Sunny afternoons in my office are not quite the glorious, cat-napping nirvana they used to be. The rainbow maker makes for a slightly crazed and manic Monster Cat. Perhaps “slightly” is an understatement. He tries to nap on the rug – puts his little head on his paws and tries to close his eyes. And then a rainbow flies by. He gets so tired all he can do is follow it with his ever-sleepier eyes. Poor Monster Cat! Several afternoons he’s given up on napping in my office and fled for the rainbow-free sanctuary of the bedroom. I may have to make a little cover for the rainbow maker so the cat can get some sleep!
Tenny has always just wanted to play and make friends. He’s so loveable and fun! Who could resist, right? Falstaff had a slightly different opinion. Evil Cat shares that opinion. To the “big cats,” Tenny is a little twerp, regardless of his physical size. Falstaff was an expert at feigning sleep, Tennyson has never been what you might call stealthy. But you know, he’s unstoppable. Or something.
This week is easier than last and the one before that too, but it still feels like I’ve had a whole week or maybe two in the past 2 days. It doesn’t help that I am fighting of an unhappy throat and feeling generally rundown. Oh and having a conference call run over until 5:20 pm is fun too.
Sometimes I feel like either I’m not getting it or some other people don’t get it and I don’t know which is true! Probably both.
I have doubled my coffee consumption this month so far… which isn’t horrifying. I don’t drink that much coffee (at least when I’m not traveling) but doubling is still doubling. I got a couple things done that I really wanted to get done at work today so that was more than a small comfort for a Monday. I still can’t wait for this month to be over. I’d like to be less fried.
Weekendness happened and was lovely. I toddled over to a St. Patrick’s day party on Saturday and had fabulous potato soup created by the lovely ownedbytwins. And cake balls, which are tasty little bite-sized balls of cake mixed with frosting – these happened to be decorated somewhat suggestively as well. And adorable little children and great company. Oh, and Pampered Chefness, because I might as well admit that I’m a bit of an addict.
Sunday was totally thrown off by the fact that the Fop got stuck in New Orleans the night before. Suddenly all of my keen plans for Sunday were less interesting because I wouldn’t be picking him up until 4 pm. Ah well. It was a good weekend for tidying and general organization tasks at least. The laundry was all done in for the briefest of moments (and narrowest of definitions). My desk is down to two and a half piles. I actually did Monster Cat last night instead of at lunch or after work today.
Today I booked my (free!) plane tickets for Chicago (Bernina event in April) and made sure I had the hotel room for an additional night so I could stay an extra day for sight-seeing. I’ve never been to Chicago! This evening involved dinner out with friends as well – always a good thing.
So a lot of little things got done that made me feel like I’m neglecting my personal life a little less in the face of Too Much Work[tm]. This is a relief since towards the end of last week I thought I was going to be chained to my work laptop forever. It’s a ThinkPad, so that’s not a very appealing thought… maybe if it were a new MacBook Pro I wouldn’t feel the pain so acutely… Um… no, forget I said that.
coffee, getting things done, green, house, socializing, soup, st. patrick’s day, stress, travel, work, st. patrick’s day
Last week, we went to Spectrum Scientifics over in Manayunk. It’s a Very Cool Store. Many awesome tools, toys, optics and items of fun are to be had there. I bought a solar-powered rainbow maker! It’s a little solar panel attached to a motor that turns a prism – attach it with the suction cup to a sunny window and you end up with rainbows spinning around everywhere!
Unsurprisingly, afternoons have become a bit more entertaining in my home office. While I’ve been on conference calls the past couple afternoons, Tenny has been chasing rainbows. It’s adorable.
In other news, I got a lecture from my mother about the use of profanity in my blog. She fears for the moral corruption of my cat or something. However, I maintain that when discussing the impending lack of sleep compounded by the beginning of daylight savings justifies my expletives.
Today was calmer: Fewer meetings, more productivity. Breathing is a good thing despite the fact that I’m behind. Monster Cat isn’t concerned that I’m behind so I’ve decided not to be worried either, at least for the rest of the evening.
I saw all the bright people
In imposing flocks they landed
And they got what they demanded
And they scratched at the ground
—The Mercy of the Fallen, Dar Williams
Yes it’s random song lyrics night over here. There’s a Dar concert in May nearby I think… Sellersville Theater, anyone? I love songs with good lyrics, especially with a touch of random to them. The random puts me inside the writer’s head in a fun way. (There’s a good recording of the song I’m quoting here but if you prefer live, go here.)
I survived another really long day with some help. I continue to be frustrated, but at least I’m not alone. The cat continues to try to get in my lap whenever possible. He participated in 2 conference calls today. That’s right, Monster Cat does meetings. And the meetings he participates in tend to go pretty well – better than the others, in fact. Monster Cat Meeting Power. I should get that embossed on little leather portfolios and give them to MBA candidates. (Oh, it’s also random rambling night, did I mention that?) I think they’d be very stylish – all the rage next season and all that.
And that’s probably why I should go to sleep now.
And I hope some day
That the best of Falstaff’s planners
Give me seven half-built manors
Where half dreams may dream without end.
dar williams, lyrics, meetings, mercy of the fallen, music, random, silly, tuesday, work
Yep, it’s been one of those days. Daylight savings + yesterday’s oh-so-fun run to the airport at an early hour + Monday = DOOOOOM. I survived though! And Monster Cat helped by jumping onto my lap anytime there was even an inch of space between me and the desk. Yeah, so it’s 7 pm and still light out. Whatever. I’d rather have my sleep back.
cats, comics, daylight savings time, monster cat, tennyson
