The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year?s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

So, without furthur ado, here?s my list of 101 Things in 1001 Days. Wish me luck!

Start Date: January 3, 2008

End Date: October 1, 2011

The post 101 Things in 1001 Days – The List appeared first on Amber Hansford - Fantasy Author.

Before the list, though, I wanted to break down some of the recent things I?ve posted here before 2008 was completely over and done with. I?ve been on a roller-coaster lately, with all the changes in the air.

We?re in an unplanned holding pattern with the house, as I make too much money now to be able to qualify for some the down payment assistance programs that are still functioning after the big meltdown, though on the plus side the house?s first bid fell through, so it?s listed as active once again. If any of y?all have a spare $7k you can send me as an interest-free loan, email me, alright?

I am now officially a permanent employee at Big Ol? Sports, though I had to move to another team to accomplish that. But, Dear Readers, don?t think I?m done with my original team, as Fate likes to seriously screw with my head. About 4 days after moving to a new group to get my dearly needed perm status, a bunch of Senior Vice Presidents in the company got together to have a pow-wow about little ol? me, and while I?m officially on Team B now, I?ll still be working on Team A until the end of February, full-time. I?ve moved my stuff already, and gotten all my things organized in the new building on campus, surrounded by Team B, but I?m in my own personal version of Sartre?s Hell by only being allowed to work on Team A?s site.

So, Sayonara 2008? You?ve been good, you?ve been bad, you?ve moved a tad quicker than what I would have preferred.

And here?s to wishing all of y?all the best 2009 that can be. Happy New Year!

The post See Ya, 2008? appeared first on Amber Hansford - Fantasy Author.

Our lease isn?t up until the end of February, so I thought we?d have a bit of time to sort out everything, and in a way, we do. But things got a little pushed last month when I signed up to have the ability to save some of my searches on one of the local real estate sites, and I had a realtor contact me about one of the properties that I had saved.

So, we went to see a house a few weeks ago. Epic FAIL on that one. My dining room table was bigger than the dining room, the laundry ?room? was only accessible from the exterior of the house, and there were gorgeous exposed beams that showed us that there couldn?t have been more than 3/4 of an inch of insulation in the roof. Disappointed, I figured we could wait, and try and talk the landlady into a 6-month extension on our lease.

Which she was ok with? so today, seeing four houses, I figured there would be more of the same from the first one, but I was wrong.

The first house we saw, while needing some things here and there (bathtub that needs to be repaired/replaced, paint interior/exterior, and some electrical work that looks like it was as hacktastic as some of the coding I?ve done in a fit of alcoholic stupor) but really, I like the house. Really like the house. It?s a foreclosure, it?s in Elizabeth?s school district, and the house has more than enough room for us, our stuff, and a great backyard. The other three were good, but small, and with less work to be put in them, but it was the first one that won me over.

It?s been vacant for a while, so I got to get a grand view of the basement level after a squatter?s party, with the dregs of blunt-making on the dryer and someone?s dirty underwear in the basement-level bathroom sink, but I still liked it. Man, I can see what we could have in that house.

Now to see if there are any other bids on the house, and waiting until after the 15th of the month (I?m going perm at Big Ol? Sports then, albeit with another site?s team – another post in the making) to get pre-approval for a mortgage on this one. The price is more than reasonable, almost extremely low for the area we?re looking, so I?m really trying to keep good thoughts on this one. I?m not really sure how much we?ll need outside of the mortgage to get it fully livable, which concerns both me and BabyDaddy a little, but I?m not allowing myself at this point to fall in love with this place. It could fall through, or we could get a home inspector in there and find out the house is about to fall down around someone?s ears.

Waiting, that?s what I?m doing. I. Hate. Waiting.

The post Houses, Houses Everywhere appeared first on Amber Hansford - Fantasy Author.

The post Happy Thanksgiving! appeared first on Amber Hansford - Fantasy Author.

I liked it, but damn, it made me feel old.

Let me preface this by saying I?ve read all the books?. and other than the occasional itch to slap the crap out of Bella due to being a teenage girl and acting like one really well, I really like the first three** books. (**Don?t get me started on Breaking Dawn, one of the most crapastic ways to end a series EVER)

I liked the movie. It was a great translation of the first book to the screen, but my Gawd, Rob Pattinson spontaneously makes me want to give up all my other Secret Celebrity crushes at the same moment make me feel like I?m geriatric.

I was 12 when he was born.

So, after seeing the movie and listening to BabyDaddy actually liking it as well, I made up for the fact that I was feeling a touch dirty lusting after that young boy and sat down to a couple of Criminal Minds episodes. I ended up staying up way past my bedtime and moving my Secret Celebrity Crush over to Matthew Gray Gubler (Dr. Spencer Reid on Criminal Minds) instead. At least I was only 5 when he was born. And isn?t he just the cutest lil androgynous boy EVER? Check out the UnAuthorized Biography series on youtube for some serious funny.

* I do actually have a bunch of really important stuff to impart on this here blog, but I really just needed to get to writing something, not a Not-Really Review of Twilight.

The post Why I’m lusting after someone over a decade younger than I am appeared first on Amber Hansford - Fantasy Author.

Happy Election Day!

The post Off to Vote appeared first on Amber Hansford - Fantasy Author.

What I need to be doing is cleaning my house and prepping for the ?rents (flying in on Saturday) and the Family Party for Elizabeth?s birthday (Sunday). What I?ve ended up doing is work on a couple of outstanding WordPress templates and prepping for Nanowrimo in the evenings, then vegging out in front of the television to catch up on my Tivo.

This week hasn?t been all bad, though. I really enjoyed Webmaster Jam Session last weekend, and I picked up a little freelance work on an existing client who needs a new coupon book. We also found out that I won?t have to pay for a new Gi for Elizabeth?s karate class (her top went missing last week), since I had unknowingly paid for one at the beginning of class that she didn?t need because of last year?s class.

Yes, that?s good news, cause I had extra money when I paid for her class at the beginning of the year, and I really don?t have a lot of spare cash sitting around at this point. I?m moving stuff around in accounts at the moment to make my accounts more balanced. Hence, the ?looking for freelance work? portion above.

Maybe my shitty mood today can be blamed on this sinus headache that just won?t go away, regardless of ibuprofen ingested this morning.

The post The World?s a Mess, It?s in My Kiss appeared first on Amber Hansford - Fantasy Author.

?Today is the first day of October, right??

Me – ?Yep.?

Elizabeth – ?It?s my Birthday Month!?

So, today begins my preparation for the age of 7. I think that Elizabeth is far more prepared than I am, though we?ve already gotten glimpses into what the next year will entail. Getting some of her privileges taken away because she?s not always finishing her work in school, forgoing actually doing her work for chatting with her friends in class, and the talking back? My Gawd, the talking back has been killing me lately. We?ve been slowly nipping that in the bud, but it?s hard-going at times.

But, even with the problems that have happened, I do think that she?s, on the whole, a good kid. While she can drive me batty with a bat of the eyelashes, she?s not destroying things or really getting into trouble at school, negating the Chatty Cathy imitation in class.

We?ll see what she?s got up her sleeve for celebrating her Birthday Month tonight when I get home from work. With everyone?s schedules, she?s really getting two parties already this month, but I have this feeling that she?ll be asking for more.

The post Preparing Myself for 7 appeared first on Amber Hansford - Fantasy Author.

Want to help me out by giving me your opinions over here on my Nano blog?

The post Nano 2008 – Want to help me out? appeared first on Amber Hansford - Fantasy Author.

BabyDaddy has a New Plan, and that plan involves him joining the Army Reserves. In fact, this morning he was down at MEPS getting his ?old-man? physical (his words, not mine) to see if he can get an age waiver to get in.

What?s going through his blasted mind, I can hear some of y?all say across the Great and Powerful Interwebs? well, unemployment insurance that?s quickly running out seems to be his driving force in this idea. And while I can understand, and damned if I can?t approve of another income coming into the house, the idea that he?s going to have the more than likely possibility of having to get deployed out to Iraq or Afghanistan makes me twitch, to say the least. The job market for surveying is awful in Metro Atlanta, but I can?t help but think that there?s got to be SOMETHING out there that doesn?t involve the possibility of being shot at.

So, yeah? I?m conflicted? but I?m also getting a little stressed at carrying all of the weight of our bills as well. We?ll see how it goes, though. I mean, it could end up that his steel toe (replacement joint in his foot) or something else comes up that prevents him from getting the waiver at all.

The post BabyDaddy?s New Plan appeared first on Amber Hansford - Fantasy Author.