Category Archives: Time

Piece O’ NYC: Work and School and a Park

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I’m getting my Masters Degree from the institution where I work. It’s often an interesting ‘balance’ — and thank goodness for tuition remission! Funding for Masters Degrees is generally non-existent, and funding for graduate degrees in general seem to be disappearing over time. Isn’t that dreadful?

That said, I believe in Higher Education and its value. I’m a full-fledged Higher Education Advocate and I know there’s a fit for every student out there. You want to talk about going to college, I’m your girl. You want to talk about how it’s life changing, hit me up. You want to talk about the pains of college too, yep I totally understand and have a bazillion resources I could share. I didn’t want this professional path in the beginning, but becoming a Professional Unicorn Cat Princess wasn’t available as a job (nor would it bring home the money). So I fell into Higher Education and am now pursuing it … at least until I win the lottery and then attempt to buy College Board.

Classes start in a couple of weeks, and as the summer has slowly come to it’s close I realize that I generally look forward to the start of school every year. The flow of the academic calendar isn’t meant for everyone, but I love it. Fall is short and sweet. Spring is dreadfully long but then transitions into brightness. There are huge bouts of stress and tension around mid-terms and finals, and then comes the airiness right after grades are due. What a love story.

FullSizeRender 2FullSizeRender 4Getting to campus itself every morning doesn’t take me long (I know a lot of people who come in from NJ or Upstate, or other states…), and it includes one of the greatest things I can give myself: a walk through Washington Square Park on my way in. A lot of people do this to get to their offices around here, and some might even think it’s a ridiculously simple thing to mention, but it’s become a powerful tradition and daily habit of mine. Who knew a walk through a park right before hitting the office could be a serious preemptive to a good or bad day? This city has a lot of fun things to offer, and I hope I highlighted enough for you, but it’s very hectic too. I’ll take 10 walks in the park if I could to remain sane… Do you have any soothing things to to help you clear your thoughts right before the day starts? When I was in high school, my mom and I would get up early and watch Pokeman or reruns of Charmed right before we departed for our days. It became a thing that we kept looking for each morning, and it was pretty neat too ;p.

FullSizeRenderAnd…this is where we’ll part. I wish you all a beautiful Fall and thanks for reading my posts about this city, my life, and nothing related to quilts ;p.

Where does the time go?!

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I have come to the realization that I have become a miserable ‘To Do’ list maker. I used to be so good at it! I had lists, I used them, and I got more done. However, as I used the computer more, I moved away from paper to lists kept on the computer.

I have two good friends who are time management pros and both of them focus on list-making and prioritizing. I’ve gotten worse at prioritizing as well. I spend way too much time on fluff and not nearly enough on the things that I sincerely want to get done.

It’s taken me way longer than it should have to figure out that lists only work for me if I can see them, on my desk, every day. I’m writing about this now because I think I’m not alone and yesterday Julie Herman (Jaybird Quilts) posted a link to the Get To Work Book. I decided to give it a look-see and it looks like a really good tool. This workbook/calendar/list-making book is printed in January and July. Each book is good for a year which means that if you want to try it too, now is the time. I’m attaching the video that sold me on it below.

I hope this helps at least some of you because we all seem to be too busy these days. It is my hope that I can re-learn how to better manage my time and that my stress level goes down. Sounds like a good plan, doesn’t it :-).

I am so very, very, behind…

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Becky & Linda, 2005

I have over-booked myself—not just for this week, but for the entire year. Have you done that too, or were you smarter than me?

I am trying to do everything I have committed to while still maintaining some level of grace under pressure. No, grace is too extreme for me… I am trying to be nice under pressure. I have found that it’s much easier to be nice to friends, acquaintances, and even strangers than it is to maintain nice-ness with those I love the most. My poor husband, and my mom, get it the worst from me because, after all, I know that no matter what, they always usually forgive me. So I am working extra hard not to let the stress jump out at either of them.

That leads me to this. A friend forwarded an ‘uplifting’ email to me. In the same way the chain letters are lost on me, usually uplifting emails go into my junk folder very quickly. But this one is really good and I am happy to have received it. I have no idea who wrote it but it is worth sharing with you.

A Great Lesson on Stress

A young lady confidently walked around the room with a raised glass of water while leading a seminar and explaining stress management to her audience.

Everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, ‘Half empty or half full?’ She fooled them all. “How heavy is this glass of water?” she inquired with a smile. Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. To 20 oz.

She replied, “The absolute weight doesn’t matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you’ll have to call an ambulance. In each case it’s the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.”

She continued,”and that’s the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won’t be able to carry on.

As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we’re refreshed, we can carry on with the burden – holding stress longer and better each time practiced.

So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Pick them up again tomorrow if you must.

Read the rest if you want to. The best part was the story, above.

  1. Accept the fact that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue!
  2. Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.
  3. Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.
  4. Drive carefully… It’s not only cars that can be recalled by their Maker.
  5. If you can’t be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
  6. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.
  7. It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
  8. Never buy a car you can’t push.
  9. Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won’t have a leg to stand on.
  10. Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance.
  11. Since it’s the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
  12. The second mouse gets the cheese.
  13. When everything’s coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
  14. Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
  15. Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.
  16. We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.
  17. A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
  18. Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today.
  19. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Save the earth….. It’s the only planet with chocolate!