creative.mother.thinking

I had this great idea to leave my phone and laptop in the kitchen overnight to force myself to start the day with writing.

It didn’t work. (Forcing me to do anything is rather futile.)

So I need a better idea.

I had a wonderful night of sleep and then felt pretty sluggish most of the day. Didn’t do much at all but started reading two more books and bought another one. This is getting a little out of hand.

I wanted to spend the whole day reading but settled for at least doing some things on my list.

I went to the pharmacy to get my anti-allergy medication and we rode our bikes to the beer garden for lunch:

Then we had to hurry up so I could get to my optician in time. Turned out that the reading part of my glasses is fine, only I need weaker glasses for the distance portion. I chose new frames, round and brown. A little bigger than the old ones but not too big. For one I have a small face and two I need really thick lenses so the bigger the frames the heavier the glasses.

Now I have to wait for seven to ten days to wear them. And then another one or two das before I can get my „office glasses“. I’d also like one of those clip-thingies with tinted glass to change my regular glasses into sunglasses in a pinch. I know those are super dorky but since a pair of glasses for me is about 900 Euros I’ll refrain from ordering three pairs at once.

I also bought some sock yarn on my way back home.

Then I slumped down gracelessly in the kitchen trying to get myself going again before it was time for my one student of the day.

Decided to watch some Star Trek with the boy first and only watch the replay of the Orna Ross webinar another time.

Today there will be running and the recording of the podcast and the slowly freaking out because of impending travel.

My plans for what to pack seem to be moot, the weather is now supposed to be firmly in jeans, t-shirt, and sweater territory.

No wonder I need to buy so many books.

One can clearly see why it’s wise to not pay too much attention to feelings in the moment. They just go up and down all the time anyway.

I spent the first hour of the day wasting time again.

But. I did manage to have breakfast not too late, do my daily drawing and meditate before my husband was up.

Started the second sleeve of my Cria cardigan, talked with my husband, talked a little with the boy, did the dishes, went running a little too late (it was pretty warm already):

I took a slightly different route so I had more shade. No field for me yesterday.

Came back home, finished reading an amazing novel („Jane Doe“ by Victoria Helen Stone, it came recommended by Ilona Andrews and since it’s in KU I read it right away). Helped making the salad the we had along with leftover moussaka:

I did not drink wine for lunch even though my husband did because I had that doctor’s appointment in the afternoon.

I did manage to write 300 words after lunch before I had to leave.

Doctor’s appointment went very well, we were just going over the preparation for the colonoscopy and since the doctor is a kind of friend and we hadn’t talked in ages we filled each other in on what happened in the past months. He is injured yet again, he has had some really bad months lately.

I went to the nicer health food store after that and took the train back home, went to the pharmacy to get my allergy medication (they didn’t have it, it will be there later today), tried writing some more but needed a break.

Then the boy and I did the first and easiest exercises from the book „Convict Conditioning“. It was fun. I’m really out of shape in that regard and will need to take things very, very slowly. But that’s okay. (No handstand pushups in my immediate future. In fact, we did wall pushups today. Baby steps.)

Then we watched some Star Trek and had endless discussions whether the science behind the story works. The boy is very concerned about that, which I get, but still he could just pretend that it’s all magic. He’s fine with magic in stories, just not with almost real science.

Then my husband decided that instead of going swimming in a lake by himself as he had originally planned for today he’d rather go to another beer garden with us for lunch. No argument from me. I would have liked the swimming excursion as well but I don’t have time for that this week.

The boy did complain about things always being so last-minute (the night before). Also, outside and hot and such. But he gave in.

So today I will write and do all the usual things, and then ride my bike to a very nice beer garden, then come back home in time to choose new glasses, then make music, and then teach a student. The day will be topped off with another webinar (the monthly Orna Ross one). And somehow I need to find the time and headspace to prepare the podcast and start writing my monthly Patreon newsletter. Which was due at the beginning of the month. Ahem.

I’ve also been thinking about what to pack for my weekend away. The weather will be pretty mixed, one day of scorching heat followed by three days of cool and wet. That makes minimalist packing a little hard. But I think I’ll just wear my denim skirt and add a cardigan and pantyhose into the mix. And a raincoat. And an umbrella.

I have also researched possible sock patterns to knit while traveling and have come to the only possible conclusion:

I need to buy more sock yarn.

Of course. What else.

Woke up from the alarm, and immediately it was clear that this would be a slow day. No meditation, no writing in the morning, nothing.

I had breakfast, talked with my husband, and watched yet another webinar at 10 am this time. It was about „Bright Line Eating“. I had already read the book so there wasn’t anything new sometimes it’s good to hear things twice. I don’t think I will try that program anytime soon. I’m sure that it would work but I just can’t see myself never eating sugar or flour ever again.

Then we spent some time making moussaka and red beet salad:

It was fabulous and there is enough left for tomorrow. Win win in my book.

Then I spent a lot of time procrastinating, as one does, and then I sat down to tackle the Nintendo repair.

Well. The good thing is that the repair is finished.

The bad thing is that the Nintendo isn’t working anymore. Let’s just say that all those pesky little plastic thingies break easily. I also know which part fell to the floor and ended up in the vacuum. And I either destroyed the ribbon cables or didn’t manage to attach them properly, either or.

So I’m guessing I’m done with that project. My nerves will need some time to calm down now but my desk will be free to be used again for the first time in ages.

The boy went to the cinema with a friend so I had to watch Netflix alone.

I made a nice plan for the upcoming week.

And went to bed on time so that today will go better.

Today there will be all the usual plus a doctor visit to talk about my colonoscopy next week. Fun! And then I get to visit the nicer health food store.

I will pick out glasses tomorrow, record the podcast on Wednesday, mix the podcast and pack on Thursday, and leave for the family reunion on Friday morning.

Whoosh.

Woke up early and didn’t waste an hour first thing, had breakfast, meditated, did my daily drawing and had just opened the computer to start writing when my husband showed up much earlier than the rest of the week.

We talked while I finished sewing the binding on the top that had been sitting on the kitchen bench for more than a year. It looks like I’m finally starting to dig into projects that are weighing me down. One project done, dozens to go…

I went running:

There were two or three moments when I just ran along and did not have the impulse to stop and walk. So things are starting to look up.

We had mozzarella caprese for lunch, I didn’t even help at all, and my husband made leftover spaghetti for me because I don’t really like tomatoes:

I did the dishes, managed to finally get the top case onto the Nintendo, tried to write, and got ready for the Leberkäs-Day. My husband and I are members of this society for improvised music. And once a year, usually in August, the head and his wife invite people to their home. We sit on the terrace and talk and eat and drink. We’ve been invited every year for years but have only gone once. Another time we started riding our bikes there, I had a flat tire that we could barely fix and went back home again, and another time the whole thing was at an inconvenient time.

So yesterday we took our bikes, some tabbouleh, carrots from our garden and some extra beer in a bike carrier and rode for an hour there. The provisions were my husband’s idea, of course. The ride was fun – if a little hot – and we had the best time there. I met another knitter/writer who also dyes yarn, and my husband got to sit next to someone really likable as well.

We did go home slightly early in the hopes of getting home before the dark but had to turn on the lights right away.

Riding home afterwards was exhilarating. I’m still deeply amazed every time I’m enjoying movement so much.

We went home and talked a little over another beer and I went to bed too late.

Woke up from the alarm and wrote this post.

Today I want to write all the words, work on the DS some more, make some music and get some other things going. I totally agree with my husband who said that having a summer break like this where we can focus on our own stuff plus do some extra thing every few days is just the best.

Woke up from the alarm again. I’m taking that as a sign that I’m going to bed a little too late.

Was online for an hour, had breakfast, did not write. I really need to change this routine.

Waited for my husband to show up and he slept longer than usual as well. It’s funny, him being away for two nights has thrown us mightily.

We talked, I finished a sock and started the second one, the boy showed up too late again but helped me do the dishes. I did most of the weekly cleaning and got showered and ready for lunch.

We went to the nicer Greek place because the sushi and Asian place is on summer break. The food was glorious and the wine very good. Here’s the antipasti (do you still call them antipasti if they are Greek?):

And Kritharaki with shrimp and tomato sauce for me:

Zucchini burgers for the boy:

Fish and calamari for my husband:

Then back home. A little break and then I started working on repairing the Nintendo DS. An hour later I actually figured out how to put the top and bottom back together. Hurray!

Then I taught a surprise singing student. She sent me an email in the morning that she wanted a lesson that afternoon.

Afterwards I worked some more on the Nintendo. I spent more than an hour and still didn’t finish step 45 (of 62). I decided to try again when not as exhausted.

I thought that my webinar would be at 6 but it turned out that my calendar had neglected time zones. The webinar was actually at 8. Which meant that I could watch some Star Trek with the boy. Very good Next Generation episode and a DS9 one that had a really exciting premise and slightly boring execution.

Then the webinar. Then a little writing.

I’ve started the „You can learn how to draw in 30 days“-program again. I did Day 1 and 2 and then couldn’t find the time anywhere in the day for three days in a row. This morning I decided to do the exercise in the morning instead of in the evening, Which was a very promising idea. I opened my sketchbook, wrote „Day 3“, the date and the time, started researching pencils and erasers, and then the boy showed up for his breakfast. The end.

Today there will be: the rest of the cleaning, running, and in the afternoon we’ll ride our bikes for an hour to meet the improvisation society people for Leberkäs. We’ll see how that goes.

I need to cram everything important into the morning because there will be no afternoon and evening to do things in. We’ll bike and then make small talk.

Let’s just hope that the weather will stay dry until we’re home.

Slow start into the day again. My husband has started to get up later as well which means that everything is late all day. And that throws me off.

To be fair, everything throw me off.

I went to the health food store again because  we didn’t have everything we needed for making lunch and then went to the supermarket afterwards. It was really hot.

We had fabulous lunch and my husband made it with almost no help:

Then I procrastinated a little by working on the Cria sweater and watching videos about marketing. Then I did some more research about Nintendo DS repair and bought two more books. In my defense they were only 99 cents. Not each but both of them together.

Then I started tackling something that has been bugging me for a year, my brother-in-law’s Ninetendo that has been sitting on my desk in parts for a few weeks now. I finally found a site showing the innards and how to put them apart and I’m hoping that that will be enough to put them together again. I did make progress, found that the hinge that was in there was too big for the new case, used the new one I had bought and managed to thread all those fiddly cables through the hinge. Next up I have to decide which screws on the desk are which. Cross your fingers that I still have them all.

Then the boy and I watched Star Trek while I spun the merino and ate too much chocolate. Definitely room for improvement there.

Then I sat around a bit before I had yet another webinar. About „Your first 10,000 readers“. To be frank, a finished book and one reader would be nice at this point. I should maybe try sitting down and writing one of these days. Unfortunately the webinar was a bust because there were technical difficulties.

Today there will be – writing I hope (but then I always hope for that and hope might not be enough), the cleaning of the house, practice and going out for lunch and another webinar.

Oh, and I got some money so I made an appointment with my optician so I can get new glasses. This has been overdue for about a year now but progressives are a serious investment. I’ve been squinting through my glasses lately, I need stronger reading glasses. I’m not sure if I want new frames I like the old ones fine. But if I get new ones I will have a backup pair. We’ll see.

So things are moving forward but rather slowly.