Monday, April 4, 2011

Things I am good at, and things I am not:

Good thing #1
I am really good at using paper towels. Not in a thrifty way, nor am I any better at wiping up spills than the next guy. Rather, I am really good at finding excuses to use a paper towel. I love them. Paper towels are so incredibly convenient, so sanitary. Tear it off, wipe it up, throw it away. I'll use one to cover my bowl in the microwave, grab another for a napkin, and rip off one more just in case something happens on the way to the table. Sometimes I use two to dry my hands because I want my hands really dry. Sometimes I tear off two just because I like the heft of two paper towels compared to one. Single paper towels never lie flat on a table very well.

Good thing #2
I am really good at procrastinating. It might be the thing I do best. I'm so good at it, I'll find a way to do it while I'm consciously trying not to. And I realize the key to completing things in a timely manner is simply good planning, which would be really easy with the beautifully minimalist Muji day planner I bought 3 months ago, but it's so nice and minimalist that it would be a pity to scribble in it until I figure out exactly what I want to plan.

Bad thing #1
I am really bad at doing things that I am good at. Basketball, for instance. I'm not the best, but I grew up playing a lot of basketball, and it's one of the few things I could say I have an aptitude for. But when I want to exercise, I don't go find a basketball game — I drop a week's pay on a new road bike. Or climbing gear. Or a wet suit. All of which are sitting in a garage, a closet and a cardboard box, respectively. My P90X DVDs are in near mint condition. I should try to sell them, put the money towards the surf board I'm saving up for.