What I’m Reading
Late last year, when I realized there was no way in hell I was going to get anywhere near my 2018 reading goal, I returned the library books gathering dust on my table. I swore I wouldn’t borrow any more until I read some of the ones I had here at home. I’ll let you guess just how long that lasted. If you answered, “until you walked back into the library,” you would be correct. But hey, I did read one of my own books before getting the one I had on hold…and a few others that winked at me from the stacks. I’m so grateful my library dropped late fees this year.
So what have I read so far? The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck was really quite good, and I just finished Relic a couple days ago. Next up in the queue: How To Be Everything, Overcoming Overwhelm, and Dark Matter. Hush, I’m fully aware of the irony of the first two books. And yes, I usually do have several books going at the same time.
What I’m doing
On Sunday the webinar I did with Kate Arms will be on the Bright and Quirky Summit. We recorded it several weeks ago and I’m looking forward to seeing how it looks.
On the following Sunday (the 10th) I’m presenting a webinar on self-care, from the perspective of a professional musician. It’s a presentation I’ve given before, but this is the first time I’ve given it as a webinar. It’s a different format for me; I’m much more comfortable in front of an audience than a camera lens, but I know you’ll enjoy it regardless. Go register!
What I’m listening to
Umpteen years ago, when Andy was doing occupational therapy, the OT started him on some listening therapy. He freaked me the hell out driving home, because the kid who never ever ever EVER shut up was quietly lost in his thoughts, looking out the window. I still don’t know how or why it works, but am grateful for it. And, because they cost me half a left kidney, I still have the specialized headphones I bought for the listening therapy. Several weeks ago I stumbled across an article about concentration and music with alpha waves and toddled on over to YouTube to give a listen. Because I’m a musician, I can’t just have background music going when I’m trying to concentrate. It’s distracting; I end up singing along in my head and getting wicked ear worms. And I can’t have 100% pure silence because my brain ends up like a five year old on his third snow day of the week: Mooommmmmmmmmm I’m booooooorooooooored!!!!! So I’ve been slapping on my super duper specialized headphones and putting on one of the many alpha wave concentration tracks I found. They’re pretty long, three to eight hours long, and some I like better than others. But damn skippy, I can really tell a difference. I have a really hard time sometimes getting the squirrels in my brain moving the same direction going in the mornings, and I’ve found that easing into concentration with a little listening therapy has helped. Will it work for everyone? I dunno, I’m just thrilled to concentrate. And if it’s the placebo effect, fine by me, I care not a bit.
What I’m trying
Make a change in your life, get up early!
Oh god, if only it were that easy. In high school I was up by 5:45 every morning. In college I had 8:00 am classes every single day for two solid years. In grad school I started office hours for one of my many part time jobs by 7:30 am. I swear to you that having children broke something inside; I have the hardest time getting my ass up and moving in the morning. Ideally I’d be up by 6 so I could exercise, get cleaned up, and still manage to get out the door by 8. In reality I’m up by 7, cleaned up enough to not scare animals and small children, and am hauling ass out the door at 8:10 to get my kid to class. So. I’m trying. I’m trying. There are many changes I’m considering, and all of them require an earlier start time to my day. Ugh.
What I’m loving
My parents have gradually been clearing things out of their house and offering them to me and my brother. Some things I take, others I gratefully decline. I recently got an old foot warming mat from them (much like this one) and it makes me so happy during the winter I could cry. My feet are always, always cold. I swear it’s because they’re so far from my heart, but whatever, they’re cold. So is my butt, as I suffer from terminal Arctic Ass Syndrome. So this heater is glorious. It’s the only thing I want to play footsie with, and I’ve considered sticking it down the back of my jeans to bring my butt temperature up to not dead.
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