2000:  Living Through History
2001:  Starting a Movement
2002:  Another Year, Another Rant
2003:  Forty Years Ago
2004:  Making a List, Checking it Twice

FUNNY THE VLOG

"Video Meme"

Click photo for Blip  link
or here for flash format

Master list of links to (most) videos
by Mefeedia

OH THE PRESSURE

22 November 2005

I've always said I work best under pressure.  Apparently I'm being put to the test.

It's the living room, of course.

Even with all the scrapbooks out of there, what with the transcription and the research for the feature articles I'm writing at the moment, and with Latte here (necessitating keeping the room closed off), it's been easy to pretend that all that stuff isn't there.

Oh, I knew that I would have to have it cleaned up by Christmas.

I even knew that I would have to have it cleaned up in time for the pre-Christmas dinner party I agreed to host for my cousins before.

I have really been looking forward to that dinner.  It started casually two years ago when we got together to go and visit Aunt Barb and then stop at my cousin Peach's for dinner afterwards.  It just happened to be the week before Christmas and the casual dinner turned into a Christmas dinner.

We had so much fun, that my cousin Kathy said we should do this on a regular basis and invited us all to her house for a cousins' Christmas party the following year.

We had a wonderful time.  I am very fortunate that I really enjoy my cousins and their spouses.  My mother is essentially the last one left of her generation (since you can't count Barb, who lives in her own world now) and we cousins are beginning to realize that the responsibility of keeping the family relationships alive now rests with us, as we are becoming the "older generation."

As the evening was winding down, we began to discuss who would host the gathering for 2005.  I offered to hold it this year and my cousin from Carson City, Nevada offered her home for 2006--we would, we decided, make a fun trip of it and go up there together, through the Sierras, by train, hoping for a nice white Christmas trip and that spectacular scenery to enjoy.

My offer was, of course, B.P. (Before Pergo).

I'll bet you're really sick about hearing about this damn Pergo floor, aren't you?  Any normal person would have had the house back in order as soon as the furniture was moved back into the family room.  But we all know that I'm not a normal person (and I don't mean that in a good way).

There's nobody else to blame now.  Walt did his part and did a massive re-arrange in the upstairs bedroom and garage.  Ned moved the scrapbooks I hadn't moved yet up to the empty bookcase.  Now what is left is all up to me to Do Something With.

I figured I would set the date of the cousins' dinner for December 17.  A month.  Surely I could get it all done in a month.

Only one of my cousins called to say that was not a good week end for them.  That doesn't leave us much choice.  Nobody's going to want to come here on the 22nd, right before Christmas.  So there was no choice by to set it for the 10th, which moves the amount of time left for clean-up back a week. 

Now I only have 3 weeks.

I work best under pressure, right?

"Get Walt to help you," laughed my cousin.

Bzzztt.  Sorry.  Won't work.  What's left is stuff I have to deal with myself.  He did his part.  (And he can't come to the cousins' dinner anyway because he will be at his office Christmas party .)

I figure the only way this will work is to set myself a schedule.   Actually set aside a sold block of time to do nothing but work on the living room.  If I actually do that, I should be able to get it done in just a matter of days. 

But look what I'm doing instead.

I'm sitting here typing up an entry about how overwhelming it is and what I know I have to do in order to get it done.

I'm not actually working on it.

I'm also already thinking about the next feature article deadline, which is looming -- and the interview that needs to be transcribed.

I'm thinking about the stack of tapes for the psychiatrist.

And what to cook for dinner tonight.

And the dance recital I have to review.

And whether I've had enough iron so that I can donate blood tomorrow.

And getting Walt to the airport so he can go have an earlyThanksgiving visit with his mother.

And getting Latte up to Petco and hope she gets adopted.

And..

And...

And...

Maybe I'll just go take a nap instead.

The living room can wait another day, can't it?

More  exciting news, written by Steve:

The Desert Theatre League has presented its Desert Stars Awards. For our concert presention last year, we were awarded

• Best Overall Production

• Best Writing

• Best Actor:  Jim Brochu

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Blue Wren
Photo by Peggy

 
powered by Signmyguestbook.com

<--previous | next-->

Journal home | bio | cast | archive | links | awards | Flickr | Bev's Home Page