Lunchtime Ramblings: An apology to a former teacher

This is an apology to one of my science teachers at high school, I've changed his name, not for any real reason other than to be mysterious 

Dear Mr Tuna, (for context I've just eaten tuna and that's what my brain decided cling to) 

I owe you an apology.  

I just thought you were a Grumpasaurus who felt you were teaching a class of idiots and giving them a lecture because you hated us.  All of the above may well be true but I think I get it now. 

We'd often get a bit of a telling off for collectively getting things wrong or failing to understand why we were wrong. Sounds standard for school, but occasionally we'd get a bit of a rant going beyond the here and now, you'd start talking about our potential futures and how we'd have to change our approach to succeed or how we may get conned by electricians or plumbers in the future if we didn't think more for ourselves.  I used to think you were making a mountain out a molehill but I think I get it now. 

You weren't telling us we were stupid, you weren't telling us that we'd never handle household repair situations, you were trying to instil in us the need to develop problem solving skills, the need to understand the problem, the need to have an approach to understanding how we would go about identifying a solution. 

I missed the point. Question 7 on a homework sheet about rocks wasn't the important thing.  It was that we didn't look into it, we didn't look at the ways we could find out the answer, we just decided we didn't know and that was that.

I've been putting it into practise for a while  it didn't quite hit me until now.  It's not that we can't ask for help or that not knowing the answer isn't okay, but I need to know how to find the answer. I need to know what information is available to me, I need to know what is within my skill set and what will require assistance. 

I'm sorry, you were right.  

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Lunchtime Ramblings: Out of Mind Experience

It's been a whole week since I did any rambling of the written kind. I've had a really horrible cold over the last week that still hasn't quite faded yet and my head just felt like a huge foggy abyss - not the best mindset for a blog post! 

It's been a strange sort of week where I've been functional but felt like I wasn't quite present.  I've never had an out of body experience but I think this week I may have experienced a few out of mind experiences, if that makes any sort of sense!! 

There's been times this week when I've completed tasks or activities and while I know I've done them, experienced it and remember it clearly, it feels like my body was doing things on auto pilot, keeping me going while I mentally checked out. 

There are plenty of times when I'm not ill and I mentally check out and do things on autopilot, which probably isn't very healthy.  Sometimes I can go along with a normal pattern of routine without really thinking about it, most of the time that's fine, but sometimes it can be a bit of a hinderance.   

I remember hearing someone say in relation to social media that if your are connected everywhere you run the risk of being present nowhere. It's a slightly different topic but I sometimes find that I can be the opposite and be present everywhere and connected nowhere.  

Maybe that's something I need to work on more when I'm germ free and switched on. 

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Bedtime Ramblings: Binge Watching

Missed the lunchtime blog today! I was busy feeling sorry for myself while I tried to fend off my summer cold.  It also feels like an oxymoron, summer cold. 

The only thing I was rambling about at lunch time was probably my runny nose or the elephant having a disco inside my forehead, now that I've had a bit of rest and recouperation and have a bit more of a control on my symptoms, I decided to do a bedtime blog post! 

For the past few days while I've been feeling poorly, along with many other days when I've been feeling perfectly fine, I've been doing a lot of box set binging. 

Its not always a bad thing, sometimes the best way to chill is with one of your favourite TV programmes, for me it's like spending time with company that I can vary my concentration levels with. 

Sometimes I wonder if I'm being a tad unhealthy, quite often episodes of shows I like to watch are released weekly so I don't go overboard, but if I start on something new that's been out for a while or happens to release all of the episodes at once then I can have a habit of watching hours worth of one show in one sitting.  

For example yesterday I watched an entire series of something between coming home from work and going to sleep, on this occasion the episodes were 30 minutes long but when there are 10 episodes, that is still quite a long time to be concentrating on one thing. 

Concerns aside, a good binge watch can be just the remedy I need to relax or aid rest and recuperation. 

Here are a few of my favourite series to binge watch. 

 The Mighty Boosh 

Eccentric, hilarious, amusing. I love the boosh, I always have. Vince Noir and Howard Moon were a discovery in my late teens that helped me to embrace my inner Rachie.  

Their book signing is the only thing I've ever gone out in the middle of the night to queue for and I missed getting wrist band the next morning by 20 people! Did get the book though, just not signed.

Pretty Little Liars  

It got to a point where I couldn't be 100% confident that I wasn't A, but this one was good for capturing my attention, keeping me in suspense and giving me a bit of escapism from studying. 

Gilmore Girls 

I couldn't not include Gilmore Girls in this list! I've watched every season so many times I'm practically word perfect.  I identify with Rory in a lot of ways, Lorelai in others and just adore Luke. Jess also has a special place in my heart.  I'd include the revival series A Year In The Life as well, while it doesn't entirely match up to what I had pictured in the future for them, it's still exquisite. 

Friends 

It's hard not to include this one, it's been present in my life for so long, it's aired every single day and I really am word perfect in this one.   I enjoy some series more than others and didn't always agree with the story lines but even 23 years after it first aired, and 13 years after it ceased production, it still feels relevant and for the most part, timeless. 

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Lunchtime Ramblings: Feeling less than 100%

Tiny violins at the ready, I'm feeling a bit poorly today! 

I'm not sure if it's my hay fever, if I'm getting a cold or I'm just a bit run down but I'm not 100% today.

The downside of not feeling quite 100% is while you feel rubbish, you can't always just stay in bed.

My rule for taking sick days is if my brain can still think and process without thinking 'ahhhh I'm so ill' and I'm still capable of cognitive thought, I'll power through it and go to work.

That's what I've done today, powered through it although I do feel a little like I'm running on empty which isn't a great way to feel when trying to get my creative mindset on.

We also currently have a heatwave in Glasgow today which isn't really helping me although the view from the window is glorious. 

I don't always have to be feeling poorly to feel less than 100%, there are some days when I just feel a little less than being able to give the world the full Rachie experience.  

I've just realised this is coming across as a very woe is me post, so now I'm going to dispense a few of my best perk up tactics when I'm feeling rubbish or running on empty.

Drink All The Water 

It's a no brainer but staying hydrated is probably the best way to perk myself up and keep the body and brain ticking along.

Do Something Silly 

Whether it is at home or at work, I like to do something harmless but a bit daft to keep my creative and silly side active and give myself a nice little dose of endorphins whether it's having a thumb war with a colleague, playing knots and crosses, or wrapping myself up in a duvet pretending to be a sausage roll.   Sometimes the best way to perk myself up is to make a little bit of magic in an otherwise ordinary day.

Treat Myself

I'm not talking about buying myself any fancy cars or taking out a loan to buy a mountain of shoes, but sometimes I find a little bit of joy in the therapy of retail. Sometimes something inexpensive like a can of juice can be the very thing that makes me feel a bit better. 

Rest 

Another no brainer but sometimes my body is sending me a very clear message that I need to calm my jets and just take a bit of quiet time to rest and recouperate.  

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Lunchtime Ramblings: Feeling Crafty

For someone who really likes crafty things I'm really lacking in any craft like ability.

A few Christmas' ago my boyfriend got me a crossstich book because I mentioned I'd like to try it. I thought back to my home economics teacher treating me like an idiot for my inability to thread a needle and I gave up. 

I put learning to crochet on my 28 things before I'm 28 list and struggled to make the first loop, I've made a tiny bit of progress since then, although I haven't yet given up, my plan is to master at least a line before I'm 29. 

Even as a kid, anything artisic or craft like was my least favourite thing to do, it was my idea of hell. Now I'm older it's something I wish I was better at as I think it would be a great creative outlet.

I'm really envious of my friends who do have hobbies like that, which they are amazing at but I try and remind myself that some of them had to learn too. Maybe that's my problem. I don't like it when I can't just pick something up and do it. I want to have all the skills with none of the learning!  

I can do origami, nothing massively complex but I make a good crane, an epic bat, a pretty cool swan and a passable dragon.

I'd like to try and do more crafty things. If you've got any suggestions or tips for picking up crafty hobbies, feel free to suggest. 

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Lunchtime Ramblings: Creativity and Routine.

Yesterday I was thinking about being organised and today I'm thinking about routine. 

Routines are great, I thrive on them. I like having a sense of what usually happens and when, it keeps me in check and keeps me in a semi state of organisation.  

My nephew Ben is autistic and he also relies on a sense of routine and watching his sense of routine amazes me because while he relies on similar patterns of circumstance, he fills each one with something new and different and creative. It's made me look at the way I view routine and creativity and the ways they can work together. 

I like the reliability of routine. You know where to go, what to do and have a rough idea of what will happen so that you can then equip yourself with your plan of how to go about your routine.

Where I can come into a bit of bother with routine is when it doesn't stimulate me. Sometimes I get myself into routines of behaviour and activity for the sake of them and if I lack passion for it, I begin to stagnate.  

I think it's why I chose a creative path, to allow me to take new strands of thought and channel them into new ideas, creations and adventures.   Sometimes though, I succumb to the creature of habit mindset and find myself doing the same things repeatedly and expecting new results.

I've recently started doing these lunch time blogs and putting myself into a bit of a routine with that, but the second it stops being enjoyable or I'm just doing the same thing every day I'll stop.  I want to use these little impromptu blogging moments in my day to reach into my mind at the quietest point of my day and see what inspiration and creativity lies in there.  

Sometimes I feel like I need to break the routine in order to be creative but I think my problem is conditioning myself into patterns of behaviour within my routine which then limits my creativity. 

I'm gonna try every day to be more of a free spirit, to try new things and identify new ways of being creative within my routine environment.

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Lunchtime Ramblings: Organised Mind

I like to think that being organised is one of the strongest skills I have. I can plan things in detail and I think well on paper which helps in a work sense.  In a personal and work sense I often have a to do list for my to do list. 

When I was at college and university I had a list with all my tasks organised my tutor and due date taped to my bedroom door so that whenever I left or entered my room I'd be reminded of what I needed to do and could highlight as I completed things.

This year, I've let my organised side slide and allowed my brain to become frazzled and overloaded while I fly by the seat of my pants. Starting today - that stops! I need my head to be in a place of tranquility and clear vision not scrambled among different things. 

Here are a few tools and methods I find useful - mainly to serve as a reminded to myself to use them but if they are useful to anyone else - then awesome!

Mind-mapping

I love a good mind map, getting all my thoughts out on paper as I'm planning things and organising them into branches of thought.  Paper and online are both good for me. Some good online ones to try are Barvas and XMind.

Passion Planner

I ordered a passion planner at the beginning of the year to help me stay organised in my planning of personal goals at work and in my personal life like blogging and volunteering.  I did great for a month or so and then I let it slide.  I'd like to use this properly. I might by another one and start again.

Calendar on the wall

I have a big monthly calendar on my wall that I use to write important things on in bright colours to remind me of things I can't forget! Again, I've let this slide. Although for the sheer benefit of having Sherlock characters on my wall, I've just kept it up.

Good old fashioned pocket diary 

I like to have a pocket sized diary for writing down important things I can't Miss that lives in my bag and I can refer to at any point. Not used one at all this year, bit late in the year to start one. Next year for sure! 

Phone reminders

I've probably utilised this one the most this year, I could be more militant with it though. That's the plan going forward anyway. 

How do you stay organised? Any tips? Let me know! :-) 

Back to my desk time, with a more organised brain than the one I left the house with this morning.  

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