.....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.

Restaurant + TV = FAIL

What is it with this unfortunate trend of restaurants having televisions?

Last night, Rob and I went out for a date night.  There is a relatively new steakhouse in town (Flemings), and we had received a gift card.  We got all dressed up and headed downtown.  Our expectations weren't too high, as it is part of a chain.  However, it seemed to have a lot of elements in place for success.  The restaurant sources high quality ingredients.  It also had one hundred wines by the glass, a concept that I just adore.  At first glance, the interiors seemed lovely.

We entered at street level, where the bar is located.  Two televisions were on either side of the bar.  We were then escorted upstairs to the dining rooms.  They have dining rooms.  The one towards the back was somewhat crowded and acoustically challenged.  The one in the front, where we were sat, has massive windows looking out on the street and intimate booths.  There is another bar off to the side.  This would be perfect, except there were another two televisions in the dining room.  Ironically, the only place in the dining room you could not see the televisions is at the bar.  After placing our order, I had the misfortune of looking up and seeing blood and guts strewn across the TV directly in my line of sight....they had "CSI" playing on one of the channels.  I hailed the waitress over to ask her to turn the TV off.  That was apparently forbidden, but she agreed that "CSI" was inappropriate and changed the channel.

The evening certainly wasn't ruined.  I was there more for the company than the restaurant.  The food was good, but nothing amazing.  I was impressed by the wine list and our waitress was delightful.  However, aside from a pub or a sports bar, I can see no reason whatsoever for a restaurant to have televisions in the dining area.  If I wanted to watch TV while eating dinner, I could stay at home.  This is particularly true for a restaurant with a fairly high price point.  Also, any restaurant that prioritizes having the TV on over the comfort of the guests is missing the point of their existence.

I won't be returning to Flemings.  Chicago has steakhouses with better ambiance, better steak, and better overall experience.  If I want steak in front of the TV, quite frankly I can cook a better ribeye any day of the week.