the to-do list

1) Complete a draft of my first empirical results chapter and conduct any remaining statistical analyses
2) Write a draft of my literature review chapter
3) Develop an interview schedule, which I hope to pilot in January
4) Knit socks
5) Finish the last of my Christmas cards

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This is my to-do list, which, I thought, knowing myself, wasn't too unreasonable for me to complete while my husband is half way across the world visiting friends and networking. However, my rate of completing items during these 7-days-and-counting was mostly aimed at the fun things on the list (e.g. #4 and #5) and hanging out with a new friend. And now, in my pajamas, I'm scrambling to have a go at #1 first thing this morning (in addition to writing this entry, of course).

[Aside: We received our first Christmas card in the mail this past weekend; -- This! Past! Weekend! -- prompting me to strike #5 off the list.]

You know the old saying, "while the husband is away, the wife will play." I have realized that I hate turning on the stove top and cooking. Instead, my steady diet of Swedish crackers topped with anything imaginable, including peanut butter, my favourite, has sufficed. Also, during these past 7 days, a highly positive correlation of me with a phone next to my ear was observed. Lots of fun catching up but now leaving me only 2 days to get #1 striked off the list.