Lists that Rule My Life

There are two major lists that have ruled my life…

The first were “to do” lists.  My mom used to leave these on the counter every day during the summer to encourage us to do something around the house while she was gone to work.  I never understood why she did this until I had a house of my own.  Turns out, it’s really hard to keep a house clean, and even though she would leave the kitchen or family room in decent condition when she left in the morning, it must have been super-disheartening to return to it each night in a complete disarray.

I used to tease her about these lists.  I’d call her the “list queen.”  Well, only a few years later, I am now well on my way to becoming the “list king.”  Whenever I’m feeling like information is overwhelming me, or when I feel like I have more to do than I have time to do it, I make a list.  And really, the best part of making a list is the glee associated with crossing off an item of that list.

Here are a few of the current items on my to do list:

• Finish network cable runs I started in April in the attic (when the weather cools down enough)
• Figure out what I want to do with my backyard.
• Figure out where we’re staying for my upcoming vacation
• Find something to do with the 200 16″ cedar planks that are in my garage.
• Make some progress on my Cougar Ranch project
• and so many more blog inappropriate things…

There is yet other kind of list that I’ve kept ever since I was young enough to know how to want something.  Yes, my friends… it’s the wish list. I think the concept of “wishing” for something was introduced to me by my older siblings through the magical, mystical “Sears Wish Book”.

This over sized magazine would come in the mail every November, and we would absolutely devour it from cover to cover (skipping, of course, the clothing sections).  We would dog ear pages, circle things, highlight them, and constantly shove them in front of our parent’s faces.  In fact, reflecting back on the intensity of this exercise, I think the reason “Santa” was invented was so that children would beg their parents less for stuff… see it’s easy to dump the success or failure of Christmas on some lumpy guy in a red suit…

Anyway… my Wish List has gradually morphed over the years.  These days there are far fewer things in the neighborhood of “Speak and Spell” on it.  The things on my current wish list are things that I can’t really afford or justify spending money on, but which I really want…

• Lasik Eye Surgery (anyone know a surgeon here who does Epi-Lasik?)
• SO MANY alterations to my backyard… new back patio, pergola, rip lots of the grass out, lanscaping, etc.
• A new Mac Mini (I just love those things!)
• A trip somewhere I’ve never been before
• Gas log for my fireplace (winter is coming!)
• iPhone 3G (it’s a long, complicated story…)
• Unlimited plane tickets to go everywhere I want to go in the world
• and so many more blog inappropriate things…

Anyone out there interested in making any of those wild wishes come true?