Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘NaBloPoMo’

The End of Tennis Season

Posted in Everyday, tagged , on November 5, 2015| 2 Comments »

As you may or may not know, Charlotte and I have the tradition of Tennis Tuesday during the spring, summer and fall months when we’re both in town and the weather is good.  We were both on the tennis team in high school and let me tell you, we looked smashing in those little tennis dresses.  We went for years without playing, but then we were inspired and decided to devote sunny Tuesday evenings to tennis ~ I’m sure our tennis coach is giggling in his grave.

We’re a sight to behold, but they say tennis is an ageless sport.  Charlotte says that because we both have grey hair we have an excuse to suck.  Hey, at least we’re out there trying to stay in shape and acquire the endorphins coveted by all athletes.

This week on Tuesday, November 3 the weather was perfect, sunny and sixty-eight degrees, for one last hurrah on the tennis court for Charlotte and me.  It was a little windy but nothing two grey-haired pros like us couldn’t handle.  I don’t know if we’ve ever played into November.

Alas, the wind will blow cold and the balls are flat.  The season is over.  Next for the tennis team long-timers is the end-of-season tennis banquet.  We get together for a delicious dinner and libations to celebrate our success.  There may even be a trophy presented.

 

Read Full Post »

Confessions Of A Dedicated (!?!) Civil Servant

Posted in Everyday, tagged , , on November 3, 2015| 5 Comments »

My life seems to be all about exhaustion these days, and it makes me feel like a wimp.

Why is it I can’t manage to do anything after I come home from the day job?  I’m the one who can overcome obstacles.  I’m the one who pulls all-nighters trying to get things done for my crafty business.  These days I can’t even think hard enough to compose a list of things to do much less actually do those things.  The exhaustion I have is emotional, and the worst part – it comes from the day job.

I never, in a million years, would have guessed I have so much invested in this job.  My dedication these days is puzzling, and is sucking the life out of me.

I have to detach myself.

Did I just say that?  I’ve despised so much about my day job for so long, feeling very removed from it, and yet now I feel I have to detach.  When did I become attached?  About two months ago when turned in my intent to retire letter.

I never realized what an important job I have and how difficult it is to train a replacement.  I never realized that several people actual covet my job and resent the process by which my replacement has been chosen (and I don’t blame them).  I never realized how much I want those I work with to have a smooth transition to the next person to hold my job.

Well, I don’t like this one bit.  It has to stop, because I’m tired, and tired of feeling like a wimp.  Today I will become strong again and leave the mental garbage at work.  After all, I have a thirty-five-year history of doing just that.

Read Full Post »

A Wonderful Weekend With A Vampire

Posted in Everyday, tagged , , , , , , , on November 2, 2015| 4 Comments »

It’s the beginning of a new week, and an interesting week it will be.

I’m glad I began the week (or ended last week) with a very wonderful Saturday and Sunday.  One very fun thing that was available to me was a thirty-six-hour binge of Dark Shadows on one of our local TV stations.  I remember rushing home from school oh so many years ago (grade school – Catholic grade school!) to watch this macabre, supernatural soap opera.  I’m surprised my mom let me watch it.  Seeing it nearly fifty years later was hysterical.  Not only did it have the dialog of a soap opera (generally pretty bad) but the lighting, the pace,  and the “scary” subject matter were really fun to watch.  Jonathan Frid was a pretty schmaltzy vampire, but he got me hooked on the genre at an early age.  Plus I have a ring just like his because of my great affection for Barnabas Collins.  Luckily I didn’t incorporate his hairdo .

I did lots of yard work and winter preparation at my parents’ house.  I finally got some cleaning done in my own house – I haven’t spent much time with that since before my vacation in August.  Dust bunnies were breeding like crazy!  I did laundry and cleaned toilets, along with may other tidying and cleaning up.  It was a very domestic weekend and it felt great.

I listened to FoJo’s radio show yesterday.  For those of you who haven’t kept up, Fojo is my nephew.  He’s the foremost radio personality on the U of M Morris radio station,  presenting a show every Sunday on KUMM.  It’s always fun listening to him, and I even called in a music request – a very obscure one at that.  Mel Brooks singing High Anxiety.  Fojo tracked it down and played it for me.  The song was running through my head all of last week.  Gee, do you think I might be a little high strung these days?

High strung, probably because it’s the beginning of a week at the day job that will be quite interesting.  Today I’m going to meet with a couple of people to see what’s really going on at the Agency of Free Handouts.  I’m angry and frustrated about what’s going on concerning my replacement once I retire; on the other hand, why do I even care?  Because I’ve got nearly thirty-six years invested and have become enamored with some of the people I’ve known for nearly as long, that’s why.  Red tape and secret practices are a bad thing when it comes to government employment, and I plan to blow the situation sky high if I can help it.

I’ve developed a lot of nerve now that the end is near.

Read Full Post »

The End Is Near

Posted in Everyday, tagged , on October 29, 2015| 7 Comments »

Oh all right!  (Say that like Suzanne Sugarbaker.)  I know I haven’t posted much these past few weeks and I’ve been questioned about it incessantly.  What’s wrong?  Where are you?  Have you given up blogging?  The answers are nothing, here, and no.

Here’s the deal.  You know how I sometimes talk about the day job?  Well, those days are coming to an end.  I’ve submitted my letter of intent to retire, I’ve completed all of the paper work required with my department in the State of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Retirement System.  I’m turning in paperwork to the parking ramp notifying them I’m cancelling my contract and I’m training in a person to replace me.  It’s happening.  The day job will not be a part of my life for much longer.  My last day will be December 1, 2015.

The thing is, for the first time in my entire career (over thirty-five years) the workload is unbearable.  By the time I’m done with the day job at 3:30 I’m too exhausted to do anything when I get home.  That means I haven’t been blogging, I haven’t been crafting, I haven’t even been keeping up with my housework.

But here’s the fun part.  On my sidebar I’ll have a countdown to my retirement date.  Also, November just happens to be NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) which challenges bloggers to submit one post per day during the month of November.  I’m going to try to write one blog post ever day during the countdown of my retirement.  They may not be interesting posts, but I’ll try to document what’s going on with me during the entire month of November, in addition to posting some other goodies that may have nothing to do with my retirement.

During my retirement years I plan to write a lot more (even novels!) and now is as good a time to start than any.  I hope you’ll root me on during my final days as a civil servant

Read Full Post »

NaWhat?

Posted in Everyday, tagged , , , , on November 12, 2012| 6 Comments »

It’s nearly mid-November.  You know what that means?  We’re halfway through NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo.  Don’t know what those are?  NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel(la) in the thirty days of November.  NaBloPoMo is National Blog Posting Month, a challenge to post one blog entry every day of November.  Guess what?  I’ve done neither.

I’ve had a problem with writing posts and also listing items in my Etsy shop.  I’m completely blocked.  Even with the two challenges of NaNoWriMo (something I’ve done in the past, but the story was pretty lame) and NaBloPoMo (never attempted) in front of me I’ve remained stuck.  That either means I’m really stuck, or the fact that a challenge is right in front of my face is just another reason for me to rebel and say NO!

Writing a novel in thirty days seems much less daunting to me.  One idea and run with it.  Coming up with a blog post every single day for thirty days means coming up with thirty different ideas.  Or else coming up with pretty pathetic posts.  For me, that is.  Lots of people do it successfully and keep the interest of their audience.  Also, I’m not one of those people who have blog posts banked up in my draft folder in their entirety or even partially written.  Plus, the acronym NaBloPoMo sounds kind of…dirty.  For any of you who know who my father-in-law was you’ll know why.  It’s embarrassing.

I’m going to try to do better by you, and most of all myself.  In the meantime be assured that I am being productive in other areas of my life.  Really.  I have.  You’ll have to trust me on this one.

Read Full Post »

%d bloggers like this: