Sallyacious

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July 13, 2008

I Am a Slave to Routine

Or at least, I should be.

Last week assured me of that with absolutely no room for doubt. I work best when I have a relatively set timetable. (I think it gives me a reason to get started. Once started, I'll work until whenever, but I need a kick in the pants to begin.)

This was my timetable:

     6:30 - Alarm goes off. I hit the snooze every five minutes until
     6:40 - I get up.
     7:10 (or so) - I walk to the cafeteria for breakfast.
     7:15 - They start letting people in to eat. I am there. I get food & sit & chat with whoever else is also there.
     7:50-ish - Walk back to the dorm to get my laptop.
     8:00 - The coffee shop opens. I am there shortly thereafter to post the blog entry I wrote the night before, check my email and IM with Dave.
     8:30 - I leave the coffee shop and head back to my dorm where I plug the laptop in to charge, transfer the all-important, gets you into everything nametag from my jacket to my bag, fill the bag with things I need for the morning and head down to our classroom for the workshop.
     9-12:00ish - Class
     12-ish to1-ish - lunch & errand running
     1-4 - Class
     4-?? - Continue working on books.
     5:45 (At the latest) - Head to dinner, which is offered from 5:30-6:30 only
     7-?? - Evening program (or avoidance, when I realize I've had too much togetherness with my fellow humans and don't want to speak to anyone)
     9-ish - Write letter to Dave. Seal it up and walk to mailbox to mail it. Enjoy bats over the parking lot.
     Shower
     Shortly after 10 - Bed

Compare this with my schedule for today:

     7:40am - Finally can't sleep any more get up, whiten teeth, wash face, get dressed
     8-8:45 - Research various bookbinding supplies online.
     9am - Brunch with Dave
     9:45am - Home again. Clean up while Dave changes cat litter.
     10am - Begin blog post that involves downloading pictures from my camera and editing them to make them web-ready.
     2pm - Post blog entry. (That's right, it took me four hours.)
     2pm until Dave gets home - Surfing. Catching up on the blogs I couldn't read while I was at school.
     More surfing.
     Ate dinner.
     8:15pm - Watered & fertilized veggies on porch. Emptied & refilled dishwasher. Began blog entry. (This one.) Ran to store with Dave to get stuff for tomorrow's breakfast since I'd had a couple of glasses of wine and couldn't go by myself.

Does anyone else see the difference there? No wonder I'm the size of a small whale and 10lbs heavier than I was at this time last year. Because I sit around on my ass all day. Actually, I really enjoyed my routine this last week, it was really comforting. I hope I can figure out how to create a new one that fits my life here.

But before I was in Idyllwild, I was in Chicago. And I took pictures (about six of them) on my point and shoot. I share them with you now.

Sally and Heather in front of Buckingham Fountain
(Notice that I am such a good friend that I posted this picture even though I look hideous. Because Heather looks nice in it.)

Sally, Heather and Chris Reflected in the Bean
(This is the only picture I have of Chris, for some reason. Where are we? I am in the green shirt connected to the flash reflected in the middle left section of the image. Heather is the long haired blur in shorts to my left. Chris is the tall, bearded blur behind me.)

Lake Michigan and Buckingham Fountain from the Wedding Venue
(Which was on the 10th floor of Roosevelt University's Fine Arts Building. Prior to the wedding, everyone but the bride and groom was hanging out windows and taking pictures of the view. All of the people and tents, by the way, are part of Taste of Chicago.)

Sally and Becca
(The reason I made the trip to Chicago in the first place. My camera stopped working just after I got this shot. Isn't she a beautiful bride?)

Astonishingly, neither Becca nor myself really looks that much older than we did when we were in school together 12-14 years ago. Kind of handy, that. Certainly in our business.

I still don't have words for how wonderful it was to see her again. She's a part of me, almost like a sister might be. I'll have to get back to Chicago soon. Or get her and that lovely new husband out here for Jazz Fest. I don't want to wait another eight and a half years.

Posted by sally at July 13, 2008 08:38 PM

Comments

Posted by: HeatherK at July 14, 2008 11:35 AM

Posted by: Sallyacious at July 14, 2008 12:15 PM

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