Thursday 24 June 2010

listless

Jennie My approach to wedding planning, half-assed as it is, involves a lot of lists. I have a list of people to invite to the ceremony. I have a list of people to invite to the reception (cause they're different, see). There's a list for RSVPs, even though we haven't sent the invitations yet. There's a list of music to play, music NOT to play, music to maybe play, what to buy the bridesmaids, what board games to get for the centerpieces, who to invite to the bridal shower, who to invite to the bachelorette party, who to put at what table, blah blah LIST EXPLOSION.

I would worry that these actions scream bridezilla, but this is what I do. I make lists. All the time. For everything. When I get to work in the morning, I make a To Do list for the day. When I'm off work, I make a To Do list for the day, even if it's just in my head, and then I try and calculate how much time each task will take and how much time I'll have left over for fun things, like reading or watching all of Party Down for the 4th time. I am forever making lists of things to buy, things to give to Goodwill, grocery lists, Target lists, and lists of possible gifts for birthdays, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas, and GIFTS FOR NO RAISIN.

Back when I was doing NaNoWriMo, I made a list of characters for the book I was writing because I kept forgetting who everyone was. I had a list going of how many words I'd written, and how many I had left. I pro and con everything from whether or not to change my name to whether I should run inside or outside.

Do spreadsheets count as lists? Because I have a spreadsheet for the push-up challenge so I know how many push-ups I did on any given day. I have a spreadsheet to keep track of where I am on Couch to 5K. I have a spreadsheet for my checking account balance and a spending log to keep track of where I'm putting my money each month and spreadsheet for keeping track of how much my monthly bills fluctuate.

Just today, I've created the following lists: work To Do list, home To Do list, To Do list for when I'm off work tomorrow, upcoming expenses, and possible cupcake flavors for the reception. Just last night, I met with the director of the place I volunteer to set up a blog for the organization. Today I made a list of stuff I want to add to the blog. It's not even 10 o'clock, I haven't actually DONE anything yet, and I'm exhausted.

You guys. I made a lists OF LISTS before I wrote this post. I HAVE A SICKNESS.

10 comments:

scott said...

I'm just exactly not like this. Here is the list of differences between you and me:

1. I' hate making lists and I'm not going to keep making this one.

Hello, Collective.

Unknown said...

I think it's a family curse. You come by it honestly!

Jennie said...

Scott...heh.

Jim, I mean Dad, damn those genetics.

Unknown said...

1. What do have against giving gifts to raisins?
2. Have you heard of mint.com? It does all of your money spreadsheet-ery for you. Free.
3. If you give a list of 'songs not to play' to a wedding DJ, won't that just be like a dare to him/her? Do you not realize that DJs secretly yearn for danger and will purposely play 'Islands in the Stream', especially if you tell them not to?
4. Muppet staring contest! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHK0JVAqQgE

Jennie said...

1. Raisins are nothing but rotten grapes.
2. I actually do have an account with them, but I like keeping track of it myself because I LIKE THE CONTROL I NEED THE CONTROL. Ahem.
3. The wedding DJ is one of our friends, I feel confident that she doesn't want to hear the Chicken Dance any more than we do.
4. I wish I could watch that right now.

eclectic said...

If I send you all my stuff, will you make lists for me? No, huh? *sigh* How 'bout if I say "pretty please"?

Jennie said...

You don't have to say anything else, I will totally do that.

Ashley said...

It is totally normal and awesome to make lists, except for when you make some sort of pocket type list and then you lose it and that list was the only thing preventing you from financial ruin (or something).

Jennie said...

You sound as if you might be speaking from experience.

Ashley said...

That is entirely possible.