Multi-tasking OVERLOAD

I am not sure if it's my multi-tasking overloaded life that has caused a slump in my posting or the fact that I have been spending what little internet time I have on Ravelry...... but I have failed miserably to update my blog (in a while). This week I have had a few days off and tried to relax. I have discovered I am not a person who can RELAX. My gosh I am addicted to chaos. I am addicted to running from one appointment to another. I am addicted to multi-tasking. I am addicted to NOT sitting still.

I was watching the news (only because I was still up working) and saw a special on people who multi-task. Apparently there is a new "disorder?" for "us." It's called multi-tasking overload. HOW ORIGINAL!

As I understand it - the blackberries, multiple windows simultaneously open (sorry Leopard), the lack of actual personal communication face to face and increased work hours/weeks has created this overload.

Symptoms?

• Frequent Headaches

• Memory failure (of simple things like your children's names in mid sentence and of appointments and commitments)
• Inability to complete tasks
• fatigue
• insomnia/sleep disorder
  
• blurry vision
• Stress
• nausea/IBS like symptoms
• irritability
• muscle aches/body aches
• dry skin (I am not sure about this one? Is multitasking just sucking the life out of you?)

One mom was quoted as saying "I come home and the kids are jumping all over me with what they have done for the day and I want to scream - enough - I can't take one more thing! My brain hurts."

I paused....... mi gosh that sounds like?????? ME!!!!!

Then I came across the symptoms for CFS or Fibromyalgia.....

• Frequent Headaches

• Memory failure or inability to concentrate
  
• Inability to complete tasks
• fatigue
• insomnia/sleep disorder
  
• blurry vision
• Stress
• nausea/IBS like symptoms
• irritability
• muscle aches/body aches
• dry skin
  

Now I am totally confused..........

Until told otherwise I will be multi-tasking and opening as many windows as I possibly can on my relic of windows at work and my soon to be upgraded MAC at home.

In the meantime I am trying my best to relax. I still twitch when I hear an ambulance go by or think I FEEL my blackberry buzzing on my hip.... (when it's not really there..... it's on my dresser with the EDGE disabled by the DH). Today I cleaned the house from top to bottom, dust bunnies, marks on the wall (how do scuff marks end up on the top part of walls - where feet should never be? and that lone hair on the ceiling? and dust bunnies under the bed? ), purged books I have read - donating them to charity for a book sale, reorganized closets, reorganized drawers, reorganized the scrapbooking (and the knitting) and did laundry - you know the laundry that rarely gets done - the comforters, the pillows from the sofa, the throws, the curtains (yes I finally put curtains up today) and finally collapsed at 2230 t0 KNIT. I couldn't stand to just sit and knit all day without having something to do while knitting (computer, blackberry, reading online for work, etc....) Of course my DH was twitching because I can't just clean ONE room at a time - I have to float from room to room - fragmenting and multi-tasking my cleaning. He a mono-task individual. Give home two things to do and he de-compensates quickly.

Pathetic..

Maybe a two week vacation I would finally be able to relax????????

Finished!

I was hired to make a scrapbook for a friend's wedding. The scrap book was to be used as the "guest book." Intimidated and a bit stressed about this book and doing a good job - I agonized over the designs, colors, style and content.

What came out of this was getting to know them better through their photos they left me to insert sporadically throughout the album and scrapbooking (which is something I haven't been able to do for a while).

- - - - The beautiful couple - - - -

---- Jen and Mike ----

I just love her dress. She was breathtakingly beautiful at her wedding (which is what a bride should be).

The wedding itself was fun as well. A nice relaxing time well deserved after the creation of this album AND all the other things that go on in life.....

NOW THE ALBUM.....

The cover...... BTW - I made the album out of chipboard and bound it with my friend Sesil's (thank you!!!!) binder. I played with one of these at the Scrapbook Expo - but never acquired one. Now I feel as if I need to acquire one....

(for all the books I have yet to start much less finish......)

I made the first page of the book available for a picture of the couple on the wedding day.
The inside cover will have some sort of "quote" from their wedding.

The idea - take a picture of the guests and then have them sign the book.....

Some had tags and some had tabs........

We went with Autumn colors and the majority of the pages were all unique styles and layouts.....
I hate repetitiveness......

There will be more fall embellishments......
but I wanted to wait til after the wedding to finish the final touches of embellishments....

Throughout the album are sporadically placed pictures of the couples or their "kids" (cats.)

I also left room for candids of the wedding........

It's funny how pictures tell you alot about the couple. Mike and Jen are definitely in love with each other..... so refreshing to see these days....

The center of the book has two whole pages dedicated to candids.

The ribbons have not been added. I have yards and yards of ribbons yet to add.

But for all intent and purposes - the album is complete.

It was fun to do and rewarding when I saw how much they loved it.

I will get it back from them after their honeymoon. I am excited about finishing it - which is the most emotion I have felt about scrapbooking in a long time......

Picture Day

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Originally uploaded by Freakrn

Today was picture day at school which means that my house turned into a beauty parlor/hair salon/day spa/dressing room. Ro's hair is great if just left to it's own curl craze - however today - she wanted it picture perfect. It took fifteen minutes of scrunching, TiGi Curls Rock and gliter spray.

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Originally uploaded by Freakrn

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Originally uploaded by Freakrn

She wouldn't stop fidgeting. Meanwhile - Natalie was on her own - and happy to be so cause she didn't want her hair "poofed." That wasn't her style!

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Originally uploaded by Freakrn

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Originally uploaded by Freakrn

Yes - that is me - not looking glamourous. But - I was giong to go run after the HAIR SPRAYING was done.....

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Originally uploaded by Freakrn

Meanwhile - Natalie is done! (And she is my high maintenence one) she was going with the simple sleek look (she told me). She was busy practicing her smile in the mirror. (whatever - Norm was going through the medicine cabinet looking for a valium - which we have none???? I have nothing stronger than tylenol/motrin in my house.

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Originally uploaded by Freakrn

And we continued to poof......

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Originally uploaded by Freakrn

And sprayed...................

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Originally uploaded by Freakrn

and poofed.......................

and scrunched...........

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Originally uploaded by Freakrn

For the final product - Belinda and Heather would be proud!

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Goal Accomplished

Today marks a milestone for me........

A little over eight (ok it's been ten now) weeks ago I started a program of running and dieting (gasp not the "d" word). It's not really a diet - it's a changing my lifestyle. For those who are interested - go here.

I had a goal to get back into my clothes that I moved here in AND finish a 5K in good time and finish it feeling GREAT.

Today I ran the Bucktown 5K and finished in good time and not winded, gasping for air or ready to die at the end of the finished line!

By the way - I have increased my water intake to a minimum of 5 Liters a day, try to exercise at least four times a week and eat six mini meals a day. This truly is a healthy lifestyle change.

To test it - I went out of town to a conference all last week and ate out three times a day. I was petrified to weigh in this week but wanted to keep myself honest. Guess what - I LOST 2.8 POUNDS while gone!!!!

I am dancing around doing my best snoopy celebration!!!

Next Goal - Turkey Trot.

Feeling Old

While perusing the bloglines I found a post that referred to this link. This book - oddly enough - was one of my favorite books growing up. What a blast from my past. I am not sure this is an accurate description of me - but maybe the issue is that I talk too much about talking rabbits. (Just like the flying monkeys - they do exist!)

You're Watership Down!
http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

By the way - thank you Lorinda - I am apparently 12970 days old. Today my biorhythms are all whacked. According to this link - I should have not gotten out of bed today much less leave my humble safe abode to enter the harsh reality of the world. It's a wonder I was even physically able to get out of bed - according to the physical biorhythms I am giving off. Intellectually I can not even complete a sentence (according to my biorhythms) and I am not in harmony at all. Egad - maybe I better start the day over.......

Disaster at the home front

Agggggggggggggggggggggggggggh

Picture if you will - my red hair standing straight on end and my arms in the air with a huge look of grief on my face.

(why do you have to picture this.... because my GATEWAY died!)

Yes - I got a text message Thursday while I was at my Grant Writing workshop that the computer wasn't "responding." I asked the DH to just walk away till I could get home and investigate - but he couldn't. I am not sure if it would have made a difference....

What we did yesterday was vivsect our computer. The hard drive is out and at a friend's house. Hopefully - (ha ha ha) some things (such as pictures and itunes and a few papers) could be removed from our now - DEAD - hard drive.

But what this leaves us - is looking for a new computer.

I have my MAC which is mine for school and work - and no one else is allowed to touch it.

We are looking at going 100% MAC - or getting another inexpensive PC.

If we go 100%MAC - we will lose the windows portion. I really do not want windows if I go MAC all the way.

So - any pictures from the scrap book expo and beyond will be delayed until we can figure this mess out.....

As if I had a few thousand laying around to figure this out.........

The finished product

Well - what can I say. We make plans, vow to keep up our blog and then..... LIFE happens. What I promised was pictures of the girls finished room! What I delivered was nothing. The girls came home the day after the scrapbook expo and I haven't seen my computer long enough to send emails much less blog. (LOL)

Without further ado - is the final product. (And I apologize in advance, some of the pictures are blurry)


Yes I know that it is upside down. This past weekend - while everyone was enjoying labor day (or the lack of work) - we were pulling the hard drive out of our computer. Yes - after ten re-formats the hard drive finally took the big dive......... What's on my camera now is stuck on my camera. I currently type on my mac...... But here is the dresser we re-did. We put it in the closet and I tried to make it look GIRLY...... the tulle is what they used as wraps in a wedding they were flower girls in last year...


Socks all in once place and every bag they have claimed as theirs as well - and they are not on the floor!!!!!!!!



The redone desk and new curtains....... They also have a hanging shelf unit from IKEA with each box filled to the rim with toys......



Yes - my girls could literally open their own library or book store - but I would rather that bookshelf be full of books than video games...... Many were books that I started buying when I was pregnant with Natalie and Rowan. Those books are special to them.



This is a picture of the room in the mid afternoon here in the windy city. The room has an orange glow to it that makes it look very retro. When they opened the door to their room they both jumped up and down and screamed shrilly cheers of laughter. What can I say - Rowan benefited from Natalie's big birthday gift - but Natalie didn't even notice.


Then the beds..... New sheets...... new comforter.... new pillows.... a bulletin board I embellished for each girl and lights attached to the bed for them to use when they are reading into the wee hours of the night. (A far cry from me using a flashlight when I was a kid.....) Again - gotta love IKEA.


Norm's major purchase from IKEA..... a stand alone closet (meant for a dorm room I am sure) but perfect for theirs. In it are school uniforms, toys, craft projects and other interesting items that now have a place tucked away......



This would be the red headed curly child that benefited from Natalie's birthday gift - but deserved a new room as well. She is the top bunk and proudly proclaims she needs no ladder to get to her bed. She's my monkey.... she has been climbing since she could crawl....

Fortunately Orthopedics has not been a consult we have had to visit.... facial lac repair yes (but only because I was too tired to repair it myself at home).






There is the birthday girl...... she is the one that inspired the room makeover. Retro warm colors for my first born leader.

She so deserved a girly pre-teen room - and I hope I delivered.

It was so much fun doing..... even the DH admits how fun it was!!!!!