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April 16, 2007
Lyle Christie
L from the UK is quite right... I am once again pulling a Lyle.
Those of you who have no earthly idea what I'm talking about should read Glittering Images and Absolute Truths by Susan Howatch.
My day:
Up at 4, hit the road at 5:30 to pick up staff member and drive an hour in dangerous snow and slush to meet nurses at 6:30 am.
Met nurses till close to 9, staff meeting one, followed by staff meeting two, which happened to by coincidence take place at the very house where I had my initial conversion to CR.
Drove back to office, went to house for lunch, made lunch for kale eating co-worker. Had lunch meeting with said co-worker. Meeting went longer than I thought it would, was very productive, destroying any chance for short nap.
Went back to work, did a million things. Assigned out some tasks... at least I am, out of necessity, delegating.
Came home for desperately-needed half hour nap so as to avoid killing myself on highway driving to night meetings.
5:30 pm: hit the road for evening meetings.
6:30 pm - 8:45 pm: meetings with nurses
8:45 - 9:15 ish: drive back to little town of mine, surprisingly good time, no traffic in spite of weather.
9:15 do the grocery shopping for the week that I hadn't had time to do over the weekend because I was working every minute on deadlines. Took report from three staff members over the phone while buying produce. Now at least we will not starve.
10 pm: Got home, made MR parallell park the car as was too tired to deal with it.
10:15: whine to you a bit and go to bed.
CR is going medium... the day was good (although extra wine due to attempt to knock myself out for nap with a glass) and I even had some Wawa eggwhite patties when I realized I had run out the door without my dinner. Megamuffin breakfast, usual lunch, banana and pear at co-worker's house of CR conversion, 75 calories of eggwhites and a tossed salad, no croutons, etc. for dinner. Then in the grocery store I was so tired and ate a sample of an Easter cookie. Sugary gak, delicious. Not CR friendly. I think I may have to re-adopt the "Not One Bite Rule" until these campaigns are over... that means not one bite, however small, of anything off my plan. My plan may include a meal out, but no bites of grocery store samples, dried fruit on co-workers' desks, or any other odd thing that floats past. Cause those bites add up, and when working hard and exhausted, it's hard to keep one bite from turning into multiple bites. I find the Not One Bite rule to be very effective. In fact, my best CR period ever was the beginning of the No Bite rule fall before last. In general, I oppose biting. Unless of course someone specifically asks for it.
Now I'm drinking a delicious dirt-like red and trying to slow my brain down for sleep. Tomorrow night I'm on the road again, but only for one night.
The next two months or so will be almost unbearably busy with work. I'll do my best to keep up with the blog... it's actually a good way to let off steam at the end of a hard day. I love my work so much and the people I work with too... great stories about hanging out with JN, one of the best organizers I ever knew, last week... tons of fun with Susan and Lisa and Edward and Jim. Luke gets back to town from his mini-vacation tomorrow. MR is wonderfully supportive (whilst other people's spouses whine) and I know I am incredibly blessed to be able to do work that I find meaningful and love and get paid for it. But I am very, very tired. I think we're finally going to break down and pay someone to clean the house, even though we hate the thought of the expense, because there's just no way I can do it when I am always, always working. This weekend I barely got a few hours off, then right back at it this morning, and so on until the second of our twin elections, which will most likely be late June. Did I mention that I have to take over one of the campaigns for awhile when the primary organizer takes some time off for the birth of his first child? Like two days after the first election concludes? Most organizers take a bunch of time off (like a week or more) after an election. I won't even be able to take a day. Finish one, straight to Scranton to finish the other. I never got to take time off after the last big one either. No wonder I found myself crying uncontrollably at the attacks on my cooking in a national magazine last October. I was just too tired!
At least I am going to carve out one day, just one day, to go to New York to see Allswellinhell when she's up for a short trip. I am really looking forward to it. If only we could bring our cats!
Okay, I whine enough. Time to move on... to bed, then back to work!
Posted by april at April 16, 2007 10:25 PM
Comments
Here's the cats if we took them: being led not by leash but by "OMG THere's string floating in front of me!!!! OH AND GIVE ME SALMON!!!"
Drunk on resveratrol,
AM
Posted by: ashley at April 16, 2007 10:41 PM
April, you've gotta take a break in there somewhere! Seriously. You'll go stark raving mad if you don't.
Take care of yourself, Sweetie!
R
Posted by: Robin at April 17, 2007 6:02 AM
Whew! I'm exhausted reading your day. I'm totally in agreement with Robin, you need to carve out your own time...def. more than a day. Your employer cannot keep you on the go like this. You'll have to say no at some point which I know is hard for you to do. YOU come first April.
But I have to say...your commitment to CR makes you more resilient to these kinds of periods in your life. I'm looking forward to mine getting me through our move this summer and beyond.
As always,
D
Posted by: Deborah at April 17, 2007 8:23 AM
Deborah...
You are so sweet... problem is, I'm the employer. Well, I'm one of them, I do have a partner in running the organization who does a ton to help out during these crunch times. It's not that anyone is making me work like this, it's that this is what it takes to make sure these nurses win their right to a voice at work. So I'm not exactly complaining... I do look forward to the day when all of my staff are fully trained and can do more, but they're doing great and it's a matter of time, as some of them are extremely new. For now, I've got to do a lot. And I certainly can't complain that one of them is expecting a baby!
All in all, I'm very happy. Much happier than I am when things are slow. But it's pretty busy...
a
Posted by: april at April 17, 2007 9:29 AM
Ahhh, I did not realize what your position was..yes, then that's even more of a challenge. no surprise there :)
Well then..onward and upward...continue to do great things and make it a great day!
(I say that to my carpool kids as they leave the car in the morning at school...it makes my daughter giggle. Nothing like some positive reinforcement to start the day off)
;-D
Posted by: Deborah at April 17, 2007 11:49 AM
I nominated you for the Thinking Blog Award thing. I can tell you are not the type for Memes, but for what it is worth yours is definitely a Blog to make me think.
Posted by: Jake Silver at April 17, 2007 12:02 PM
why is cleaning the house your responsibility instead of MR's?
Posted by: jayo at April 17, 2007 4:14 PM
Actually, MR and I split the duties. He does trash and recycling, I do most of the indoor cleaning, grocery shopping. He is technically allergic to the cats, so he can't do things that bring him into direct contact with their fur, though CR has helped him overcome his allergies to the point where he can live with (and even sleep in the bed with!) the cats and he's okay. So I do the vacuuming, dusting, etc. He cleans the kitchen counters and the stove, he makes all my lunches, he packs me up to go on trips, and lately he packs all my supplements for me.
a
Posted by: april at April 17, 2007 8:59 PM