I've never managed to keep a to-do list at home. I get tired and exasperated when dealing with "organization". But I've been coaching at work for awhile, and I finally, after a sense of mounting stress and impending DOOOOOOOM, made a teeny step just by making the stuff I think has to get done more visible & putting it on the back of my door. TADA. Turns out I'm not really THAT busy, just convinced enough that I am - and often subsequently paralyzed.



There are probably more lessons I could be taking from this into my non-Agile program at the office, too. I'll have to keep sitting with that.

Y'all, I learned something awe-striking this week. Richmond? Does not have to have homeless people.



About 1500 people don't have permanent housing in the area each day. Only about 4000-5000 people are homeless each year. A MILLION people live in Richmond and its counties (though a lot of our homeless neighbors are in the city proper - but still, 5000 out of maybe 200,000). And some of those people are kids, right? So Richmond needs like, what? 4000 decent-paying jobs and apartments that cost less than ridiculous Fan rents? We should do that.



Thursday I volunteered at this homeless connection thing with Homeward, and I've been waiting to write about it till I could even talk about it without being flooded with emotion. The event brought together a bunch of services for folk who don't have permanent homes (this includes a fair number of people who are staying in long term shelters and transitional housing), and volunteers walked each person through whatever services they asked for. Jobs. Healthcare. Photo ID - that was a popular one. Haircuts. I about lost it when my last client, who is my age, needed a place to stay for the night [Done. 2 minutes.]. The folk I worked with were fantastic, gracious people. Yeah, a couple of them were unmotivated, maybe a little whiny (as homeless people tend to be stereotyped) - but you know what? So are some of y'all (and me, sometimes). We make poor decisions. Some people make a lot of them. Some people get caught in bizarrely bad circumstances. That? Is what community is supposed to protect and rescue you from: poor decisions & shitty circumstances.



Anyhow. It was an intense experience, and it spurred me to find out how to take more systemic action. You should do the same.

from fancymcsnazsnaz, among others.



WRATH



Who did you last get angry with?

I'm sure it was somehow work-related. Although around the time of the great work stress of the past month, I also got mad at a boy for something unkind he said.



What is your weapon of choice?

Rapier-like wit.



Would you hit a member of the opposite sex?

Yeah, sure. In anger? Probably not.



How about the same sex?

Yeah, sure. Also, not in anger



Who was the last person who got really angry at you?

I'd hazard a guess it was arovd, but I'm not sure it was really angry.

[Amended: upon reflection, I think the last truly angry-on-their-part conversation I had was with Horatio, about fattivist stuff.]



What is your pet peeve?

Poor language choice.



Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily?

Extremely rarely. Even when justified, I have difficulty staying angry for more than a few days. If you're close enough to make me angry, your good points will quickly override it, and if you don't have strong good points, you probably can't make me angry in the first place.



SLOTH



What is one thing you're supposed to do daily that you haven't?

Practice.



What is the latest you've ever woken up?

Having gone to bed at a time that qualifies as the previous night, probably 5pmish.



Name a person you've been meaning to contact, but haven't?

I'd have said Trey, but I just sent him an email like 2 days ago. I previously hadn't talked to him in at least a year, though, so I think it counts.



What is the last lame excuse that you made?

I called in sick a few weeks ago mostly to clean my house and sleep.



Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through?

No, not that I recall.



How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock this morning?

I don't have a snooze button. I have a zen alarm clock. And I didn't set an alarm this morning - I had dogs to leap on me.



GLUTTONY



What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice?

The pineapple "martini" at Maggiano's.



Are you a meat eater?

Pretty much.



What is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting/outing/event?

I think I drank a 750 of vodka, straight, by myself once in college. But that was over at least 24 hours, even if it was all one party.



Are you comfortable with your drinking and eating habits?

Mostly. I could eat less crap.



Do you enjoy candy and sweets?

Yeah, most of the time. I can get too much of them very quickly though.



Which do you prefer: sweets, salty foods or spicy foods?

Probably salty.



Have you ever looked at a small house pet or child and thought, "lunch"?

Huh?! No. I might now, though.



GREED



How many credit cards do you own?

Two. One of them isn't used.



If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?

Buy a couple of silly things, pay off debt, then invest with an eye on giving more away.



Would you rather be rich or famous?

Rich.



Would you accept a boring job if it meant that you would make megabucks?

Depends on the alternative. I'd choose megabucks over poverty, but I think I'd choose interesting work over a boring and time-consuming job if the interesting job was still decent pay (and by decent, I mean egregiously overpaid, much as I am today).



PRIDE



What's one thing that you have done that you're most proud of?

Started a dance troupe, I think.



What's one thing you have done that your parents are most proud of?

I think for my mother it's that I started making more money than either of them individually. I'm not sure what my dad's proud of, which is not to say he's not proud - just that it hasn't come off as related to one specific thing in a long time.



What thing would you like to accomplish late in your life?

I'd like to have helped raise some awesome kids (they don't need to be mine). And have made some cool art.



Do you get annoyed by coming in second place?

Not really. That doesn't mean I don't want to come in first.



Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than all the other competitors?

Well, sure. But I think it was a SPELLING BEE. Hmm. Or possibly some sort of intelligence or trivia test at the office. Or those office fitness competitions. So, uh. Apparently I do this all the time. Mostly at work.



Have you ever cheated to get a better score?

Does changing the rules count as cheating? Cause I think rules are flexible.



What did you do today that you're proud of?

I took care of the cats before myself when I got home today. I was very tired and hungry, but they hadn't seen me in a week.



LUST



How many people have you seen naked (not counting movies, family, strippers, locker rooms)?

A fair number. I go to Pennsic. I was an artist's model.



How many people have seen you naked (not counting physicians, locker rooms, or when you were a child)?

Ditto.



Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a person during a normal conversation?

Chest, absolutely. BOOBIES! Also, I stare at people's hands lustfully. I get all hot for hands. And? I get to hang out with musicians every week. People who make art with their hands! My life is awesome.



What is your favorite body part of a person of your gender choice?

Yes. No. I don't know. It's a very individualized thing. A specific person will definitely have a body part that jumps out at me - it's just rarely the same one. I do like hands, as mentioned.



Have you ever had sexual encounters (including kissing/making out) with multiple persons?

The exact intent of this questions confuses me, but I've been simultaneously making out or fooling around with 2 or more people at the same time.



Have you ever been propositioned by a prostitute?

No.



ENVY



What item of your friends' would you most want to have for your own?

My friends have fantastic stuff. Do I have to just pick one? If so, volondoinyaface, have y'all bought a house yet? Cause then I'd want that. They live in Hawai'i.



Who would you want to go on "Trading Spaces" with?

I really don't want to redecorate someone else's house.



If you could be anyone who existed in the world, who would you be?

I'd kinda like to stay me. It would be fun to temporarily try on my friends' lives, freakyfriday-style.



Have you ever been cheated on?

No, not really. I have mildly cheated on others, and it felt awful.



Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own?

Hell yeah. Like, a chin. Or someone else's arms.



What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself?

I don't think traits are entirely inborn. That aside, I could stand to be more outgoing and ambitious.



WHAT DEADLY SIN...



Do you do the most often?

Maybe envy? Or maybe sloth.



Do you do the least often?

I think gluttony.



Is your favorite to act on?

Lust. Or sloth. Both are nice.

Something amarama posted about her age made me think of this. You know the meme where you google your name and some verb? I tried it with my age.



Some things 32 is...

Magic Johnson's retired jersey #. Magic. Johnson! Get it?

The freezing point of water at sea level in degrees Fahrenheit (not that you needed to google that).

The number of places in the US with "eagle" in their name.

A full set of adult teeth.

The country code to phone Belgium.

A "happy number".



And then I thought about all the 32s I already know - encryption, chess boards, flavors at the ice cream shop.

Y'all. I have to share a very important thought. LEG WARMERS RULE.



I was at the Target buying a humidifier so I stop waking up ill and a cheap scale for my how-much-does-my-weight-vary-in-a-day project, and I spontaneously bought some cheap leg warmers. They are the best thing ever for dance practice, which usually involves my big fluffy skirt getting hiked up to my knees.



Apparently I care a lot less about looking cool than I did as a small child in the 80s, people - because I'm still pretty sure they look dorky as anything. But I do not care. Keeping warm while dancing keeps muscles from getting all crotchety, and my calves are normally Walter Matthau.