Before I get to the title topic, allow me to explain the photos. We took the dogs to the groomer today for the first time in maybe five months. We don’t normally wait that long — Dudley’s hair gets horribly matted until he’s uncomfortable — but with one dog ailment or another we had to cancel. So I’ll be illustrating this week-in-review post with before and after shots.
The first and worst kind isn’t a day off at all. It’s where I’m too tired or stressed or sick to write but instead of stopping I just stare at the computer and zone out.
The second type is where I take a day off and just enjoy myself. The third is when I take a day off to do non-writing paperwork, run errands, etc., which is what I gave myself this week.
This was an unusually busy week for our dogs. Wednesday they got that delayed grooming; Thursday they went in for their annual dental checkup and treatment. That’s a much bigger production as applying a protective sealant to their teeth requires anesthetic. That affects morning drug regiment, how much food we give them, and it takes a lot longer. Plus TYG and I worry and speculate about the worst: what if they remove all Trixie’s teeth? What if they don’t wake up from anesthetic?
Everything went fine, except the hit to our wallet. Plushie had to have two broken teeth removed, no other problems. We brush their teeth daily — mostly TYG does it — and it pays off. So yay. Though Plushie was understandably wiped out that evening.
Anyway, I figured I might as well take the day without dogs and do stuff. A solid block of exercise rather than five minutes here and there. Running errands (bank, library, stores). Sorting through paperwork and sorting out some insurance issues (resolved). Not a fun day off, but it’s good to have those items ticked off.
As for the rest of the week, I got a couple of stories in The Local Reporter, one on possibly turning a Carrboro Street into a pedestrian mall, one on road repairs and other budget items. I did some more rewriting on Jekyll and Hyde, read one section to the writing group, and watched a movie and some TV. At Atomic Junk Shop, I blogged about books on WW I, Batman in 1970 and the original 1950s Phantom Stranger series (cover by Carmine Infantino, all rights remain with current holder).
Looking back at June, while I got a lot done, I was also annoyingly slack in managing my time. A while back I was rewarding myself for getting items on my to-do list ticked off — including time put in — but I don’t quite have the budget to spare for rewards at the moment, and haven’t though of a non-cash reward that works. A sense that an hour missed here, an hour missed there is no big deal has crept into my brain, and those hours add up. I shall see if I can improve in July.
To end on an upbeat note, I did give blood today and that’s always a good accomplishment. Give if you can, there’s always a need and you can save a life for just a couple of hours.
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