I stayed up until six AM, fell asleep, walked the dog, did the dishes, fell asleep . . . I should start doing Wasted Mondays. Although the dishes did get done.
Uh, what’s the good intention for the week? Mine is to get out of bed.
I stayed up until six AM, fell asleep, walked the dog, did the dishes, fell asleep . . . I should start doing Wasted Mondays. Although the dishes did get done.
Uh, what’s the good intention for the week? Mine is to get out of bed.
Jennifer Crusie is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author and co-author of twenty-three novels, one book of literary criticism, miscellaneous articles, essays, novellas, and short stories, and the editor of three essay anthologies. She lives in a cottage in Pennsylvania, where she often stares at the ceiling and counts her blessings.
Find out more about Jenny’s published works by visiting JennyCrusie.com
49 Responses
You have more ambition than I. I went back to sleep until evening. I still need to do dishes.
Let’s see, it’s after 10 PM and I’m ready for bed. Just thought I’d check if anyone posted anything in Argh. As Jenny was going to sleep I was waking up today. I have a routine with the granddog, she will follow me around until she is fed and goes outside and will likely pester me for a treat. It’s mostly her routine. Me I plan my day around what needs to be done. Like today it was wash the floors, ready the trash to go into the barrel for tomorrow’s pickup.
I bought some potato gnocchi and decided to make a dish with meatballs, tomatoes, black olives, something real simple and relatively quick. It’s a keeper.
My good intention is to donate away two tall bookshelves that don’t fit upstairs. I’ve already managed to give away the two computer desks we no longer need.
My plan for this week is to walk on the beach and see whales. I have already walked on 2 beaches and we’ve booked whale watching tour for Thursday am, so am feeling good about both of these. Vancouver Island is beautiful. Very green and lush.
Jealous. Have a wonderful time.
I intend to:
Go swimming tomorrow morning, so have prepped my lunch etc.
Exercise.
Tidy the house for Easter Dinner / my mom’s birthday (same dinner).
Make a cheesecake for said dinner.
Water the seeds I planted; they may actually sprout if I do.
Sleep enough.
Get more sleep. My mantra for the last couple of years now.
Which means, lights out earlier than I tend to – well before midnight. Working on it (I’m an owl, not a lark).
On trick I found on insta to get back to sleep after waking in the very early hours: thinking of numbers. No logic or sequence necessary – it’s meant to occupy the brain that otherwise gets very active with worries or to-do-lists etc. It’s working surprisingly well for me. My other trick is to listen to an audiobook at very very low volume but I found that sometimes my brain is invested enough to wake me up when the 30 minute-period I’d set up is over as my brain obviously wants to listen some more. Big sigh.
Or sleeping brain may decide something is wrong because sound from audiobook suddenly has disappeared. I sometimes wake up evidently because heating system fan has turned on or off.
In most cases that’s the reason, but I caught myself noticing that I wanted to know how the story continous…
Fascinating!
Big project this week is rigging bird protection for my fan-trained cherry and greengage, in the hope of more than a couple of fruit this year. This involves canes, chicken wire and rubble netting, since the ribbons I’ve draped round the plum tree again ( https://www.instagram.com/p/DWe9NtbDAfD/ ) don’t work when the trees are trained flat. Also getting everything organized for Italy (printing booking confirmations, washing clothes, etc.).
I just came back from a reader convention where I moderated four panels and taught a class. My intention is to write a draft of my newsletter while the experience is fresh in my mind.
Last weeks’ intention was…uh…well, I know there was writing in there, and I did get some done but not as much as I wanted, in part because of a major fibro flare due to upstate NY’s psychotic spring rollercoaster weather. Still, I figured out the end of the book. Now I just have to type it up before I forget my ideas.
Wait, what was I saying?
I organized my seeds and made small additional inroads into the mudroom mess. And went to the No Kings Rally on Saturday. Got a tetanus shot on Tuesday which kind of derailed things. I don’t remember much of the rest of the week, except that I didn’t accomplish nearly what I’d hoped to.
My intention for this coming week is to finish writing up the cozy synopsis and send it and the half a book I have done off to my agent. (Since this was my intention every week for about two months, I’m just going to hope for the best.) I also intend to keep organizing the mudroom and getting rid of stuff.
I mostly want to sleep, Jenny, so I am totally on your side. (Left side, preferably; I’m trying to train myself not to sleep on my righthand side.)
Mine also involves getting out of bed. I have been flirting with the edges of on-time at work for a while now and I need to walk it back to firmly on time most of the time. It’s rather unlike me to be late.
I also need to try to finish a couple of new art pieces for a show at a new coffee shop in May. I had planned for more, mostly new was the dream when I booked it last fall, but life didn’t allow for that. Forward. Now that I know what is going to the group exhibition I need to pull the rest out of storage and see what makes the cut and how many I actually need.
And I want to start tidying the garden as the weather allows.
Last week I had set a goal of getting my tax information together, and that is mostly done. (I have the pile of papers sitting in front of me.) That sequed into organizing materials and shredding a great deal. I then happened upon a box of mementos from activities I went to – things like playbill books etc for plays I went to 15 years or more ago. I ended up throwing a LOT of stuff into paper recycling or trash, and felt very much lighter, at least psychicly.
In my other time, I’ve been crocheting on the Crochet-A-Long (CAL). I’m enjoying the process but it is taking a long time. I’m pretty much finished with section 3. I got the directions for section 4 last week, and the ones for Section 5 come out tomorrow – so I figure I’m a week behind. But, it will get done eventually.
Other than that, lots of work and waiting for the mechanic to be done with my car. Apparently it’s hard to find parts for vehicles that are 27 years old!
Oops – forgot to state my intentions for this week. More of the same. I want to get the tax info to the accountant this week, and crochet some more. I’ve been wanting to start a new quilt project, but I really *should* do some straightening up of past quilt projects before I go hog wild on something new.
I gathered the paperwork I needed for the taxes (check) AND even did said taxes, hurrah! I’d resolved to do them myself without any help whatsoever this time. Well…that plan fell short when they’d failed to fill in some information that should have been in there, which made me panic slightly and ask Sven for help after all. No, it shouldn’t be a biggie, but I wanted to do it myself this time dammit. Bleh. So I had to go on a hunt for extra papers and not beat myself up too much. Double bleh. But at least the damn things are done and behind me now. Yay.
Still reasonably sane, despite the nightmares deciding to up their game again for the past nights. We’re hitting 20 years of this nonstop business this year. One’d think you’d get used to it but, nope. Very very very tired. Realizing that I have been very very very tired forever. Want it to stop. Want to be a functioning person just for ONCE. Please.
What else was on my list?
Speech therapy-exercises: big fail. Been so tired I barely know what my name is. Did not contact GP shrink either, because I remembered that he does CBT, and I can’t do that. Started on crafting materials-list, hurrah! Still need to get the case book from Sleep Centre 2 and email to Sleep Centre 3. Frog-research hasn’t really happened either, but I’m okay with that.
At least some things got done. I also did some more mosaic-gluing, AND have been fiddling with how to tighten a cast-on after finishing a knit, and I think that’s finally starting to fall into place. Swatches are practical little things.
And I didn’t break this week either. Imagine that!
Good intentions for the upcoming week: …I don’t know. Try to not be terrified of sleeping? Perhaps try to start a knit, or continue on the cat I was busy making when I ran out of juice at the beginning of February. Maybe finish the mosaic of an egg before Easter. Worth a try. No extravagant ambitions for this week.
Jenny, I am sorry you’ve had to wrestle with depression. Depression is a bitch to deal with. Hope you feel better soon. Your Argh pepsquad is with you every step!
My intention for today is to fill up the trash bin as tomorrow is trash day and I’m still decluttering.
For the week I’m working on getting the new book started. I have my story beats and character arcs so I’m jumping in. Not that I’ll end up following what I have planned out.
i could have written your post, Jenny! I’m in the position of being ready to retire but not able to because of outstanding receivables (long story) and wanting to keep people employed — this makes going to bed on Sunday an act of will that is becoming harder and harder! Thanks tho for helping me feel less alone on this topic. Hope Tuesday is better for all of us!
I hope you have an exit plan. My sympathies.
Last week’s intention was to get the taxes done enough for the accountant. That’s done. There will be more when he has questions or answers mine. (Our taxes are remarkably complex for people who each have one job and no weird tax avoidance strategies.)
And to finish one long overdue day job task and start another. Total fail. That has to be this week’s. I can’t remember if booking tickets for the trip to NY and the May wedding and buying birthday cards and baby presents were on the list but it all happened.
Some more fun ones are to weed the garden, seed it with Johnny jump ups, and keep the deer off the lilies (ok that’s more a fantasy). And to bake macaroons for a three family post Seder dessert. Never mind that matzah is the official Seder dessert or that each of the three families is holding their Seder on a different day. We don’t turn down dessert.
And to host a family Internet Seder Saturday.
I also have two social plans (dinner tonight with a former colleague, first baseball game Sunday with DH and cousins).
I read this and then think about DD somehow being afraid that I live in social isolation. And giggle.
Jenny your good intention last week was to get good intention Monday up on Monday. And you did. Congrats!
Mine is making a pico de gallo which for me is a big deal.
Last week I had intentions regarding writing and personal business in the form of taxes. As of yesterday I have draft returns from the accountant, ready for my review, with the intention to go to her office on Friday afternoon to sign & hand over checks. Sort of meant to do some of the review this morning but my Mom came upstairs wanting to chat, so we chatted instead. 🙂
The writing intention, well, I *did* write – another four chapters of the latest novelette – so my continued intention is to write more. I should probably focus on the novelette and get it off my list so I can return to the GeoIV novella without that particular distraction.
We knocked off a couple of small home improvement projects over the weekend: DH put up a cute new fandelier in my office, replacing an oversized and annoyingly dim ceiling fan/light; and we obtained & installed screens for the two sliding doors that go from dining room to deck.
I am intending to cancel Netflix pretty soon because now that we’ve watched a couple dozen movies and I’ve watched most of the Great British Baking Show that’s available, I must concede that it’s a vastly unnecessary expense and also enables me to waste time that would be better spent writing. I may move up the purchase of a proper laptop (the Chromebook is on its last legs) so I can write anywhere in the house and not be tethered to my home office. Or I may save that money and train myself to leave the media room after DH does and go back to my desk instead of sitting there letting something play while I read.
Right now, my intention is to go order author copies of my skating book which is FINALLY out in paperback!
Congrats on the paperback being out!
With you on the cancellation of Netlfix (done) and the need for a new laptop replacing my Chromebook (not done yet), so we could put that on my list for this month. Month instead of week, because laptop purchases add stupid amounts of stress for me, and I’m going to pace myself.
There seems to be a theme, here. I was online a lot, yesterday with the loan officer for my new house because the information he wanted and NEEDED is in my file cabinet in the back of the pod, thus the internet search. I had also tried to apply for a tax extension, and had to ask for my last year’s tax forms to be sent in order to file that. That information is also in the pod in a box.
My eyes were really tired, after all the internet searching and printing out of information. I was already in bed, when the realtor for this house texted with a request. I just want to be left alone for a while!!
This morning there was a voicemail from another person who probably also wants to invade my privacy in order to give me the loan for the new house. (The voicemail doesn’t record everything.) I have three weeks left to finish packing up what’s left, here. I am tempted to just chuck it all into the mini-dumpster, arriving soon.
Otherwise, the early spring has caused some of my flowers to bloom, already. It feels like they are saying goodbye to me. It’s nice to see them one last time. I also saw an opossum in my back yard, walking toward a hollow stump in the neighbor’s yard. That was a treat!
My intension is to go visit the beautiful big bottle brush tree I found https://www.instagram.com/p/DWh39FVjBbG/?igsh=aHFzZXBrbjAzcW0y
That will help me get through a week of paperwork. Taxes. Apply for Social Security. Various writing assignments for Bright Line Eating boot camp.
That’s a lot. I might also spend time staring at the moon which is beautiful right now – though I never get a good picture of it. And do some of the writing outside as the weather is perfect right now.
I had a very productive day yesterday—finished writing a chapter, had a nice walk (three miles!), did some yard work, and noodled around with Photoshop tutorials for a new project. Had my Monday accountability meeting with writing friends. Made muffins. Basically, I’m feeling much recovered from gallbladder surgery, and also much better than I did before I had the gallbladder out. The incisions are still uncomfy and I still have aches and twinges, but overall, huge improvement.
My intentions for the rest of the week are to write another chapter, make pesto, sort through some physical books that I got at a conference and probably don’t actually want (will donate them somewhere), keep working on the Photoshop stuff, and mail some postcards I made—linoleum block prints based on one of my bird photos.
I have to also share that I planted an apple tree in our yard maybe five years ago, outside our bedroom window, and now I’m sitting here watching house finches hop around the branches and it’s very nice! My landscaping efforts don’t always pay off, but this one is right now.
Congratulations on recovering from gall bladder surgery, Christine! I had that surgery years ago, and it helped a lot. I have a big frowny scar from it. It was supposed to be the little scars, but that didn’t work. I hope you just have the little scars.
I do have the little scars! Although they didn’t start out so little… it didn’t help that I’m apparently allergic to surgical glue… oops! Now I know.
I’ve been writing a (gen) fanfic over the last couple of months, for values of “writing” that are mostly just write things down whenever I think of something fun or cool — I’ve written a lot! I’ve also been spending time thinking about outlining, in the sense that my usual writing process is to start at the beginning and get to about the middle and then be unable to continue for one reason or another — so the nonlinear fun + cool is maaaybe bypassing the curse of the middle, if I can manage to paste it all together somehow. Which suggests I need an outline.
So my intention for the week was to try to put together an outline I think I can then use to write more in a structured way, so I end up with an actual story at the end. And I sat down yesterday and I think I … mostly got it. I guess I’ll know when I try to use it.
So the intention for the week is to test drive the outline by sticking everything I already have in outline order and see if that sparks more to write, fill in the blanks style. Hopefully it will continue being fun 🙂
You describe my EXACT writing process! 😂
I hope you mean the nonlinear + outline part, and not the get to the middle and stall part…
I have no idea what my intentions are for this week. Making it to Friday (a day off!) is a priority, ideally without getting stressed by work.
I think I should intend to get some of the many things on my ‘to do’ list done, rather than sitting around reading or walking the dogs multiple times. But then I wonder should I just do what I want to do, rather than what I feel I should do.
It’s a debate that is continually going on in my head, which really just means I feel guilty about not doing useful things and resentful of the useful things I need to do.
On a more positive note, in case any of you are worried about my unwashed floors etc, I do usually get things done at the point at which they MUST be done (e.g. before a visitor arrives to see the less than clean floor).
I figure that any floor that gets washed before feet start sticking to it is a win. I washed my kitchen and bathroom floors before I left and still haven’t touched the larger rooms at all.
I made it home from the burbs last night, but it feels like I almost killed myself doing it. My c-pap said that I averaged o.o arousals per hour and that doesn’t seem at all possible. I didn’t sleep long enough to reset the timer, so I have no idea what is going on. But I am, despite 8 hours of sleep, totally exhausted today. Maybe I’ll feel better once I get my glasses adjusted.
On the plus side, the rain seems to have stopped and there are little green leaves unfolding on the trees outside my window.
Wasted Monday! I am here for it!
Yesterday I got ONE thing done of the list of things that needed doing, and today is the same. Apparently my Sunday at work was more tiring than it seemed at the time. So my intention for the rest of the week is to rest up.
I realised over the weekend that I am finally feeling that restless, uselessness, slight depression and exhaustion that comes when you first retire (so I’m told) it is 18 months late because of all the home renovation/project managing I did. That is all over now and the diary stretches empty in front of me.
Except I’ve got a new film club (monthly at the library in the evening) to go to tomorrow evening; a theatre show next Wednesday evening, and another the following Wednesday night. It is strange I thought I would be joining book groups in retirement, instead I am doing live theatre and joining movie groups. The joys of living in a city of culture, I am so lucky to have all this on my doorstep. There are also some exhibitions I want to go to but… that exhaustion and slight depression are causing me to postpone those just now.
Therefore, plans for this week – go to film club tomorrow evening (5.30 – 7.45 including discussion). Then nothing until the following Wednesday and the theatre. If I have energy I want to clean my flat (not done in a while but nobody ever notices but me – one friend says my home before I clean looks like hers after she has cleaned!). I have books to read, a knitting project (baby blanket) to finish, another baby blanket (crochet) just started, food in the fridge and freezer. that is easy to defrost and turn into meals. If I get the energy I will go and do some of the things on my wish list – an exhibition or a shopping trip (specific stores) and if I don’t I don’t.
Going back to bed is always an option Jenny. Some days are just declared pj days and that is as far as it gets going in my home. Anyone who judges me (or you) for that can take themselves and their judgmentalism and take a flying leap.
Long before my health got eventful, my own retirement activities proved very different from what I had half-planned, partly because of external occurrences and partly because of what my id was telling me. I think the main thing is to stay busy (but not overworked) doing something that one finds interesting, and I’ve managed that, in several distinct post-retirement phases.
This should have been a reply to Christine immediately above.
Id was a favorite word I used in scrabble.
My intention for right after this posting is to go back to bed for a nap and to think about why I’m resisting my fiction WIP so fiercely. I need to make sure it’s just random distractions causing the problem, not my subconscious trying to tell me there’s a story issue. (Yeah, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Naps are the main perk of being a small-fry author.)
And it appears that my intention for the entire month of April is to deal with the interruptions and chaos of major work being done on the exterior of my house (replaced siding, fix a roof issue from overly exuberant tree branches, replace the front steps/porch, and I forget what-all else). I met with the contractor yesterday to finalize some details and give him $$$$, and figured it would be at least a couple of weeks, probably a full month, before anything more happened, but got an email today that he’d like to start on some of the smaller stuff (demolish the front porch that he’ll be rebuilding and shore up the emergency-exit stairs) TOMORROW.
I have a feeling the whole month will be like this, so I’m trying to psyche myself up to let the chaos roll off me instead of freaking me out. I’ve worked with this contractor before, and he is reliable, but usually in the past it was a single contained project, and when everything was ready, they knocked it out in 2 or 3 days, start to finish. But this going to be a bit more scattered I think, with different supplies for different phases of the work arriving at different times, and spring weather (monsoon season and thunderstorms, not good for running around on ladders) being unpredictable.
Last week, I managed to process the excess of email that came in while I was on vacation, got quotes submitted for a remodel job at work, and mapped out temporary locations for the people we’ll need to move for the remodel. For this coming week, I need to read and process applications for a scholarship award.
At home, I finished quilting a quilt and mostly put together the center of a top (Cressida). I need to work on the points and the center where 16 pieces of fabric meet. I also attended a No Kings protest on Saturday and enjoyed a sewing day with friends at the local quilt shop. We also got the paperwork sorted so I can start on the taxes.
I’m dealing with a lot of doctors. Last week, a rheumatologist prescribed 2 new drugs for fibro. One of those drugs, I’ve taken for 2 nights now and am barely functioning. Side effects include fatigue, drowsiness, and dry mouth. I could barely get out of bed this morning and it was an hour later than usual. Also saw the dentist, 2 PT sessions, a naturopath, an acupuncturist, and a therapist.
Intentions for this week:
– wake up
– complete review of applications and work with the committee to select winners
– start (hopefully finish) taxes
– Easter events – a passover dinner with friends, rehearsal and volunteering on Sunday, and Easter dinner with different friends
Bonus items:
– doing some longarm quilting on a customer’s quilt
– get the inner border cut and on the Cressida quilt
– complete security training for work
It’s a slow week so I’ll just keep up with the household chores, walk Pixie (always) and go to my Indivisible group meeting tomorrow. I should get myself some Easter flowers. Hyacinths are nice since i can plant them outside and they will come up next year.
And get enough sleep.
Has anyone heard from theatre Jennifer? Worried! I hope she is okay.
She commented briefly yesterday. No health news.
Jenny… you managed to get out of bed the day before and then stay up until 6 am. Take the win. Though I think you should start scheduling in naps. I remember when I watched some motivational talk…the most important thing they pointed out was, when a baby was tired and fell asleep during the day no one thought anything of it. But adults, they get tired, they get burned out and still fight sleep, which isn’t good for them. Maybe you just need to listen to your body when it wants a rest. Take care of yourself