Weekly Summary # 22

And so my momentum seems to have been recaptured! Last week I complained of laziness and being in celebration mode, but this week things are back on track. However, given the setup of my days not all my goals got completed, but the most important ones did. Let's attack the list, and I'll be adding extra entries to incorporate goals I either forgot to tell you about or added sometime past the publication of my last summary:

1.) Apply to at least three places per day starting Monday: I exerted quite an effort, but external circumstances prevented this from happening. Sometimes concentrating on an area made it so I no longer had time to go someplace else, or I walked in at a time the chef was out, or the likes. Additionally, I lost a whole day to bureaucracy this week. I was on the ball, but I've got to keep in mind that some things will prevent me from doing all that I can here. Two places seems to be an admirable pace from here.

2.) Meditate a half hour each day: Because sometimes I kept myself so busy on some days I just forgoed it out of laziness, though I did practice it for the majority of the week. Unfortunately, it seems to be having little affect on my temperament. Even with an entire half-hour spent in this endeavor I fail to relax any and cannot seem to keep my introspection under control.

However, and I feel silly for this, I think I know what the problem is. I've been meditating with my eyes closed, whereas I find it most effective to do it with them open. As a reminder, my practiced form of meditation is that of sitting still and concentrating entirely on my extrospection, meaning introspection is off-limits. When I close my eyes it seems to encourage nothing but introspection, but with them open it's a different story. As such, I think I'll make it a goal this week to continue meditating a half-hour each day, only this time with my eyes open.

3.) Finish the rest of the Amano articles I assigned to myself: Done. I skipped the final, more technical ones concerned with those actually in the chocolate-making business.

4.) Consider moving my money to this state; research alternatives: Ran out of time; goal for next week.

5.) Finish settling in (new license, library card, etc.) if I receive my birth certificate: Done, but laborious. I went to the tax office and stood in line for over an hour for my registration, and upon getting through I found out that I needed to get my car inspected first. I got it inspected the next day, went through the tax office line again, and found out I drew a money order for the wrong amount. I went to Kroger for another money order, went through the tax office line AGAIN, got my appropriate forms, went to and waited at the DMV for nearly three hours, and upon finishing arrived home in the early evening, having left in the morning. This took me a significant part of two days, one trip actually taking up the entire day, but as far as I'm concerned I'm Texan now. I got my library card too, so now I can become a member of the reading public.

6.) Consider moving my money to Texas; research alternatives: Ran out of time; goal for next week.

7.) Set a new workout format to create two Big Four's and figure out how to juggle them : Ran out of time, though it's not that much of a concern right now. I might talk more about it later, but it's not that important given this blog's theme of self-improvement and values.

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Overall, it was a good week. It feels refreshing for things to be moving along like this, though I still pine for the kitchen. It's most often the subject of my daydreams, but I must be patient. For this week, here's what I'd like to accomplish:

1.) Put new license plates on car

2.) Apply to at least two places per day, external circumstances not interfering.

3.) Consider and research moving my money to Texas

4.) Identify a way to turn my Big 8 workouts into two Big 4's.

5.) Meditate for a half-hour each day with eyes open.

6.) Watch two Alfred Hitchcock movies: Rear Window and Psycho: This will be part of my venture to develop my tastes in movies.

7.) Write a special article on an identification I made about anger.

That's all for now. Once I do get back in the kitchen, it'll be time to start contemplating self-improvement goals for my career once again, though I have made the significant headway already.