The high of my week was spending two days with my leadership team at an off-site meeting. To be honest, I was dreading this meeting because I wasn’t really sure what to expect and I was feeling very apprehensive about needing to be “on” for two full days. And that was tough! Tuesday was a 13-hour day for me that was filled with brainstorming sessions, making small talk with people, and being social. Wednesday was a little easier since the people who had flown in to Tampa had afternoon flights, so we finished up around 1pm. But it was also a really productive time where we got to air our grievances, figure out solutions to long-term issues we’ve been dealing with, and just commiserate with each other. And now I have some strategic goals to work on, which I’m looking forward to!
The low of my week was the news. Things are bad here in the United States and I’m starting to feel like I need a full week off from the news (which means a full week off from Instagram) because it all feels so dark and scary and I feel so helpless. We’re disappearing people off the streets and sending them to prisons in foreign countries—no due process, no way to communicate with their families. It’s horrifying. And it’s not going to stop here. It’s just going to get worse. (<– I feel so redundant saying all this, too, because I feel like I just keep repeating myself. Ugh.)
I’m currently reading three books. On audio, I’m nearly halfway through The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny, which I’m enjoying. I just keep thinking about how much I love Gamache and how I wish we had a leader in our country who was half as amazing as him. In print, I’m reading Icebreaker by Hannah Grace (romance) and while the book is not well-written at all, I can’t help but love it. I don’t feel smarter by reading it, but I do feel entertained. I’m also working my way through Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll, which is our April book club pick. This was a selection I added to our jar, but people are not enjoying it, oof. My bad!
A Reel I loved was this very relatable video about how much we remember about a book after finishing it.
A podcast episode I enjoyed was Best Spouse/Worst Spouse Again on The Girl Next Door Podcast. While it was fun to laugh along as Kelsey and Erica grumbled about the annoying things their spouses do, it was also really sweet when they talked about the good things they do. It also made me think about the annoying things I probably do when I’m in a relationship, although I haven’t lived with someone since 2016 so I’m in for a rude awakening if that ever changes.
The best money I spent was on a few pairs of sandals to try on at home. I ordered two pairs of orthotic-style sandals that were less than $30 each and then an expensive pair of nicer sandals (Vionic, $125). I ended up really liking one of the orthotic sandals—good structure, great support for my high arches, and a cute style. I expected that the Vionic sandals would be my favorite, but they were actually a bit too big (I usually wear a size 7 and I’d need to size down to a 6.5, I think) so I couldn’t give them an honest review. Since I really liked the cheaper pair, I decided to save myself some money. (For now. It’s entirely possible these sandals won’t last long.)
My plans this weekend include not too much! I don’t have anything going on tonight. Tomorrow, I have a writing date with Mikaela and then game night with the fam. And Sunday is Easter! We’re not doing anything big, but will probably go out for breakfast.
What was the high of your week?
I have had a crazy couple of work weeks and feel like when I get home all I have time for is working out and walking the dog. So yesterday my husband had to work late and I took an hour to just sit on the couch. I was listening to a podcast and soon Zelda the Cat was on my lap, purring away and Hannah the Dog was right next to the couch and I was petting her. It was pretty glorious. Should I have been working out? Probably. But it was So Nice to have quiet time with my girls.
That scene sounds BLISSFUL. Sometimes you just need to lay on the couch and zone out like that. That was basically me when I came home on Tuesday after my 13-hour day. I talked with my mom for a bit and then just zoned out to some games on my phone, which was so necessary!
Wow, your work retreat sounds super intense! I’m so glad it was such a valuable experience. As an introvert, how did you avoid overwhelm and burnout? I feel like I always needed a serious recovery time after work events like that!
Bright Young Women is on my TBR and I am so interested to hear that your book club isn’t loving it. I will look forward to your review.
Well, I spent the week leading up to the retreat extremely anxious and dealing with digestive issues. SO FUN! I was able to get through super long day knowing that the next day would only be a half day. It would have been harder if it was a full day, too! And then I gave myself two days this weekend to do NOTHING AT ALL. That helped a lot!
I ended up abandoning Bright Young Women at pg 205. It just wasn’t very interesting. 🙁
That work retreat sounds fun but I know what you mean with the constant “on”. You are never alone, you can never relaxe your face, you are always listening. And at the same time in can be so good to socialize. I usually needs time to recover aft that.
The news are terrifying. And I really struggle. I am on my phone way too much lately. But I have caught myself not stopping and reading beyond headlines because I can not take it anymore. I think I will stay of social for the next three days. Yes, I will. Deleting the app later.
Yes, yes, yes to all of this. You get me, Tobia! Having to be PRESENT at all times and really listen to what everyone is saying so I can contribute is so draining.
I hope you have a good break from social media! I am trying to be better about not reading comment sections and muting/unfollowing accounts that are a little too “news-y.” I don’t need to get my news from social media!
I try to limit news consumption to 1-2x/day and only for 5ish minutes at a time. It’s…a lot.
I haven’t heard that episode of Girl Next Door. I am so bad about podcasts – I am just not a “listener”. I don’t know if I’ve ever finished a complete audiobook in my life (okay, I’ve thought about that and realize I HAVE, probably 5-6, actually). It’s just not a format that resonates with me.
Hope you have a great weekend <3
I think I saw on one of your posts (maybe Day in the Life?) where you were looking at the BBC and I thought, “So smart!” I think that’s the way to consume news these days – just a quick scan of BBC headlines since they aren’t as US-centric. (Not that you want US news, lol, but it’s a good idea for me!)
Audio is not for everyone! You can consume your books and media in whatever way works best for you. I’m not much of a music person, so it fills in the silence when I would normally listen to music!
Ooof! I would have been a basket case after that 13 hour day. It sounds really productive, but I’ll bet you were happy when it was over. And, I liked that podcast episode too! Honestly, I like just about all their episodes. I also started listening to a new (to me) one after reading about it on your blog- Currently Reading. I love it!
Let’s see… I didn’t have any huge highs this week- but I did have an overall contented feeling that things are going well. I mean- except for what’s happening to our entire country. Everything ELSE is going well. Sigh.
I handled the 13-hour day fairly well considering how much I was dreading it! But I definitely needed a few days of NO HUMAN CONTACT to recover, lol.
Hooray! I’m glad you’re listening to Currently Reading. It’s such a wonderful podcast – you’ll love Meredith, as she’s currently (ha) working her way through all of Agatha Christie’s mysteries!
I’m glad the offsite was good overall but those are some long days!! Those kind of events can be invigorating but so exhausting!
The high of my week was getting a massage yesterday afternoon! I got an 80 minute one snd went to the spa before the massage to read for a bit. It was wonderful!
I kept thinking, “How does Lisa do it???” I don’t know how long your days are when you’re traveling, but I know they can be intense. We were thinking of doing these once/quarter, which feels very ambitious but we’ll see.
An 80-minute massage sounds DELIGHTFUL! I have a massage scheduled for next Friday and I CAN’T WAIT!
I would have felt the same way about the on site meetings! I am spoiled now since I mostly work remote and when i do have to go in to the hospital (like last week, for a big meeting), I sort of dread it. It always ends up going fine and actually being nice in many ways, but it just throws off my whole routines and then there’s the traffic and parking and like you said, having to be “on” in a different way. All the small talk, etc… Sounds like it went well though for you! So, yay! 🙂
I am so used to my remote work life, too! I have my own routine that makes sense and it was definitely thrown out of whack with this summit. But we got a lot done and it wasn’t as bad as I had been expecting. It was also nice to see all of these people IN PERSON after months (or years!) of online communicating.
I enjoyed that podcast episode too! Rob is the absolute best at a lot of things – I never ever think about my car, for example, any car things just magically happen. But he can never fold a towel in thirds! Never!
I love that you have a car fairy! And hey, if the way he folds the towels is the biggest complaint, you guys are doing okay! 🙂
That long day would’ve done me in! Whew! I went into complete news avoidance last week, as I just couldn’t deal with it along with medical checkups. It was nice to put the news aside. I realize that I’m very privileged to be able to do that, and I’m very grateful. I know a lot of people don’t have that option. But, the highlight of my week was getting the checkup behind me!
I think if you have the privilege to abstain from the news for a little while, you should do so! I really need to step away for a week because it’s all so depressing.
Whoa, all day meetings like that are so exhausting. Yay for making it through and for getting something out of it! I hope it helped a bit with what’s been going on at work <3
It was such a long day! I was so tired and very glad the second day was a half day. I don’t think I could have handled another full day like that!
I could swear I commented yesterday, but it seems to have disappeared.
I really enjoy those work get togethers, because like you, I work from home, and it’s productive to get together sometimes. But wow, those long days can sure wipe you out, right?
I love my vionic slippers, but really love my Munro sandals. I got them at Nordstrom in 2022, and I wear them pretty much every day during the summer, and they’re doing great. I also have high arches, and I don’t know that Munro have a ton of arch support, but I can wear them for hours and be comfortable. And they’re cute.
It was nice to see each other in person! We had some really good discussions that are harder to facilitate on a Zoom call. So I’m glad everything went well, even though I was dreading it.
I’m going to look into those Munro sandals! Thanks for the rec!
OMG, I would have been hiding under the table at a 1.5 day in person meeting. That’s like my worst nightmare. Work ‘retreats’ are….well, they are not my favorite thing. Let’s just leave it at that, shall we? 🙂 I suspect you relate.
And, oh, Stephany. I am right there with you with the news. I have been over-consuming since the inauguration and I know (I KNOW) it is not good for my mental health. But it’s like I can’t stop. Sigh. For me, it’s Threads. The algorithm – for now – is better for me than the one on IG. Which means that, of course, I’ve curated a feed that is very, um, news-heavy. Sigh. Let me know if you have any success putting yourself on a news ‘diet’.
We’re finally past graduation and staring down summer term, thank goodness. I am HERE for a reduced meeting schedule. 🙂