Just a post about things and stuff

I really need to get into writing more blog entries more often. C'est la vie!

All of July I had a great track record for working out to the Richard Simmons Project H.O.P.E. DVDs. It was fantastic, challenging and I was definitely feeling stronger and trimmer.

Then August happened. I don't know what is with me and August, but I tend to get depressed at this time of year, or some crazy thing happens that sets me off track. The first 2 weeks of August, we had some smoke from all the wildfires going on in the middle of BC invade our airspace. As I have asthma and diabetes, it was being broadcasted repeatedly that I could not do any heavy exercise at that time due to the toxic deposits in the air. So I obeyed that suggestion.

It pushed me off the exercise path I was on. Even after the smoke had cleared, I found it hard to get my rhythm back again. I'm lucky if I exercised for a week and a half this month. Perhaps I need to begin the program over again? Or just get off my ass and do it. I don't know.

I've also been struggling with other things lately, primarily work-related issues. I started off going to art college back in the day because I considered myself to be a very creative person. The past few months or so, I was finding it really difficult to go to work, because my job had become too routine with zero amount of creativity left. I was feeling frustrated and bored, left to do very boring office-type of work. When asking for work, I would always get the worst assignments that basically no one else wanted to do. I was feeling very marginalized and under-appreciated, and just dreaded going to work.

As a result, I found myself getting really addicted to social media, in particular Facebook. I would be playing Facebook games or checking the page often. I knew this was bad and dangerous because the boss doesn't like people using these things during office hours for obvious reasons. I just felt so bored and really despised my job.

Then of course I started getting caught by the boss, once while playing a crossword puzzle, then just farted around on Facebook a week later. He got very angry. I felt even worse. Despite my job not being creative enough, it is a very steady paycheque. I certainly did not want to lose my job because of Facebook. So I had to stop using it at work.

I still have to tell myself repeatedly "I will not go on Facebook", as occasionally the lure is still there. It is a very addictive site. But I also believe I found a solution to this problem of mine at work. If I have nothing to do, and feel like I never get assigned anything creative anymore, then the only solution for me is to invent something creative that I could do to fill the time.

I have done just that. I started researching how to make hand puppets, and made a couple of them, and will be researching other products on the market and create a wish list of components to have in the set. I've also been making templates for some various puppets in Illustrator. This drastically improved my mood. My supervisor loves the idea and wants me to create a proposal to eventually show the boss.

When I showed the Art Director the penguin puppet I made, she then assigned me the responsibility of making an owl pillow for another project. I guess no one knew I could sew before I took on the hand puppets. Ha-ha!

I do feel better with the work situation. I definitely need to get my ass back in gear and exercise again, hopefully soon. I'm feeling low energy again and finding it difficult to do much of anything anymore.

Diana is still fabulous, though I have discovered that the previous description of her being "skittish" really applies to strangers. My parents came over for a visit, and every time they've come to my house, she runs and hides, either under my couch or up into the batting underneath my bed (which she has torn to shreds). A couple of days ago, she finally summoned the guts to creep into the living room when they were sitting there and looked at them both at a distance. So she's getting braver.

It's funny because she's never reacted that way with me. Maybe I just have a way with cats. Ha-ha-ha!

Anyways I should wind up this blog post now. Thanks for reading, for those who do.