Sunday, January 15, 2006

Airports

Lazy Sunday, just the way I like it. Actually I had a pretty rough sleep -- my body doesn't seem to handle sugar in the evenings well -- I can't seem to fall asleep.

Today I am headed back to Victoria. The week was pretty productive, due in no small part to getting a good night's sleep rather than working into the early mornings (ironic in a way).

Goal for the day: just observe my surroundings. I live inside myself so much that it is refreshing to carefully the people, places, and things around me. From the pattern on my PDA case to the spots on the ceiling tiles to the shuffling gait of the person in the turquoise sweater. Trying to guess the emotions and needs of a person walking past.

I have learned from my past mistakes, and so for today's trip I have equipped myself with consumables: half a bottle of orange juice, jalapeno Mrs. Vickies, and a large chocolate-chunk cookie.

Yesterday was supposed to be a good day. I had a little 1-day project, very doable, with likely success (though a small amount of risk). I had relaxing environments in which to work - the hotel lobby with background jazz music, or my room with sunlight streaming through the blinds.

And yet the experience was harrowing. Beset with complications and slow progress, I barely finished before the 5 PM presentation to the CEO. No amount of jazz music or shafts of sunlight could alleviate the intense stress bearing down on me those hours. The only thing that could have alleviated it would have been time -- twice as much of it.

Anyway, it had a happy ending. Finished in the nick of time (funny how it always happens that way). The experiment worked.

Lack of sleep is never desirable, but it has one redeeming quality, for me at least. On those days I am hardly a productivity machine, but I am more pensive, conversant, meditative. Jon the efficient engineer fades away and Jon the poet philosopher steps in for a spell.

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