I’m a little confused how Wednesday got here so quickly. Weren’t we all just checking in, like, yesterday? This week seems to be careening forward, but I’m okay with that, since it means that the weekend is all the closer. 😀
The past few days has been a mixed bag of highs and lows.First, The Good:
- Had an incredible Sunday that somehow fulfilled all my mind, body, heart, and spirit needs. It started with a great morning at church with my colleague and friend, Megan, followed by shopping at the Farmers’ Market, and, finally, 4 hours of studying and gabbing on the beach. To illustrate:
My worksite of choice.
- I’m close to being finished with the chapter of my thesis that I’ve been working on since, er, July. It is over 7000 words long, which seems so darn short for the amount of time I’ve labored over it (and given how much will need to be overhauled in the final draft), but I’m proud of it nonetheless.
- I have a ROWsista! Elizabeth Anne Mitchell, my fellow academic, writer, and Round 3 veteran, has agreed to team up for this round. We are going to keep each other accountable, and have lots of fun in the process.
The Bad (because, sadly, you knew it was coming):
The migraine that I thought I vanquished Saturday night with my usual remedy (an Excedrine migraine pill, followed by 8 hours of sleep) came back with a vengeance Sunday night, after the aforementioned Day of Bliss. The migraine refused to retreat until late Monday night, and was bad enough that I skipped my morning Monday class, and had to suffer through my afternoon class feeling super gross and nauseous.
I was back to normal this morning, but of course the whole episode threw off my carefully-wrought schedule. It also called into sharp relief, once again, the fact that I need to make sure that I’m taking care of myself. I never had a migraine till I got to grad school, and I’m almost 100% certain that migraines are the way that my body responds when I’m stressed, worried, and underslept.
This means that I need to finish my schoolwork by 7 pm at the absolute latest. It also means that I need to cook myself dinner. I started off really strong last week, and then sort of tapered off to the point where I was, er, munching on cookies in the evening and calling it a meal. And this also means that I need to make sure that I’m in bed by 11 pm, and/or taking midday naps when I need them.
To tackle during the rest of the week:
- Exercise. I’ve slacked off on this over the past two days, so I’ll need to hop on my glider every day for the rest of the week to make up for it.
- Thesis stuff. I promised the draft of this latest chapter to my advisor by the end of the week, so I need to make this a priority.
- Writing. I used my writing time today and yesterday to write more flash fiction, this time for Glitterlady’s weekly Tuesday Tales. The resulting story, “The Dark Prince,” was a fun distraction, but now I need to get back to prepping for NaNo.
- Reading. I am still at the start of Book 3 in Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series, and it is driving me wild. For all you KMM fans out there, I highly suggest checking out the extra scene she’s posted — a steamy scene told from Barrons’ POV. It’s NSFW, of course, but well worth your time. 😉
- Blog awards!
- News about an awesomely amazing, totally wonderful NaNo support group that Em and I are currently plotting.
October 11, 2011 at 11:58 pm
So sorry about your migraine. Those are some sensible ideas you’ve got there for looking after yourself, now you just have to follow them!
The beach looks like a perfect way to spend a Sunday 🙂
October 12, 2011 at 12:04 am
Okay, I will put away the jealousy horns re: the beach study area. How fab! Kudos also on the new ROWsista!
So sorry about the migraine torture. I get them too and it will jack up even the best of intentions. I giggle because I also have rituals that work about 90% now. It feels a bit like project management sometimes, and good for you taking care of yourself and knowing when not to push. I know you’ll rock the rest of the week. 🙂
October 12, 2011 at 5:21 am
Worksite of choice – Approved! That looks fabulous…the warm breeze, sun all around as you relax under the umbrella, toes in sand, the sound of the ocean… Uhhmm…I’m coming for a visit at your house!
Have a great – and pain free- rest of the workweek. ~ Nadja
October 12, 2011 at 5:29 am
All this and your actually going to do NaNo? Maybe just a little masochistic? 😉
October 12, 2011 at 7:49 am
Okay, ROWsista! I’m going to be watching that you take care of yourself! I learned the hard way (if one only eats candy bars and drinks coffee for several months while taking qualifying exams, the body rebels), so I totally get it, but, as you recognize, you need to take care of yourself, especially with NaNo around the corner.
The good? Loving the beach! And the ROWsista, I’m very happy about that, too.
The bad? Good plans to redress the problems. I know it feels “selfish” or “not important” to take care of yourself, but don’t feel that way. Take the time to read the fun stuff–it helps with the writing. And keep an eye on whether you need to tweak those goals. Have a good, take-care-of-yourself weekend, girl! 🙂
October 12, 2011 at 9:46 am
So sorry about the migraine. Take care of yourself!
Go enjoy Barrows for a bit, then get back on track 🙂 Good luck!
October 12, 2011 at 11:10 am
Can I have that worksite of yours? Man, that looks nice 😉
And I’m sorry about the migraine. Those can be a b*tch … I have them too at least once a month … Talk about delaying everything.
But it seems you’re doing great, nevertheless. Good job!
October 12, 2011 at 11:23 am
I was plagued by migraines once upon a time. Well, I still basically get one or two a year, but it used to happen more often. Aleve really worked for me, so I’d carry a bottle around and whenever I got the spots, pop a pair of those and head for the nearest dark cave. Worst was when I got ’em while driving once, and was like gotta-get-home, gotta-get-home, gotta-get-home.
Anyway, doctor told me stress on the body doesn’t help, as you noted. Also, in particularly, he wanted me to moderate my caffeine intake. I was a teenager at the time, so, you know, living on Mountain Dew. Now that I’m an ancient 26 year old engineer (*grin*)… it’s coffee. Either way, I try to take it easy and the approach has served me well. The linkage is pretty obvious; caffeine stresses the body as a stimulant, constricting everything, and royally pissing my brain off.
I suppose that was a rather lengthy way of saying: Yes, by all means, take care of yourself! Also, best of luck with the goals. 🙂
October 12, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Oh, migrane. I know how nasty that feels – so sorry you have to battle that.
Awesome study “room” – I would LOVE to be able to do that but in Seattle we gotta wait until next spring or even summer again.
Take a good care of yourself!
October 12, 2011 at 12:58 pm
Woo hoo! So excited about our NaNo group!! Scared for the actual writing bit of NaNo!
Sorry that all your plans were disrupted but the most important thing is you are healthy and ok. Make sure you take good care of yourself lady and hope the rest of your week goes ok.
October 12, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Lena
I’m so jealous of that beach picture. And sorry to hear about your migraines. My hubs suffers from them, so I have an idea of what you’re going through. He’s been told that low stress and lower caffeine intake is a good way to tame them. He’s also been given shots that he take when he feels one coming on. Sometimes they work.
Good luck on the rest of the week!
October 12, 2011 at 7:43 pm
I’m a Texas gal, but I think our choice of worksite is the same! I love sitting on the Galveston Beach and reading/writing. Best wishes with your thesis! I know that’s a tough assignment. It sounds like you’re doing quite well with ROW80. Stupid migraine can’t be helped; just press the reset button and go.
October 12, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Oh man! Love the beach picture. So wish I was there. You definitely need to eat right especially with Migraines. My sister suffers from migraines so I know how nasty they can get. Hope the rest of the week goes better and good luck with your thesis.
October 13, 2011 at 6:10 am
Oh so sorry about the migraine! But you should be proud of your accomplishments!
And yay for NaNo prepping! ^_^
I can’t wait to see what you get accomplished by Sunday!
October 14, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Take care of the migrane Lena.
Congratulations on the versatile blogger award. Good luck with your goals.