Entry the Five Hundred and Thirty Fifth

07 May 2003

Moody

Been in absolutely no mood to write. Wanted to just disappear and/or crash when I get home, actually, not that I ever do so. Am too online addicted for such things, and far too social a creature, so up and chatting am I most nights.

The last bit of time in Tampa was nice enough (posted the other stuff I typed up there tonight, though not on the index page). Trip home was uneventful. Work has been absolutely nuts, but not unmanageably so. Just tell them to expect X or Y, but not both, and so be it. And I'm not budging on that - I can't.

Add to that several police meetings this month, a task force I seem to be heading up now (how the hell did that happen?!?!), and you get a bit of a mess.

Monday night, after one of our less successful commission meetings, the fire alarm went off at 3:40 am. Was the real thing, another trash fire (no injuries), so rounded up the cats and out I went. They let us back in at about 4:15, I called work and let them know I wasn't coming in, and slept in Tuesday morning. Got laundry done, the usual mess, and put some other things in order. Not that I've taken action on them, but they are in order now.

So, just not been in a mood for much writing. Home has been an escape of sorts, though not nearly enough of one. I probably need a decent vacation, but the work piles up too quickly when gone, both work work and commission work. Sad when you want to get away but don't feel you can because you don't want to play catch up when you get back. But anyway, have been bugged to update, so here is, such as it is.

Archives

Ran in RCP

Entry the Five Hundred and Thirty Sixth

08 May 2003

Monkish?

03/5/8 9:17 a.m.

I'm going to have to enter one of my "monkish" phases soon, take time off from various vices and do a reset. I've had too much going on and not taken enough time to handle basic moose life maintenance, with the result that I am doing stupid things like not sleeping and being late for work. That shit has got to stop.

So, some vice-free days are in order. Not that I entertain many to begin with, but the ones I do are smacking me too hard at the moment. I also need to break down and get some loratadine, as expensive as that stuff is, even in generic form. It's allergy season, whether I choose or not, and they're also smacking me and affecting my sleep quality, as well as quality of life during the day.

...

03/5/8 9:39 a.m.

Just put this down and did some work, reviewing forms for updating. Went surprisingly quickly and am glad to have that out of the way. Maybe I'm just trying to do too much at the moment (when am I ever not?) an that's just stressing my body too much. I'll try and do some yoga tonight before bed, that'll help calm body and mind before sleep.

Doug's coming over as well tonight and as he is crashing early of late that should encourage the same in me.

...

Did do the yoga, and it did seem to help. Walking around Dupont, Adams Morgan and Mount Pleasant with Doug helped as well.

Work ended up being busy, of course, but not too terribly bad. Was a bit stressed at the end, but got a big, last minute project done and out of the way. Let's hear it for managers who promise things at the last minute in a meeting the day before. Yay! :-p

So anyway, heading to bed earlier than I have been, though not perhaps as early as I might have wanted. In any case, I'll be better rested, and will get up and run in the morning.

Archives

Rest

Entry the Five Hundred and Thirty Seventh

13 May 2003

Water Cats

My cats are obsessed with water.

I knew something was up when I got home shortly after getting them and found Boris asleep in the bathroom sink. At first I assumed it was just a nice, cool place for him to lie down, but now I know better.

He was after the water.

He's since graduated up to sleeping in the bathtub, an occurrence which occasionally leads to a nice warm spot (once he vacates the tub) on which I can stand while waiting for the water to warm up. He slips in past the edges of the shower curtain, walks along the edge of the tub, and slips inside to either lap at the leftover water, or sleep in the nice, cool (dry) tub.

Natasha, on the other hand, has to check out the tub now immediately after I turn off the water at the end of my morning shower. A 'meow' and paw coming past the edge of the curtain are my signals to throw open the curtain and allow her to hop up on the edge and, perhaps, down into the tub proper. Gotta make sure I'm not up to anything nefarious in there, you know.

Their latest trick, though, is cornering me while I'm in the bathroom and demanding I turn on the sink. The sink is right beside the toilet, so is within each arm reach. As soon as I sit down in the evening, Boris is up on the sink, giving me the eye, as if to say, "Okay, you can turn on the water now!" After I reach over and start a slow trickle he drinks as if I never put water out for him, and/or plays in it, cleaning his paws and the like. This from the cat who forced me to get a spill-proof water bowl so I didn't have to worry about stepping in cat water every morning since he decided he liked his water all over the kitchen floor more than he liked it in the bowl.

Natasha, of course, is not to be left out, and so hops up and perches over Boris, back bent and staring down at him like a greedy vulture waiting for her chance at the road kill. She seldom drinks, but heaven forfend Boris get to do or experience something that she can't, so up in her vulture stance she goes.

'Tis so much fun being a slave to water cats.

Archives

Rest

Entry the Five Hundred and Thirty Eighth

15 May 2003

Frustration

I need a reset. No sugar, no bad foods, no caffeine, no alcohol, etc.

My body needs the rest.

May have to take some non-computer, non-stressed out time this weekend, meditate, think on where I'm headed next. I've changed many things this year, my 30th, and not all changes have been for the good (though most have). I'm compensating for stress in some not-so-smart ways and those need to be addressed, and soon.

In other news, we're doing an office evaluation of our headquarters, where I work. We evaluate each field office every three years, but HQ has never been evaluated. As part of it, every employee and contractor fills out a survey on their job, their office, management, etc. As part of mine I am including the following paragraph, which pretty much sums up my frustration at work for the past 2-3 years:

I was hired for my law degree and not for my math skills. It’s like taking a pair of plyers and using them to pound nails - the nails get put in place, but not as well as if you used a hammer, and each time you pound another nail it gets harder and harder to use the plyers to place and remove nuts and bolts.

Anyway, time for sleep and, hopefully, a run in the morning in the new shoes.

Archives

Rest

Entry the Five Hundred and Thirty Ninth

24 May 2003

Funks

I didn't reset quite as quickly as I'd have hoped. Last weekend was a mess, not helped any by the total lack of sunlight, which is pretty much how this week and the current weekend are shaping up as well. My all-spectrum bulb in my desk lamp died and I've not replaced it yet, so I'm not getting the light I crave, which isn't helping my mood at all.

The one good thing to come out of last weekend was a determination not to drink until after the 1/2 marathon in August. I've left a bottle of my current favorite red wine, half empty, out on the kitchen counter to remind me that I've promised myself I'll get through this race and do well at it. To do so I need to concentrate on being able to run, which means no drinking until it's done. And I've not done so since last Saturday.

Caffeine I was less successful at avoiding. Had two lattes (they were so good!) with lunch this week, which may explain why I was in such a funk today for much of the day - coming down off the caffeine. Legal drugs are so much fun when you don't really want to be using them.

Richard's headed over this evening for dinner and then perhaps Remington's this evening. That'll be the true test of this determination - not drinking there. Club soda with a lime, here I come.

Did get some good news at work this week, that part of the stuff I hate doing is being taken off of me so I can concentrate on the policy and legal stuff I would prefer to be doing. Best of all, the one fund that is the bane of my existence, at least when it comes to the actual number crunching, is coming off of my shoulders and going to one of our contractors. Thank heavens for that - that was the one thing I really and truly dreaded at work, and it's going away. So it seems my sometimes subtle, sometimes not-so-subtle, commentary on these things is working. Good.Anyway, still trying to break out of this funk and get back to an equilibrium, and it's getting better, but I still have a ways to go.

Archives

Rest

Entry the Five Hundred and Fortieth

25 May 2003

Danced/Ran

As planned I did not drink last night at Remington's and it was a nice, mellow evening. Danced twice, managed not to step on my feet (I need so much more practice, though!). nor stare at my feet, so that was an accomplishment in and of itself.

Got up not too early, read some in the paper, went back to bed, slept in until noon or so. So much for getting a lot done! ;-) The rest was good, though, and was nice not to get up with a sore head (well, not sore from anything other than lack of sleep). Putzed mostly today, and went to see a movie with Lawrence and his neighbor this evening. Was a good day overall.

Some shopping planned for tomorrow with Doug, then some writing for work and government. Want to get at least a draft of some "working meal" guidance put together so we can put out something more explicit to the field and help them get stuff to us that's more together than it is now.

Archives

Ran in RCP

Entry the Five Hundred and Forty First

28 May 2003

Teaching

More writing yesterday at work, less numbers. Always a good combination.

I changed the text I sent on our office evaluation, was more explicit about being moved down to the general counsel's office and out of the budget unit. Anyone who would read the thing knows I've wanted to move down for over a year now, so no harm done there. I was thinking about it on my run this morning (negative split this morning!!!) and I should approach one or more of the front office folks and talk to them about this. Waited too long here, I need to move on it again.

Slept mostly well last night. Woke up at 2ish, had some problems getting back to sleep, but slept well once I finally nodded off again.

I'm off for a quick overnight trip to SC this afternoon, back tomorrow evening. I'm teaching in the morning (and looking forward to it, as always), and perhaps meeting with some folks on other issues. I like these trips, it give me a chance to brush elbows with folks from the field, and find out what's happening in the world of the Big Government Agency. Is always helpful.

I ordered a new clock radio cd player this morning. Mine has been dying for the better part of two years, and I finally found a clock radio with a remote that I liked, so it's on its way. Ordered some books on legal argumentation and logic as well. I had added a ton of those to my amazon wish list, wanting to read up on logic and rhetoric for an eventual potential Ph.D. in rhetoric, so ordered a couple to have some reading material. I look forward to getting them and delving in.

Archives

Ran in RCP