Monday morning thoughts

It's Monday and my mind is filled with thoughts of activities for the week.

• Our new mattress (glorious Tempurpedic -- thank you Swedes!) is really making mornings happier. It took a few nights to get used to, but last night was probably the best sleep I've had in over 6 months and I woke up with no aches in my back and joints.
  
• I have a focus, thank goodness, for finishing my analysis and feel good about the direction it is headed. The challenge now: getting it down on paper!
• The research with my advisor is growing by leaps and bounds . . . it's a good lesson in balancing writing, research, job applications, and family life. Much different than taking classes, in a good way.
• We have a new (potential) babysitter. She is joining us for dinner this evening so we can meet and little j can give her approval. Haven't decided on the menu and the house needs to be picked up!
• I've had an on-going conversation/brainstorm with Big J about a short story/novel. I have the great idea that I'd really like to pursue, but with the dissertation deadline looming I can't justify following it up or even giving it much brain space beyond conversation with Big J.
• I need to pull out the tomato plants and start thinking about cleaning out other parts of the garden as well as trimming the hedges.
• I would really, really like to paint the kitchen and kitchen cabinets as well as the trim on the outside of the house. We also need to paint the trim in various places around the house and I need to touch up the paint in little j's bathroom. Again, hard to justify these activities when the dissertation blah, blah, blah . . .
• I think I need to be a little selfish this week in terms of getting work done. Big J is out of town next week and I know that life will be crazy with just little j and I. I should probably spend more time in the library . . .
• I'm looking forward to spending time in the library . . . I'm such a dork!