I've got some good ideas...and some bad ideas

"Bad mnemonics are no help."

We've got a recipe box that has a little of everything in it. Every time we look up a number in the phonebook, an index card goes in the box. The missing person's ID's for the kids are in there. Cards with guitar chords for songs. Set lists. A list of my favorite cosmetics. A running wishlist for everyone. Recipes for blueberry muffins, goulash, no bakes. Even the tag card for my favorite jeans. Anything that can be cut or folded to 3x5 can go in the box. Every time I use it I think, wow, I'm so glad I have this box. What a stupid and simple idea!

My computer crashed last summer and I just left my old outlook files in archive and started over. I left behind a pretty complicated inbox with folders for everyone. My new system is just 3 folders: Bills, My Peeps, and Internet Stuff. Everything else turns out to be spam. It is so much easier this way.

I have a notebook so I can write down stuff. It works out pretty well with the kids and their jokes they make because we take the time and write it out verbatim. And it works okay for mashup ideas. I see "Before He Cheats/The Way We Were", it's pretty clear what it is. It does not work out so well for blogging ideas. A two-word phrase doesn't quite sum it up. In fact, I don't remember where it was going at all...

Here are some wha-inspiring quotes from my book of notes:

"Conversation of Energy"
"conscientious objector--not about war"
"lenticular"
"squander/squalor"
"gussets"
"print trotting zebra"

Don't Forget Your Middle Initial

Heard that so many times when I got a new (2005) car this weekend. Wow, I nursed my old one alone for so long and looked for six months for the impossible deal and lucked into it anyway.

Funniest thing I heard "today": We went to the mall Saturday night and a lady came out of the bathroom and yelled to her sister, "No, YOU'RE the one causing a scene!!!"

This is almost never true.

The Cool Shoes

I took my kids to Payless Shoe Store. (When I was little I thought that was where they sold free shoes.) For about an hour my little one tried on every shoe they had, in his size and the next half size up. Nothing was working. When the store lady came back and asked if she could help, they told her about their deal: My younger one would take his brother's old shoes and my older son would get the new ones. She said, "Son, I don't know how, but someday, you are gonna be somebody!" : )

We Don't Need No Ostriches

Funniest thing I heard today: My big one was studying spelling words because he's going to be in the school spelling bee and my little one said "What's 'exile'?" So my big one said "It's like ostracize."

"Great! That helps..." (You should have seen his face.)

Song

Hey, I found a place to store files so let's see if it works!

Here is a song from my old band and the first one I ever wrote.

I never really made myself a singin' song, but I was writing on bass and that picked my key.

Jill in the Box - Fizzle.mp3

Link

Here's an interesting article about self-discipline: Why I Gave up Desserts to Become a Better Entreprenuer.

This and That

Of course the New Year's been on my mind. How'd we do last year: not as good as we wanted to. Goal for this year: do better.

And it makes sense, to go after what you're missing. Go after the greener grass, the skinnier, better organized, friendlier version. But you're counting the people in your party when the waitress asks "How many?" and you say six but there's really seven and we all giggle. Looking at the others, things that aren't you, you miss yourself. See what you can do.