1- I WORKED YESTERDAY EVENING! For ~1.5 hours. And I wrote ~1500 words. And survived. I think this little night shift may be the answer, even though I’m not particularly jazzed about it. I AM jazzed to be writing something “real” and this routine will be temporary but — I believe — worthwhile. I debated going to Starbucks but no matter what, the only place I want to be after ~6pm or so is my house (unless I’m doing something social!).
And so I worked in my closet. It could use some decluttering. But it works!
(This is also my Official Podcasting Studio, BTW. It has decent acoustics!)
2- I enjoyed Laura Tremaine’s recent ep on girls trips. It made me a little jealous — she has taken FAR more than I have, and I had to bail on the last one, this past September. BUT it was fun to think about doing more of them in the future. She mentioned the Splitwise app – 100% agree this is super helpful and we used it on our last trip!
3- Sarah @ Harrytimes had a gem of a productivity post today: HERE. I will high five all of Sarah’s selves: past, present, AND future! (Admittedly I was particularly excited she mentioned her commitment to Inbox Zero as a fellow die hard.)
4- I was shocked to hear my own name while listening to this week’s Happier Ladies this morning! It made me so happy. (They were talking about planning out your day and how this practice helped one of the hosts accept the limitations of her time. I am accepting of my own limits, though clearly have been pushing the envelope a bit lately.)
5- Time to make a PLAN to vote!! I am going to do “early voting” next Tuesday after school drop-off. IF there’s a huge line (have heard mixed reports), my backup plan is to do it that afternoon. My voting site is the local library! It’s nice be able to go somewhere familiar. I think I also voted there in 2020.
I will be voting for Kamala Harris, like my favorite cat lady Taylor. I feel kind of weird mentioning it (this is not a political/partisan space) but I also feel kind of weird not mentioning it. Everyone should vote! (Please no political battles in the comments!)
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Ooo, your podcast mention reminds me that I saw your name pop up in the Cup Of Jo comments earlier this month! I think in the post asking people what they did for a living. It was exciting! I took a picture of it to send you (and then promptly forgot, lol).
Nice work using that later-in-the-day time block to get some writing done! It’s good to know that you can do that again if need be. Your situation kind of reminds me of how Liz Craft feels when she’s stressed about a show. Like what a gift to be writing a book – and yet, what a source of stress!
I voted today. I wanted to vote with Paul on election day as our voting site is at the community center next to his school. But I didn’t want to run the risk of something happening that would prevent me from voting (although I don’t know what could/would). I also voted for Harris/Walz.
I have only done one girls trip since becoming a mom. I used to do an annual running girls trip before having kids. Now I would have a hard time doing a personal trip on top of my work travel… :/ I would like to do another one with the friend I met up with last summer in Banff. We used to do running trips together but now we have decided to do hiking trips instead since we don’t train/race like we used to. I’d go back to Banff in a heartbeat with her!
We voted absentee and hand delivered our ballots a week ago. Yay to MI for making the process so easy! Congrats on getting some evening writing done! I just got another grant rejection so I’ve been spending the day feeling sorry for myself (lol). I think I’m getting better at moving on quickly from these rejections… but also it does kind of suck too. I just went on a stupid walk for my stupid mental health and now I’m going to do some stupid yoga and then lie on the couch watching a stupid movie. Hopefully after next week’s long clinical stretch I’ll feel better. Oh and also yay for being able to walk without pain again. Small victories, right?
I think your walk/yoga/movie sounds like amazing recovery and I am impressed!!! (even if it seems stupid in the moment). I would call pain-free walking a big victory!
Washington state is completely mail in ballot and I don’t understand why more states don’t go this direction. We are able to fill the ballot out at home, and we can mail it back or drop it at the local ballot box (also my library).
Oh wow I didn’t know that! I kind of enjoy the ritual of going to the polls physically though it’s probably impractical. Esp with early voting so you get the voting experience but it isn’t tooooo crazy!
Same goes for California.
I mailed in my Californian ballot. And explained to two study abroad students how to chase up their absentee ballots.
I think an evening stretch on occasion is doable but I do find I need a wind down after which pushes my bedtime later. My office is next to my son’s bedroom so sometimes I get told off for typing too loudly as well. I sometimes do my grading at night since it doesn’t require much brain power plus I reward myself – 1 mini peanut cup per essay.
I’m so happy I’m not alone in the closet worker world … I’m a closet closet worker! I always think people will find it weird, but no windows and my clothes make for a cosy cocoon … I need to get a mini desk in there as mine takes up too much room!
Also going to early vote on Tuesday! On call overnight on election day. Happy there’s a TV in the workroom. Or maybe not…depending. Also voting Kamala!
That’s interesting about Washington State! I didn’t know that either. I did early voting this week and there was no line (I went in the morning.) Next week might be busier, but it shouldn’t be too bad.
I did read Sarah’s post, and it’s great. I always wonder if people who have five kids just have to be super organized, OR if super organized people are more likely to have five kids in the first place? Everyone I know with 4+ kids has all sorts of amazing systems, like color coding glasses and towels.
Glad your evening session worked out so well! Yes, it could be a (TEMPORARY) new thing for you.
One more thing- your post reminds me of a cartoon I saw at the height of the pandemic. A woman is saying to her husband “Have a good day at work!” He’s wearing a suit, carrying a briefcase, and walking into the closet. You could tell it was a closet because there were empty hangers on the rod, ha ha.
Voting in person on Election Day. Not making the mistake of bringing my daughters who were devastated in 2016. So Harris/Walz (even in bright red Alabama).
Yay for making plans to vote. This is so important, this time around more than ever. Like Washington State, we get our ballots mailed and can either mail them back or drop them off in person (or drop them off on election day). I think that’s the way to go to ensure as many people as possible vote. I do like the in-person act of voting but if we want participation to go up, we have to make it as easy as possible for everyone!