Post–ed Life II

Having considered my ITG life once I have become ExEditMan on April 11th, I now turn to the perhaps more interesting or important area of what else I can or should do with the extra time that I feel I ought to have.

First a quick few caveats:

Caveat 1: I find that I am talking about it as if I am suddenly going to discover that I have, say, 90 more hours spare a week. This may not be entirely realistic. I know that this list is partly fantasy. You honestly do not need to write in and point this out.

Caveat 2: the order of the list is random. Please don't go trying to read anything into it ... there's nothing there to be read in. Maybe I should alphabetize it or re–randomize it some other way? Ah yep OK done that.

Caveat 3: I'm well aware, believe me, of the worry that I'll take too much on, or accept some voluntary role, or just try to do too many things from my list so that even those extra 90 hours can't accommodate them. I really don't want to drop dead from stress quite that fast. And I am not, repeat NOT, signing up for some other voluntary job; not for a long time – possibly not till retirement – possibly not ever.

Caveat 4: the worst possible case is that I'd notice no difference between the before and the after... the ninety hours doesn't even feel like ten minutes, nothing seems to have changed. This would have to be because I'm even more useless and inefficient than I fear, and is a truly horrible thought.

Oh dear, those caveats all seem a bit negative. Here's a more cheerful thought: I ought to have a list like this anyway, for a variety of reasons. And no, not all of those reasons must involve the National Lottery or the Premium Bonds!

Right then:

• Cars, future of – contemplate.
• Cheese. See comment by wine.
• Computers, software - especially creative stuff - music, video, animation, photography
• Creativity, cooking, do more of
• Creativity, drawing???
• Creativity, modelling?? - used to like doing kits etc
• Creativity, needlework?
• Creativity, woodwork??
• Crosswords
• Culture, general – go to more things we've chosen. Music, art, theatre, cinema.
• Culture, literature – read some books
• Dance – learn to do so??
• Embleton – worry about.
• Family – devote more time to.
• Family, history of: family tree, writing things down, Dad, etc
• Friends, seeing, dinners etc – do more of
• Gardening??? :) Roses? Orchids??
  
• Gym - I'm paying a million quid a year and only use the pool. Tsk.
  
• House, decluttering – get serious about
• House, repairs and developments – get a grip! Oh, and the shed ... gulp ... the fences ...
• Languages, German – do something with. Possibilities at QM, Goethe-Institut?
• Languages, other – past saving??
• London, out of, aim to get occasionally. See also Family, Walking, Places ...
  
• Music collection, old LPs and tapes and stuff - sort out, digitize, do something
• Music equipment - consider fate of old but lovely stuff like Revox deck. Rationalize. What about that patch bay?? Hmmm??
• Orienteering – go more often. Maybe even get better at it?
• Piano. Oh dear ...
  
• Places, nice/interesting - go to more of. EH and NT membership not currently earning their keep. See also London, Walking.
  
• Photography, albums – do them. It is a source of endless shame to me that there's not yet an album with Martha in. This must be rectified, urgently.
• Photography, archives, digital – get them sorted out properly and keep a cataloguing system going.
• Photography, camera, SLR – consider getting one.
• Photography, cameras, older – declutter?
• Photography, slides – do more sorting out of. Massive resource almost untouched.
• Photography, training – what would happen if I got some?
• Singing, choral – do some more
• Singing, lessons – consider
• Sleeping - do some more of it
• Swimming - do more and better
  
• Tennis – Martha thinks we should get lessons! Interesting idea.
• Trumpet, Baroque, what about it? Same goes for cornetto.
• Trumpet, gigs, – don't do any more! Be selective, enjoy the ones you've got, do them better. 6Ps.
• Trumpet, hardware, sort out
• Trumpet, intonation – work on it. Seriously. (What the h*ll is this?)
• Trumpet, ITG - noted elsewhere
• Trumpet, jazz – could do with a touch more work (arf arf)
• Trumpet, Last Post - consider the whole thing, possibly write more.
• Trumpet, lessons – consider this at least
• Trumpet, practice – do it more
• Trumpet, regular playing, good for you it is, the embouchure it strengthens, young Jedi. Consider two possible band offers. (OK so that means it should really be under "cornet": sue me.
• Trumpet, township, Siyakhula Music Project, Brian Thusi, Nqobile, what can/should I do to help?
  
• Video, camera, newer – consider its future
• Video, camera, old – decide its fate
• Video, tapes, Deb's teaching – monster sort–out required.
• Video, tapes, editing – sort out technical approach.
• Video, tapes, family – monster sort–out required.
• Video, tapes, that poor woman's memorial service do – edit & finish.
• Walking, proper, nice, well-organized etc - do some more of.
  
• Weight, fitness, health an ting. Get all sorted out and lovely. Weigh 11:4 by Xmas 2008? Ahem.
• Wine. Not necessarily to drink more of but to know more about?
• Whisky - see wine!
• Work, paid – needs further thought. For now, try to find out what a “work–life balance is” and where you can get one. (John Lewis??)
• Work, voluntary – till further notice do not take on anything new. JUST DON'T DO IT, OK???
• Writing, proper, organized – do some
• Yoghurt, strawberry, blogging about - do some more

Well that’s it for now. This is, however, a work in progress and is likely to be updated as and when inspiration strikes, if ever it does.