the laanba blog

Bring on the Weekend

Looking ahead to this completely awesome (and very busy) weekend.

Friday
The Greek Festival.  Opa!  Going to eat souvlaki, watch the dancing program and buy kourambiedes.  Like every other year.  And the best part is that I now live five minutes from the park and ride.  

Saturday
 The Ballet Folklorico is going to do a presentation at Miller Outdoor Theater of Panamanian music and dancing.  Of course I'm not going to miss that.

Hopefully I will then swing by FireFest.  I've never been to this festival at the Houston Fire Museum and it fits my budget (free!)  I'm still not 100% sure if this will make it on the schedule or not.  But come on, firefighters!

Saturday evening I'm going to see the wonderful Ira Glass.  I have been looking forward to this for quite some time.

Sunday
Watching the Texans vs NY Giants.  I can only watch a portion of the game though because I'm going to the ....

GHPA Walking Tour of the Warehouse District.  I normally try not to miss Texans games but this is a new walking tour for GHPA and it is an area of Houston that I haven't really explored.

After the walking tour I'm heading to HMNS for a Flickr meet-up where we will get to photograph the new Pirates Exhibit.

And that is my weekend coming up.  I'm sure you can understand why I'm ready for the next two days to fly by.  Thankfully we are doing concert preparations at work so I think they will.

Recover

Hooray for a three day weekend.  I need this one (everyone says that right?).  Work is about to get very busy with morning and afternoon rehearsals and I really need everything to settle down in a routine.

Recover the apartment: The lady that cleans my apartment has had a string of family emergencies and hasn't been able to come the last few weeks so my apartment is currently a shambles.  I just come home from work and ignore it (see here).  I feel so much better when my apartment is picked up and clean so I will be working on that today. 

Recover my work life: For the first time in years, YEARS, I brought home my lesson plans.  I usually stay late at work on Friday to work on them.  It takes me about two hours to do the lesson plans for the next week if I do them right.  If I just put the bare minimum with no details it goes much faster, but then my classes aren't as focused.  I haven't done them at home for many years because I used to bring work home and then just let it sit.  It also takes me longer when I'm doing them at home. I didn't like staying late at work, but at least at work I could concentrate without distractions.  But I've already been staying at work until 6:30, 7:00, 7:30 at night and the school year is only two weeks old.  I just don't want to do that this year.  I am going to try doing this part at home and see if I can do it.  

Of course since they are due on Friday I'm probably more often than not be late since I need the weekend to work on them.  I get a little bitter when I talk about lesson plans because I get very little leeway in my lesson planning when I have to write five different preparations and the academic teachers only have to write two.  Also the math, science and language arts teachers all have specialists that write  their lesson plans for them!!!  So yeah, it is easy for them to have four weeks worth of stuff in at a time.  Not to mention they don't have the rehearsals and the extra paperwork that comes with a choir program.  *arrrgggghhhhh....... deep breath...... deep breath*.  I'm hoping this will help get my work life on a stable track.

Recover my voice:  Right on time I'm losing my voice.  It happens frequently at the beginning of the year.  I'm not sure if it is because when I go back to school I deal with a lot of dust and exhaustion and long hours which aggravates my allergies which leads to a lot of coughing and runny noses which leads to me losing my voice or if it is the time of the year where the weather changes kick off the same symptoms.  It doesn't seem like we've had very much weather change in the month of August so I'm leaning towards the return to school.  Regardless my allergy suffering frequently leads to this weekend being one used to recover my voice and thus it is this weekend.  Other than two outings this weekend I am going to be breathing steam, drinking water and lemon tea and keeping quiet.  That may sound easy but I frequently talk and sing to my cat.  I'm sure she will be happy to not have to listen to me this weekend.

Summer

While driving to work this morning, it suddenly hit me.  It's summer!  I knew it was coming in the abstract, but with the craziness that is the end of the school year I hadn't really thought about it. Summer! No school, no work (after three more days next week).  Sleeping in, reading, taking photos, setting my own schedule.  It's like a little gift that just popped up this morning. I'm excited.

I have grand plans for the summer.  I can actually do them all if I don't spend the whole day being lazy.  THAT is the total key.  Things that I would like to work on in some form or fashion this summer:

1.)  Cooking - You already knew that one!  Summer should really ramp up my cooking because I will not be at work or coming home from work thus I will not be passing fast food places or looking to grab a quick bite after a long day.  I have always enjoyed my summer eating schedule much more than my work eating schedule.  Too bad one lasts two months and one lasts the other ten.  I tend to eat a small breakfast and then a full meal at around 2-3 p.m.  A light dinner usually follows.  I should have plenty of time to do things that way.  

2.) Museum - I will be volunteering again this summer at HMNS and it will be a much more enjoyable experience this time around.  Last summer I started for the first time and it was a frankly overwhelming experience.  There is so much to learn and so much to do and I felt lost a lot of the times.  I wasn't able to go up there as much during the school year, but I did get up there on occasion and I feel much more ready for activities this summer.  I'll be working in Terra Cotta Warriors, maybe a little Genghis Khan and maybe a little Diamonds.  Plus whatever other crazy events appear in my email.  It's going to be fun.

3.) Spanish - I need to buckle down and really work my way through my Spanish programs this summer.  It is going to have to happen every single day.  I bought six month access to the program and there are a LOT of levels to go through.  I don't want to waste my money or the opportunity to learn as much as I can before November.

4.) Pictures - Pictures and more pictures of course.  

5.) Chicago (Eeeek! So excited!) Austin (Happy to visit a dear friend)  San Antonio (work) and To Be Determined (because I want to go at least one other place).

6.) Read - I must get my reading back on track.  I feel like I'm getting stupider.  I spend my downtime playing games on the iPhone or surfing the internet or watching TV.  I used to have to read every single night before I went to bed.  I could not sleep without it.  Now, not so much.  I need to get my reading groove back on.

7.) Exercise - Sigh.  Yes, but I need it.  I would *love* to buy a bicycle.  I rode a bike today for about 10 seconds (no exaggeration).  It haven't ridden one since I was a child.  I've got the wild hare about buying a bike again not that I really have the money to buy a bike.  Even if I could find the $200ish to buy a bike I'm not sure where I would go to buy it.  It seems like a lot of bike shops are judgmental.  And then where would I go to ride it?  I've already discussed that my part of town is not bike friendly.  We'll see about the bike.  Other than that I need to alternate taking a walk or going for an early morning swim.  Just something to get me moving.

All this plus more in just two months!  I already know the time is going to fly by.

Vacation begins with a snooze

I had grand plans for the days between getting off of work and my mother's arrival on Sunday. It consisted of cleaning the apartment Wednesday and shopping on Thursday. That would leave Friday for attending a photo meet-up and getting the rest of my holiday shots for next week's theme at the photoblog.

Well my plans didn't work out that way. I'm very undecided about the new medication that my doctor gave me on Tuesday. I swear I was 10 times worse on Wednesday than I was Tuesday. My body was wracked with coughs all day and in the evening I started getting that run down/feverish feeling again. This was going backwards from where I was. I only cleaned about half the apartment before I threw in the towel and went to bed. Today it seems that the coughing has lessened although it is still there and I really feel that the medication is starting to dry me out. I think it might actually work in another day or two. Side effect though is I am sleepy. Or I'm sleepy because I'm not well. I can't tell the difference. I've decided to take a nap and not go out the rest of the day. I'll finish cleaning the apartment this evening and do some more laundry.

That will leave tomorrow for dropping off a present, the photo meet-up, christmas shopping and finishing holiday pictures. I finally figured out what I'm going to get my aunt so it has actually consolidated my trips into 3. If only the Galleria had a Williams Sonoma my trips could be down to 2! I think a nap today will really help me get some energy back and make the best of the time remaining. Even though it feels right around the corner, Sunday is a few days away. I have time.

Right now I'm going to bed. My first official act for being on vacation.

What to do...

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I sure ate a lot of good food (and am STILL eating the leftovers). You can take a peek into my Thanksgiving here.

Now what to do with my long weekend. The weather is cold and overcast soon to be rainy. I had hoped to go to the Renaissance Festival, but I'm such a cold wimp. I could have lasted a few hours, but that is a long way to go just to be outside a few hours. I was going to be a lump on the sofa today, but thankfully Randy talked me into shooting downtown with him. I don't have many times left to go shooting with him since he is preparing to move to London in the next few months. If I'm shooting outside at all this weekend it is going to have to be today. Rain is forecast for tomorrow.

So what to do with the rest of my weekend? At some point I need to edit photos. Other than that I'm not sure. I may visit a museum, maybe see a movie. I kind of want to see Enchanted (yes I'm a sap). And of course Sunday is booked with some Texans watching since I missed them last weekend. Any other suggestions? What are you guys doing with the cold and dreary weather? I feel a strange urge to be out and about doing something.

Fingers Crossed

You know that feeling right before you get sick? Your throat is really dry and you feel tired. But other than that you don't REALLY feel sick so you decide to ignore it? Yeah, that's what I'm doing. Normally I wouldn't ignore it, but I have things to do that I can't change so I'm going to try to ignore it and pretend that everything is fine. Tonight is Rent (woo hoo!) and I'm really looking forward to unwinding with this show. It's funny but I always swore up and down that I would only go see shows on Saturday (the best night to see a show in my mind), but I really think Friday is the best day. I'm already up, had a full day, dressed, and there isn't a lot to do to get ready to go. Plus it leaves my whole Saturday and Sunday open. I think I may switch my days to Friday unless I'm going with someone. The week hasn't been that bad, but I'm really ready for a break. Haven't had one since school started plus I've worked several long weekends. I was ready for this week to be over to get me to Thanksgiving Break and I'm looking forward to sitting back tonight and getting lost in one of my favorite shows.

Tomorrow is a meet up for Assignment: Houston. There aren't that many people going, but considering how much the last meet up burned me out on people in general that's probably a good thing. We will be at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, one of my favorite places in Houston. I have never gone to a Wings and Wheels event and this one is special because there is going to be a B-25 and a B-17 giving rides. No, I'm not wealthy enough to fly in one of the planes, but I'm always happy to be in proximity of WWII bombers.

Sunday I am meeting two lovely people for lunch. They don't know each other, but I know that they will hit it off, so I'm the linchpin. I have to be there. I can't skip any of these activities, but I will probably be sleeping the other times. Or who knows I may wake up tomorrow and feel great! (fingers crossed)

This and that

Hello there. I know I've still been fairly quiet, but I haven't felt much like talking. It's probably still related to my burnout. I must have really, REALLY burned myself out. I'm still not that interested in hanging out with groups of people although there have been moments this week when I've thought about hanging out with one person or another this weekend.

I have work obligations for part of Saturday and I'm going to the Airshow on Sunday (Wheee!). Somewhere in there I want to go to the Greek Festival. We will see how it shakes out. I'm kind of looking forward to doing these things by myself although company at the Greek Festival might be ok. Airshow... I LOVE THE AIRSHOW. I can't explain it, especially since in recent years I have become reticent to fly, but there is something so moving for me about airplanes. I've been going to Airshows since I was a child when the CAF Headquarters used to be in my hometown. My mom and I would go both days every year. I wait all year for the Airshow. I get Prime View tickets and I'm at the airfield by 8 am and don't leave until about 5 pm. I do all my walking around in the morning and I'm glued to my seat once flying begins. I can't wait!

I hope mixed choir goes better today than it did Tuesday. It's a class I usually look forward to, but they ticked me off on Tuesday and they've taken some of the joy and fun out of it. They'll have to work to get it back and I'm not giving them a chance today. Today will be all work, no play.

Stop by Photine and check out today's photo. It is a little different for me in terms of processing. Usually I do not do a lot of processing on images. I see images that are worked on especially by people who know what they are doing and I'm always in awe, but I just don't have the patience to learn all that in Photoshop. The presets in Lightroom allow me to explore and experiment a little more. It's a little unnerving because I'm not used to seeing shots like that one on my website, but I think it is a direction I would like to go.

And finally go read this post. It's completely awesome.

April and May

I feel like April has been an exhausting month, because I just didn't have a lot of down time. Down time usually means times on the weekend to be lazy. In fact, I think it means being able to sleep in even if the afternoon/evening is busy. I swear there is nothing like sleeping in on a Saturday morning. But the things I was doing were mostly fun personal things. I'm just doing a lot more than I used to. So I guess I need to get used to being busy. Or boost my energy level. Or try to schedule everything for the afternoon/evening.

And May? May *IS* busy especially with work events. A competition, two spring trips, a weekend meeting, a concert, end of year exam, and a pie in the face. But the end reward of getting through May is that school is OVER!

That restless feeling

Feeling a little restless this evening. Not quite sure why. I definitely need to get out and shoot Westheimer sometime this weekend. But I want to do more than that, but I'm just not sure what. So I sit here feeling restless instead. I hope an idea presents itself tomorrow. Any one have an idea?

Weekend

I'm ready for the weekend. It has been a stressful couple of days. My assistant has been out sick for the last three days so school hasn't been much fun and there has been no chance to catch up on paperwork. By the end of the day I have to escape the building even though there are things that I really need to stay late to do. Combined with the long work hours from last weekend and the way this week has shaped up this weekend is so important to restore some mental health. In fact I had a little break down today in a meeting and although I hate to admit it, I indulged in some Blue Bell Buttered Pecan purely for the purposes of stress relief. (And it was GOOD!)

I don't have a lot planned because money is low, but so far on the agenda I plan to attend a concert tomorrow afternoon and go on the GHPA Walking Tour on Sunday. I'd like to go see a movie (maybe The Queen or Stranger than Fiction), but I'm in a weird mood right now and I don't feel like going by myself so I'll probably just stay in. I definitely need this weekend though. My sanity depends on it.