Focus

 So I have a new approach to focus

I start work, and every hour my alarm goes off and I get up and do a few other things for 15 minutes or so.

I don't know if it's a coincidence, but my productivity is up. Or maybe my thinking about being more focused just makes me more focused.

The OTHER things is that I'm now down to one job, at work, from two, so that helps me focus on getting things done, too

Calendar smearing

 

We're solidly into the second wave here, and the calendar has done that thing when you can't keep track of which day is which again. The Peanuts are doing their ballet at home as Prairie Metropolis is in a partial shutdown again and the gyms are closed.

My work has restructured and I have changed portfolios, but gone back to only having one job, which is very nice. I will miss my team, but I won't miss my add-on duties that involved fighting institutional conservatism and needlessly complex processes.

some rules

If solving someone else's problem is impossible and the effort will make the problem worse, doesn't it make sense not to do that?

If you consistently tell me how terrible the people you love are, I'm not a bad person for reminding you that you need to celebrate them. Don't @ me.

Weird Energy Sink

 I had a rough day yesterday. Just my energy bottomed out and would not come back. Nothing worked... I was supposed to do a bunch of stuff in the evening, and I just... couldn't.

So I noodled. Didn't even _do_ anything, just noodled, and eventually got enough energy to get done a couple of tasks late in the day and then that set up a better day today.

My perfect morning

 Get up at 6 am, listen to National News as delivered by my smartphone

while making coffee

and feeding the cats.

Remember to medicate the old grumpy cat.

Play stupid smartphone games for about 10 minutes while I drink my coffee.

Then make two lunches for Peanuts and put them by the front door.

Make one latte, and two frothed milks with vanilla, and take them upstairs.

Put down the latte, fire up the "Musicals" playlist on the Project Manager's phone, and snuggle her for about four minutes while she complains about the inevitable march of time.

Take the two frothed milks further upstairs to the garret, turn on "911" by Lady Gaga and wake up the Peanuts.Snuggle them too.

Get the Peanuts dressed with some kind of stupid game to make it fun, then all go downstairs and pounce on the Project Manager who is still asleep, or trying to be, to fight the inevitable march of time.

Head downstairs and lure the Peanuts downstairs with promises of a variety of breakfast options: Toast, bread, cereal, bacon & eggs, etc...

Feed 'em. 

Send them upstairs to brush teeth and do mouth exercises, while I do dishes, then meet them back downstairs to read them whatever the morning equivalent of "bedtime stories" is.

They head out the door to school, and I get to go to work.

The best.

What is whatting these days

 Mostly things go well, and that is good.

This week has been a bit rough on the self-care front, as it's a week that's a bit... rest week?

Too much beer, but lots of productivity....

That shit is messed up, yo.

A friend of mine this week, on a group chat, said the darkest thing I have ever heard a friend of mine say.

He said that parents who say their children are amazing are either lying to themselves to make themselves feel better or lying to others so that others will believe it.

There are misogynists who hate women I don't see their value, but what do you call somebody who just plain hates children?

The worst part is, this friend of mine is a parent and is a parent of amazing children but has a brain problem that prevents them from understanding how awesome their kids are.

And it is f****** haunting. It's all I can think about when I think about this friend of mine now is that, taking the face value, they hate their kids.