Category Archives: 100 Days

DAY NINETY: A Little Bit

Wednesday. Today was a non-student day at work, so I put in for a “personal day” rather than driving all the way downtown for some boring, pointless union workshop thing. The teachers’ union here is practically worthless. But that would be a discussion better left undiscussed, as the negative opinions I hold on the matter would be productive to nobody.

Anyway, having a day off in the middle of the week was fantastic because it allowed me to sleep in! After I woke up around 8am I actually managed to get a few things done!

The biggest accomplishment was getting to the Department of Motor Vehicles office to get a replacement title for my car. That process went more smoothly and quickly, not to mention inexpensively (only $10 replacement title fee), than I had anticipated.

Then I went to WalMart to get a new pair of denim jeans. It’s been years since I last purchased jeans, and the two pairs I have that still fit me are worn out. To my surprise the WalMart house brand, Faded Glory, denim jeans are still the same price they were when I last purchased a pair several years ago, about $11. Yes, I still had to buy “fat boy” pants, but I did not buy a larger size than what I am currently wearing. I still have jeans in smaller waist sizes, and my intent is to be wearing those again soon. For now, though, I needed some I can wear for general purpose… purposes, like working around the house and yard.

On the way home from the DMV and WalMart I stopped in Haleiwa Town at Billy’s Barber Shop and had my hair cut.

At home, I filled out the online form to donate my car to the National Kidney Foundation. Donating the car while it’s still running will be far easier than trying to sell it. The online form was easy to fill out now that I had the title in hand, and a representative from the NKF telephoned within an hour of my submitting the form with further instructions. I mailed off the title to NKF headquarters. They’ll be by within a few days after they receive the title to pick up the car.

Then I went outside and spent more hours than anticipated trimming bushes around the yard. I did not finish everything I thought I would; in fact, I only finished one of the two bushes I planned to work on. The other I didn’t even start. I wore my old jeans one last time, and when I was finished I tossed them in the rubbish bin.

So: car title, arrange for car donation, hair cut, new jeans, trim bushes – oh, and hauled another box of books to the library, and figured out why the other car, the Suzuki Sidekick, wouldn’t start (corroded battery terminal, just a few minutes to remedy). A more productive day than usual. Not a lot of these projects were directly related to “changing my life,” but most of them were at least tangents toward the goal.

DAY EIGHTY-NINE: Another Tired Tuesday

Feeling worn down and worn out. Day off from work tomorrow. It’s some kind of no-student day arranged by the union. I put in for a personal leave day – only the second time I’ve requested a personal leave day in the seven years I’ve worked at the school.

Apparently one of my credit cards is now offering free access to FICO credit scores as one of the benefits. As of today my FICO score is 716. That is… not good. It’s not “bad,” but it’s borderline. A goal during the next hundred days will definitely be to improve my FICO credit score!

Meh… so much to do, yet all I want to actually do is lay down and close my eyes.

DAY EIGHTY-EIGHT: Monday

Monday. Tired, as usual. Went to work. Came home. Sitting here in front of the computer now, getting ready to pay some bills.

Interesting post on Steve Kamb’s Nerd Fitness web site today: Life is a Game: A Major Epic Quest Update. That post links back to a very specific “how to” post: How to Accomplish that Big Mission on your Bucket List.

So if I want to DO stuff, there’s the “how to do it” instructions, right there!

Okay, then… what do I want to do? Something different than what I’m doing, that’s for sure.

DAY EIGHTY-SIX: Depressed

I got depressed today while out walking. First of all, I was walking, not running, which is discouraging. I feel fat and slow and old. My weight is at 202 pounds. My largest trousers are too tight around the waistline. My car is broken and I don’t have enough money to get it fixed. And then I’m our walking past all the nice beach houses on Crozier Drive, houses that cost millions of dollars, and I’m realizing that I’ve wasted my life. I stopped and just looked at one house for a long time, and thought to myself, “that’s the kind of house I thought I’d be living in at this point in my life.” Continue reading DAY EIGHTY-SIX: Depressed

DAY EIGHTY-FIVE: Is the Weekend Here Yet?

Did I finally make it through to the weekend?

Current forecasts suggest Hurricane Ana will pass well south of Oahu. Weather effects should be minimal.

Priorities for this weekend: SLEEP! Exercise. Get some more house stuff done. Look into the “for sale by owner” process.

Oh, the real estate agent who was supposed to drop by yesterday afternoon did not show up; nor did he phone or send an email. I guess he was too busy to look at a small property that isn’t worth a million bucks or more.

 

DAY EIGHTY-FOUR: Stop Being Fat

Another Thursday, another full pound. I’m at 202.4 pounds today. Last night the scale actually read 205 pounds!

Conveniently, the most recent post over at the EndingTheGrind.com web site is titled: 7 Ways to Look Better, Feel Better, and Get More Stuff Done. Point #3 is, well, it’s to the point: STOP BEING FAT! Simple, straightforward, and true. So are the other six suggestions in this great post – every one of them is worthwhile, simple, straightforward, and immediately actionable. None of them require additional research or information, special gear or equipment, or an outlay of cash. It’s one of the best, clearest, simplest no-excuse primers for “leveling up” your life (to use Nerd Fitness’ Steve Kamb’s terminology) that I’ve run across. And I run across a lot of ’em, seeing as how running across self-improvement plans on the internet is pretty much the only running I’m doing these days. So go check it out. Here’s the link again:

EndingTheGrind.com: 7 Ways to Look Better, Feel Better, and Get More Stuff Done

DAY EIGHTY-THREE: Another Hurricane

At the present time, Tropical Storm Ana is forecast to both strengthen to hurricane status and directly impact Oahu. The projected path, however, is currently subject to a wide margin of error, and the storm will not be affecting the islands until Saturday.

A real estate agent we had scheduled to look at the house this afternoon was unable to make it. He claims he got busy with another project and asked to reschedule. An agent who looked at the house last week seemed rather unenthusiastic as well. Since even supposedly “always hungry” real estate agents aren’t interested in our property, I think the outlook for a sale, or at least a sale for enough money to make selling worthwhile, is rather dim.