The Visible Woman...February 4, 2004

That's the real question isn't it? Figure out what's important and what you can do about it...and do it.

"I'm already pissed off," I said to my dad. "So I might as well work on the taxes."

I can't control what the government takes but I can get the pain over with by getting the stuff together.

I can't control the contractor and the subs. When the guy comes to do doorknobs and such and the guy comes to futz with the (in my humble opinion) lousy tile job, Forrest tries to give them guidance. Why bother? I have proven I can't control them. I showed the contractor what was wrong. Why can't he tell them what to do? I don't have to be happy with the remodel or recommend this guy every again. But I have no way to make them do it right. [Hint to contractor: don't tell me that you may 'never use the tile guy again.' What I hear is this: I get to live with the lousy job...next person gets better. Doesn't make me feel better. Just doesn't.]

I can't control my dad's medical stuff, but I can try to help him with it. I'll go with him to the GP tomorrow. And today we will do water aerobics. "Do you feel invigorated after the exercise and the shower?" he asks.

"Yeah, I do," I say, "Do you?"

"Yeah."

I make progress on gathering the tax info. When the tile guy leaves, FFP and I go for a workout. I ride the bike a little. It's something I can control.

	what can you control? That's the real question isn't it? Figure out what's important and what you can do about it...and do it. "I'm already pissed off," I said to my dad. "So I might as well work on the taxes." I can't control what the government takes but I can get the pain over with by getting the stuff together. I can't control the contractor and the subs. When the guy comes to do doorknobs and such and the guy comes to futz with the (in my humble opinion) lousy tile job, Forrest tries to give them guidance. Why bother? I have proven I can't control them. I showed the contractor what was wrong. Why can't he tell them what to do? I don't have to be happy with the remodel or recommend this guy every again. But I have no way to make them do it right. [Hint to contractor: don't tell me that you may 'never use the tile guy again.' What I hear is this: I get to live with the lousy job...next person gets better. Doesn't make me feel better. Just doesn't.] I can't control my dad's medical stuff, but I can try to help him with it. I'll go with him to the GP tomorrow. And today we will do water aerobics. "Do you feel invigorated after the exercise and the shower?" he asks. "Yeah, I do," I say, "Do you?" "Yeah." I make progress on gathering the tax info. When the tile guy leaves, FFP and I go for a workout. I ride the bike a little. It's something I can control.
old advertising poster...once for sale on ebay, no doubt
JUST TYPING Do what's in your power. Learn from your mistakes. It will be smoothed over. By time.
		Food Diary. *breakfast* banana (most of it anyway...it had a bad place) 3/4 ounce Laughing Cow cheese *lunch* about six ounces of sauteed Salmon two small bowls salad with greens, spinach, carrots, broccoli, tomato, green onions, shredded cheese and creamy dressing *snacks* three of four cups of black coffee A Laughing Cow *dinner* leftover red snapper with ginger from Chinese place four slices turkey bacon couple of green onions some aged cheddar A Manhattan Today I - was doing taxes and thinking about the remodel...trying to eat well was far from my mind...I thought of maybe, um, drinking.
		Time flies.... I went to water aerobics and came home to see what was going on with the electricians and such. They wanted to cut off the electricity to the whole house for six hours. Um, you should be able to rewire the whole street in six hours. FFP told them they had to do it on Saturday. Ridiculous. Same guys who flipped breakers at random, taking down computers and such when they were here once. The frame carpenter put in knobs. The screws with the pulls weren't long enough for the drawers. One door doesn't latch, one pocket door doesn't slide. (He mentioned two out of three and said he'd be back to fix.) A mirror person is supposed to come by. A tile guy is supposed to come fix screw-ups. I do start on the taxes, using the CPA's organizer. Making copies of things, poring over stuff, scratching my head. We put in a call to the broker and the bookkeeper like we always do, trying to get the basis for things on the proceeds list.

		Reading. Newspapers. xxx The Conquerers by Michael Beschloss. Omaha Beach; A Flawed Victory by Adrian R. Lewis. This becomes more, not less, tiresome. I guess it's too much about tactics and too little about people...except second-guessing the generals.
		nothing
		Exercise water aerobics for one hour Thirty minutes on recumbent bike
	. .	I'm trying to resign myself to a few disappointments and distractions.
	It's a Tangled Web we weave...these days of our lives.	One year ago "Catching up with the journal has become an obsession. Why? So I don't lose what I failed to accomplish on any given day?" Two years ago "He doesn't like green beans. I never knew that. How could I be married to him for 25 years and not know that? "