Stepping into the Whirlwind

I'm hesitantly taking that big step into the whirlwind of what will be the next two weeks. Work is CRAZY busy and I am starting to feel myself becoming a tense stress case because people expect me to do all my normally time-consuming things, plus extra projects plus meet big deadlines. The people who have to help me meet the big deadlines are big procrastinators! So a lot of my responses for help have been met with, "um, pretty busy, maybe I can look at that in a couple of weeks". It amazes me that I work with a bunch of people that want things now....like RIGHT NOW...this very minute!!...but when I need something...it can take forever! My big deadline is April 4th so I will be ecstatic when that date is past. I am hoping that my stitching time will not be affected by the stress but sometimes when I am stressed out, I can't concentrate on patterns and just need the time to stare blankly at the tv and decompress.

The week so far has been filled with the normal day-to-day things like cleaning up after myself, cooking and yoga. Tonight is another Symphony night. Normally, my symphony dates are not so close together. That should be nice...it's Mozart this time. The rest of the week will be more yoga and possibly a date.

Oh, I forgot to mention that part of the reason I am stressed...besides the big deadline...is that my work-related class started yesterday. The instructor wants us to read one chapter per week, watch powerpoint presentations and do homework and participate in online discussions. All this needs to be completed by the Sunday of each week. It doesn't sound like a lot but it is when you haven't had to do anything academic in years! I haven't even cracked open the book! So this will be interesting.

So yesterday, I got to thinking about how I've stitched for many people but I haven't really stitched for my mom. She's the one who taught me to cross stitch and I think she has a lot of my earlier stuff when I was trying things out and not really what I considered good. But like a good mom, she keeps everything...serious packrat here. My mom and I always butted heads for as long as I remember...but the last year or two, she has mellowed out and I think that despite our different opinions and ways of life, we've accepted that we're different and don't really have the time or energy to be shoving it in each others face anymore. So now she's the mellow one and my dad has become the needy one. They've switched places somehow. Now if only both of them would get hearing aids, I'd be happy. But anyways, mom is acting cooler and I think it's time I make her something so I thought this would make a nice Mother's Day present.I liked it because over the years I have called her all these names except mum or mere. They should have ma because that's usually what I scream through the house when I'm trying to find her (def. needs a hearing aid). I have 1.5 months to stitch it and finish it. I'm not sure if I should frame it or make it into a pillow. My mom has so much crap I don't know where she'll put it but we'll find a place!
So with this sudden vision of enlightenment, I emailed NiaH and asked them if they had the chart and they do! Yay! So I am off to Alameda this weekend to kit the project and start it right away. Looks like poor Fairy Moon is going to the back burner for a while longer. I also need to finish (already stitched) two exchange projects...one a flat-fold and the other a pinkeep...neither which I have ever done before so I am a little nervous. I also need to read a chapter and do schoolwork...yuk! And I most definitely need to go to the Stanford Theatre to catch the very last day of their Hitchcock Festival. I must...I don't care what gets in my way...I am so there. They will be showing The Birds and Psycho. OMG, those are two of his best movies!

So it looks like along with a busy and hectic week, I will have a busy and hectic weekend too.