8/31/10 journal

I know I said I wanted to write in my journal first thing in the morning but I got up too late to accomplish the task today. I also said I didn’t want to write a bitch fest about the office but today really wasn’t bad for being my Monday. So, let me see what I can pull out of the brain at 8pm on a Tuesday after a 10 hour day………..
I’ve been working on a project that was handed to me just about the time I went on vacation in mid August. My boss wants to see how much I know about the analysis reports, how the machines are doing on the floor, etc….I reminded him before I left on vacation I wouldn’t have as much time as the other managers to get this done and he basically gave me the violin scenario and said ya, whatever. Anyway, I am happy to write that I did in fact get my report finished with graphs and pie charts and really nice recommendations as to my interpretation of the assignment; and it was in on time! YAY! It was good to get the brain going before school started again so I’m very happy that is off my plate. I do, however, have another pretty cool assignment coming up as well that involves the staff and their engagement scores. I know the importance of keeping the staff happy and committed; they need to feel like part of the team. So, I have my thinking cap on trying to come up with different incentive programs I can implement to get the staff motivated to a higher level. All in a day’s work.

Back to my vacation….My sister, her husband and two kids flew in from Florida for a week in Maine. It’s hard to believe how fast a week can slip through your fingers. Every day was jammed packed of festivities (and the weather was beautiful) did a pile of day trips, ate out at all their favorite restaurants, made it to the coast and saw tons of family. I needed a vacation from my vacation to recuperate! I was thankful they rented a car this time for their flight was out of Portland. Kind of puts a damper on the last day of vacation if you’re the chosen one to have the drive 4 or 5 hour round trip to get them to their destination. I remember the last time they vacationed here they missed their flight and they were flying right out of Bangor! We’ll save those vacation memories for another story.

One of our day trips/family visits was with my dad which was cool because my new grandson joined us. It was the first time dad had seen the baby since he was born and we were able to get some awesome pictures (4th generation)Speaking of pictures, my grandfather (mothers side)is 100 years old and is coming up from Massachusetts in September for a week. The plan is to get a professional photographer to get 5th generation pictures during his visit. I’m in hopes to get it published in the Bangor Daily, too. It’s pretty rare these days to have the opportunity to get 5 generations into one photo without doing some cropping.

Tomorrow is a new day, work schedule looks fairly mild, thankfully; I’m starting my first on campus class after work on Wednesday nights so I’m pumped. Lots of coffee and an open mind. I’ve got to do some laundry, see you in the morning, hopefully.

8/30/10 journal

Monday morning, 10am…still feeling the exhaustion from a long weekend at the folk festival. I’m torn between exhilaration and irritation. Part of me is still pumped from volunteering as an “artist buddy” for the Dr. Michael White quartet and getting the opportunity to meet numerous musicians from many counties over the world yet I come home to disorder and messiness. Sink full of dishes, cat box not cleaned out, laundry strewn, dust balls, dirty floors and sigh…….just plain ole housework apparently saved up for me to do in my spare time. Spare time, HA, what a joke…. am trying very hard to not let this get me down because I don’t want to spoil the high I’ve had since Friday night but really, where is it written that it’s the woman’s job to do all the housework? I mean, seriously, my significant other is retired, knows I work an extremely busy schedule, was gone all weekend and with school starting this week, do you think he would have stepped-up to the plate to help out, obviously not. Maybe I wouldn’t mind so much if I wasn’t living in my new home I’ve waited years to move into, it just seems a shame to see the beautiful hardwood floors dusty and dirty and the deep stainless sink full of dishes and the granite countertops congested with crap. Anyway, like I said I’m not gonna let this bum me out, it will be there when I get to it, right? (I just pray I don’t have any unexpected guests!)
So, I get a call while on vacation a couple weeks back from a woman that works with me and she asks if I’d be interested in volunteering for a really cool gig for the festival. I have to admit, I hesitated only because I know how short and precious any spare time is for me. I’m a new grandmother and love to spend as much time possible with my grandson while letting my daughter get a quick break every once in a while. In the same breath, I’ve been thinking about getting more involved in the community so I took her up on the offer. We met last Wednesday for everyone to meet and greet and to get our assignments. Some of these volunteers have been doing this since year one and after my one weekend, I’ve been asking myself, where the hell have I been all these years? Not only was this an eye opener as far as the incredible amount of support this American Folk Festival gets from the volunteers but how smoothly and how much is involved in getting the show on the road. Thursday night was the sponsor party down at the waterfront. It was a great opportunity for me to meet the people/businesses that donate to keep this festival alive for Bangor. Friday, I was able to double up with another “artist buddy” to learn the ropes, so to speak. Her band was The Other Europeans Band with 14 or 15 members and they were amazing! Only a few band members are from the US, most were from many different countries across Europe. There is nothing like being behind the scenes, on the stage watching a performance so close you can almost touch them. Then when the show is over, to have the opportunity to break bread with them, converse with them, and hear their stories. All I can say is “wow” because words can’t quite describe it.
Since this past weekend, and during this past hour writing my thoughts down, I can now see this was the beginning of a new chapter in my life; I have turned the page and I’m ready to move ahead. I’m not going to let a dirty house bring me down, I’m going to embrace it and be thankful I have a house. I’m going to cherish the time I had with all the new friends I made and look forward to next year when I can do it all over again.