I need to buckle down this weekend and get stuff done. I need to buckle down this weekend and get stuff done. I need to buckle down this weekend and get stuff done.
Maybe if I say it enough, I’ll actually get out of bed and do things?
I digress. . .
Finally, August is over. Well, technically I still have 1.5 days left in what I consider to be August (there’s a few others that may understand this), but they will be fairly easy, so the major part of it is done. I think I did pretty well. Things went smoothly, for the most part, and we got a lot done. I didn’t do so well with getting enough sleep and eating decent food, but sometimes stress does odd things to us me. Time to restart and refocus, now that this month is done.
I also need to do stuff around my house, per usual, and go grocery shopping to replenish my dwindling food supplies. One can live on Honey Nut Chex and cold press for only so long.
I will also take part in some much needed fun, relaxation, and hopefully some laughter. Nothing replenishes me after a stressful time like these 3 things.
I’m going to end this post with a song. Just seems perfect for the clouds that greeted me this morning and for the relaxing weekend I hope to have.
Ok, so maybe that isn’t much of a confession to those that know me.
One thing that Glee does – and does well in my opinion – is cover songs. I am not overly for or against people covering songs. I will even admit that sometimes I like the cover of a song better than the original. One example is “Creep” by Brandi Carlile. It rules. And is better than the original. Trust me. Other examples are the gazillion covers of “Hallelujah”.
Other covers are just awful or there are some songs that should just be left to the original artist and not remixed, resampled, or redone (I’m looking at you Black Eyed Peas for “I’ve Had the Time of My Life”).
In my opinion, if you’re going to cover a song, especially a hit, you need to bring something different to it, mix it up, make it your own. Anyone can re-do the original exactly, in fact it happens all of the time at bars across the country under the name “karaoke”. However, there is also a fine line between making a cover your own and totally ruining a song – respect must be paid (again, Black Eyed Peas, take note).
While Glee has tried to do original songs, their staples are covers of a wide vareity of songs. I’ve had the discussion/debate with folks about which versions are better or which covers they should or could have done differently. I will also be honest, for some of the songs, I hadn’t heard the original prior to hearing it on Glee (I would say which songs, but I’m sure it would cause me to be judged). What can I say, I don’t listen to the radio often so my exposure to new music is somewhat limited.
One of these songs is “Sing”. I don’t think I’ve seen the episode it was in since I have band rehearsal on Tuesdays this spring, but heard it at the concert in June, on Spotify, and in the “Glee 3D Movie Extravaganza Live Experience Concert Thing Movie!” (did they really need as many adjectives in the title as they had?)
I honestly thought this was a song from the episode where they did original songs, I had no clue it was a song by My Chemical Romance. I like the Glee version better – but am wondering what others think. I also like the lyrics from the chorus of this song. But that’s a subject for another post on another day. 🙂
So here’s your chance to weigh in on who rocked it better:
This weekend is one I’m taking to do what I want, when I want, and how I want. *stomps foot*
This is not out of selfishness (wel, at least not bad selfishness); it is out need to renew and recharge. Many people think that August is an easy month for me at work. Why? One word: recess. However, this recess is not the one of our youth – swings, slides, and fresh air. This is a 5+ week stretch of long hours, lots of events, high-stress, eating crappily (if at all), not being able to sleep, and a lot of coffee.
In order to unwind after the last three-ish weeks, I started off last night by hanging out with some friends and having a couple of tasty beverages. The night included a lot of talking, randomness, and laughter – this is never a bad thing.
So far today, I’ve mowed the lawn and did some yardwork, did laundry, gave Scout a bath, and got a pedi. Now I’m relaxing on the couch with some iced tea after eating some quasi-breakfast tacos and watching Bones on Netflix. Will finish laundry at some point, and who knows maybe take a nap.
Tomorrow will be some more relaxing, a little bit of cooking, updating Quicken, cleaning my room, and probably more Netflix and reading. Maybe I’ll fit in some picture hanging, and I think I may have committed to playing softball tomorrow night.
I’m going to avoid thinking about work or the events of the prior week. I’m not going to ponder the pending mail and writing I have to do next week. I’m going to focus on things that make me happy, things that amuse me, things that an somewhat mindless.
Sometimes we all need to do this. You’ve got to listen to your body to know what you need. I’m doing just that, and it feels great.
I will end this post with a song – “Let your Light” by Ben Abraham. Enjoy.
Often times I get caught up in the major things going on in my life – work & volunteer stuff – which leads me to ignore some of the smaller things I need to take care of. These small things, while not requiring a ton of time or effort, are just as important to me and my life and deserve focus as well. These are the things that help keep me in balance. Help me have the reserves to deal with the major things, be focused, have energy and patience. Help me perform as best as I can and live up to my expectations.
This isn’t about being selfish or not fulfilling responsibilities. It is making sure you do what you need to do in order to do things for others and do what you need to do in the best, most efficient way possible. Yes, I know this sounds somewhat cliche, but to paraphrase someone I respect a lot – you’ve got to help yourself before you can help others.
What does this mean? If I say no to something or am more quiet and reserved than normal, I will feel bad, but sometimes I just have to take care of things. It is one thing that I struggle with, since I want to help others succeed and pitch in to do things that need to be done. But I can’t put too much weight on either side of the scale. I have to maintain the balance.
Sometimes maintaining the blanace means doing laundry, cleaning up around the house, or looking at my personal budget and updating Quicken. Other times it means vegging out and watching TV or reading. Even other times it means working late or attending meetings & events on nights or weekends. Basically – I try to make sure I don’t focus on any one area exclusively. Yes, there may be times where one part of my life needs more focus (i.e. the month of August at work or when thinking about a big purchase) but just have keep in mind how to restore the balance when possible.
Today, I’ve focused on work, volunteering and stuff around the house. Now it is time for vegging and watching TV and it feels so good and worth it.
Work hard. Play hard. Maintain the balance.
What do you do to maintain the balance in your life?
I will be headed to Nepal. It’s been quite a few years since I have travelled internationally, so I’m starting to get back into that frame of mind so I can prep accordingly. Last week I received confirmation of our flight info from the US –> Doha, Qatar –> Kathmandu – so it’s all getting very real.
For this trip, I’m challenging myself to only travel with a camera bag and my backpacking pack. I’m a chronic overpacker, so this could prove to be a challenge. However, I’m choosing to go this route so I can travel more simply, and I guess in a way live more simply and try to be as focused on the experience as possible. I want to take in the beautiful vistas, the culture, and really use this as a time to reflect on the last few years, all while away from the excitement and activity back at home. Yes, I will miss a lot of people, my animals, my bed, and more than likely my phone/the internet, but I think this will be a good experience for me. And it probably couldn’t come a better time.
