Many Prayers Answered!
Today was an absolutely brilliant day, aside from a brief shower early in the afternoon which blew through rather quickly. After dodging that potential bullet, I made excellent use of the daylight and decided I would string up my hammock and conquer my third and final relaxation technique outside. Gorgeous in the sun!
Though I finished my last relaxation session as well as the adjoining lab report, I didn’t feel as productive today as I did on Saturday. Eh, you work hard you play hard, right? Not that I’m “playing” today, but I’m definitely taking the day much slower than yesterday. I kind of this routine I’m in lately where I will work really hard and cross off a great deal from my “To Do” list, and then downshift the following day(s) to a much slower pace.
I feel if I manage my time properly, I can achieve a reasonable balance between work, play, and personal stress level. If I work too fast for too long, I burn out. If I work too slowly, my agenda fills up faster than I can work it down. Therefore, a good balance is to work hard to achieve the goals I set, and then reward myself with slower paced days enjoying some leisure time. I intend to bring this ideal more into practice in the very near future. :)
It really all boils down to effective time management and responsible use of one’s time to achieve reasonably set and attainable goals. Hey, I like that quote! :)
On a much more personal note, many prayers were answered today when I learned that there had been an arrest made in the murder of my schoolmate, Lindsay Graygo! Absolute exuberance filled my heart when I read of this in an e-mail sent to me by another one of the members on the committee to raise funds for the scholarship in Lindsay’s honour. I can’t think of a better way to put a cap on a day, or weekend for that matter, than for positive and uplifting news to be discovered! :)
Relaxing Lunch Retreat.
Seeing as how I had hot dogs for lunch on Tuesday, ham on Wednesday, and today an offering of pork, I was a little bit cashed out on swine. So, I did what most would do if they found themselves in a position similar to mine – leave for lunch. :)
My good friend Craig and I decided to go to Wegmans for a very relaxing lunch retreat. The Wegmans in Penfield has picnic tables along the right side of the store, a fact that is very unknown to most – including myself until today. We ate our lunch in the bright sun and afterward laid on the tables while discussing how to solve the world’s problems. I took a picture of myself laying on the table with my iPhone and sent it to my wife so she could partake in my joy too! :)
Afterward, I went back to finishing up the web site for Lindsay. The site had been a very slow work in progress for about 2 or 3 months so finishing it felt extremely satisfying; however, it will always be a work in progress as we unveil new upcoming events and list progress reports.
Check it out! http://www.LindsayGraygoEmpowermentScholarship.org
Afterward, I finished up some lingering yard work left over from the past weekend, including repairing some lattice work and priming it before I get a chance to stain it THIS weekend – sometime after working on my mini-paper for my Stress Management class. ;)
I also spent some time in the evening retouching some wedding photos, and researching some locations in Upstate and Rochester, New York for wedding engagement photography sessions.
Lindsay Graygo Scholarship Information.
Tonight, after work I had a conference call with the committee that is coordinating a scholarship for a high school friend – the Lindsay Graygo Empowerment Scholarship. We had a lot to talk about and there is definitely a lot of momentum as we start finalizing plans. :)
I’m planning on taking some photographs at the event, and I’ll be sure to post them online for everyone to see!
A great source of information on the scholarship can be found here, on the Lindsay Graygo Empowerment Scholarship web site! :)
Routine Basics.
I find writing to be relaxing and words easy to come by. In fact, one of the biggest problems I have when I write is trimming back the words. I guess I have a lot to say!
I started writing this blog at the beginning of 2008, and while I was able to maintain writing every single day for the first month, I simply found it impossible to write every day. I should really keep a voice recorder handy and just dictate my thoughts at the end of the day. :)
Tomorrow I’m looking forward to catching up on a long-distance project with a group of friends from high school. We’re trying to organize a fund raiser for a fellow student who was murdered back in February. The proceeds from the fund raiser will be used to establish a scholarship in her name – the Lindsay Graygo Empowerment Scholarship!
I’m planning on tomorrow being a good day to hunker down a bit on that project, and a few others. :) For the most part, I’m in a good place with respect to my projects and my tasks that have deadlines approaching.
It’s hot right now – really hot, almost sweltering. In fact, at 12:32am, it’s 73 degrees outside. And, tomorrow is supposed to be 90! Someone kicked it up a notch alright. Bammm! I have a few more things to do before heading off to bed. I’m meeting my friend Craig for breakfast in the morning too, which will be nice as we have fallen out of our usual routine of weekly breakfasts. I’m definitely looking forward to it. :)
There is some photographic equipment that I’m looking to buy in the upcoming months, that should really come in handy photographing weddings here in Rochester, New York. Upstate is such a beautiful location to have your wedding photos taken, and the new equipment will surely augment New York’s beauty! :)