Sometimes life is pretty quiet. Other times, there seems to be a lot going on. Right now I’m in a cycle of these “other times.” This calls for a mindset that I describe as project management.
That sounds kind of boring.
It can be kind of boring, 9, but it’s very helpful in getting exciting and/or complicated things done. Our new decks, for example:
Project management: the decks are built. All that remains is stain!
They look quite nice.
Thank you, Lily. They are also safer and more functional than in their previous incarnation. For example, both decks are now attached to the house with bolts instead of nails. It’s a good thing I never had a big party; apparently, with nails, the deck would have collapsed if it had ever borne 800 or more pounds. That’s what on the average, five to seven adults?
A good reason to invite only kids.
Now that the decks are built, it seems like it was effortless. In reality, it’s a long-term project. I’d been thinking about it for a couple of years. Last fall I finally took the plunge and secured a contractor for spring of 2024.
Unfortunately, he experienced complications after back surgery. He recommended another contractor, which was great, but, you know, it was also a change. It took me a couple of weeks to get my mind turned around enough to follow up on the lead, after which a site visit was made and an estimate delivered. Contract to sign, deposit to send, a couple of months to wait for them to start the work, a couple weeks for them to finish it. During which the daily highs often hit triple digits.
This Wednesday they were done, and Hoosegow and I are enjoying the result. But wait, the project is not finished! On Thursday I called back on a bid from a painting contractor and am now on their schedule for early October. The thing I need to do at this point is pick out a stain color (probably a light gray).
Project management: selecting a stain color. So many shades of gray. . .
And then?
And then, for this project, wait.
But wait, there’s more!
Yesterday I received review comments from the second of two sources that helped me research my new Living History person, Sister Catherine of the Sisters of Providence. This is also a long term project, one I’ve been working on since February. With both reviews in hand I can now go back and do a final edit on my script. Then, memorization begins!
Learning your lines.
Correct, Lily, and working on the character of the person I’ll portray. Plus finding the right hat.
Don’t nuns wear those head-cover things?
Wimples.
They do, but in the 1800s many nuns wore secular clothing when the traveled, so as not to be harassed. Sister Catherine is poised to move to a new assignment in 1888, the year of the portrayal.
Lines, character, costume: three project elements to manage, and the first two really do need a full month of daily practice to get them ingrained and internalized.
Project management: not only have I read Linda Andrews’s excellent history, she kindly vetted my Sister Catherine script!
Also on the project list: book five in my fantasy/mythology series, Justice in Big-G City. I’ve edited for Beta reader comments and am now reading the book out loud in pursuit of undetected typos, finding exact words for ones that aren’t suitably specific, and rewriting sentences and paragraphs that leave me tongue-tied.
Hoosegow likes it when you read out loud.
Good thing, because it’s 311 pages! It’s a five or six day process if I don’t want to lose my voice- -and my mind. Then I will edit the computer file manuscript for my revision notes, print it out again, and read it out loud- -again. Hopefully I’ll be satisfied enough to turn it over to my editor after that. As with other complex projects- –
It requires managing.
You’ve got it, Lily! In my wildest project management dreams I hope to have the book ready for submission by the end of August. Sister Catherine appears at Fort Walla Walla Museum on September 15, after which she will likely go on hiatus until 2025. The deck should be stained at by October 7. Three big projects turning over in three months.
But wait! There’s a bigger project still, and this one has a much longer timeline. It’s the bone density thing. The weight gaining component is showing results, up over a pound since I started 12 days ago. Every time I feel too full and really don’t want to eat another bite I have to remind myself that I’m trying to create more material for my body to build itself with. Strategy is key. Consume more calories earlier in the day so I don’t lose sleep because I feel like a beached whale when I go to bed. Make higher calorie but healthy substitutes and additions. Do all of this in a good habits way, instead of building bad habits that will screw up other stuff.
Not to mention diligent adherence to strength training.
There is also the bone density information gathering component. To my amazement, I’ve booked an endocrinology appointment on October 31, which seems darn early to get in to see any kind of specialist these days. And it reminds me of one more project that needs managing- –
Getting signed up for Medicare. Because, like Sister Catherine in 1888, sixty-five is just around the corner. . .
