SilentSunday

First, some context if you don’t know what I mean by Two Sleeps.

Scooby wakes up at the crack of pre-dawn. It doesn’t matter if we are using blackout shades or not. He just knows. Sometimes one of us can convince him to cuddle until the semi-decent hour of 6 AM🥱 but more often than not, I am dragging my carcass out of a warm comfy bed at 5:30 AM when his whining, booping, and boot-scooting  becomes non-stop. And once I am upright, Molly demands a few belly rubs before they both run to the front door of the camper to “get dressed” and get outside.

Now, one would think that after all that fussing, he would go potty post haste. One would be wrong. First, he must attempt to awaken the entire campground as he hunts for bunnies. Luckily, picking him up in a classic football baby hold seems to short-circuit his need to bay. And then we walk for either 1mi or 30 minutes before his bowels finally get the final message to release. If you see a zombie being dragged by a beagle (or two), that’s me.

Molly, the sweet, smart thing that she is, does her business and then wants to go right back to the comfort of the warm bed. We tried this approach on Tuesday. The BF stayed in bed; I took the dogs out, returned Molly, and continued with Scooby. He FINALLY did his business, and we could go back to bed at 6:30. So, after a night of insomnia and then the walk, it took me a little bit to go back to sleep. But eventually, we all did and slept soundly until 9:30 am!!! That was awesome. But with the BF still holding down a day job, maybe not so much (thank goodness he works PDT hours!).

We have decided to do the extra morning nap (see, I finally came back to the idea of two sleeps) on the weekends. But I am so done and dragging by 11:00 AM M-F. My Apple Watch informed me that I have steadily been getting less and less sleep over the last 17 days. I wondered about the specificity of 17. Wait, we adopted Scooby on May 28. HAH! Ugh. The cost of doggy daycare will be worth it so that I can nap.

And now, for some cuteness. I do this all for them. Because I am NOT a morning person.

Please leave it. Please listen this morning. If you do, I will give you so many treats…

_Molly and Scooby putting on the brakes quite suddenly, after pulling their lead taut. _

_Closeup of two very focused beagles actually listening to the “leave it” command. Well, they stopped pulling as hard. _

_The cottontail rabbit that has their attention. So. Many. Rabbits. _

_Closeup of Scooby salivating, but staying. Right before the rabbit bolted and he started baying. _

Ok, we had some baying but I wasn’t pulled off my feet and they got their treats when we got back to the camper.

Currently Reading: Taking the Work Out of Networking by Karen Wickre 📚

Yes, I read the introductions in non-fictiion books. And I absolutely “watch the room” instead of working it. I love people-watching (and eavesdropping, and probably judging), but now I need to turn that habit into networking.

“Another essential for networking is being a good observer- a clear advantage we have over chattier peers. I am forever wondering about who people are and why they are that way. What’s their demeanor, what’s their history, what animates or irritates them? I observe, and somehow, I remember and apply that knowledge as needed.”

No, not German Shepherd dog 😃.

Getting Shit Done

Someone way back in January or February pointed me to the Anti-Planner (back when I was still employed but had a shitton on my plate). I’ve enjoyed some of the PDFs while I waited, and yesterday it finally arrived!!!

So far, I’m enjoying her writing style and comics. I love how it’s broken out by “mood” and that you’re encouraged to use pencil (nothing is permanent!) And that it’s not made for daily use. But I’m going to pair it with an actual planner for when I get over myself and my roadblocks.

I already know I’ll be spending a lot of time in section 1, “Stuck” because it deals with waves arms erratically, everything my brain is dealing with right now.

But first, I have to take Molly to the vet for her annual checkup.

Yes. There is such a thing. I was making the banana bread and between the butter in the batter (usually I use olive oil or coconut oil) and the buttering of the loaf pan, all that just overflowed onto the hot oven bottom, set off the smoke alarm, and scared the beejebus out of Molly and concerned Scooby.

It took entirely too long for the smoke to clear, despite opening all the windows and doors. The Nest alarms wouldn’t shut off. Thank goodness for my air purifier.

Molly didn’t trust coming back in, not even for treats and belly rubs. After about 2 hours she was willing to reluctantly trust me for a game of “Use Your Nose”. It probably helped that I was working on basic commands with Scooby and he was getting all of the treats and praise.

And if you’re wondering, the banana bread came out delicious and moist. Tastes wonderful alone or with apple butter.

Now to clean the bottom of the oven. Yay.

I really hate routines and schedules (for myself). I really hate that I need one. I really hate that I keep designing one for myself and then ignore it. Daily. I hate feeling lost and directionless. I hate that I have no motivation to change direction. Every now and then I get a little boost and then ... it fizzles out almost as quickly as the energy and inspiration came. 

To use a recent pop culture analogy -- I feel like a Space X rocket.

 Four minutes after it lifted off, the rocket exploded after traveling 24 miles. Multiple engines went out, according to SpaceX, leading the rocket to lose altitude and begin to tumble. After it went off course, the company forced both the rocket and the accompanying booster — which did not separate properly — to self-destruct.  

I'm tumbling and spiraling and need a kick in the pants to get back on course.