fines and late fees and possibly jail time?" (I exaggerate only a little. Right now I have jury notices from two different counties, neither of which is where I now live, but I've dawdled about sending them the documentation proving I don't live there.)
It doesn't make a difference if the outcome would be a good thing--"Send that invoice for freelance work. Call Comcast and make them refund the overpayment on the account at the old address." It's still something that's hard to get my shit together and get it done.
It should not feel like a giant triumph to accomplish the most basic tasks of life, such as laundry. And yet it is those very basic, essential tasks that get easily put off, day after day, until things reach a crisis situation, be it "The courts are summons-ing you," or "You can't wear this underwear four days in a row; three was bad enough."
I don't know if this happens to other people. I tend to think it does, but honestly, I don't know. I think there are a significant number of people who always stay on top of everything.
I manage to stay on top of things if I can set up a system for them. Back in the day, more than a decade ago, I was absolute shit about paying my bills on time. I wasn't earning a lot of money, but it was still enough to afford my life. The problem was that I didn't have a central place to put my bills, nor a specific time to sit down and deal with them. Once I established those two things (a particular coily letter holder + "while watching TV"), bam, I was early with all my bills.
So anyway, one of the interesting things about buying the house is that I definitely have things I need to do that I keep putting off, but then I get on a tear and get them done, and I love that, because each time, it's a mark that this is MY house and I am responsible for it, but also MY MY MY MY MY HOUSE MINE MINE MINE.
Today's accomplishments: Attached two bookshelves to walls, carried a chair upstairs that needs to live in the office, measured the bathroom for a cut-to-fit shower rod, and nailed down the carpet at the top of the stairs. That last one was kind of important, yo.
Today's failure, though not for lack of trying: I have no idea which of the zillion boxes contains the copier paper. I own six or seven reams of the stuff, and I moved it with me. I opened every copy-paper box I have (twenty or so), but no dice. I have no idea where I packed it.
I like unlined paper for doing revisions on. I don't know why, it just feels nice to use, and copy paper interleaves into the printed ms that's being revised. Also, sometimes I literally cut and paste (okay, cut and tape), so it's useful, again, to have extra paper that fits right. I managed to find some 8.5 x 11 bright pink paper with three-ring-binder holes, so that will have to do. I'm pretty sure I've had this paper since at least high school, but DAMN it is bright pepto pink.