*POST FOR FRIDAY JUNE 13*
Items Removed From the Task List: ?
Items Added to the Task List: ?
Active Items Remaining:?
*The old computer isn't booting up right now, so I can't access my task list*

Summary of the day: I got up late but was disciplined after that. I listened to All Quiet on the Western Front during breakfast and lunch. I love it so far. During dinner I listened to NPR.
I alternated between Kaplan and my other tasks. My prep for Sunday is almost complete, so I should be able to get a head start on next week's class before next week begins. I did my accounting, French, replied to e-mails, and started planning for Father's Day. I need to talk to my sister about this tomorrow.
Later I watched another episode of the Wire and read some articles that my neighbor sent me. One was on "green jobs", another was on green roofs, and the third was on government surveillance. The first was the only one that contained substance that seemed to attain any depth. The last two I'd heard before. As the author of the first article said, more data is needed about the net gain or loss of jobs when switching traditional market sectors to green modes of operation.
Is there a net increase in jobs when switching to cleantech? If so, how long will that last? And why are there more? One argument I've heard is that cleantech is more labor intensive--does this mean the costs are inherently higher? That seems to deflate the argument that some make about green building being better both for the public good AND for the bottom line. And if the argument about net job gain is based on the observation that jobs will be created in the plus column, without considering anything else, that just seems foolish. Of course, I think these things should be done because they're the right thing to do, but other reasons are being sought out to convince people who either don't think it's the right thing to do or that think it's the right thing to do but won't act on that, and these reasons, if they exist, need to be clarified and transmitted.

Plan for tomorrow: Too bad I can't look at my task list right now while making my schedule. Here's what I can say in general: get up at 11:30, work on Kaplan until the Sunday lesson is complete, work on plans for Father's Day, possibly complete two short or one medium length task on the list, spend as much time as I need to finish the French (it'll be less than 1/2 hour), possibly go to that BBQ in the evening, watch another episode of the Wire, and continue setting my new computer up with the school network.

Active Items on Task List: 36

Initially I had planned to go to bed at 10:30, but once I thought about it more, that seemed kind of unwise. I've been going to bed at 3 or 4 am, so lying down at 10:30 won't accomplish anything other than me lying in bed for a few hours. Instead, I decided to work on Kaplan until I get tired or until it's 2, whichever comes first, and over the next few days, I'll gradually scale back my bed time.
Here's an analysis of my time expenditures. What follows is my plan for the day and a comment in caps about how accurate my time allotment was: "1 hour to plan out meals 5:00-6:00 TOO MUCH TIME, I FINISHED IN 30 MINS/ 45 minutes to go shopping, 6:00-6:45 TOO LITTLE TIME, THIS TOOK AN HOUR/ Exercise from 6:45-7:15 THIS WAS RIGHT ON THE MONEY/ Dinner after, 7:15 to 8:30 THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE EXCEPT I HAD DISHES PILED UP FROM BEFORE, SO TODAY I JUST DIDN'T CLEAN UP ALL THE WAY. NORMALLY, IF I WERE TO MAKE WHAT I MADE TONIGHT, 45 MINUTES WOULD BE FINE FOR COOKING, EATING, AND CLEANING/ Watch 1 episode of the Wire, 8:30-9:30 THIS WAS EXACT, read for 1/2 hour 9:30-10:00 THIS WAS ALSO EXACT post/email/brush teeth 10-10:30 THIS WENT WAY OVER. I GOT A CALL, AND THEN I THOUGHT OF A FEW EMAILS THAT NEEDED TO BE WRITTEN. 10:30, go to bed THIS ISN'T THE PLAN ANYMORE"
The whole post/brush teeth/check emails thing is a little annoying. Some nights it takes 15 minutes, other nights it takes 2 hours. Theoretically I shouldn't do anything during that time that takes more than 5 minutes, and if something comes up that takes more than 5 minutes, I add it to the task list. Tonight it was partially because I forgot about that and partially because the e-mails seemed urgent, at least one of them. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to write it. Typical week-day posting can be performed in 5-10 minutes, my oral hygiene takes maybe 5 minutes, and 15-25 minutes should be enough to Inspect my e-mails, i.e., see what I got generally, reply to some quick ones, and table the others to my task list. For tomorrow I'll try to be more strict about that.
During my reading time I inspectionally read Visions of a New Reality: The City and the Emergence of Modern Visual Culture by Frederic Stout.
Tomorrow: reply to housing e-mails, work on plans for Father's Day, spend 1/2 hour on French audio, work on Kaplan, check Visa statement for accounting (and write in routine audit day on calendar), plus the normal stuff. The order of priority if I finish my lesson is setting up my new computer with the MIT network and software, then transferring files, but I doubt I'll get that far.

Plan for the week: In general, I need to get back into a normal schedule. First I need to plan out meals and do any grocery shopping that's necessary. I've been eating out and living off of Tastykakes for the last few days, so I really need to get back into a decent routine.
Next, I need to finish preparing for my class on Sunday.
Beyond this, I need to monitor continuously my e-mail so I can respond if I hear something more about the internship. On Sunday my sister and I are planning something for Father's Day; more planning is still necessary.
Once I finish preparing the lesson, I need to set up my computer with the MIT network and software. I also need to transfer some files from the old computer. Next I want to set up my printer/copier and start copying some recipes in books that Eva will be taking.
Eventually I want to reevaluate my organization system now that I just got the iPod touch. Maybe I'll start writing down appointments in there as opposed to on my wall calendar, although I like my low-tech planning method, so we'll see. Either way, I want to look at everything again. This too has lower priority than lesson preparation.

Plan for today: 1 hour to plan out meals 5:00-6:00. 45 minutes to go shopping, 6:00-6:45. Exercise from 6:45-7:15. Dinner after, 7:15 to 8:30. Watch 1 episode of the Wire, 8:30-9:30, read for 1/2 hour 9:30-10:00, post/email/brush teeth 10-10:30. 10:30, go to bed.

Disclaimer upfront: I'm super tired while writing this, so excuse any extra incoherence.
A lot has happened since the last post. The biggest news is that Eva and I broke up. This isn't the appropriate place to explain the reasons in detail, but I will say that the breakup wasn't precipitated by a single, negative event, it was amicable, and we still plan to be a significant part of each other's lives.
Not only has this been emotionally consuming, but it has also been time consuming, as we have had to figure out how to separate materially. Thankfully, that's mostly finished.
A second piece of news is that a sweet internship might be in the works for THIS summer, before going to school. I'm going to keep this discreet until things reach a more certain point.
Third, I just got a brand new computer--a Macbook--partially motivated by desire and partially motived by need, since Eva is taking the one we shared (it belonged to her initially). I'm actually writing this post with the new computer. It's been fun playing with the features so far. I also got a free iPod Touch as part of a deal for students, which is nice. I always wanted an iPod but could never justify the purchase.
Tomorrow I'm going to take it easy in the morning and let myself sleep in. Once I wake up, I'm going to start planning and scheduling and getting back into a productive mode.