my list is not completed

Okay, so last night I drafted a list of things I wanted to accomplish today. It is as follows:

To do list:
1) ask for blog addresses
2) get gas
3) look up words
4) study grammar/vocab
5) fill out absent form

1. The other day, Angeline told me that most of PKU students have blogs, especially girls, so I intended to ask all the people I knew for their blog addresses today.. didn't even start this.

2. This was fairly important. We were running low on gas at our appartment, so I volunteered to fill it up. Here you pay for gas at the post office. It is about a 20 minute walk from my appartment. Lots of people today, and it took me a little bit to figure first, that I needed a number, and second, where and how to get a number. Careful observation was the key. Next had to understand the number and station that was being called out periodically. I had about 50 people before me, so by the time it was my turn I could hear the important parts "...513.. ..3..!" 300 yuan buys about 150 m3.

3. yeah I meant to look up a bunch of words today.. I read a small article about how there a certain key 字 that you can use to create many different words with, good way to increase vocab. I had previously observed this, but hadn't studied it much.. so I meant to look at these words.. drafted from the ones I could remember and that always seem to show up in common words:
( 当, 此, 彼, 这, 那, 以, 是, 然, 最, 想, 为, 能, 会, 前, 后, 在, 到 ) [EDIT: + 常, 经]

4. I've had these great review books on grammar and vocab that I got back in America. I tried looking at them, really good stuff, just essential information.. but at the time it was over my head. Recently, I been feeling like Chinese is a little more accessible.. I think I hit the 3 month immersion point a month or two late. Anyway, didn't crack the books open today..

5. This is for my trip to Harbin. Gotta fill out a form explaining location visiting, length of stay, departure and return dates, and contact info for my CSU program. Did this after getting gas.. both location close at 5pm. Yeah, got a late start. No one was in the office when I got there around 4:15 but the form was on the door. Apparently you are supposed to submit this form 3 days in advance. It's a good idea.. but I didn't do it this time. Right now I think it less important, because so many people are gone nowadays, and even my director is going off, so it's a little more casual.

So, in conclusion, I completed 2 or my 5 tasks planned for today. Not a great average, but the strategy was okay, because I did the things that I can only do here in Beijing, today. The train ride tomorrow is around 11 hours.. so now I'll have some things to fill up my idle time on the ride north.