Woke up with a start at 5a today realizing that I missed my appointment with the tailor to pick up my dress.  Unbelievable.  Even though there’s nothing I can do about it on a Sunday, I start mentally berating myself, and then my mind just floods with everything that needs to be done.  So here I am, it’s now almost 6a and I’m at my desk hoping to get a good start on everything before the rest of the world wakes up.

My goals before 9a:
- Update GoChicago feeds
- FB for VRPros
- LaPrima Shops proposal
- Headstart on Insight article

And, at some point today, I need to tidy up that garden.

I’m so glad vacation is right around the corner, but I’m not looking forward to falling behind even more!

Had my annual today…speculums never seem to make for normal conversation.  No matter how many examinations my kitten has been through, banter is always somewhat stilted.  Today, however, was at least pretty amusing.  When my doc found out I was getting married in August, she immediately and sincerely congratulated me.  ”Be sure to enjoy the day!  It goes by so fast!”  That was her first piece of advice.  Right then and there, I knew I liked her.  But it got better.  Because immediately after congratulating me, she went into a five minute spiel on how to get my body ready for having babies.  Start taking folic acid, check for MMR booster, chicken pox vaccine (I’ve never had chicken pox)… I’m like, “I’m just going to focus on getting through the wedding first!”

So then we moved on to talking about what I did.  This part of the conversation still has me laughing this late in the day:

Doc: You work with the internet!  That’s so cool.  So you can work from anywhere really…from home, on a beach…

Me: Yes, I guess that’s true.  *pause*  Though I guess you could work on the beach too, it would just be a little awkward for your clients.

Got up in the gray dawn this morning, the house was completely still and quiet.  Dampness slipped in through our bedroom screen.  I was under deadline pressure, once again, but it didn’t feel as suffocating as it sometimes does.  I think part of this has to do with picking up some assignments for the local newspaper.  It’s all been features so far, so quite happy, fluffy stuff…but it’s somehow released a block I’ve been carrying around for some time.  Perhaps the happiness and excitement of the sources is breaking up the stone of frustration.  Most people are thrilled to have someone take note of what they’re saying.  They’re excited to have their thoughts validated by a reporter, no matter how limited the audience is.  Others find the questions somewhat intrusive, and are sometimes annoyed at being included.  And yet others demand credentials before sharing their expertise.  A gentleman I spoke with late last night fell into this latter category.  He was a San Francisco-based CPA, and I was on crunch time and desperate for one last source to round out an article on accountants and sustainability efforts.  The gentleman in question had transitioned to a fully paperless office over the last five years, and I was hoping that he would share his processes with our audience.   Read the rest of this entry →

Is technology sapping my creativity?  With so much media and content to digest,  inspiration has almost hindered creation.  At therapy, I was encouraged to sit still a moment and simply watch the goings on around me.  By seeing all the action, overhearing all the conversation, I became passively engaged with the world around me.  It was a lot easier for me to write about the world without feeling so sucked into it. Read the rest of this entry →

I’ve had a lot of revelry in the past couple decades.    Probably more than my fair share of debaucherous nights full of wine and whiskey.  A lot of it gets chalked up to work events, which somewhat diminishes the enjoyment.  These events demand an athlete’s level of mental and physical discipline in order to party all night in Vegas, and yet still be bright, sharp and shiny for the exhibit hall early the next morning.  I’ve done it so many years now that the glam has worn off and all that is left is the stench of cigarette smoke and the acrid fumes of empty glasses.

And, this last January, we kicked it up a notch, and a few of my work pals and I celebrated my upcoming nupitals at McFaddens in Rio (Las Vegas, not Brazil).  I’ll make only a passing mention of the blowup dolls, penis straws, vibrating keychains, all standard bachelorette fare.  I was also up early, clean and sober the next morning, ready to meet and greet.  I was also due on a panel discussion later in the afternoon, which we nailed.  So I am quite sure I don’t need another round of plastic male genitalia. Read the rest of this entry →