‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE DEADLINE

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dec 25 deadline calendar-148598_1280Thought you might enjoy this work-related version of “”Twas the Night Before Christmas”. We can all relate to deadlines!

This is my second year to run this, although as a writer I’m never quite satisfied with my work and I’ve tweaked it a bit since last year.

Not sure what came over me; perhaps I had a few too many candy canes or other holiday treats. 

Wishing you the best this holiday season!

Tami

 

‘Twas the Night Before Deadline

It’s the night before Christmas

And I must confess,

My office is worse than its usual mess.

The desk piled high with all sorts of junk

Files, papers, pens and some unidentified gunk.

My job is creative yet that’s no excuse

For the piles of work that reach to the roof.

Plus Christmas is here! There’s so much to do

Decorating and singing a carol or two.

Who are these clients that want work done this week?

Will they even read email, or must I send Tweets?

So I ponder and think, and work up a sweat

Doing what most creatives do best

Putting off till tomorrow what I could do right away

The deadline can wait just one more day!

Besides, my best work is done under stress

That’s it! I’ll wait till tomorrow when I’m fresh

So I’m off to the mall to visit the Claus

Knowing the shoe racks may cause me to pause

The hustle, the bustle, the music, the fun!

It’s hard to go home when the shopping is done.

I drive past the houses with twinkling lights

Remembering mine is as dark as the night.

And that’s when the all-night decorating begins

Including trees, lights and inflatable snowmen.

I crawl into bed as the sun starts to rise;

Oh no – I forgot my deadline! I cry.

Back to the desk to write something witty.

Can I come up with something more than a ditty?

Will my clients see the humor here, I pray?

It’s Christmas, after all; not just any ol’ day.

Yet the show must go on, the release goes to press,

Despite that my work resembles a mess.

I’m trying to maintain some sort of humor

Happy Holidays to all from a creative Baby Boomer!

#SocialMediaFail

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I’ve got a confession to make. One that embarrasses me.

I realized that I am “one of those people”. You know; the kind who “has people”. 

No, I don’t have an entourage, although I guess that could be interesting for about an hour before it got in the way.

What’s happened to me is the same thing that happens to most of us who have worked our way up the corporate ladder. The higher you go, the more you deal in over-arching strategy and planning, with less time on the tactics for execution.

That’s where my “people” come in.  It’s to the point where I lead and oversee the big-picture; my team takes care of the implementation.

Nothing wrong with that, right? Isn’t that what we all strive for in our careers?

Problem for me is that this goes against my management style.  I prefer to know how to perform the tactics so I can say to my team, “I’m not asking you to do anything that I won’t do myself”.  Plus it’s a good idea to know how to do things in case someone comes down with the flu and I have to step in.

Yet in today’s environment of working very lean, I’ve had to accept the fact that I must rely on my team to handle certain things.

And I’ve come to enjoy it.  We all have our areas of expertise, making for one kick-ass team.

Even when I work for myself, I have a team of hired individuals.  Now, though, I am at a cross-road where I am stepping out on my own even more and, for a short period, will not have my team to support me with social media.

My initial reaction was positive. 

1) This is a great time for me to “walk the walk” by learning the tactics; and 2) I know the theory and have been using social media personally for years; how hard could this be?

Apparently it’s more difficult than I anticipated.

I knew from experience that social media marketing is time consuming. Some corporate execs seem to think that it’s a quick little thing someone does during lunch and should not take much time. LOL!

There’s strategy and research and memes and scheduling.  There’s actually research that has been done as to the optimal number of Facebook posts and Tweets for a given day to drive awareness and traffic.

I consulted with my very smart colleague, Noah, who had been working on my social media scheduling for a quick lesson.  As with most things, it sounded so simple when we talked.

Do this, click that, copy this, paste that. It’s really quite simple, he assured me, with all of his two years of work experience behind him.

See, he’s still early enough in his career to not have the luxury of a team. He is the team.

I thanked him and hung up the phone feeling brave and started researching, convinced that I could handle this very easily.  After all, I am not new to social media.

My goal was to schedule one month of posts and Tweets. I got down to business.

How hard could this be?

Like Beethoven working on a great composition, I researched, posted, cut, pasted, Tweeted and scheduled. It was awesome. I was going to be a social media rock-star.

After about six hours of trying to schedule one months’ worth of Tweets and posts, what did I have to show for my efforts?

Three lousy days.  #socialmediafail

Somewhere between “Awesome” and “Rock Star” I realized I was that person; the one who knows strategy but can’t figure out the tactics. The person who has “people”.

That was not only embarrassing, but eye-opening.

When did this happen? I used to be the person who “knew everything”.  Of course that’s before I had “people”.

Sigh. I will figure this out. But I need my people more than I want to admit.

This Year Will Be Different

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Christmas card 2012 pic

New Year’s resolutions: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now, I really HATE them.

Why? Because we tend to set ourselves up for failure. We may as well call them “New Year’s Failures”.

On January 1st we state our resolutions, listing all the things we plan to achieve during the next twelve months. We are certain that THIS YEAR will be DIFFERENT from every other year.

Our intentions are good yet for most of us, somewhere along the way we get side-tracked. Life Happens. And our resolutions take a back seat to other things.

Come December, we feel bad that we failed in our attempt.  So we state, “THIS YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT.”

And we try again.

It’s a vicious cycle; one that I normally don’t participate in since I know that I won’t stick to any resolutions.

Case in point: For years I’ve tried for abs of steel and for years the donut shop has won, despite my strategy of limiting my donut intake and increasing my workouts.

No, I’m not totally giving up donuts. That would be terrible and I’m convinced that there’s a way to incorporate donuts into my life while achieving abs of steel.

This year, though, I’m going to try a few resolutions again.  Perhaps I’ve gained wisdom with age and this time I will be able to stick to my resolutions.

They may not seem like much to you, yet they are important to me.

Here we go; my resolutions for 2015:

Find a new phrase for “Yes, but…..”   

This is my go-to phrase in conversations when discussing or brainstorming almost anything. It slips out without my even knowing it.  In my mind I’m trying to be helpful and think of all the possible outcomes, what if it went this way, but that happened, etc.  Apparently to others this is a negative phrase.  Who knew?   I definitely don’t mean it to be negative – it’s just me, thinking out loud.

Be more selfish.

This sounds odd yet it is necessary.  I love to help others.  So much so that I push my own work and needs aside.  That means that my goals – and work – are almost an afterthought.  And this is not good for my business, my productivity, and, ultimately, those I am trying to help.  This does not mean I will not help others; it simply means that I must prioritize my work. And sometimes that means putting me first. 

Step Out of My Comfort Zone

You may think this is easy for me. Let me assure you that it’s not always easy, even for me, to step outside of my comfort zone. It’s hard to do this because it means opening ourselves up for failure. Yet I plan to do that this year.  It may be something as simple as signing up for a Hip-Hop class, or something more drastic.  Who knows? But I will push my boundaries.

Finish What I’ve Started

This should be a no-brainer and it goes along with #2, being more selfish.  Mid-2014 I signed up for an online self-study course with the goal to finish it during the year and I let work get in the way.  Now this is moving to the front. I will finish this course.

There you have it; my resolutions for 2015.  I will report back to you at the end of the year to see if I achieved all of them, or any of them.

And we’ll see how my abs of steel look. Not holding out any hope on that one.

Own Your Weaknesses

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MP900385502[1] We talk a lot about knowing your strengths but no one likes to talk about owning your weaknesses. So I’m going to let you in on one of my weaknesses. Housekeeping is not my strong suit. You’d think with just two adults and a dog, our house would stay relatively clean. Think again. There are many reasons why we have a housekeeping issue. Notice how I transitioned this from a “me” problem to a “we” problem.  I think Hubby should own some of this; I’m staring at a stack of his architectural magazines at least a foot high. Some of you may not consider this a weakness, just “life”. But to a perfectionist like me, it’s definitely a weakness. Years ago Hubby recognized this weakness and convinced me to hire a housekeeping service. Best. Decision. Ever. When the lay-offs hit we cut back everywhere but figured out a way to maintain housekeeping once a month. I honestly think I would go without eating before I would go without housekeeping. Let’s take a look at this weakness that keeps our house from looking pristine. Our lovely dog-daughter is a shedder. That’s right; I’m going to blame some of this on the dog. I’m sure those of you with kids would blame them for poor housekeeping; since the dog is our daughter this makes sense. Each time we brush her there’s enough fur to make one large dog.   Her accessories, which are full of her hair that require cleaning, include two custom beds, a crate, assorted towels, and a large mat where she lays to look out the back window.   Her collection of 80+ stuffed toys is kept in two large baskets – also full of hair. Clearly some fault is hers. She wags her tail as if to say, “Whatever”. People like us too much. We must be super-popular because we are inundated with mail. Each day I stand over the recycle bin to throw out the obvious junk. The rest – bills, Hubby’s work-related mail that looks important, and magazines – gets stacked on the counter for review at a later date. I’m considering making the stack into a sculpture so it’s less offensive. Meet our obnoxious friend, Clutter. Clutter follows us, like a shadow. I’ve read countless articles about organization, bought tons of cute storage bins, cleaned out our files and more. Yet somehow clutter magically appears again.  My cute storage bins are bursting at the seams, the file drawers won’t shut and both of our desks hold stacks of miscellaneous papers. Houston, we have a problem. We’re sentimental fools. Hubby and I are pretty good about purging our closets of clothing that we don’t wear or no longer fits. We used to be even better. When the lay-offs hit, we started getting “clingy” with our clothing, worried that we might not have the funds to replace items that were tossed. Plus I’m totally sentimental about some things: I still have the outfits Hubby and I wore on our first date; I’ve got some of my dad’s ties; and my first set of luggage in an ugly plaid fabric my parents bought me when I left for college. Seriously, plaid luggage. What I am doing with that? When it comes to cleaning we are champion procrastinators. Hard to admit but it’s true. It’s easy for us to put off cleaning when we’ve got 80 shows on the DVR to watch. Funny that procrastinating only affects us in this area.  We are great at prioritizing almost everything else: family, work, groceries, exercising, etc. Just don’t hand us a dust rag; we will drop it like a hot potato. I seriously dislike housekeeping. Really. I mean it. Friends have tried to tell me about the satisfaction; the “high” they experience from cleaning. Nope, not me. There is not one miniscule part of me that enjoys it. I do, however, feel great walking into a clean house. That someone else has cleaned. The cure? I don’t know if there is one.  We’ve tried all sort of remedies and my storage bin budget is tapped, folks. I’m aware that this is a #firstworldproblem, for sure. It’s time to own my weaknesses and figure out how to work with them, not against them. Do you hear that noise? It’s cheering from our housekeeping service; they now know Hubby and I are life-long customers. And I’m okay with that.

The Sport of Shopping

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vera bag

“Listen to this”, I said to Hubby while reading the Sunday paper at our favorite coffee spot.  The article listed a number of unusual interview questions that candidates had reported answering.  I started reading the list out loud to Hubby.  “What three things would you take to a desert island?”  “If you had to describe yourself as a breakfast cereal, what kind would you be?” and “Are you a hunter or a gatherer?”

“Well, at least the last one’s easy! “ I said.  “I’m a hunter.”

Hubby let out a loud snort.  “Since when? You practically wrote the definition of gatherer! ”

I’ve been told this hunter-gatherer comparison goes back to prehistoric times, when it was the cave man’s business to hunt and the cave woman’s business to gather – or something like that.  In today’s world, a gatherer is the last thing a business woman wants to be called.

Shocked at this blatant disrespect for my keen business acumen, of course I became defensive.  My insides were screaming, my stilettos were stomping as if to say, “I am too a hunter!” But I tried to stay poised and focused.

Instead, I started listing the reasons why I’m a hunter.  That’s what we hunter’s do, right?  We stay calm. We identify the problem, quickly outline solutions and make a decision.  Ready, aim, fire!

Hubby tried to soothe me.  “I agree that you’re a good businessperson; I’m just saying that you like to gather all the information first.  Just like you do when you go shopping; you want to make sure you’ve seen all the options before making a purchase decision. That’s why I can go to the grocery store much more quickly and efficiently than you can,” he smiled, and went back to reading the sports.

Shopping is my forte – talk about being an expert!  If shopping were an Olympic sport I’d have at least one gold medal. We sat in silence, although I’m not sure Hubby was aware of the storm brewing.

Determined to prove him wrong, I volunteered to go to Sam’s for our weekly shopping.   While it wasn’t a business situation, I was determined to show him that I was indeed a hunter.  Chicken, toilet paper and dog treats; I estimated in and out in fifteen minutes, even if I stopped to taste the food samples along the way.

Arriving at the store sans Hubby, I started out quickly, heading towards the chicken when something colorful down a side aisle caught my eye. Several women were gathered around.   My cart veered toward the colors before I knew what happened.

It was an awesome “special purchase” of designer tote bags, one of those rare finds that required quick action or they would be gone before you knew it.  Quickly determining the best colors, I snatched two for my cart and left the melee that was ensuing, figuring I could find a calmer aisle to choose a color.

I decided to keep moving while pondering the colors, and in a moment of shopping brilliance I pulled out my smart phone.  Suddenly I was “Super Gatherer”, scouring different sites for information and offers on the same tote bag.  Up and down the aisles I went, comparing offers and available colors, the sample ladies fueling me with snacks along the way.

Hubby called, wondering where I was.  “You’re still at the store?” he exclaimed. “What happened? Are you okay?”  

Kind of hard to explain that I’m a hunter, not a gatherer, when I had spent the past forty-five minutes roaming the store with two tote bags in my cart, eating free snacks, while I surfed the web for a better deal on the same item.

It was the snacks, I tell you!  They are evil.

Making my decision, I quickly checked out and headed for home, pulling into the garage at the same time as Hubby.

“Show me this special tote bag”, he said, knowing better than to say anything about the time spent.

“It’s the perfect color”, I gushed.  “You’ll love it when it gets here this week – I decided to order one in a different color online.”

Hubby shook his head and went inside.  In his “hunter” world, he would have seen the item, decided it was a good value, selected a color from those available, paid for the item and left the store.

Well, all I’ve got to say is there’s not much sport in that now, is there?

Why Is It So Difficult To Simplify?

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When I welcomed 2014, I stated that this was going to be my year to “simplify”.  Everything from de-cluttering my desk, learning to eat better, to simplifying my job search – making things simple would be my focus.

Hubby doesn’t think the word “simplify” is in my vocabulary, saying I have a slight tendency to complicate matters.  I disagree.  It’s just that he and I look at something and see it very differently.

When he says, “Let’s run to the grocery store”, he sees a quick trip to pick up groceries.  I see a multi-step process that includes an inventory of the pantry and refrigerator, making a list and checking recipes for ingredients that need to be included on the list, and visits to three different stores.  Hardly a simple task if you ask me.

Hubby is guilty of complicating things too.  When we were newlyweds, Hubby volunteered to clean the bathrooms in our apartment while I tackled the kitchen, the dusting and the vacuuming.   I had finished my chores and went to check on his progress, figuring he’d be taking a nap.

To say he took scrubbing seriously is an understatement.  Standing in the tub in his tighty-whities, the bathroom shone.  But he hadn’t finished one bathroom in the time it took me to clean the rest of the apartment.  Talk about over-complicating something – we didn’t have to eat in there; just shower!

So here I am in now 2014 trying to simplify – and it seems like I’m failing miserably.  My desk remained clean for a day; now a pile of stuff has mysteriously appeared.   What’s up with that?

Simplify – it’s one stinkin’ word!  I have an MBA and years of experience. Why can’t I make any progress?

So I decided to do something about it.  I made a “To Do List”.

It’s beautiful.  It’s organized. It should be laminated.  Yet it’s so long that it certainly doesn’t look very “simple”.

On the top of this lengthy list: Fix our high-tech tank-less water heater, which started intermittently shutting off.  There is nothing like enjoying a steaming hot shower with your hair full of suds, only to have the spa-like sensation ruined by an arctic blast of icy water.

When this happens, whoever is in the cold shower has to run across the house naked and dripping wet to pull the attic stair down, climb the stair and reset the water heater. This usually involves lots of cursing.  The dog runs along too, thinking this is some sort of new game.

Determined to tackle The List and simplify our morning routine – and because I was tired of being a human Popsicle – I did what I thought was the right thing: called the plumber.  After all, I’m a smart, educated, career woman, but I don’t have plumbing skills. 

Perhaps I should have plumbing skills.  After about an hour of the plumber’s time and my checkbook ringing up dollar signs, the plumber asked if I had called the equipment manufacturer.

Uh, no; I’m smart – I’m simplifying things, so I called you.  Apparently I’m not as smart as I thought.

In my haste to simplify, I complicated my problem by failing to do a quick internet search which revealed a customer hotline with online chat.  How much simpler – and cheaper – can it get?

The plumber spent about an hour on the phone with the manufacturer, pressing buttons and running diagnostics; all things I could have done myself.   After he left, I consulted with a neighbor who had similar experience with his water heater.  And as luck – or fate, or karma, or whatever – would have it, the problem is not so simple to fix.  It has to do with weather and gas pressure and temperature differentials.

Hubby came home and I was happy to report that I had tackled one of the items on The List. I was proud to share my new-found knowledge of our water heater, recommending that we take our neighbors’ advice rather than spend more money with the plumber.

The good news: I’ve crossed one thing off The List that will simplify our morning routine.  The bad news:  Looks like there are about 100 more things to on the list.

I guess simplifying things is just complicated.

The Crud

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Cough syrup

Achoo! Sniff…sniff. Sigh.  I’ve got the crud.

Actually both Hubby and I do.  He brought it home, thanks to his business traveling and, being the generous person he is, decided to share it with me.  Gotta love this guy.

The good news is that neither of us has contracted the flu.  The bad news is that we feel poorly enough to not want to do anything.

It’s never a good thing when both of us are sick at home.  I mean, come on! Who’s going to take care of whom?

First, there’s the battle of the couch vs. the love seat.  The love seat has the ottoman for stretching out; however the couch has the better angle for TV viewing.  Hubby really likes the viewing angle and after some discussion we decide that he will get the couch. Due to a technicality, he also must assume responsibility for letting the dog in and out.  Hubby: 1, Me: 0, Crud: 2

Then there’s the debate over control of the TV remote.  Hubby likes to channel surf constantly, never stopping for long on any one show.  This is fine with me – WHEN I’M ASLEEP.  I prefer to stop on a channel and at least watch one show or a movie.  I’m already light-headed from the crud; I don’t need to be dizzy from channel surfing.  Since Hubby won the battle of the couch, I take control of the remote.  Score: Hubby: 1, Me: 1, Crud: 4

Then there’s the issue of meals.  First, determining what to eat is a challenge. Thank goodness I hit the grocery store before the crud knocked me off my feet.  But the real question is who’s going to get out from under their respective blanket to cook something?

“What do you want?” “I don’t know; what do you want?”  “Do you want me to get up, or do you want to do it?”  The passive-aggressive battle for food goes on for an hour while we watch the 1980’s classic, “Stripes” for the third time in a row.  The network must have forgotten to schedule something else.

By the time we have the movie memorized we’re famished, so I head into the kitchen with Hubby agreeing to clean up.  Score: Hubby: 2, Me: 1, Crud: 6

Just as the soup is ready, the dog decides that, as long as we’re not doing anything, we might as well let her in and out every few minutes.  Hubby’s got this duty.  Score: Hubby: 2, Me: 2, Crud: 8

All afternoon the debates rage.  Small battles take place, like who gets to use the heating pad, who should replenish the tissues and who should get the drink refills. We get crankier as the crud takes control, making us feel just lousy enough to be uncomfortable and a bit achy.  Guess we should be happy that we are not feverish. 

And that brings me to the debate over the thermostat.  The air-duct placement is not good for being sick, especially on the love seat since the heat is directed down onto me.  Hot, then cold, and back to hot – yet Hubby is at a constant temperature.  Thank goodness we each have our own throw blankets. Score: No points awarded here.

Finally, the day is over!  Time to drag ourselves to bed, with our blankets and Kleenex in hand.  The dog is hesitant to join us, preferring to stay out of the debate zone for the night.  She knows that it’s only going to get worse as we fiddle with the thermostat and fight over the lozenges.

Crud, you win.  Please leave before the morning. We’re begging you.

Simplify: My Word For 2014

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Desk stack

Happy New Year!  I don’t know about you, but I am so ready to greet 2014 and to kick 2013 to the curb.  2013 wasn’t the worst year, but it certainly was challenging and I’m ready to move on.

How ready am I to move on?  So ready that I’m trying to purge anything that’s unwanted, unused and unnecessary.  In fact, I was just telling Hubby that my word for 2014 is “simplify”.  It seems like I have let things take control of my space and therefore me, and it’s time to regain control.

Nowhere is the need to simplify more apparent than in the home office, specifically my desk area.  While I desperately want to make things easier for myself, the decorating scheme for my desk can best be described as “professionally cluttered”.

Seriously, if you could see my desk and office right now, it’s awful.  Stacks of notes with ideas for new writing posts, all sorts of “to-dos”, half-started projects and papers stacked a foot high, things strewn across the floor, etc.  I’m thinking I might just purge everything and start over.

Honestly, if I haven’t looked at it in months – okay, at least a year – why am I hanging on to it?  Sentimentality?  Come on, it’s just paper!

Since I don’t make New Year’s resolutions (I tend to break them before I get started), perhaps applying the word simplify to everything I do will help.

Just simplify, I tell myself.

Good news is that every year around this time I get energized to do all sorts of organization projects. This “end-of-year/beginning-of-year organizing” spurt has already started and I’m ready to kick some serious butt in the home office in order to simplify my life.

Not sure if it’s due to the cold weather that forces me inside, or if it’s my way of trying to start the New Year off on a positive note.  Whatever it is, I have to take advantage of the energy while it’s here because all of a sudden it will turn off, just like a spigot, and the projects will languish until the following January.

All of this energy scares Hubby – he sees dollar signs; I see an organized sanctuary.  But I need his presence while I organize and simplify my desk; someone for me to lean on in case I get weak and try to save the stack of stuff instead of throwing it away.

Hubby agrees and also decides to adopt the mantra “simplify” for 2014.  Grabbing two containers for recycling and trash, we dig in.  We also set a timer that keeps ticking, so we know we are on the clock – no time for dilly-dallying.

Our work is like an archeological dig. “Just found our tax stuff from two years ago”, says Hubby.  Well that’s a keeper.  “Why do I have a Starbucks receipt from last year?” I ask.  Rapid fire, we sort through the stacks of papers, making great progress.

Then we come to the big stack on my desk.  The notes.  The ones I’d been saving; my inspiration for future writing.  All the witty ideas I was going to use at some point but so far had never touched.  My hands were on the stack, but I was frozen in place.

“Come on,” coaxed Hubby.  “You can do it, just like you said you wanted to – simplify things and throw it all away”.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek.  “What if I need something here? What if I have writer’s block and I need an idea?” I whispered.

“You’ll have plenty of ideas; you always do”, says Hubby.  “Remember the goal is to simplify. Be like Nike and Just Do It”.

While Hubby held the trash bag, I let out a little scream while I dumped the stack of paper.  My notes. And anything else that happened to be in the stack.

With that out of the way, we continued straightening and within a couple of hours the office and both of our desks looked better than they had in years.  We can actually see the tops of the desks.  It’s a Christmas miracle! 

Simplify – I already feel better, and just sitting at a clean desk makes me feel more productive.

I want to simplify my job search as well.  Sometimes it’s easy to complicate the process by failing to have a strategy and losing focus, making it more difficult that it should be. I’ve already started a written to-do list – in one notebook, not on hundreds of sticky notes – and I start my day by looking at the list.  I’ll admit that this attempt at hyper-organization will be challenging, but I’m trying to make it work.  Organization, while arguably not my strong suit, is the key to simplification.

Hello, 2014!  I think this is going to be my year.

Merry Christmas!

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ugly sweaters

It’s Christmas Day, and for us that means a quick visit with my sister’s family.  We love flying on the holiday; the airport is full of travelers and people seem so happy. We laugh at those who neglected their holiday shopping until this very moment and are now frantically searching the airport shops for gifts. I’m pretty sure a People magazine and a tin of breath mints will be a “memorable” gift, although not in a good way.

Sometimes Hubby and I have been known to wear Santa hats or other holiday gear for this trip.  Not so much to show our holiday spirit, but more to embarrass our niece and nephews when they pick us up at the airport.  As young adults they are still concerned with being “cool” or “awesome” or whatever you call it now.

We, on the other hand, feel so uber-cool that we can do anything without ruining our hard-won reputations. This year, we’ve taken holiday embarrassment to an entirely new level, with matching ugly Christmas sweaters.

We can’t wait to see their faces when they pick us up!

If I may be serious for a moment: Thank you for your support throughout the year!  I write because I enjoy it, yet it’s your comments, tweets and “likes” that push me to do more.  Today and every day, I wish you joy, happiness, laughter and peace.

WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

Iceapocalypse ’13: Things To Have In An Ice Storm

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Ice 2

Hello from the frozen tundra formerly known as Texas!  It’s been difficult to focus on anything for the past week except “Iceapocalypse 2013” or “Iceageddon”, as many are calling it.   With local news teams reminding us 24/7 that everything is covered in ice (duh; take one look outside) I haven’t felt much like writing about careers.

Not to mention that we have been freezing inside the house, despite the new thermal windows installed last year.  I guess my idea of “thermal” is different than what was stated in the sales brochure.

Hubby and I found we were not prepared for this weather, or at least as prepared as we should have been.  So I thought I’d share a few things we need to have for the next Iceapocalypse, in case you want to take notes for your own global-warming/cooling event:

An exit plan – This includes shovels that are bigger than a garden hoe, so you can chop a path through the ice for you and/or your car.  Do you know how long it takes to chop ice with a spade?  We do!  And trust us, it’s an aerobic activity you don’t want to do.

A working fireplace – Used to have one of these.  During the last remodel we decided to upgrade the existing gas fireplace, then changed our mind and spent the money on something else.  Problem with that plan is that we removed the faux logs and other parts needed to have a working fireplace, thinking that we would fix it eventually.  So it’s still unusable. That’s a call we’ve got to make this week.

Food – This is important, so listen up!  You must have food that can be eaten without being cooked – lots of bread, cereal, milk, salad fixings, etc. would be great to have on hand.  Especially if the power goes out, and you have no gas fireplace to even try to heat something.

Flashlights – Oh we had flashlights; it’s just that the batteries were dead. In all 12 flashlights.  Thank goodness for the flashlight app on our iPhones.

Sense of humor – Remember to keep this close at hand. After being stuck in the house with no outside contact for a few days, maintaining a sense of humor is huge.

DVD’s, books, board games – Anything is better than the 24-hour coverage from a first year newscaster stating the obvious, “the weather is bad” while standing on a frozen bridge dodging siding cars.

List of “rainy day” projects – Being stuck inside is a great time to tackle any project on this list.  That is, if you can pry yourself off the couch.  Why is it that the couch seems so much more comfortable when the weather is bad?  In our defense, we made use of our time by setting up TV trays and addressing our Christmas cards – while we sat on the couch.

Stuff that you don’t think you’ll need – This includes sand, kitty litter or rock salt to help with the exit plan; possibly a generator if you live in an area prone to power outages; an assortment of winter clothing that you’ll barely wear otherwise.  I’m thinking golf shoes with metal cleats or something similar would have helped here.  My Ugg’s are fashionable and warm but without traction I still found myself on the ground as soon as I stepped onto the frozen front yard.

Chocolate – Duh. This is a no-brainer, and probably the most important item on the list. Not only is it a food item, if it melts it can be a drink and it doubles as a stress-reliever.

I hope you find this list helpful.  I’m printing it and mounting it in a frame to hang on the wall with a little red hammer.  The small sign will say, “In case of ice, break glass”.