Two Fridges and Not a Damn Thing in Them

So the problem that I'm encountering right now with my Project 28 Goal is that Cat and I are splitting our time between two apartments. It reminds me of when we first started dating a few years ago and we commuted across our Boston neighborhoods, staying the night wherever made the most sense. Except that we each had our "own" fridges and didn't have joint expenses. I fed us when we were at my house, she fed us at hers. Now we have two "joint" fridges, one joint banking account; trying to keep groceries within budget yet stocked in both fridges is becoming tricky. Which house has the soy chicken patties? Which has the stir fry veggies? One house had plums that needed to get eaten today--which one was that?

This particular challenge to Project 28 is temporary. Slowly, as we move more kitchen stuff to my new apartment and eat less at the old apartment, the challenge will dissipate. Also, much of my time for the next month is my own since I am not teaching and not taking a second summer session of classes. Which means no structure. Which makes eating healthy (i.e. remembering to eat at regular intervals so I don't hit the desperate-starving stage of hunger) difficult.

Here's something about me: Every time a new quarter starts, I pull out a blank sheet of paper and with pen and pencil, sketch out my ideal weekly routine. In the schedule is meal times, shower times, gym times, teaching times, class times, writing times, reading times, research times, office hours, prep time, volunteer time ( I spend about 3 hours/wk at a local AIDS service org) and even, dare I say, television time. And I try to leave a few chunks of time completely blank for my partner and I. As well as evenings after 7 (I start my day around 6:30). I've used my google calendar before but I find the process with pen and paper more relaxing and more concrete. But here's what I'm realizing as I am moving into this next phase of my life: I may have to do this schedule week by week. As I move away from structured time and into my exam "reading hours" and as my partner starts her own PhD in Chicago (she has been working a 9-5 nonprofit job, which meant more structured time but I know her own preferences for schoolwork are much less structured than my own), I realize that my concentration for work isn't going to happen at the same time every day. There is a part of me that is terrified of losing structure, as if structure itself equals focus and commitment and control.

For this month, Cat and I are making our plans day by day.

I also have been realizing in the past few days that structured time is also the only way I believe that Project 28 will work. More on this later.