The Friday List (nice things you’ve done for yourself this week)
You know how sometimes when you go out of town you lose all track of what day it is? I just sat down to write a followup to yesterday’s post, answering some of your questions about the interview and addressing a few more things, and I suddenly realized it’s Friday. So that other post can wait, because we have Friday business to do here.
My nice things this week? Probably the best thing I did for myself was pay for one extra night at that very expensive New York hotel where the publisher put me up so that I could come up there on Monday, rather than Tuesday. My TV stuff started early Wednesday morning, and the publisher wanted to keep the budget in line by bringing me up the day before, but I knew I’d need time to adjust to the 3-hour time difference, and I really wanted to get a good night’s sleep before being on camera all morning. So even though it was a lot to spend on a hotel for one night, it was totally worth it for how I felt by Wednesday morning.
My second nice thing was not overscheduling myself while I was up there. On previous trips I’ve made sure to go to museums and see Broadway shows–I mean it’s a shame not to do that if you’re in New York, right?–but this time I gave myself plenty of downtime. And then I ended up filling it with long, long coffee dates and lunches and dinners with people I really wanted to talk to, so it was nice to be able to do that without always looking at my watch.
And my last self-kindness is what I’m doing today, taking it easy, unpacking and doing laundry, then repacking and going away for a little family weekend to celebrate my mother’s retirement. I’m not (you won’t believe it) taking my laptop. I’m going to pretend I’m camping or backpacking, and that I have no access to wireless. I’m just going to play cards with my niece and nephew, take walks with my husband, go to dinner with the rest of the family, visit an out-of-town farmers market tomorrow morning. Doesn’t that sound like a nice quiet contrast to four days in New York? I had a great, great time there, but it was pretty overstimulating. I think we need a little balance here.
So that’s my story. How about all of you? What sweet things have you done for yourselves this week?
Technorati Tags: The Friday List, Self-Pampering, Self-Kindness, Simplification, Life Balance, Relaxation
September 21st, 2007 at 8:53 am
This week I have discovered Diet Pepsi Max.
It tastes absolutely disgusting, as do all Pepsi products, but it was the only thing available and it has ginseng and extra caffiene.
September 21st, 2007 at 9:14 am
I love the nice thing I did for myself this week, and I think that it is something that we moms, we women, we over-acheivers don’t do enough.
I asked for help. Twice.
On Monday, I had something to do but I really wanted my girls to get a haircut for their school pictures the next day. Since my dad was visiting, I asked him to take the girls to the hairdresser while I did my thing. He didn’t mind, and both things got accomplished.
Then I had to get ballet shoes for my youngest daughter. It would have meant at least an hour round-trip to the store, but it was closer to my mother-in-law’s house. So I asked her to take the kid shoe-shopping when she was there on Thursday.
So remember, ask for help.
September 21st, 2007 at 9:35 am
Good for you taking it easy Robin! What did I do good for myself this week? Um I wrote a little bit which I was happy about I’ve hardly written anything in a long time so it was great, not a lot less then a page, BUT it was less then a page I had before! ANd I typed it so if I had written it it probably would’ve been more then a page. Anywho I also had a chance to get together with some of my friends 2 times this week and I haven’t seen them practically all summer so it was great!
September 21st, 2007 at 10:00 am
I took care of some domestic concerns that have needed attention for a while. I also worked like a dog on a baby quilt and bought fabric I didn’t need for a dress I don’t know when I’ll make. But it’s CUTE fabric. So it was nice of me!
September 21st, 2007 at 10:06 am
Hope you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend, Robin. And I’m glad that you were able to keep the NY trip from being overscheduled, too.
Let’s see… On Monday I took kind of a mental health day. I only worked for half the day, and then I spent the late afternoon reading. (I lived to regret it a little, because things got a bit crazy for the rest of the week, and I’m kind of wishing I’d done something productive during that time, but not SO much).
Oh, and I bought a book called “The Four Hour Work Week.” It’s supposed to help you to escape the rut, and scrounge more free time. But I haven’t had time to read it yet.
September 21st, 2007 at 10:06 am
Well, there’s the usual yoga and sushi and two movies: Mrs. Brown and The Scarlet Pimpernel (I didn’t know quite how to take that last one…it’s very over the top, but fun.)
And then there was the oh-my-how-did-I-manage-to-wait-this-long moment of curling up on the couch and reading Robin’s book straight through in one day. It was so funny, and I kept wishing my science-loving and wants-to-maybe-be-a-science-teacher daughter was home so I could read her the good bits out loud. Which might have gotten annoying after awhile, because there were so many good bits. I so need a t-shirt proclaiming my status as a “freak of nature.” And a puppy.
September 21st, 2007 at 11:10 am
Are you ready for all of this fantabulousness?
First, I spent an amazing amount of money to get my hair colored, highlighted, and cut… and it was worth it!
Then I went to a new yoga class on Monday and a new pole class on Wednesday. Both were phenomenal!
I also created a super secret blog to post about my new single life. I swear I’m my most creative when my life has turmoil.
And lastly (sorry for the TMI)… I got some! And by “some” I mean ::wink wink:: ::nudge nudge:: SOME! And it was AMAZING! I seriously recommend it to all girls who ditch their fiancés!
September 21st, 2007 at 11:19 am
LOL, Christen — You go girl!
My nice thing this week: I hired a personal trainer. I told her I want to be able to out-Annette in push-ups by year’s end.
September 21st, 2007 at 11:50 am
@christen–you mean a man made you dinner?
@laura–bring it on baby!! jan. 1, we’ll have a push-up off.
September 21st, 2007 at 11:51 am
Therein lies the slippery slope, or sheets or couch or kitchen table or wherever…
getting “Some” leads to needing “More” or something like that.
September 21st, 2007 at 12:07 pm
He made me something…
And Patrick, you (as always) are right. I’m now in the “waiting for him to call” stage. After 3 1/2 nonsingle years I forgot how much I HATED this stage.
September 21st, 2007 at 12:40 pm
I’m attempting to go vegan today.
I’m tired of feeling like crap.
September 21st, 2007 at 1:03 pm
I dropped a class because it was too much to deal with this semester. That was a HUGE weight off my shoulders.
I’m glad you had a good time in NYC
September 21st, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Lizzie, sometimes quitting is the nicest gift you can give yourself. You know best when your brain is about to explode. Good for you deciding you didn’t have to let it get that far. What a relief that must be for you!
Heather, I’ve just gone back on the vegan wagon today, too! How cool is that? Good luck! It’s not easy, but I do think it’s a great thing to do for yourself and the environment. But it’s weird how threatened other people feel by it. I’ll be curious to hear about your adventures.
Christen, talk about some pampering! And I’m happy for you on the ahem, but let’s um, cough, you know, keep in mind the grandmas and 12-year-olds who might be reading this.
Laura, that’s awesome! Be careful, though, on issuing the challenge to Annette. You know how scary she can get. Aside from that, what a wonderful thing to do for yourself!
Sara, THANK YOU! Thanks for spending a whole day with me like that. And I seriously want a “Freak of Nature” t-shirt, too. I might just have to do a Cafe Press on that one.
Jen, sometimes the time crunch the next day is totally worth the time off the day before. I think we all know when we need to stop the world and get off. It is funny that you haven’t had time to read the book about finding more time. Good luck with that! (And I’ll be interested in hearing about the book.)
Katie, I love your fabric indulgences. Since you actually do make time to sew, they never seem wasted. Plus I just love that you sew! So much extra creativity in addition to being a writer. Too cool.
Dylan, I love that attitude that even writing half a page is half a page more than you had before. So many writers get into this mindset that if they’re not writing 10 pages a day it’s not worth even starting. Every bit of writing moves you further down the road.
Mother Reader, asking for help is HUGE. We Superwomen/martyrs/perfectionists have such a hard time admitting that the day isn’t actually long enough to do everything that we’d like to see done. But usually we power through anyway and do it all, then wonder why we never have even half a second to breathe. So huge kudos to you. Setting an excellent example.
Patrick, I can’t tell–are you saying that’s a good thing? Does it taste all industrial and chemically like Red Bull? Can’t you be a coffee addict like some of the rest of us? At least you can sprinkle cinnamon in your coffee.
September 21st, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Robin, welcome home! And then, have a safe trip. (: I think you’re going to have a fabulous, RELAXING weekend. Take lots of deep breaths.
Wow, everyone was really kind to themselves this week. My sweet stuff was mostly the little things. One afternoon, I cuddled with the baby on a picnic blanket in the front yard while my older girl ran around playing. It was one of those lovely, breezy, pre-fall, blue-sky days and I just drank it in. The next evening after the girls were asleep, my husband and I took the time to really talk to each other, making eye contact and everything. That’s a rare thing these days with such young ones keeping us busy. Finally, like Christen, I paid too much money to get my hair done. But I went with no kids and stayed more than an hour and chatted with my friend Nicki the hairdresser and it was marvelous.
September 21st, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Kelley, that all sounds so wonderful! I especially like the eye contact with your husband. I’ll bet that is hard to come by with little beans in the house.
(By the way, Kelley, I am going to answer your question from yesterday about the interview. I’m doing a separate post in a few days.)
Okay, everyone, I’m off to play. Keep reporting in, and I’ll see you back here later this weekend!
Hope you all find time to play this weekend, too!
September 21st, 2007 at 3:57 pm
I just got back from my nice thing this week,which was going on a shopping spree with my Mom and Sis. We each picked up a little something(I finally decided on my Halloween costume this year!)and had a lovely lunch at Applebee’s.
Have a great weekend,Robin and everyone else:D!
September 21st, 2007 at 4:47 pm
I did a lot of things this week for myself, which is rare enough, but I can’t even talk about anything right now other than the fact that tonight = opening night!
September 21st, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Sorry!
September 21st, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Good for you for taking some downtime, Robin!
It’s been getting harder and harder lately to find some time for my own downtime-loves, but tonight I stole half an hour from 8:30 to 9:00, because tonight Book 3: Fire of Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered.
It’s been nine months, nineteen days since the last new episode.
I missed it. A lot. I’m a full-on Avatard and proud to admit it.
Amerime forever!
{Amerime. uh-MARE-ih-may. noun. Animated shows heavily influenced by Japanese anime but produced primarily in America and first voiced in English.}
Vocab for the day.
September 21st, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Miri, thanks for the Avatar info! I checked, and it starts here in a little over an hour. My boys will be so happy! (The grown-up one, too).
My nice thing: I let myself stay up way too late so I could watch Tim Gunn’s new show on Bravo. Two whole episodes!
September 21st, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Glad to be of help, Michelle! Let them know it’s totally worth the wait, and make sure they stay tuned for the five minutes or so after it ends…Nick knows they owe us, so they added a little something. They did here, anyway, but I can’t imagine it changing from place to place.
-happy happy joy joy-
And hooray for staying up late!
September 21st, 2007 at 10:46 pm
Thanks Robin I kinda learned it from my dad.
September 22nd, 2007 at 1:48 am
Hmmm - lots of good stuff about balance here this week. Synchronicity rules. My older daughter moved out (just to the other side of the city, but Dublin’s a *big* city!) this week and it’s all been about trying to balance (and accept) the feelings of loss and positive feelings about it. Mostly working okay. A lot of knitting is helping.
And I finally got to do a post about your book! So much was going into the week-that-was that I was starting to feel I’d never get the emotional energy to do a book-babble, and I’m glad I did, even if it’s not the best.
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:14 am
I’ve never tried red bull. I’m drinking coffee right now. I’m not sure if it is a good thing but boy did I have some extra energy after drinking that…Averaged about 2 hours of sleep…
September 22nd, 2007 at 6:53 am
So glad you got down time. I am late in responding. I stayed home yesterday from school to take care of my neck and shoulder(accumulation of old car accidents, weeding like a fool last week, and etc).
September 24th, 2007 at 8:01 am
Lady T, that sounds like such a relaxing day! So what’s your costume going to be? Or is it a surprise?
Miri, thank you for continuing to educate me and all of us on things like manga and now Amerime. I really am clueless about that, and I don’t want to be. So happy you’re happy!
Michelle, is Tim Gunn’s show going to take the place of What Not To Wear in some people’s hearts? Or is there room for both?
Lady S, I know it’s hard to separate from children you actually like! But it’s nice she didn’t go too far away. And thank you for reading my book! And for the lovely review! I really appreciate it.
Patrick, your creative brain needs more than two hours of sleep. Do us all a favor and shoot for eight.
Jone, sorry for your pain, but good job taking the time to look after yourself. That’s always a positive!
September 24th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
@lil’ wil’–isn’t there something you want to share with us??????
September 24th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
Annette: I want to share the HAPPINESS I felt this weekend, especially on Saturday and Sunday. Is that what you mean?
September 25th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
yes lw–how did it go?
September 25th, 2007 at 8:53 pm
Robin, I think there is room for both What Not To Wear and Tim Gunn. At least there is in my heart. I need all the fashion help and inspiration I can get!
September 26th, 2007 at 5:51 am
Last week we took the girls out of school and drove down to Philadelphia for a couple days. Visited the King Tut exhibit at the Franklin Institute, Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell, and had lunch at Fogo de Chao.
September 26th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Annette: Thank you for asking! Opening weekend was fantastic - and completely sold out! I hope this weekend is just as lovely, if not better, to build and build with every performance…