What am I Doing Up?

It's 1:30am as I sit here in my Houston apartment thinking "What am I still doing up at this hour?"

The first problem is I have an awful lot on my mind, and on my plate, these days. The second is that I have gotten my days and nights swapped around again and can't seem to go back the other way. Because I really like working alone, and find that I can generally get so much more accomplished that way, I often choose to work nights and sleep days. It causes a few problems for me, however, like the fact that I can't get clarifications or questions answered when I need them, or the fact that I can never find a decent parking spot at the apartment complex if I come in after 7pm, etc. This morning I will try to go to bed before 3am and be at work by 7am (don't worry...I slept a LOT earlier this evening).

I have more schedule craziness to come over the next few weeks. I have tried to become more active in some of the associations that I belong to, like the PMI and the AITP, so I attend meetings each month and special presentations that come up. Also, I have been attending some other events that are for personal enhancement, education and enjoyment. This includes an upcoming (Jan 31) event to hear Maya Angelou speak, a "Project Management Best Practices" conference, and the birthday part of a long-time friend (typically an event I would avoid, but something I'm going to attend because I think it will do me some good.) And finally, I am trying to get ready to take an extensive exam for my PMP (Project Management Professional) certification, so I'm spending Saturdays in an all-day class and try to study between 1 and 3 hours each day on the topic.

But the biggest upcoming event, and the one I am most looking forward to, is Leo coming home on the 29th. It seems like he's been gone SO LONG this time, and I am so thrilled that he will be home in less than a week!

We've been working on several projects on the house that I am almost ready to share, but I'm saving the updates as a surprise for Leo, so I guess you guys will have to wait to find out more as well. [Be sure and check back at the end of the month. Once Leo's home and has seen everything, I'll be posting updates, photos, and more.]

The family all seems to be doing well, although I haven't seen any of them in a while. Still, the girls call on a regular basis, I get the occasionally email from my 8-year-old granddaughter (do you know how COOL that is!?!), and I see Jess [my bil] and Grace a couple of times each week.

I am in for a change soon as we've decided to give up the Houston apartment for a while. I have been trying to work more from home and less from Houston (with only minor success) and I have less need for the apartment than I have in a while. I'm going to alternate between staying at my sis' house and taking advantage of some of the cheaper hotels in the city. I'm not particularly demanding when it comes to hotels; if they are clean, have a bed and have a shower, I'm good. At this point it's hard to say whether giving up the apartment will save or cost me money in the long run...we'll just have to wait and see.

Ah...I see that it's now 2am and I have a little more studying to do before hitting the hay. I'm currently focusing on Project Management Processes, something I understand pretty well in general, but need to get the specifics down a little better in my mind in preparation for the exam. I would like to be working on something a little more entertaining, like learning more about Photoshop, programming a little in XML, or playing around a bit more in the newest version of Visual Studio. But...all that will have to wait. First things first. And right now that means one more chapter in my book, a quick shower, and a couple of hours of sleep before it all starts again. Nightey night all!