This is essentially what it looks like outside my window, it's beautiful. I don't really have a good relationship with snow (getting my car stuck, having to shovel for hours, etc.), but it's still beautiful.
I got quite a bit done yesterday, including work! So, let's get to it!
1. Still haven't gotten much done with the house. My lady and I are gonna go look at it today and make sure the holes we've sealed aren't leaking. I ordered some new material to start sealing the roof, it should arrive soon.
2. As I mentioned early. I was able to work yesterday and therefore able to practice my skills.
There were (luckily) no angry callers yesterday. I was able to work on my awesome ASL skills, as well as my transliterating skills (more English based sign language). I am noticing that my ASL skills are improving slowly but surely. How can I tell? Because my facial expression as well as my hand gestures are beginning to reveal more about the speaker's message that I didn't include before.
Becoming better at ASL is a perpetual cycle; you get better at signing, so you're able to listen more to the original message, and therefore include more in your interpretation. The more you can include in your interpretation, the more you can listen to the original message and include more (if there is any) of the original message.
3. I still haven't gotten the hang of playing for more than an hour each day. I'm not sure what it is, but I think it might be due to the fact that I don't have a set plan of what I'm going to practice. I just sit down and start practicing, which makes me leave earlier than intended because I'm not sure what else I should practice. I'll need to start making a plan of what exactly I'll practice each session, and more if I run through it faster than expected.
Current: no exact goal, not practicing for at least an hour
Goal: come up with plan for each session the day before and practice for at least an hour
4. I finished the book "Think Like a Freak"-- that means I finished reading it in about 2 days, which is great for me! That means if I truly focus while reading, I might be able to read 3 books a week. I'm already at 2....
Think Like a Freak was a great book. It really inspired me to try and train my brain to think slightly different about specific things. I really should say the authors inspired me because it wasn't just Think Like a Freak that inspired me to think differently, it was also Freakonomics.
They encouraged "quitting", questioning everything, especially commonly held beliefs, think twice before arguing with someone with the intent to persuade them, etc.
That last point I'd like to extrapolate on a bit. They are convinced that arguing/debating with someone to persuade them differently from what they originally think/thought is a bad idea-- a waste of time. Why? Because, they say, people rarely change their minds based on a debate/argument. I tend to agree with them!
I enjoy debating/arguing, I really do. I love trying to think information, arguments, stories, etc. on the fly in the heat of the moment. There's really nothing else like it for me. In any case, I don't think I necessarily convinced many people in all my years of arguing. Mainly what happens is I outlast them (stamina) and they just give up on trying to convince me of their point. I didn't really think of this before reading their books.
I also found this cool website that has an iOS app with it called "Goodreads". It allows you to keep track of the books you're reading/have already read and you can download their app which doesn't take as much space on your phone because it stores info in the cloud, not your phone like my last app did.
Current: Reading 2 books a week
Goal: Read 3 books a week
5. The trades are still going well. But, of course, like you all know, right now it's a waiting game. I can't trade yet because I haven't necessarily made enough of a profit. I'm back up to ~$100, and need to get up to $110 before I consider trading. This week has been a good mix of ups and downs.
6. I studied a little bit about electricity yesterday. I mainly studied how one installs an outlet into a wall and learned some interesting techniques.
One technique the electrician showed was how to install dry-wall on a wall that has outlets. They showed a nifty magnet that you place inside the outlet box before placing the dry wall, then place the dry wall on top of that, and place a magnet when you think the other might be. This causes (obviously) the magnets to stick together and you have an outline for where the dry wall is.
He then had a fancy cutting tool that allowed him to cut around the box without giving him the ability to cut through the box. Fascinating stuff.
7. My development of "speed" is going really well. I'm reading at a faster rate than I ever have! Today I'll be able to practice my skill of remembering people's names, recalling facts quickly, and working on my feet fast.
Overall yesterday was a good day. I need to improve the following;
-piano practice. Play longer, play with more of a plan
-have 3 books ready per week
-make ASL practice more deliberate
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