Our minds have time to dance

The week has flowed pretty smoothly. I finally made the decision to become a full-time telecommuter. I was telling my boss the other day but as much as I hate to admit it I'm simply more productive working virtually. Last year we moved in with another group. They're mostly good people, but since they are also our customer, they have a tendency to interrupt with questions fairly frequently throughout the day. Working from home there are just fewer distractions and I am able to concentrate on project work.

Outside of work things also moved fairly well. I've enjoyed it mostly creative week. I've been keeping notes in a variety of notebooks but not really writing anything either substantial or what I would consider to be finished. I'm hoping to change that trend this year and focus more on writing finished product. I'm hoping that my creative output this year is significantly larger than it has been the previous year. I've been kind of organizing things, internally and externally, to put myself in the best position to realize that ambition.

TR and I have had a good week, so that has been the frosting on the cake. As always with her I'm looking forward to more frosting. One of the things I love about her is her mind – her creativity, her imagination, and her ability to spin the story like a master. I think there is a lot about storytelling that is intuitive. Beyond that our craft is shaped by our lives. It is shaped by the things we read. It is shaped by the things we experience. It is shaped by what we think of those things. From there it is simply writing. At least, that is my theory.

I don't really have anything big planned this weekend. I want to sit tight and spend some time at home rearranging furniture. I've kind of got a new vision for my living room – simpler, more Zen, more conductive of creativity. It is so easy in this world to get cluttered, inside and outside, but the continuous stream of sensations we're subjected to. This year I'm going to try to moderate that continuous stream. Sometimes, I plan on deliberately stopping outside of it and just enjoying emptiness and quiet. Our minds have time to dance when they're quiet.

Into The New Year

The new year seems to be off to a brisk start. When I woke up Monday morning and my brain was racing as I tried to get ready to swing back into the working world. Things are fairly chaotic at work but I'm hoping to put the processes into place that will, if not smooth the edges completely, at least reduce some of the turmoil experienced.

If I were to sum up our challenges in a single statement it would be this – we are short resources and we have a relatively uncontrolled flow of work. That combination means that rather then doing a deep quality of work we are just moving things through as fast as we can. Quality suffers.

I think in a high percentage of the projects that get completed there are always unintended consequences. Those consequences lead to a lot of rework. There is an abiding sense that we are not reaching our potential, both in terms of personnel and in terms of quality. It is quite the challenge and I'm going to see if I can manage up, but his bandage my management, this year and make something of a difference.

On the personal front I got a new computer after my laptop started acting up. I could see the end of life cycle somewhere in the near future and decided to preemptively replace it. I didn't replace it with another laptop. I replaced it with a Lenovo desktop system, A very nice touch screen and a very modern system. I like the new system but it's probably going to take me a week or two to get it set up like I want it. I am looking forward to it though and I've been enjoying it so far.

With the quality of the iPad it can now, effectively, replace a laptop for travel. It's a pretty impressive system. I am dictating this on the iPad right now. If you haven't used as your personal secretary, you're missing out. I've also mentioned in the past that I am a huge fan of Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It also is a pretty impressive piece of software. I plan on installing it on my new computer sometime later today.

Well, it is time to start swinging into the day. I'm going to finish my cup of coffee, run through the shower, and fire up my work computer. I hope your day is going well.

Winding Down The Year

Tuesday was as tranquil as Monday. Free from the restrictions of a heavily laden meeting schedule at work I was able to be very productive and better than productive, smooth. There is a lot to be said for flow. Almost anything is a better experience if it flows. I have my email backlog down to zero. That has not happened since October. It's a good feeling. It's a good place to be.

I even had the opportunity to read a little bit about project management. I feel the need to enter the new year with a more discipline structure for the projects I run. A lot of the work stress I encounter is the result of chaos. Is the result of the opposite of flow which is turbulence. We are very good at turbulence.

I am settling into the evening after a dinner of special K cereal and peanut butter from a spoon. It was very simple and very tasty. I needed that after the indulgences of the holiday season. I am still in the pleasant afterglow of the dinner that Brandy prepared for us. It was outstanding and it's going to stay with me for a while in my memory. She has become quite the amazing Chef.

I am dictating this entry on my iPad. It is fairly good at it. I don't think it is quite as accomplished as Dragon NaturallySpeaking. But it may be that I just need to learn the secrets of dictating to Siri. I'll have to look online and see if there is some sort of guide. Siri seems to struggle more with capitalization and punctuation then Dragon does. Again, it might just be a learned thing. Once I get the hang of it then it may work better. I wonder if Dragon has a version for the iPad. I should check the app store for that.

Other than that my plan tonight is to keep it simple. The new year is rapidly approaching. I started the process of considering my New Year's resolutions. They are partially formed in my brain. I still want to spend a little contemplative time over the holiday putting the gloss on them. I think I am entering the year strong. At the highest level I want to enter the year with a little more focus and a little more discipline. That is sort of a universal resolution. The process with which I want to approach the goals and objectives for the year.

I'm looking forward to the conversation with TR tonight. She mentioned today in conversation that she wanted to start the year on a different note. I'm curious as to what she has in mind. Her beautiful mind is one of the things that I love about her. It amazes me that after eight years we never ran out of things to talk about. On that note I am going to call it a night and slide into the evening. Whoever you are, wherever you are I hope your evening is good.

The Holidays and a Monday

I had a very quiet and pleasant Christmas. It was simple, which I enjoy. Christmas dinner was at my friend Bob's house, where we have Beef Wellington, baked yams, stuffing and a big green salad. We capped it off with homemade Angel Food Cake topped with a fresh fruit compote.  All in all an excellent meal prepared by Brandy, Bob's daughter.

Outside of that and some incidental errands I didn't do much.  Had breakfast with Tyrone and Tony, then on Sunday, lunch with Rick.  Rick and I had a wide ranging conversation about - well, pretty much everything.  I tend to enjoy my conversations with him when he is not politically worked up. Rick is one of those liberals that can get a bit passionate and unreasonable about the things he holds as true.  Of course, I can get the same way, so political conversations can have a bit of fire.

I'm going to work virtually today, mainly because there is no real reason to go into the office. I don't have any meetings scheduled this week.  My objective today is to go through my email backlog, which is about 100+ items.  I'd like to get it drilled down to zero or as close to zero as I can. As I weave in and out of email, I'll also knock out a few small things around the house. It should be a very good day, all in all.

This Evening Is Quiet

Two easy days at work.  It is so nice not to have a schedule crammed with meetings. I've actually managed to get some things done. Tomorrow should be equally as productive. 

This evening is quiet, so I am savoring it.

A Night With Quigley Down Under

Two weeks later I finally find the time to come online and do a spot of writing.  It has been extremely busy at work, combined with a matching business in my personal life.  Today was the first day off where I didn't have a long list of errands to run - so I am definitely just relaxing and enjoying the day.

I had breakfast with Tyrone this morning over at the Hickory Pit, then simply came home and watched a spot of TV.  About noon I laid down and took a three hour nap. A text from TR woke me from the nap and I was really tempted to lay back down and go back to sleep.  But, I resisted the temptation, got up, ordered a pizza and now I am watch the great Tom Selleck movie "Quigley Down Under" with the beautiful Laura San Giacomo.

I've got a couple of other movies on the DVR so that is my plan for the evening - pizza and DVR. I honestly can't remember the last time that was what I spent the evening doing. We're sliding into the quiet time of year at work, so I am actually looking forward to the next two weeks when I should be able to get some end of year things done - close out a few projects, stage a few projects, and anticipate the coming year.

The Start of a Day

I slept well last night. I think I went to bed around eight thirty, read a bit, and then dropped right into a deep sleep.  Interestingly, I haven't had a dream in the last couple of days. I assume it is because I've been sleeping very deeply, just glad to be back in California and back in my old bed. I woke up at about five a.m. this morning, which is my normal time.  It felt very good.  I went outside and took a walk down to Maple Leaf Donuts and started the day with a cup of hot coffee and a piece of coffee cake.  I'm savoring those at this moment and contemplating how best to approach the day.  I've got a lot small errands that I want to take care of over the weekend, so I am just sort of plotting out the day, deciding what to do in what order.  I think if I keep moving smoothly through the day I should be able to get through most of them.  So, wish me luck for an ordinary day.

Sublime Beauty

It has been raining here in California for the last several days. It is above average rainfall with is a welcome relief from the drought conditions we've been under.  Tonight, after work, after pizza, I went out for a brief walk around the neighborhood.  The sidewalks were slick with a light rain. There was a subtle breeze stirring things about. The ground was carpeted with fallen leaves.  It was beautiful, verging on glorious. I walked and I basked in the sights, the sounds and the scents. I am glad I have the ability to enjoy such sublime beauty.

A Nap and Minimalist Decor

I completely ran out of gas today at about 3:30. I am sure my body is recovering from the long distance drive. It is about 1600 miles, so it was a pair of 800 mile days, each taking 12 hours of pure driving time, plus, usually, an additional two hours of stopping for gas and meals.  That is a long time to be sitting in essentially the same position. I got home on Saturday night, rested up on Sunday, then headed off to work yesterday and today, so I reckon that I am still catching up.  I napped for about 3 hours today.

I'm going to work virtually tomorrow since I've got six different meetings and I suspect I am also going to need to take a nap tomorrow as well. That should give me the opportunity to make some progress against the headwinds I am running into on assorted tasks and projects.

I did observe/learn something while I was in South Dakota. I spent the time at the ranch with is decorated in, well, ranch style. My style is more minimalist here at the apartment in California (definitely influenced by TR). Even as minimalist in style as it is, I'm going to take steps in the coming weeks to become, yet again, more minimalist. I have a couple of pieces of furniture and some possessions that I can get rid of since I don't really use them. The time in South Dakota just emphasized my love of the minimalist style of décor.

Thirty Three Days

That was a fast passing 33 days. I'm back California. It feels very good.  Today was a balmy 50 degrees with rain. Nice.

It is all relative of course.  While I was in SD the temp ran a pretty constant range between 0 and 20 degrees. I have all the right clothes, so I was never too cold - but I was constantly cold and when ever you went anywhere you had to take the weather into consideration.  So, I compensated and I did all right.

The drive back was two full days but, other then running out of gas in Nebraska because my gas gauge was inaccurate, an uneventful trip.  I'm tired now and spent most of today resting and relaxing. I am having an inner debate concerning whether or not I should take another day off. I probably won't.

My mothers surgery went fine and she is well into her recovery. Since that was the purpose of the trip, it's a good deal.

Tonight, my plan is simple. Rest. Relax. Take a hot bath. Sleep.  Plenty of sleep.