Long-Term TTD

In my senior year of high school, my schedule didn't quite work out the way I'd planned. I was signed up for four AP classes: Calculus (AB), American History, Language & Composition, and Physics. I loved the first three. After a week or two, I decided I hated the last one. I'd heard that if you hadn't taken regular physics beforehand, that was ok - you could still handle AP Physics.

It didn't take very long for me to realize that:
(1) Physics is a "different" kind of math. Not the kind of math I like.
(2) My AP Physics teacher was a novice. It was obvious that it was her first year of teaching. (Students can tell - they can sense the fear.)
(3) Never listen to someone when he/she says to take an AP class for a subject one has never studied before. For an honors/AP student, I was pretty dumb. And gullible. And apparently, arrogant.

I got my schedule changed, but by that time the "good" classes were taken; only elective classes had openings. I landed in a business class, and for the first time ever, study hall (which ended up as hanging out in the library, getting to know the librarians). I forgot all about that business class until my first year of teaching, when my business teacher, Ms. Routzong, died of cancer.

Hearing the news of her death made me think back to her class, and I realized that Ms. Routzong gave me my humble beginnings as a list-maker. It was in her class that I learned the art of Making A List - how to prioritize, how to prioritize the priorities. A1, A2, A3, B1, B2. I barely noticed I was in a class with freshmen, I was so mesmerized by the beauty of the List.

These days, my lists consist mainly of what groceries to buy and what household chores should be completed that day. Since I have more time on my hands than I've had in years, I dusted off the list that I don't like to look at, the one called "Long-Term TTD" (Things To Do) that includes all the things around the house that I'd like to do but don't have time for and would take a long time to finish.

This list has pretty much stayed the same for 10-15 years and includes things like "Organize all photos, from birth to the present." Basically the list is an idealistic vision of me overcoming my powerful packrat genes to simplify my life and my closets. John tries to get me to sort through drawers and files and boxes to get rid of unnecessary stuff, but it's hard to overcome inherent traits.

All of the photos, both mine and ones ahem borrowed from my parents, were contained in a single file box; I managed to stuff each new round of pictures into the same box without it exploding. This past weekend, I tackled the box with 90% success. Or 100% success, depending on how you look at it. The file box is 100% empty, but there is still a 3-inch stack of photos whose date of origin cannot be determined without parental input.

The red arrows show the two photo storage boxes with the chronologically organized photos. The rest all over the floor are the tragically undateified photos. (Can you tell where I was sitting. I don't know why I like to pull up a floor to organize things. It's my favorite organizing surface.)

All I need now is to buy a billion photo albums to contain them all for viewing; I decided NOT to "scrapbook" them. Do I look like I'm rich?! Plus, I don't like scrapbooking THAT much. Really.

When I went to cross "Organize photos" off my Long-Term TTD list, I realized that since we moved, I've actually knocked 2 other items off the list as well, without even realizing it. Either my powerful packrat genetic makeup is weakening, or John is just that good at brainwashing.

Here's one of the pictures in the box. Technically, it belongs to my parents....