My New Year Celebration

What a great start to the new year.  Rob and I headed out to San Francisco last Thursday to hook up with some friends.  One of them had scored some free VIP tickets to Cavalia....sort of a horse based Cirque du Soleil.  The shows was a solid "good"....with parts being great.  Regardless, it made for a great start to the weekend.

On Friday we headed up to the wine country.  We first made a stop at Gundlach-Bundschu, a Rhine-style winery in Sonoma.  We discovered this a few years ago. We had rented a limo for a tour of wineries, and the driver had suggested this winery.  We all fell in love with it.  The trip this weekend was mostly so that John could exchange a few bottles that had been sent in error.  However, after a fabulous tasting, Rob and I couldn't resist signing up for their wine club!

We then headed over to Guerneville on the Russian River.  We had rented a home through VRBO.  The place was situated high above the river, pretty much hanging on the side of the hill.  The house was great; the view was spectacular. After a major grocery run, we settled in for the weekend.

I was head chef for the weekend.  We ate, drank, and hot-tubbed our way through the new year celebration.  Entertainment included Scrabble, Killer Bunnies, and "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert."

I have a superstition that how you spend the New Year is how you will spend the year.  I try to avoid bars, clubs, and the TV.  I want my year to be full of love, loved ones, good food and great wine.

If my superstition holds true, 2011 will be just awesome!

.....and breathe!

Things seem to be looking up.  Mom's surgery went fine.  I had a major rendering snafu on Tuesday night, but I recovered and became super-productive on Wednesday.  I got the banner done a little late, but the print center confirmed that they can get it done in time.  I had a little panic last when I noticed a mistake....but I got a corrected banner to the printer in time.


Today I have a few minor assignments to wrap up.  I want to get a haircut and a massage today so I can get back to looking and feeling human.

Crunch Time = Stress

I'm taking a brief break to whine - my apologies in advance.


My project for theory class turned out fine, and I'm actually pretty happy with it. However, I feel like I have to much to accomplish before the end of the semester.  My final for History of Decorative Arts is on Tuesday.  I'm not really that worried about it, but it is one more thing on my "to do" list.  Speaking of "to do" lists....Astrid, an app on my phone, is no longer syncing properly with Producteev, my online task manager.  It is very stress inducing if you aren't confident that your to-do list is correct.


I am a bit worried about the project for Specialization Studio.  While I have solved most of the technical problem, I feel like I am weeks behind in the actual design.  Yes, I know that all the technical issues are part of "actual design," but I don't really feel like an interior designer if everything is technically great but aesthetically flawed.  The progress seems to occur in spurts.  I'll work for a while getting absolutely nothing productive done, then all of a sudden a ton of progress occurs in 15 minutes.


Work is not particularly busy, but it is simply uninspiring right now.


The other big stressor is that there are some health issues in the family.  It is always difficult to balance family role with doctor knowledge.  That is particularly true being a physiatrist:  we only see the bad outcomes.


Right now, I am doing all that I can to balance work, school, home, and family, but I am so over my head I can't really assess how well I am doing.  Looking at the list, I can see that I don't even have time or capacity to include friends on the list.


Sigh.

What a difference a GREAT massage makes!

Last week I suffered through a thoroughly craptastic massage experience.  While I was not thrilled about paying for another massage quite so soon, I clearly need it.  My muscles were no longer quite so rock-hard and burning, but the brain was still frazzled.  Fortunately, Chicago has many options for massage.....which is great because I'm certainly NOT going back to Kiva.


I decided to return back to Sir Spa.  It had been years since I had been there, but two different people had brought it up in the last week.  Even though I called this morning, they were able to fit me in at the time I wanted.  Unlike Kiva, the place still looks brand new.  They are putting forth the effort and money to keep it maintained.  I wish I had gotten there about fifteen minutes earlier to get a proper steam in prior to the massage....oh well!  My therapist, Bill, was outstanding.  He was not chatty, and when he did talk he used a very soothing tone of voice.  He was very accommodating regarding positioning.  I had suggested minimizing the amount of time face-down, even if it meant less work on the back.  He recommended that I rotate a few times during the massage so that we could give everything its proper due while keeping me comfortable.  I took his suggestion and it worked brilliantly.


I left with loose muscles but barely able to string a sentence together.  I can't remember the last time I felt so relaxed....both mind and spirit.


Thank you Sir Spa for confirming that massage can be such a wonderful experience.

Massage FAIL

Things have been less than optimal lately.  Work is blah.  I am struggling to keep up with all the responsibilities associated with work and school.  I am dealing with some family health issues. 


All this has had me a bit on edge.  I have found that I am getting way too upset over the littlest things.  Then, I get upset at myself for getting upset.  Clearly, that is not productive.  My muscles have been so tight, and today they started burning.


At Rob's insistence, I went for a massage today.  I was so looking forward to it.  I went to a nice spa, Kiva, that I had enjoyed in the past.  Fortunately, it was easy to make an appointment.  I showed up ready to be relaxed.  My muscles needed it.  Even more so, my psyche needed it.


Alas, all did not go as anticipated.  My therapist was loud and pushy.  I tried hard to just tune that out.  The massage started face down and seemed to last forever.  After a while, the face cradle was giving me a headache and my sinuses were getting congested.  I started to squirm a bit on the table, but the therapist didn't notice.  I finally said that I needed to turn over, and she told me she needed a few more minutes to finish the back before I could turn over.


At the checkout, when asked how everything was, I related my experience.  The receptionist gave me a $20 coupon "if you decide to return."


The muscles were relaxed, but the mental relaxation I desperately needed did not occur.  I do not see returning to Kiva.