Procrastinate for Australia

Last night as I brushed my teeth, I glanced over at my shower caddy and thought, just as I had every night for the last 6 months, that it was looking a bit shoddy. 

I made a promise to myself (for the hundredth time) to buy a new one. 

But I know I probably won't get around to it. There will be some excuse - I'm never at the shops, I don't have the money to spare this month, I can't find one I like...

Yet even when all excuses are rendered invalid I still won't buy one. Know how I know? Because two weeks ago I was standing in the $2 store looking at the same shower caddy that I have, had money in my pocket and still didn't buy it. I can't even remember the excuse I gave myself. Probably that I was in a hurry or something equally idiotic. 

I am a world-class procrastinator. I could procrastinate for Australia. Doesn't matter what it is; housework or bill-paying or present-buying, I will usually find a way to put it off in favour of something else. Sometimes for no logical reason!

As you can imagine, this impacts my life in ways that cause me stress later. I need to take a leaf out of Nike's book sometimes and just freaking do it. 

After the frenzy of Getting Things Done, I will give myself a pat on the back and them go back to being the Great Put-Offerer that I am. 

Do you procrastinate? How do you break the habit?

Sportsball

How about that game of sportsball on the weekend? You watching the sportsball match tonight? Man, I really love that sportsball team. 

You ever feel left out when it comes to sport? Recently I've been wondering if I'm missing something because I don't barrack for a team or player. Everyone else seems to, why aren't I even remotely interested?

When I was at school, I played the mandatory sports - netball, volleyball, tennis, athletics. I even remember kind of enjoying softball in the winter at primary school. But I never was particularly good at it, nor interested in pursuing it. 

Now as an adult, I don't "follow" a particular sport. I was raised in a rugby league family so I can watch a match and carry on a passable conversation about it, but left to my own devices I couldn't care less who wins the NRL premiership. Similarly I'm not remotely interested in any of the more popular sports here in Australia - AFL, cricket, soccer, golf, tennis, V8s. My husband is the same though as a car guy he will watch a few laps of Bathurst every year. 

I asked C the other day if he thought perhaps we should pick a sport and team to barrack for and follow, as other people seem to get so much enjoyment out of it. We toyed with the idea before deciding if we weren't passionate about it to start with, why should we fake an interest?

Tonight is the first match of the arguably the biggest League series of the year - State of Origin. My parents-in-law, who are rabid Qld supporters, will watch every minute, alternatively screaming and moaning at the tv. 

I haven't decided if I'll watch yet. I'm tempted to dismiss it as yet another game of sportsball - but somehow I think I'll get caught up in the excitement. 

Do you follow a sport and have a team? Tell me about it!

Knowing the Words

I've known my husband for 7 years now but yesterday on a long car trip I discovered something new about him: he knows all the words to just about every Elvis song. 

This is apparently the result of childhood osmosis, being brought up in the household of a fan of Mr Presley. I thought it was funny until I realised I probably know every word to Air Supply's Greatest Hits. 

It's funny what our brains decide to remember when it comes to song lyrics. For example, I know I can still rap every word to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's "Boom Shake The Room". And probably have a good crack at Salt 'N' Peppa's "Shoop". Neither of these songs are my favourites but somewhere along the way my brain decided to burn the words into my memory. Probably in an area I could have used to remember login passwords and PINs but there you go. 

The other thing I've found is if you've ever performed anything, such as a musical, you tend to remember the lyrics forever. And this is why is why I sing bits of "The Mikado" in the shower. 

What do you know all the words to?

How Twitter Lists Have Changed My Life

It's a big call, but I'm making it. Twitter lists have changed my life by making my social media time more efficient and interesting. 

I did not expect this small change to have such a positive effect on my life. Sure, I'd made lists before, but it was not until Sochi that I realized how darn useful they could be. Once set up with the right people (mainly sports journos); with the tap of a button I could filter my massive twitter feed with just the Winter Olympics news I wanted. 

After a blog chat a few months ago, I decided to focus on sharing fellow blogger's content from within my niche. I hoped my followers would like the improved content curation of my twitter feed. So I created a new list just made up of bloggers.  First thing in the morning I can check my list and see that morning's blog posts being flogged and any other interesting updates- all without the background noise and unending scrolling required when viewing everyone I follow. 

I save oodles of time and I also now get to see more of what each person is sharing throughout the day when I'm at work, because it's also the first thing I check when I get on the train to head home. If I only have a short amount of time I also have an "Essential reads" list of people/news outlets that gives me a quick snapshot of what's happening at any given time. 

I also now am able to read what my overseas tweeps are posting when I'm asleep, through my UK people list. Previously I would only have the patience to scroll back an hour or two in the mornings, but now I see most of what has been happening overnight. 

Yes, I do still read my whole feed - but only small chunks at a time. Lists have given me a more comprehensive view of what the people I follow are posting, and it's totally customizable for my needs. By creating lists of twitter accounts based on type of content (eg bloggers) or geographic location (another hemisphere) I save time and get to see a lot more varied tweets. 

Do you use twitter lists? What for? Do they save you time and trouble?

The Silver Vixen

Logically, I know that hair goes grey. Well, technically white I guess. I'm just having trouble wrapping my head around the fact that mine is. 

Sure, since my 20s I've always had one or two stray greys. They were novelties. But lately they're increasing in number, so much so that sometimes in the sun I think my hair is getting an almost salt-and-pepper look. I catch sight of a white strand on my pillow and wonder where on earth it came from. 

I've always dyed my hair. When I was young it was to be a bit different from my normal mouse brown. Later it was because I wanted an even colour. But now I'm going to be doing it to cover up the grey hairs!

I always wondered whether I would be one of those old ladies who embraced the grey or kept on dying until the end. Well, being in my 30s I'm not ready to become a Silver Vixen JUST yet!

Do you think we are too vain about going grey on top?