Thursday, April 20, 2006

Deep thought

More Easter photos. My nephew Lincoln brought home packages of soy sauce from a convience store when he went to get a soda, no one knows why. Then he challenged my niece, Lisa to a soy sauce downing contest. Don't ask me why.
My newspaper job has been something of a trial for me through the end of March and first of April, but today I finally found myself back on track, and it felt good.
The story was the ordination of “Mother Connie” as detailed in my blog yesterday. But the good feeling was not so much the story but the desire to write it. (here are links to the stories)http://www.tooeletranscript.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=12510&Itemid=2
http://www.tooeletranscript.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=12453&Itemid=54
After I finished and sent it to my boss, he said, “glad to have you back.”
He clarified that the comment was in reference to my Easter vacation, but I’ve been “gone” a lot longer than a weekend.
I can’t explain why I haven’t been interested in writing, but I think the photo a day in March may have something to do with it.
Taking a photo a day really shouldn’t take very much of my time. But it changes my focus (if you will pardon the pun). I tend to be a “truly, madly, deeply” kind of woman. Once something has captured my attention, I obsess on it, study it from every angle and think about nothing else until the task is done.
During the month of March I had a tendency to drop whatever I was doing to pursue a photo when the light was good. This usually happened about supper time while I was puttering around the kitchen. We ate a lot of unimpressive meals in March.
This passionate pursuit of whatever it is I am doing can make me very poor company, because I spend so much time wandering around in my right brain, totally in my own world.
In a way I can not precisely articulate, this intensity is feed by the rigors of deadline work. I love the energy, the drop everything and just do it, approach to deadlines. It is a total rush to “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” through a task.
This single-minded approach to a job is great if I are doing something short term, like writing a news story or designing a page.
But it can wreck havoc on my nerves if things do not go as planned and I get interrupted. Woe is me; I am a mother, so I am constantly interrupted as I try to multi-task with my one-track mind.
The good thing about my dogged approach to every undertaking is when I do something; I do it really, really well.
The bad news is while I am fixated on one project, the rest of the world could (and often does) crumble around me and I would not notice.
It is one of those strength/weakness personality traits standing in the way of me ever getting my house clean.
Oh well, I’m so busy rummaging around in my head, I rarely notice the soup stains on the front of my pajamas. …
Wait?
Why am I wearing pajamas?
Did I get a shower today?

Yes, I'm showing off my goods. The letters and cardstock on the left hand side were sent to me by Samantha Walker, the woman who designed the stickers. Which would have made my day. But I also found another package on my doorstep with a note saying it was a "gift from a friend." Of course I immediatley tore into it and made a page with it. Did I mention I am rather single- minded? If you are the giver of the goods, know you have cheered me up and helped me create at least one cool page. To the giver of the package ~ Thank You!

I also found an envelope from my mother in the mailbox. It contained a comb we had left at her home during our week-end visit. If you do not know my mother you are puzzled. If you are a family member, however, you are probably laughing hysterically right now.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

A Hah hah hah (hysterical laughter) Yes I am completely in sympathy with your obsession thing. I have those tendencies myself. In fact if I drank I'm sure I would be an alcoholic. Nothing half-way about me. At least about things I like to do. It would take a miracle to get me obsessive about cleaning or gardening.

Anonymous said...

What you wrote about obsessing - that's me, exactly. I have never read an explanation that sums it up so precisely. I so get where you are coming from.

Yay on the article, by the way. I'm glad you have found your groove again.

Anonymous said...

So glad you are enjoying the goodies, your layout is great.

Gwyn Calvetti said...

Alleen, Too bad we live half a country apart, I think we share a number of character traits and interests.

As to the soy sauce thing? No explanation needed. Teenagers, right? They have no brains for a few years, so nothing makes sense!

Hatter J said...

I am still wincing from the soy sauce drinking contest...yuck.

that is one smooth RAK you got there... can't wait to see what you do with it.

glad you got your writing power mojo back--I am the same way-one foucs at a time- or it's half a$$ for everything...

justjohanna said...

i like your description of being a truly, madly, deeply kind of woman. me too, me too! and all the other comments are resonating for me as well.

Karen said...

ha ha indeed! I need to scan the christmas gift instruction letter from grandma and put it on my page for everyone to see!

Anonymous said...

Got to clarify the nephew, niece thing. They are 1st cousins and niece is 31. Mom is mom... enough said. K must post the instructions we all got for the plastic-ware. I am an alcoholic who has never had a drink. Just remember what happened to grandpa S. At the risk of phyco-babbeling, We may all have some form of OCD.

Anonymous said...

For One thing I have plenty of brains. 4.0 grade point average Dah. And It didn't taste so bad anyway.