November 20, 2006

Mellow Monday and more to come

Ahhhhhhh.

Not gloating, but I'm done working! I left there Friday night with a sense of relief.

I had to teach Saturday morning at 7am, though. But I always get extra energized when I'm teaching a Spin class. My music, my designed workout and, in a sense, it's a bit of a performance. Two hours of class flew by. Saturday afternoon I took a three hour yoga class. One of my long-time teachers does a three hour workshop once a month. It's a way to chip away at the crust in one's muscles in a deep way. A hot tub and sauna finished my Saturday off nicely.

Sunday was more mellow, until we had a special birthday spin class for one of our friends, followed by a get-together at Trader Vics in Emeryville. Love that place, despite it being expensive with marginal service.

Luna girl didn't go to her Dads on Sunday night like she usually does. She's staying here for a couple more days, until I leave for Chicago. It's nice having a dog here more than two days a week. She's far less of a freak than she once was and has settled into being a nice mellow dog.

More mellow than manic today, too. I could get used to this. Got a massage this morning and then went to yoga. Did some errands, been chilling out at home, and now off to Spin.

After I get back from Thanksgiving travel, I plan to take a look at the December calendar and squeeze in some adventure, be it a camping trip or a quick visit to Yosemite. I'm hoping for snow soon, so I can start making use of this season pass to Kirkwood. The dude is saving for his motorcycle so there's no days off for fun outta him anytime soon.

I swear my shoulders are sitting three inches lower now that I'm not a computer slave in a shitty chair in a dark cube.

La la la. I could get used to this freedom.

November 14, 2006

Too funny!

So yesterday I posted my wish to the universe to hand me a slow period of work, since I seem unable to do it for myself.

Within two hours, I received an email about more work. HA!

It's a project I worked on a while back. It's more arty than what I usually produce. It's about art, not advertising. It's working from home finding cool art to be in klassy stores. It's working from h o m e . That alone is meaningful. Yes, of course there are the usual politics, layers of approvals, and the usual. But it could start after Thanksgiving and take me through the end of March.

working from home. during snowboarding season. uh huh.

i am going to give them my highest rate and see if they bite. no loss if they don't!

November 13, 2006

The Wall

I've hit the proverbial wall. I'm done. I'm exhausted. And cranky.

I no longer care. I just want to be done.

I've been working too much this year. Giving too much of my own energy, brainpower and life. I don't know how the people around me, the staffers, do it. We're all working on one of the biggest product launches in years, and these exhausted souls have been at it for months.

I wish I could be done working in advertising. I think what I find so draining about it is that I find it meaningless. It doesn't fuel my need to do personally meaningful work that has a purpose that I find worthwhile.

Today, while riding BART into the city, I thought, "I really wonder what it would take to work in Veterinary Medicine." In high school I abandoned my call to be a Vet, thanks (or not) to some very misguided advice from my high school guidance counselor.
I want to work with animals. I want to be involved in holistic health. This is all overshadowed by my reluctance to go into debt by going back to school.

It's hard to summon the ongoing energy to work on something that doesn't feel fulfilling.

I've also realized that if I want time off, I need to turn down work. I would really like the month of December off. I'm just putting that out into the universe, since I seem to have a difficult time turning down work.

In other news:

I've really been feeling the loss of Milo lately. I've had a couple hard crying jags. He would have been eight at the end of this month. I still miss his velvety block head and weighty silent presence on a regular basis.

I have decided to take fun into my own hands. Years ago, I said I wanted to do a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Next year, I will do it. Alone.

I've also been talking about taking a yoga teacher training course. Next year I want to begin this. I'm not saying I will be a yoga teacher immediately afterwards, but I want to begin the process.

Starting in December, I have a permanent slot teaching Spin at Berkeley Ironworks. An evening class, even!

There's a lot of good in my life. I just need to take a step back from all this work to recognize and appreciate it.