Day 101

Something learned:

If I haven't worked as hard as I could have on something, I feel as though any failure on my part is indefensible.

I've felt in constant fear of  being called out for having poor work habits. That wasn't helped by my anxious nature that usually anticipates non-existent problems. Somewhere along the way, I earned a way that was easier on my psyche.

The lesson learned was to try my best, and whatever the result, I can take pride in that.

Today I was thankful for:

1. Hearing from the kid's teacher that everything is OK and progressing
2. Running into Sarah and setting up a playdate for the kids
3. Shrimp and mussels at lunch
4. My first Thai massage
5. Hearing that parts for my car repair are now in

Looking forward to:

Titanfall launch day next week!

Day 90

Something learned:

I heard a great line at a talk the other day. "In Hollywood, ideas are like sperm." There are a million of them for every one that makes it, and that one had to go a long way to get there.

I particularly liked that line because I used to think good ideas were the secret to success, and not just in Hollywood. Eventually I came to understand that ideas are actually rather worthless because so many of them don't get that backbreaking work put in on that long journey with no promises, and they just die an idea, nothing more.

The ability to complete a project, or successfully resolve a series of problems in pursuit of a goal, is ultimately far more important than just having ideas.

Today I was thankful for :

1. Finally fixing our TiVo
2. Spending time with my cousin P.
3. Getting a ton of good info at the summer camp fair
4. Some alone time to fold laundry and watch a DVD
5. A very sweet gift from my daughter, just because

Looking forward to:

Summer and wearing skirts!

Day 89

Something learned:

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. The key to being able to take advantage of opportunities when they come your way, is by doing your preparation will you wait for them.

If you want a career in a certain field, you don't wait till you see the job ad before you get relevant training. In fact, I wanted to work in computers before software engineering existed as a career, and I spent a whole lot of my youth programming. So when the technology boom happened, my luck happened.

I spend a lot of effort on being prepared. To me, it's worth it to avoid possible bad luck. Your mileage may vary.

Today I was thankful for:

1. Hubby driving out to pick up lunch while I did chores
2. Kid enjoying the climbing gym
3. A patient kid while at an incredibly slow restaurant

4. Awesome (but expensive) ice cream at Ben & Jerry's.. new flavor Hazed and Confused

5. Finding and buying some awesome custom LEGO minifigs on ebay

Looking forward to:

Dropping off the kid for Climb time in the future and having 2 hours of adult time!

Day 65

Something learned:

For the first 9 or 10 years of my school career, I found school fairly easy, so I coasted through. I excelled at math and science, scraped by in my humanities, but generally things were fine. Things started to get bumpy after that. Subjects like chemistry and biology were difficult because I had a poor working memory and found it hard to recall facts. Eventually, I memorized what I needed to get through the exams and put it behind me.

When it came to college, I encountered truly difficult work for the first time. Just understanding the material was nowhere good enough -- homework was substantial and required a lot of thought and problem solving. I found it fun, but it was exhausting -- I fell asleep over many a problem set trying to untangle it.

I would have had a lot less difficulty had I learned to work hard before then. It's rather amazing to me that I could get all the way to university before needing to work hard. If I hadn't managed to adapt and figure it out, I might have easily failed out.

My parents demanded good grades, but not hard work -- and in my case that was a crucial difference. As such, I consider it important to expose my child to things that challenge her and need her to exert herself. I care more how hard she has worked than how well she does. I hope it works out.

Today I was thankful for:

1. Having the chance to pull out my camera equipment to practice.
2. Finding a decent solution to a thorny code problem at work
3. My singing teacher telling me that I'm making good progress
4. Kiddo being cooperative and practicing hard tonight (The Pleygo Lego works well to motivate her)
5. Getting enough of my todo list done that I can relax and do some singing

Looking forward to:

I love going to open houses (and surprisingly so does the kid). I look forward to house hunting .. maybe in a year or two.