Friday, June 27, 2008

Listening to the Inner Voice

I finished my class today, by which I mean I finished the part where I had to sit IN the class for four hours each morning and read the articles and chapters and take notes and all that. (Actually that part isn't too bad. I like the articles and the lectures. The four hours each morning? Not so much.) The next part is where I have to prepare a 10-15 page presentation with Power Point and notes and hand-outs. So I'm only mostly done.

And I'm really, really hoping that Power Point will be as intuitively obvious to use as it was the last time I had to prepare a presentation or else I will be really, really sunk.

Anyway, after spending all week in the class (and fretting about Power Point presentations) and the afternoons dealing with Large Government Bureaucracies I was feeling a bit stressed out. So today at lunch time while I was contemplating yet another round of phone calls, I made an executive decision--and gave myself the afternoon off. My inner taskmaster said, "No, no, you shirker! Get to work." But another, gentler voice said, "You need it. I give you permission to take the rest of the day off. The Large Government Bureaucracy will still be there on Monday." I listened to the nice one. For once.

Almost instantaneously the knot in my stomach dissolved.

I grabbed the car keys before the taskmaster could reassert itself and jumped in the car.

I stopped by the gently used bookstore and had a great time browsing, first in the crafty section and then through the history section and on into fiction. I found a wonderful mitten book by Charlene Schurch. I love her sock book and the mitten book looks equally good. Long ago when my kids were little I did a bit of stranded knitting and really loved it. I would like to get back to it and mittens seem like a good place to begin. Incidentally, does anyone know how to pronounce her last name? She says she's of Czech heritage. I hate mispronouncing people's names.

Down the road I stopped at a little pizza place and had a wonderful sausage sub sandwich. I know! I know! But I haven't had any junky food for weeks! I needed a break, I tell you. I took my books in with me and had a lovely time looking through them in between bites. Bliss.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Wish me luck on the Power Point; I'm going to need it.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

I am glad that the nice voice was stronger and you took the afternoon off. I wish I was closer then I could help you out with the power point show, good luck I am sure you will manage.

Lynda said...

I'm sure you will find that Powerpoint is pretty easy - even I can manage to use it successfully, so you'll have no problems!

Sassenach said...

Powerpoint is easy -- until you try to draw something with it. So go easy on my post in response to your question about use of the pick stitch in a quilt mount! I've posted it here: http://forcemajeurefarm.blogspot.com/2008/06/mounting-vintage-top-illustrated.html

Good luck with your presentation.

Jennifer said...

I am so glad you gave yourself permission to play, and I hope that by now the Power Point work is behind you (a snap, right?). Best wishes dealing with the government agencies on your dad's behalf -- they truly do not make it easy....

McIrish Annie said...

Either you are dealing with SS or Medicare, both are impossible to reach a live person. I deal with both on a regular basis at work. You definitely deserved the afternoon off. They will still be there as hard to reach as ever!!

Anonymous said...

Schurch is my husband's name (Swiss German) It is pronounced with a back of the throat gutteral sound. Easy to do if you are a German Speaker - we are not and pronounce it Church - easy!

Glad you like the mittens and socks.

Charlene Schurch

Jennifer said...

So here I am again, tagging you.

Please list 7 hopes and/or wishes that you currently have on your blog, and tag seven others to do the same. Perhaps some little known facts or quirks will come out about you in the process of your sharing these with us (or perhaps there's someone out here who can help make your wishes come true!).

Take care--

LuĂ­sa Silva said...

I am glad you listened to the gentle voice :)
Good luck for your presentation. I am sure it will be a sucess!

Pam said...

Hello. I've come over because you were the referring URL for one of the visits on my Sitemeter details - I don't really know what this means, but anyway, your blog looks lovely but it seems to have stopped. So there's probably no point in my leaving this comment. However, hello anyway. I'm a teacher too.