The Sunday Circle (10.23.16)

For the origins of the Sunday Circle, check out Peter M. Ball’s blog!

A little late on my post for today, and that’s probably going to be somewhat symptomatic of what this week will be like. A change in the hubby’s schedule has thrown everything back out of whack (as it usually does), and added another massive dose of stress to the family life (through no fault of his own, I might add–it’s just what Residency is). It’s been a hard day to think about what I want to get done this week. The weekend has been exhausting and frustrating and disappointing, the kiddo has been tantruming like a mini-madman the last two days, I’ve been foggy-headed and brain-dazzled (to the point of leaving my front door open while out of the house for five hours yesterday…), flash flooding in Worcester a few days ago caused some car damage to the hubby’s car which we’re still trying to figure out how to get fixed, someone stole some things out of my car the other day (partially my fault, and thankfully nothing that was important–but we know there are opportunists in the neighborhood, and usually I’m quite good about keeping the car locked, but I must have forgotten (like the front door, and compounding the front door incident given that I *know* what the neighborhood can be like)). And then we’ve got company coming this week (which will be good, but again, disruptive to the typical routines), and we’re mid-12-day-shift, which means the weekend only provided a fraction of the recuperation time I’ve needed, particularly given the stress levels ramping up, SO…yeah.

(edit: I think it actually does me some good just to list out all the things that have been going on, because it makes me realize I’m not overreacting by being stressed out! Ha! Minor victories…)

This week I’m working on: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I had some plans earlier last week for what I’d try to get done this week, but no. I’m calling an emergency PLAY IT AS IT LIES week. If the opportunity and interest strike (as they often do), I’ll plink around on the current rewrite or maybe work on some scene list stuff, but otherwise, I am requiring nothing, without guilt. I can tell when the stress gets this high and the mind starts tripping up on regular day-to-day tasks, it’s time to step back and do some self-care, so that’s what I’m going to focus on this week.

What’s inspiring me this week: I am completely consumed by Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life. I picked it up for my b-day present to myself, and since getting past the opening chapter on her relatives and their architectural firms in San Francisco (still interesting, but exhaustive), I have not been able to put it down. I’m about halfway through after picking it up just this past week, and it’s 500 pages. It’s exhaustiveness is what’s making it so fascinating: all the details about her life, her family, her relationships, her approach to writing and what motivated her themes and points of interest, her connections with movers and shakers in the 1940s The New Yorker scene, and the fallout after “The Lottery” was published is just…gripping. It’s a fascinating biography of a ’40s housewife/career woman, and a literary genius to boot.

And still Gotham, of course, though Barbara is pissing me off. I’m almost accepting the way they’re going with her, if only because they are really doubling down on the “deeply troubled society princess” idea, and almost making it work. We’ll see. I want to understand why she is the way she is, and why anyone puts up with it. I haven’t seen it yet–and this is in a show that somehow manages to portray Penguin as believably cunning and manipulative–so I really want to see them do her character justice rather than just fall back on the “Oh, but she’s so pretty,” thing. I’m still hopeful, though! And despite that, I’m still in love with the entire show otherwise. SO MUCH LOVE!

Oh, and the new Project Runway: Fashion Startup. It’s like Dragon’s Den but specifically for fashion! I’m fascinated with the business-iness of creative careers, so it’s an interesting thing to watch creatives pitch for investment.

(OH, and Florence and the Machine’s Ceremonials, and particularly “What the Water Gave Me” which is totally in-tune with the short WiP.)

What I’m avoiding: I’m just going to leave this here, because the answer is pretty much EVERYTHING until I figure out how to get back in sustainable balance. Sometimes, one just needs a step back to regroup. (Have I mentioned recently how much I cannot wait for Residency to be over in…oh…two and a half more years?)