There's been a faint feeling of autumn in the air, but tonight I just went out to check the mail and it was COOL outside!! So I asked Alexa what the temperature was and when she said 71F I immediately ran around my apartment opening windows. My thermostat is set at 79F but my apartment is filling with cool, sweet-smelling air and dispersing a summer's worth of cooking smells.
This week has busted my ass bigtime. Take today for example:
7:00 am - Get up.
7:30 am - Make breakfast from scratch. (Omelet with bell pepper, onion and feta cheese.)
8:05 am - Walk out of house on way to bus.
8:30 am - Arrive on campus.
8:45 am - Let self into work, begin opening gallery.
1:00 pm - Leave work.
1:05 pm - Eat lunch.
1:30 pm - Stop by library to pick up books.
2:20 pm - Class starts.
3:35 pm - Class ends.
3:50 pm - Class starts.
5:10 pm - Class ends.
5:20 pm - Meeting with semester project group that *I* am in charge of. (Seriously. How'd I get suckered into that?)
5:45 pm - Meeting over, take bus home.
6:10 pm - Cook dinner. Eat.
6:45 pm - Develop GANTT chart for one semester project.
7:45 pm - Email group chart. Divvy up proposal responsibilities.
8:00 pm - Download raw data for semester project.
8:10 pm - Wash dishes. Practice vocal exercises while cleaning.
8:20 pm - Put insurance card in car. Check mail.
I am now writing this blog as a mental break. I need to develop a second GANTT chart and mail that off to my project partner for my *other* semester project (that I am also lead on!). I need to create a dropbox file for the database class group and upload sets of images to it (each of us gets a set to be responsible for until the end when we use our best model on the entire bunch). I need to upload a bunch of ESRI stuff to my virtual machine. I need to study for the two midterms I have on Thursday. I need to write another page of my thesis (trying to do a page a day right now), and find a couple more sources. I need to render a couple more artifacts for my thesis as well. I need to send off my novel again, and write 100 more words of fiction.
I've started a new system where I do a small amount of big things every day. The (at least) 100 words of fiction, sending off my novel daily, one page of thesis and a couple artifacts daily, and a couple other things are all part of it. In one way it's awesome. Because I'm really getting stuff done and it's in manageable chunks. On the other hand, I have SO MUCH to do every day and I'm going a little crazy. Right now I just want to sleep because I'm exhausted (was passing out in my later class...was literally pinching myself and pressing my nails into my arm so I would wake up), but if I sleep now that means there's a CRAP TON more I have to do tomorrow.
Tomorrow is going to suck anyway because on top of my regular shift at the downstairs gallery I picked up an evening shift too so I'm only going to leave campus around 8:00 pm (going to have to bike too, because the buses go once an hour, on the hour, at that time of night). Fortunately my meal planning excel spreadsheet worked its magic, because I have two prepped meals ready to go in my fridge; once for when I get home at 3:30 for an hour or two to get some work done, and once for 8:20 when I get home exhausted and ready to cry myself to sleep because I'm so tired and I'll have missed a whole day of potential Luke Cage watching.
Ugh. Back to the grind. I'll do as much as I can, but when my body starts shutting down, tonight I'll just stop. I didn't last night, and that's why today was so goddamn difficult!
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Time to breathe
Admittedly, I have a crap ton to get done tonight. BUT none of it is due tomorrow. Which means, for about five whole seconds, I'm ahead of the game! Huzzah!
Today was hard. Up at 7 am, breakfast from scratch, work from 8:45-1:00, lunch, meeting with a TA at 1:30, class from 2:20 - 3:35, class from 3:50-5:10, stay late to talk to prof, bus home, call my parents, make dinner, and eat. It's 7:30 pm and I just finished eating.
Now I get to apply for a job, send my novel off again, write two hundred words of different novels, start my study guides for my first two exams (in a couple weeks), email my teams for our semester projects, email the client for one of the semester projects, and then I'm probably going to be exhausted and stop the actual work and get started on some sewing. At least, I hope I get that much done. I need to work on my thesis, but I won't be able to focus on something like that tonight, so it's slated for tomorrow and Saturday while I'm at my security guard job.
Of course at work on Saturday we're having a rather important Native American artist (I don't know who, but my boss spoke of her with reverence) give a performance, and there's a mess of drama about that already. We've had at least 100 people RSVP but the room only fits 50 and it can't be moved. I'm gloomily anticipating fireworks, but hopefully all the people won't show and it'll be relatively simple instead of completely exhausting.
Oh well. Back to work!
Today was hard. Up at 7 am, breakfast from scratch, work from 8:45-1:00, lunch, meeting with a TA at 1:30, class from 2:20 - 3:35, class from 3:50-5:10, stay late to talk to prof, bus home, call my parents, make dinner, and eat. It's 7:30 pm and I just finished eating.
Now I get to apply for a job, send my novel off again, write two hundred words of different novels, start my study guides for my first two exams (in a couple weeks), email my teams for our semester projects, email the client for one of the semester projects, and then I'm probably going to be exhausted and stop the actual work and get started on some sewing. At least, I hope I get that much done. I need to work on my thesis, but I won't be able to focus on something like that tonight, so it's slated for tomorrow and Saturday while I'm at my security guard job.
Of course at work on Saturday we're having a rather important Native American artist (I don't know who, but my boss spoke of her with reverence) give a performance, and there's a mess of drama about that already. We've had at least 100 people RSVP but the room only fits 50 and it can't be moved. I'm gloomily anticipating fireworks, but hopefully all the people won't show and it'll be relatively simple instead of completely exhausting.
Oh well. Back to work!
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Late night, going anywhere
I am exhausted.
Slept reasonably well last night, got up in good time, made breakfast from scratch, went to work, got a Fiverr job, finished it, finished my shift at work, went to the geography department to get some paperwork done, came home and passed out. I hate being sick.
Woke up in time to send an email apologizing for having to miss the meeting this evening due to being sick as hell, ate some food, and started in on my homework. I managed to finish and turn in one by 9:30 pm, and the other one just won't work so I'm going to meet my TA tomorrow to see if he can make it work. Made dinner, ate it, put on the tv and started sewing.
I've finished the drawstring bag for my Halloween costume, but I'm going to make a drop bag as well because I don't think I can handle the drawstring one with my costume gloves.
I also sent off my novel again. Now I'm going to shower and then spend half an hour writing. I prefer going to bed by midnight, but I did have that nap this afternoon. I'll just have to survive tomorrow somehow.
Tomorrow is going to be even busier than today. No naps allowed because I won't be home much before six. I can't wait for 5 pm Friday when I can collapse on the couch and turn off my brain!!
Slept reasonably well last night, got up in good time, made breakfast from scratch, went to work, got a Fiverr job, finished it, finished my shift at work, went to the geography department to get some paperwork done, came home and passed out. I hate being sick.
Woke up in time to send an email apologizing for having to miss the meeting this evening due to being sick as hell, ate some food, and started in on my homework. I managed to finish and turn in one by 9:30 pm, and the other one just won't work so I'm going to meet my TA tomorrow to see if he can make it work. Made dinner, ate it, put on the tv and started sewing.
I've finished the drawstring bag for my Halloween costume, but I'm going to make a drop bag as well because I don't think I can handle the drawstring one with my costume gloves.
I also sent off my novel again. Now I'm going to shower and then spend half an hour writing. I prefer going to bed by midnight, but I did have that nap this afternoon. I'll just have to survive tomorrow somehow.
Tomorrow is going to be even busier than today. No naps allowed because I won't be home much before six. I can't wait for 5 pm Friday when I can collapse on the couch and turn off my brain!!
Monday, September 19, 2016
Mad Mondays
Today has definitely been weird and not cool. I'm still sick and I'm super exhausted because of it. I didn't eat anything til about 2 pm and then I slept for a bit and I woke up feeling kinda rough but was much better after I ate something.
I've gotten some work done, but not as much as I wanted to, and I'm not feeling very well so I'm wondering if it will get done before tomorrow night. At least my week's lunches are prepared, a bunch of recipes got printed, and I've taken out the trash and run the dishwasher.
I sent my novel off to one agency and got an auto-reply back saying they're not accepting submissions from August 1, 2016 through January 1, 2017. But their website didn't say a thing!! How aggravating. So I sent it off to another one. I need to get published. And some money would be nice too.
Grad school is rough. I'm pretty sure I should've spent today in bed - I almost certainly should be in bed now - but time doesn't allow for niceties like that. Okay, time to be good. I'm going to unload the dishwasher and the drying rack and try to finish some homework. Cross your fingers...
I've gotten some work done, but not as much as I wanted to, and I'm not feeling very well so I'm wondering if it will get done before tomorrow night. At least my week's lunches are prepared, a bunch of recipes got printed, and I've taken out the trash and run the dishwasher.
I sent my novel off to one agency and got an auto-reply back saying they're not accepting submissions from August 1, 2016 through January 1, 2017. But their website didn't say a thing!! How aggravating. So I sent it off to another one. I need to get published. And some money would be nice too.
Grad school is rough. I'm pretty sure I should've spent today in bed - I almost certainly should be in bed now - but time doesn't allow for niceties like that. Okay, time to be good. I'm going to unload the dishwasher and the drying rack and try to finish some homework. Cross your fingers...
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Sick on a Sunday
I really want to go to the dollar store and get cheap ribbon for headdresses (RenFest is coming up y'all) but I'm feeling pretty awful today.
The worst part is that my beloved kitty Narcissus is probably dead. We knew he was really ill and dying, but he stopped coming home when my parents let him outside (he hates litterboxes) and we figured he was snoozing under a bush (this, plus sleeping under our cars in the driveway was about all he did for the past year) and his body finally gave out. I can't even go look for him because they're in Florida and I'm here in Texas. So I'm pretty down over that, even though 16 1/2 years is a pretty damn good run for a cat.
On top of that I'm definitely sick. I'm sure my body is just trying to make me slow down, but grad school doesn't allow for such niceties. Fortunately, I realized I was sick while I was shopping (if the coughing and headache and clogged chest shouldn't have tipped me off when I woke up...) so I managed to buy some orange juice.
On top of *that* I'm seriously worried about money. I've been approved for a freelancing gig doing transcription, but I know I'll be pretty slow at that, especially since I don't have a lot of time with lots of quiet which I'll need for that. I've also started freelancing on fiverr, but of course, I have to wait for people to come to me. Hopefully between the two of those, I'll make the extra $260/mo I need to survive. I'm filling out surveys on a website to earn $10 prepaid Visa gift cards for spending money (I told you I'm desperate), and I've formed a new resolution to send out my novel to one agency per day. If it were just that, that'd be ok, but I also have a lot built up on my credit card (from conferences, being underemployed for months, and sudden, unavoidable expenses) that I desperately want to pay off ASAP. I have a tiny amount saved up but I'm thoroughly disinclined to spend that because it's my only safety net.
In one way it's fortunate I'm no longer interested in a social life. I go out once a month or so to my favorite bar for wings and a few beers (it's a dive bar and those wings are so worth the calories and the expense), but other than that I scurry home as soon as I can every day, knock as much work as I can out of my way, and settle down to Netflix/Amazon Prime and a vodka (diet) tonic with lime in my ugly, comfy clothes, and some soft pillows and my Kindle. Of course, if it's a week day I usually skip the drink and have a 40 calorie frozen popsicle and don't bother with the Kindle because I already have a headache, but still.
Oh well. I have a loving, supportive family even if they're far away. And I'm going to keep on writing and maybe one day I'll get some love (and money) from that. In the meantime, it's time for me to curl up on the couch and relax. I've spent today getting shit done despite feeling like crap and now I'm tired out. I don't think I'll even prep the week's lunches today. I can do that tomorrow since I don't have class or work (thanks to that I usually reserve Mondays for doing as much thesis/hw as I can to make the rest of my week easier) and can cook and eat whenever I'm hungry. Yay for good planning!
The worst part is that my beloved kitty Narcissus is probably dead. We knew he was really ill and dying, but he stopped coming home when my parents let him outside (he hates litterboxes) and we figured he was snoozing under a bush (this, plus sleeping under our cars in the driveway was about all he did for the past year) and his body finally gave out. I can't even go look for him because they're in Florida and I'm here in Texas. So I'm pretty down over that, even though 16 1/2 years is a pretty damn good run for a cat.
On top of that I'm definitely sick. I'm sure my body is just trying to make me slow down, but grad school doesn't allow for such niceties. Fortunately, I realized I was sick while I was shopping (if the coughing and headache and clogged chest shouldn't have tipped me off when I woke up...) so I managed to buy some orange juice.
On top of *that* I'm seriously worried about money. I've been approved for a freelancing gig doing transcription, but I know I'll be pretty slow at that, especially since I don't have a lot of time with lots of quiet which I'll need for that. I've also started freelancing on fiverr, but of course, I have to wait for people to come to me. Hopefully between the two of those, I'll make the extra $260/mo I need to survive. I'm filling out surveys on a website to earn $10 prepaid Visa gift cards for spending money (I told you I'm desperate), and I've formed a new resolution to send out my novel to one agency per day. If it were just that, that'd be ok, but I also have a lot built up on my credit card (from conferences, being underemployed for months, and sudden, unavoidable expenses) that I desperately want to pay off ASAP. I have a tiny amount saved up but I'm thoroughly disinclined to spend that because it's my only safety net.
In one way it's fortunate I'm no longer interested in a social life. I go out once a month or so to my favorite bar for wings and a few beers (it's a dive bar and those wings are so worth the calories and the expense), but other than that I scurry home as soon as I can every day, knock as much work as I can out of my way, and settle down to Netflix/Amazon Prime and a vodka (diet) tonic with lime in my ugly, comfy clothes, and some soft pillows and my Kindle. Of course, if it's a week day I usually skip the drink and have a 40 calorie frozen popsicle and don't bother with the Kindle because I already have a headache, but still.
Oh well. I have a loving, supportive family even if they're far away. And I'm going to keep on writing and maybe one day I'll get some love (and money) from that. In the meantime, it's time for me to curl up on the couch and relax. I've spent today getting shit done despite feeling like crap and now I'm tired out. I don't think I'll even prep the week's lunches today. I can do that tomorrow since I don't have class or work (thanks to that I usually reserve Mondays for doing as much thesis/hw as I can to make the rest of my week easier) and can cook and eat whenever I'm hungry. Yay for good planning!
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