***Progress, not perfection***

I first became of this post's title from one of my writing books. Apparently it's a famous saying from AA.

The line currently exemplifies my attitude towards many of my projects. Or I try to keep it in mind when I think of those projects. From the remodeling to fitness to writing to debt reduction (and many, many more), all have one thing in common: time, a commodity that can't be either increased or decreased. (And, yes, I'm aware of Einstein's equation, gravity, and all that jazz and how they affect time. None are applicable in the post since one can't exactly obtain such devices. Star Trek is fiction despite what fan(atic)s think.)

Since time can't be increased or decreased, I've had to focus on maximizing each aspect of a project on a daily basis. Boxing some books here, visiting friends there, generating a page (or two) during an hour, etc. The effort is beginning to show. Yesterday, for example, all the new kitchen cabinets were set up. Wow. They looked like they belonged in a much more expensive home. And we met with our contractor yesterday to discuss the bathrooms and bar. There's a good chance those areas will be complete by month's end.

My fitness efforts continue to bear fruit. I've already lost four pounds since the beginning of the month. Even better, I've slowed down "secretary spread" that's been afflicting my backside for some time. (See Forging for more details.)

My other projects have not faired as well. The issue are not doing doing the steps, but starting them. Aargh. Any one got a cattle prod?

***Humor: New Proverbs***

Enjoy!

*New proverbs*
A first grade teacher collected well known proverbs. She had twenty-five students in her class and she presented each child in her class the first half of a proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders.Their insight may surprise you. While reading these keep in mind that these are first graders..... 6-years old, because the last one is a classic!

1. Don't change horses......................until they stop running.
2. Strike while the .............................bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before .............Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of ......termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but........how?
6. Don't bite the hand that ...................looks dirty.
7. No news..................................impossible.
8. A miss is as good as a ....................Mr.
9. You can't teach an old dog new .......math.
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll .......stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust ............................me.
12. The pen is mightier than the ...........pigs.
13. An idle mind is ..............the best way to relax.
14. Where there's smoke there's .......pollution.
15. Happy the bride who ..................gets all the presents.
16. A penny saved is .........................not much.
17. Two's company, three's .................the Musketeers.
18. Don't put off till tomorrow what ....... you put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and ............you have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as ...........Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not ......spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed .............get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only what you ......see in the picture on the box.
24. When the blind lead the blind .......get out of the way.
* And the WINNER and last one!*
25. Better late than .........................pregnant.

***Your dad was very happy***

Friday night we drove out to Las Vegas to spend the weekend with my parents. You see, Friday was my dad's b-day.

We almost didn't make the trip. A mild rain pelted SoCal off and on all day. The Spouse does not like driving for four to five hours in the rain and with good reasons: Californians are notorious for ignoring the slick roads and lack of visibility conditions. (We, of course, are the exceptions.)

But we made it to the parental figures residence with little trouble, both weather and man-made, in the wee hours of Saturday. My sibling and her family had already arrived and we spent some time chatting before falling into exhausted sleep.

Saturday we ate a hearty late breakfast of fried rice, bacon, and sausage. The Spouse and I spent the afternoon checking out the local new homes for decorating ideas. (Sigh. I think I know what's going to be one of our monthly activities in the future.) That evening we celebrated dad's b-day in one of the local casino restaurants. He wanted to dine at the Cheesecake Factory but not wait for an hour to do so.

Sunday morn we continued the festivities with lots of Filipino foods. I hadn't eaten that much non-soy protein in years. Lots of beef, fish, chicken, more bacon, and pork with nary a vegetable in sight. Wonderful. We sang the b-day song and gave dad his gifts. We left Las Vegas around 1300 and returned to the OC around 1700, having only witnessed one accident this time. (Note to self: Give more than ten feet between you and the car in front of you when driving at 80 miles per hour.)

I notified my parents when we arrived safely home around 2200. Mom's first words were, "your dad was so happy you came over."

***Schedule Monday, 01/31 through Friday, 02/05***

Hit the gym at least three times (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday?).
See friends? (Tuesday).
Work on work-in-progess (WIP) with the goal of at least a page a day (after 1830 or 2200).
On weekends, have only one restaurant meal per weekend day, preferably from the Entertainment Guide. (Saturday?)
Contact financial institution regarding request. (Wednesday).
One meal out during the week (Wednesday?)
Assemble tax materials (Thursday).
Get some new pants (Thursday).
Food and miscellaneous shopping (Monday). This includes the once-a-month pie (Tuesday).
Visit wholesalers to select slabs and tiles for kitchen and bathrooms (Saturday).
Read at least one chapter in something. (Daily, either in the morn or before hitting the sheets. On-line stuff and mags don't count.)
Start planning time off and vacation activities. (Thursday? Friday?)
Pay bills (Monday, Friday).