This week is TNP’s annual conference which is being held online. It’s a very ambitious program with a mix of live workshops and prerecorded sessions with live chat and as of this writing at lunchtime on the last day, everything’s going well. So far I’ve worked on 3 live sessions, had two shifts at TNP’s booth in the exhibit hall, and this afternoon I’ll be moderating chat for 2 prerecorded sessions. We have Monday off to decompress from the whole thing, and I think we’ll really need it. I play a relatively small role, but it’s still the largest event of the year and we all want our members and attendees to have a great experience.
It’s the lunchtime edition of the Friday 5! This week’s theme is Self-care – let’s hop to it!
- What have you done lately for improving or maintaining your mental health? What more would you like to do?
I have begun to leave my office at the end of the workday, instead of lingering to check blogs and the like OR instead of immediately hopping up and vacuuming. Sometimes I’m finished work on time. Sometimes it’s a little late. But when I’m finished, the work laptop is powered down and I sit outside for a few minutes to clear my head and get that buffer back between work and life that was erased when I stopped commuting. - When did you last eat something specifically because it was good for you?
I truly cannot remember. It’s something I think about often but it’s so much easier to just buy processed foods. I’d probably put more effort into it if I were responsible for feeding kids. Now I’m inspired – I have blueberries in the freezer. Maybe I’ll defrost some and … I don’t know, make a blueberry margarita? Are blueberry margaritas even a real thing? (The internet says yes.)
But if you want to know about unhealthy foods, I have a quart of Rita’s strawberry water ice in the freezer, and I discovered this week that you can mix it with coconut rum and the result is very tasty. - These days, what are you learning about, and what would you like to learn about next?
I’ve mentioned this but I’m planning on taking my CAE certification exam in December. The book I’m currently reading now is titled Association Law Handbook and it’s actually very interesting. Progress is slower than usual reading, because I read a section, let it ferment in my brain overnight, and then the next day I reread it and take notes.
Next, I would love to get back into Python. Language, not snake. I’m so basic with it (Think “hello world”) but I really want to learn more and I feel that if I hook into it enough I can use it at work to start analyzing ALL of the data we have. The problem is that I don’t use it on a daily basis, so a year will go by and I’ll forget everything but the very basics and then I have to start over. See also: boulder, Sisyphus and the - What’s positive about your physical appearance lately?
Erm. My eyes have always been blue but as I’m getting older, they’re lightning up and are very pretty. I need some new eyeshadow, firstly because my palette is very old and secondly I want to learn how to make this color pop a bit more. - What will you do this weekend to bring joy into your life and a smile to someone else?
It’s Mother’s Day weekend, so I have a pile of truly random things to give Mom. Mother’s Day is hard for me (this year it’s been worse, thisweek monthyear has been an emotional compost pile of feelings) so I think I’m going to buy myself a bouquet of flowers. Maybe with daisies and hydrangeas. Shore weather for Sunday looks foul but eh. If I can be outside in December in Philadelphia to see the holiday sights in 30 degree weather, I should be able to haul myself to the shore in 58 degree weather.
THREEEEEEE DAY Weekend plans include:
- Planting all of my seedlings and seeds outside. The last frost date is May 10 and the 10-day forecast looks good. The seedlings have been outside with the greenhouse flap opened so they are already accustomed to being outdoors. It’s gardening go time! In between rain showers, that is.
- Swing by the library to drop off books and maaaaaaaaaaybe pick up some new ones.
- Possibly ill-fated trip to the Ocean City boardwalk; hoping not to give Mom pneumonia for Mother’s Day.
- Pre-writing most of my Show Us Your Books post so I’m not cramming it Monday night or at 6:30am Tuesday morning
- Buy more coconut rum. And maybe a vegetable.
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On days I teach from home, I find it hard to transition between school and home time. I would not be good at it all the time. A year ago was kind of a fluke and I was glad to go back to school on a hybrid model just so I didn’t have to teach from home all the time.
I feel like my husband worked more than ever when he was fully remote. His days bled into each other.
That leaving right when you’re done is tough for me, but I definitely see why it would be good for me, especially since it would force me to get my must-dos done more efficiently. Something I need to consider. I’ve always been one of the last to leave the office. I have nowhere I need to be and nobody’s waiting for me at home, so what’s the difference? Yet I’m beginning to see a difference.
Just like having a little transition from night-time routine to sleeping worked for me, having a transition between 4:30pm Kim in her office working and 4:45pm Kim is vacuuming the floor is good for me. Maybe try it a few times?