UM's Main Hall ... through the looking glass.
A Drivel Runs Through It
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
I arrived home today and discovered my refrigerator was stocked with groceries, including fresh produce -- spinach, broccoli, celery, mushrooms, onions -- all neatly prepped and stowed in ziploc bags.
This has been happening for several months now. Sometimes there's even a bouquet of fresh flowers on my table.
I tell you, it puts a smile on my face every time.
I still live alone. The cats haven't suddenly traded "gifts" of mice and birds for chopped veggies. Nope. I hired someone.
There. I said it.
I'm slightly embarrassed to admit it, because I never imagined hiring someone to do things I was perfectly capable of doing myself. But when I saw the ad for a service called Random Task Engineer in the Missoula Independent, I was intrigued, and when I visited the website, I was sold.
Thea helps me with shopping -- at the Farmer's Market until it ended for the season last week, and now at the Good Food Store -- and food prep, as well as a few things around the house and occasional errands.
All at a price more reasonable than you'd expect. I'm far from rich -- but these days, my time and energy feel just as precious, if not more so, than money.
Before RTE, I would buy produce, but let half of it rot in the fridge because I was too busy or lazy to do all that rinsing and chopping. Or I'd go through the drive-through instead of taking the time to shop and cook.
Now I have no excuse. I know there's good, fresh, quick veggies and fruit at home just waiting to be eaten. I love it! I've lost a little weight since my highest point ever when I graduated last May, and most importantly, regained a little energy. Outsourcing some of my chores has freed up time and energy for things that only I can do.
Outsourcing chores is catching on elsewhere, too. The Wall Street Journal did an article on it, and so did Lifehacker. As our lives become increasingly overwhelming, and personal productivity is elevated to an art form, delegating is one tool in the toolbox.
Tell Thea I sent you.
I've been to see this art exhibit twice now. It's mesmerizing. You walk in and are suddenly transported. Baffled. Soothed.
Beach-grass fronds hang from the ceiling by the hundreds, and fans click on and gently spin, imitating sea breezes.
The world outside drops away, and you're in some strange alter-landscape -- oceanic, yet mechanical.
"Tides: Everglade" is a multimedia installation by artist Jarod Charzewski, assistant professor of art at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. There's still time to drop by and see it -- it's in the UM Gallery of Visual Arts, Social Science Building, through Friday, Nov. 9.
Your Score: 4- the Individualist
You chose BY - your Enneagram type is FOUR (aka "The Romantic"). Romantics have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.
How to Get Along with Me
- Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.
- Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.
- Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.
- Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.
- Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!
What I Like About Being a FOUR
- my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level
- my ability to establish warm connections with people
- admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life
- my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor
- being unique and being seen as unique by others
- having aesthetic sensibilities
- being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me
- experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair
- feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved
- feeling guilty when I disappoint people
- feeling hurt or attacked when someone misunderstands me
- expecting too much from myself and life
- fearing being abandoned
- obsessing over resentments
- longing for what I don't have
FOURs as Children Often
- have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games
- are very sensitive
- feel that they don't fit in
- believe they are missing something that other people have
- attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.
- become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood
- feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)
FOURs as Parents
- help their children become who they really are
- support their children's creativity and originality
- are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings
- are sometimes overly critical or overly protective
- are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed
| The Quick & Painless ENNEAGRAM Test written by felk on OkCupid |
Monday, October 29, 2007
| You are a Social Liberal (71% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (11% permissive) You are best described as a: Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid |
Sunday, October 28, 2007
The Sonnet
Deliberate Gentle Love Dreamer (DGLD)
Romantic, hopeful, and composed. You are the Sonnet. Get it? Composed?
Sonnets want Love and have high ideals about it. They're conscientious people, caring & careful. You yourself have deep convictions, and you devote a lot of thought to romance and what it should be. This will frighten away most potential mates, but that's okay, because you're very choosy with your affections anyway. You'd absolutely refuse to date someone dumber than you, for instance.
Lovers who share your idealized perspective, or who are at least willing to totally throw themselves into a relationship, will be very, very happy with you. And you with them. You're already selfless and compassionate, and with the right partner, there's no doubt you can be sensual, even adventurously so.
You probably have lots of female friends, and they have a special soft spot for you. Babies do, too, at the tippy-top of their baby skulls.
Brought to you by OkCupid. Take the test.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
This is a scan of a old slide. That's my friend Susan's cat, Bilbo (may he RIP). She was using canned cat food to tempt him into posing with the pumpkins; I miraculously managed to get this shot with him licking the cat food off the roof of his mouth. Looks vicious, doesn't he?
Friday, October 26, 2007
Martha Stewart started a blog on MySpace a few months ago, but this week it was moved to her own site. It has cat birthday parties! And baby chicks! And hairy balls!
Hooray!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
I don't know about you, but I sure got tired of looking at that post in a hurry. The sticky will remain, but the bulk of the post will move on down the page.
I had a job interview today. It went well enough, I suppose -- I said some good things, I said some dumb things -- but unfortunately, although it could have been a fun place to work, it wouldn't pay enough to even begin to make it worth my while. Assuming they'd even have me.
Darn.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
I figure, since my site URL is plastered all over my resume, maybe I ought to greet prospective employers with highlights of my worthiness rather than my usual meanderings about my shortcomings.
~
Welcome, prospective employer! Thank you for visiting my site. Since I began blogging consistently five years ago, it's certainly crossed my mind more than a few times that baring my heart and soul (and politics and religious beliefs and bad moods ...) might not be the best way to impress future prospective employers. However, I've always reasoned that I wouldn't want to work for someone who didn't like the real me. I still feel that way.I'm not perfect -- I'm bad at math, men and managing my waistline, among other things -- but I am honest, reliable and talented in many areas. To wit:
I have worked as a writer and editor for more than 14 years, and as a Web content manager for more than five years. While working at The University of Montana during the past 10 years, I've earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in creative writing with a nonfiction emphasis.
My skills include:
- Writing and reporting
- Copy editing and online editing
- Web content management
- Web design (HTML, CSS)
- Blogging and social networking
- Print and e-mail newsletter production
- Photography
- Graphic design
- Media and public relations
- Supervising, training
- Organization and time management
- Customer service
I consistently earn "exceptional" marks in my performance reviews. With my boss's permission, here are some excerpts from my latest review in August:
As mentioned every year in your performance review, you possess an exceptionally well-rounded set of skills that makes you very unique. It's rare to find someone with your technical knowledge who can also write and edit with your expertise. In addition, you also are very adept at decision-making and problem-solving.
You make valuable contributions to the department and the University on a daily basis with your outstanding writing and editing abilities, unequaled good sense about and understanding of Web content and marketing, and superlative public relations savvy.
You always strive to do a better job in everything that you do, year after year. You continue to grow in your job rather than stagnate .... You continually strive to improve yourself, building new challenges and setting higher expectations.
And finally, what may be the highest accolade of all:
You're extremely thorough and efficient. It may be the "Martha" in you, but you don't like to let things sit and get moldy -- you want them finished and off your desk as quickly as possible.
Sigh. It just doesn't get much better than being compared to Martha Stewart, now does it?
- Serenity
- More time
- A mountaintop
- A completed to-do list
Leftover beef and broccoli with scrambled eggs
Friday, October 19, 2007
Seen on a white sedan today in Missoula:
QUIT HONKING
I'm on the phone, damn it!
I'm on the phone, damn it!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Glory Glory Evolution
Darwin found us a solution
Your mama is that shape
and your knuckles always scrape
'cause your grandpa was an ape.
This is the baby I helped name! She's brilliant! Not even two years old and already reciting poetry. (About Darwin, no less.)
Sunday, October 14, 2007
I have become flaky.
I never used to be flaky. I was always the one who showed up on time (even early), remembered appointments and kept my promises. I was a faithful correspondent. I sent out thank-yous promptly. I returned library books on time.
Not anymore.
Now emails pile up in my inbox, sometimes for months. I allow blog comments to languish before I respond to them. I double-book and forget appointments. I still have thank-yous to send out from my graduation in May. My "to-read" pile of books is two and a half feet tall.
I'm not sure why I've become flaky. I think it's overload and burnout. It started with school -- my undergrad and then graduate degree -- and now it might be what the alternative health practioners are calling adrenal fatigue.
Information overload -- especially the Internet -- is greatly to blame, I'm sure. Think about it: We are exposed to more information in one day than our great-great-grandparents saw in a year. I subscribe to 160+ feeds in Bloglines, plus a dozen or so news feeds in My Yahoo. I get into long, involved email discussions with fascinating friends. I spend gobs of time on Flickr and am newly addicted to Facebook. (And Pandora. Check it out!)
Then there's my Netflix subscription, all the books I buy and magazines I subscribe to and the catalogs that distract me with Oooh, pretty!
I hate being flaky. It's not the kind of person I want to be. I want to be efficient, reliable and responsible.
So, I'm going to try something new. I'm instituting the five.sentenc.es policy suggested in the article, "Tough Love for Email" (Web Worker Daily).
It's not a solution, but maybe it's a start.
How do you avoid overload and subsequent flakiness? Or do you?
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Whenever we hit a major life challenge or life transition, it is important not to make any fast decisions before we gain clarity. We must start with inner work. It's important to take stock of yourself. Envision a future that will be fulfilling, that will be in full alignment with what matters the most to you. Forget about whether it seems possible. Work in the arena of, "If it was totally possible, I would ..." What would the first steps be to achieving that vision?
~ From "Getting the Most Out of Life" by Shelley Stile
For a couple of months now, I've been struggling with what path to follow, with resolving what I want to do with what I feel I should do.
I want to write for a living. I want to work from home. I want to buy a house. I want to stay in Montana. I want a peaceful, balanced life.
I should move someplace where I can make more money. I should be a high-paid professional. I should be focused and driven. I should accomplish more.
I am torn between following my heart and following my mind. I don't know how to reconcile the two.
My inability to make a decision -- pursue the dream or be realistic? -- has resulted in near-paralysis.
I started packing in May, thinking I would have bought a house by now. I have been living with stacks of boxes for months. Now I am faced with unpacking -- I need my winter clothes and boots, my down comforter.
If you were me, what would you do?
Friday, October 12, 2007
A coworker taped this cartoon to my door today.
(It's from the current issue of Glamour magazine.)
Thursday, October 11, 2007
- Answer email
- Balance my checking account
- Put away three bags of laundry
- Work on my site redesign
- Figure out what the HECK I'm going to do for my 40th birthday next month
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
She makes me wish I hadn't quit belly dance classes .... If only I had a head for choreography.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
I'm back home after a very quick trip to Northern California. Flew out Wednesday afternoon and back late Saturday night. I went to see a friend -- someone very, very dear to me -- who is dealing with a serious disease. I do not wish to violate my friend's privacy, so that is all I will say.
My heart is heavy, but hopeful.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
