An update on my following of the rules

Considering that my sister and I took a celebratory outing Monday evening to commemorate the small success of us finding a place to live and carrying out the move-in like two responsible adults, I felt that rule number one was made to be broken this week. I was in a situation where, like so many times a beautiful girl tried to use my good nature as a ledge from which to leap into the arms of a mysterious stranger. It was a sharp reminder that I have to trust my gut when it comes to these women.

Then, last night, I went out to meet a friend of mine and he never showed up. I was disappointed, but kind of relieved at the same time. I went home, ate a ham sandwich and watched Havana with Robert Redford. Then, I watched the Three Burials of MELQUIADES ESTRADA with Tommy Lee Jones. Both are good films. The latter, I felt, was masterful. Havana was a typical low-action mystery/romance. 3BME kept the tension like quiet thunder.




Rule number two has only been followed to an extent. The moving really gave me a workout and could be the breakthrough I need to keep pushing myself.

Three- my laundry is done. All my clothes are clean... Now I just have to find a washer and dryer for the new apartment and put it to action.

Saving up is hard to do, but I've managed to stretch less than $30 over the entire weekend and still have a great time.

I've followed rule number 5 with the exception of a McDonald's Double Cheese Burger right after we moved into the apartment.

I've done well by rule number 6, but haven't followed through completely. My responses to an article published yesterday (found here) were written on a small notepad at work, which I plan to discuss later today.

Finally, rule number 7 has been my biggest achievement. I figured out that there are some things I will not do and smoke at the same time. These things are merely distractions but one of them is writing. Following rule 6 will help with rule 7 by default. I will also not smoke while playing games or taking photos, so these activities will see an increase in the following weeks.

For those of you too lazy to look below at the rules, here they are:

1. Go out no more than once a week.
2. Generally exercise when I have the time.
3. Do laundry once a week.
4. Start saving up for something.
5. No more fried foods.
6. Write what I think more often.
7. Kick the smoking thing in the ass.

Last, I'll update in a few days with some photos of my new apartment. A while back I did a post on alternative lighting. Since the landlord has given me somewhat free reign over painting, light fixtures and cleaning the place up, I'll have an opportunity to get a little wacky with the lights. Should be fun.