Just Another Literary Lizard

My vacation was a well-balanced mix of busy-ness and relaxation. I got together with friends a few times, but I also spent a lot of time on my own. I needed the recharge it gave. Few phone calls, some email and no IM. Returning to work yesterday was almost culture shock - constant input for multiple medias, including actual people stopping by my cubicle. It was wonderful to reconnect with many of these folks, but I went home exhausted last night. I liken it to working out everyday, then taking a few weeks off. The muscles are a little fatigued after being put back to work. I never before realized how demanding it is to keep up with all this communication, especially when I’m in the middle of it. I’m currently pondering how this impacts both my work flow and my mental energies. I need to figure out how I can keep up with everything and everyone (which I truly want to do) and not exhaust myself to the point I need two weeks to recharge.

I just realized I lost my random quotes from my Wordpress layout. Here is one from the Dalai Lama to keep in the forefront of the mind:

Everyday, think as you wake up, ‘today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.’

I’m making some progress on the “vacation at home” projects. The mudroom is orderly for the first time ever. Now that the closet no longer leaks (w00t!), I’m sorting through clothes, weeding items out. I’ve also been clearing little-to-never-used items out of the kitchen cupboards. Since the semester ended last week, this week is city-wide trash pick-up for larger items. I was able to clear out some of those items as well. We have a computer/electronics recycling center here, so I want to drop off my old tv sometime during vacation.