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There’s something about a clean closet that just feels complete. Somewhere in my head on Saturday morning, I got this urge to clean the closet in the laundry room. I’d put some paper towels in there and had to shove to get the door to close. Not good. So I started. That clean closet morphed into the kitchen closet. I stopped there. I was starting to pile things everywhere, so I loaded up a box and took it to Goodwill. Other closets will wait until other days.
But something about January makes me want to clean house, rearrange, redecorate. Mind you, the Christmas decorations still sit in a pile in the foyer waiting to go back to the basement, but baby steps. I did my usual Saturday routine – dust the living room and library, Swiffer the wood floors in the library and dining room (for some reason, I forgot the study), then head out somewhere to get tea. Back home, I grab a book and get some quality reading time in (after all the HGTV shows, of course). This weekend I finished another John Steinbeck – To a God Unknown – and looked over his technique a bit. In that one, the plot was a bit weak in spots, but it was one of his first books. I loved that he was brave with his idea and chased it.
Yesterday was finishing the book, then off to Molly Maguire’s for some Irish music. The weather here is right now 19 degrees, so I’ve broken out the coat, hat, and gloves. Time to take the cold weather a bit more seriously. I usually don’t button my coat until it hits 20. Today, definitely.
Today I have a client call, a report due, then to work on first the novel, then edits to my marketing book. I have a few interviews to line up for articles, and of course more marketing. I have to get back to a potential client on a proposal I’d sent him last week. I may give him a few more days as he has to pass it up the food chain.
How was your weekend? What’s on this week’s agenda?
The weekend was good. I'm taking one day per week to be unplugged, and that's helping a lot — my attitude as well as everything else!
I've got to finish a manuscript, deal with my students' work and short stories (32 of them due on Tuesday), and knock out a couple of my own short stories, a few proposals, and keep working on the book.
Busy, but good busy.
Happy Monday, Lori. This week I plan to review book manuscripts in various stages of production, meet with the author of some of the books, do some creative writing and finalise a contract with client I landed through an ebook I self-published.
Good busy is so much less stressful, isn't it Devon? Glad to hear you've found a way to unwind that works for you. I've experimented with different things, but I agree the unplugging works wonders.
Sounds like a nice week for you as well, Damaria! Glad to hear Mma is doing better.
I had plans for my own Saturday cleaning out, but was working on a marketing piece instead. It's not often that I work on a weekend, but the holidays threw all my routine into chaos. So, this coming weekend for the cleaning. 🙂
Sometimes it's good to live in an old house with only two closets! (Of course, those two closets are both giant messes.)
This week I have two articles to write and turn in and more marketing to do.
I spent a big chunk of Saturday trying the new Office suite on the new computer. Why-oh-why did they make Word so much harder to navigate than the old 2004 version? I never did figure out Excel, but I didn't use the older version I had, anyway. My goal was to generate some charts for my property tax protest hearing this Tuesday. I finally came up with a series of bar graphs charting each property on my block over the three-year assessment period (blue: owner-occupied, yellow: rental, orange: vacant and for sale/rental; red: vacant due to foreclosure). My final sheet shows the same stats for the year prior to the assessment period and the year following it. Prior year: mostly blue. Following year: mostly red and yellow. The only through line of all the properties is my thin blue line…
I hate to say it, but sometimes words aren't the most powerful tool in a communicator's arsenal.
Cathy, I was tempted to work last weekend, but luckily I wasn't even home. 🙂 We do what we have to, don't we? It's done now, right? You can relax a bit.
Paula, I had the same reaction to Offic 2007. Hang in there. It takes very little time to get used to it and see how much better it actually is.
ugh, re software updates… I wish they wouldn't – word is much harder to use, but…
Saturday I mostly spent comforting my sick kitty and dozing. Sunday I celebrated that she'd gotten herself well, went to a poetry reading, and on to a meditation.
Cleaning closets – I've got one I'm ignoring, along at the moment with the wash.
You're not alone, Cathy. I was working this weekend too. Same reason – holiday scheduling issues with the client and a technical snafoo. Glad you had such a nice weekend, Lori.
Fighting Word 2011 and unleashing my inner lawyer for the property tax hearing almost made me for that I did a little real work this weekend, too. I transcribed an interview.
Wish my luck for tomorrow afternoon's 15-minute hearing. I have 7.5 whole minutes to explain why I feel my property is still over-assessed after they already reduced the assessed value.
This weekend we visited some family members of mine over in Pville and then dealt with the neighbor from hell.
Long story short, we asked him to keep the ATV noise down (quite nicely btw). So they're attempting some intimidation tactics now. Always a joy. It makes the work week that much better though — at least the kids are in school until around 3:00.
I'm envious that your Christmas decorations are down at least. We haven't gotten that far yet. I usually take them down on the 1st, but we can't seem to find the time yet.
Jenn, you really do have the neighbors from Hell. Any way to file formal complaints with the court? If you ask nicely and others are also bitching, why on earth are these people allowed to continue ticking off the entire neighborhood?
I'd try inviting them over for a meal and a conversation. Then if that doesn't work, ask once more before calling the cops or the attorney.
The decorations are STILL sitting in the foyer. Today, I swear!