Opera Let-Down

I saw Macbeth at the Lyric Opera tonight.  I really feel like I should have liked it more than I did.  The music is beautiful.  The story is classic.  The voices were beautiful (except for what should have been the "money note" by Najda Michael.....that was a travesty).  Even the Gehry-esque production was pretty cool.....though they started pulling out some silly gimmicks in the last act.  Everything was in place for total enjoyment, but I only liked it....definitely did not love it.

I hate when that happens.  When an opera doesn't enrapture me, it makes for a very long evening.  I try hard not to squirm in my seat, and I'd be checking my watch if I could see it.  Knowing how much I have to pay for ticket makes the disappointment even more acute.

Lightweight

I'm out in eastern Washington state visiting Rob's family. Today we are out wine tasting. The wineries out here are lovely. I'm surprised how much I enjoy the merlots. It seems that every time I go on wine tours I get tipsy much faster than everyone else. I am such a lightweight. Unfortunately, I am a sleepy drunk, so I need to stop before I drink too much.

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...and DONE!

The marathon of the last week is through. Not the actual Chicago Marathon...that would have left me with a sense of satisfaction. All three classes had major deliverables this week...complicated by being on call over the weekend. I did a fine job on everything, but nothing spectacular. Everything was completed with no time to spare. I am simply drained. I have blocked out time before the rest of assignments this semester. I hope that will be sufficient. I can't keep wearing myself out like this.

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Regrouping for the Next Push

I survived....barely.  Preparing the paper and presentation for my Theory class and the paper for the Decorative Arts class was grueling.  I went into the weekend as prepared as I could be.  I had done the research in advance.  I had prepared outlines and bibliographies.  In the past, these papers would have written themselves.  I simply did not account for how much working the weekend would take out of me.  In theory, I had enough time to do everything.  I just didn't have enough focus to stay on task.  I ended up with four hours of sleep on both Sunday and Monday nights.  I was crazy tired on Tuesday.  Somehow I managed to stay awake for the classes.  By the time I had to make my presentation on Tuesday evening, I was practically delirious.  I was told that I did a good job.  I wish I remembered it!

I got a good night sleep last night and caught up on odds and ends this evening.  Now it is time to get some more sleep so I can pull a miracle out of my hat a prepare a paper and presentation for tomorrow evening for the Studio class.  Thank goodness I am still taking off Thursdays.

Weekend Work

I feel that I should be working for the weekend, not working on the weekend. I'm only on call every fourth or fifth weekend, which is not that bad. Honestly, my weekend responsibilities are nowhere near as bad as they used to be. All that being said,. I just hate having to work on the weekend. It makes me crabby. I am tired the whole next week. I also get so far behind in all the chores I usually do on the weekend. I know somebody had to do it, but i wish that somebody weren't me.

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Need One More Day This Weekend

I think I just comprehended how much is due next week. I'm doomed. Any chance that an extra day will be added to the weekend? I could probably handle it all if I weren't on call.

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Competing Priorities: Yesterday's Winner Was Social Media

It is amazing that when I have so many things that I HAVE to do, I seem to spend the most time on the optional. I am not super busy at work, but I do have a lot due for school in the next week.  However, recently I have been very focused on developing a social media presence.  I have thrown myself into Twitter (@argilbert66) and have developed some great contacts from around the world.  I have also been focused on getting my blogs into shape and developing some new ones.  I have developed a strategy of how to use them, and I am pleased with the preliminary results.  That being said, I have spent WAY too much time on these activities and not near enough time on my upcoming deadlines.  I was up until 2am this morning getting the blogs structured.

Blogging Reboot

While I have been dabbling with blogging for a while, I don't feel that I had any particular direction.  The entries were more of a chore or simply for cataloging.  I certainly haven't had much coherence in entries.  Recently, I have been experimenting on different platforms and came to realize that perhaps I wasn't thinking of blogging correctly.  I was trying to figure out how to have one blog fit all my needs.  There was no way to make that work.

I will be keeping four blogs in some fashion or another moving forward:

In Many Worlds - will be my personal blog.  I want to explore how I maintain balance as I maintain my responsibilities at work, in school, and in life.  I will be including some reflective pieces as well as more current musings.

Daydreaming About Space - will serve as a log for my school work.  I want to catch my process and my drafts, as well as thoughts about my education.

reVisioned - will be used to report what is capturing my interest.  I foresee posting links and media, sometimes with short commentary.  This blog will feed into Twitter, and some of the posts will make their way into my other blogs.

Designing Wellness - is going to be my more 'professional' blog.  I have set up my own domain to self-host this blog.  I want to explore and share my insights on healthcare design, the intersections of hospitality and healthcare, and evidence-based design.  I am particularly impact on the affect of design on clinical outcomes, experience of stakeholders, and healthcare systems.

I am sure there will be evolution of all these blogs as time goes on.  Honestly, I hope I haven't taken on more than I can handle.  Regardless, the experience will be rewarding.