Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I'm gonna lose it

I don't know what kind of crack I was smoking when I decided to have a wedding, start a new job and begin semi-major home renovations in the first two months of 2009.
I am a pretty lazy person, at least outside of work. I can easily spend my entire weekend on the couch, in my pajamas, playing video games or watching TV while dust collects around me. I really can't remember the last weekend that I got to do anything that wonderful. Instead my weekends and week nights are crammed with errands and to-do lists.
The wedding itself is a nonstop source of little things to do. Pick this out, pick that up, decide what color you want for this, who is going to sit where, blah, blah, blah. When I finally run out of wedding-related errands, I have the home renovations to keep me busy. There are paint colors, wood stains, counter tops, faucets and sinks to mull over. The home renovation decisions are extremely difficult because I need to look at many options and prices so that I can make a sound decision, and this takes me forever. Finally, there is my new job. I've got papers upon papers to read and I can't get to them fast enough, so the pile continues to grow.
The thing is, I am totally fired up about my project. It is 100% mine. I've convinced my PI that the organism I want to work on is tailor made for his lab and he is on board. It seems like he is getting pretty excited too because he is starting to talk to me about setting up collaborations with a nearby (and major) center. I also know he is looking through the literature because he hands me something new to read every other day. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I am glad he likes my ideas, and that he is interested in this project. Unfortunately, I can barely keep up with the literature since my at home reading time is almost nothing.
Obviously, there is little to no time for blogging or reading other blogs. It pains me to look at my Google reader. All of those posts just piling up, waiting for me to read them. Until things slow down, I can only manage one post a week. It's too bad because reading blogs and writing my own blog is something I really enjoy. It was starting to become a nice little evening ritual and I miss it. On the plus side, I should have a lot to post about when all this craziness slows down.
Fortunately, the wedding is in a few weeks and once that is over I should have a shit-ton more free time. I'll get to think about my project more, catch up on my reading and eventually I can get back to blogging on a regular basis (yay!).

12 comments:

PhizzleDizzle said...

The last few weeks before a wedding are definitely crazy. I went through a similar thing, I was trying to teach, research, move, train for a half marathon, and plan a wedding all at the same time. It was insane.

But it will end, and then we will have MXX back!!! Yay!!

I wanted to tag you for something but I didn't because I figured you were busy. :)

Have a fantasmagoric wedding!!

chall said...

From a person who did some of that before... do not stress the wedding. Let loose of that control and try to see it for what it is " A lovely day for the two of you to take a promise together and love eachother".

I know it sounds sappy but it is important to remember when the time grows nearer... people around you will try and exploit you and go with all the "dont you want the wedding to be exactly what you dreamt of" etc... well, F that.

in regards to the house and the work... maybe the house doesnt have to be done before the wedding?Maybe just let it be and focus on the other two things and then pick the other thing up?!

In any event, I wish you the best and if nothing else - a lovely and wonderful wedding day and rest of married life. I am sure it will be one of the best days of your life!!

...and i look forward reading somemore of MXX once things calm down!

Unknown said...

Yay! Happy Wedding! Sorry you're stressed with too much to do though. We'll look forward to hearing more from you when things settle down a bit. In the meantime, have fun!

Cath@VWXYNot? said...

I hear you - I got totally overwhelmed in the run-up to my wedding, during which time I was also interviewing for my current job (multiple interviews with different people). But on the day it seemed totally worth it - it was so much fun to have all my friends and family in one place at the same time!

We'd gone into wedding planning immediately after buying our house, so there were 2 years straight where we saw more of realtors and lawyers and caterers and florists than we did of our friends. Things WILL go back to normal. When we got back from our honeymoon and I started the new job, I realised how great it was not to have to be constantly running around doing errands, to have time to laze around the house or whatever.

Good luck! Your wedding will be awesome and everything else will calm down too!

quietandsmalladventures said...

hang in there, it gets better! i thought i was going to need a long vacation in a padded room when i got married last year. i planned it all during a full load of coursework. for that and all the other great poosts, you've earned this award

but as you're extremely busy, don't feel you need to follow thru, just take it and smile :)

ScientistMother said...

I totally get the OMG I have so much to do and can't blog which I totally miss feeling. Congratulations on the wedding! I don't reading about you planning it but that is so awesome. Enjoy it for what it is and we'll all be here when you get back.

Unbalanced Reaction said...

Wow, you have so much going on! Glad the job is going well, and good luck with the wedding.

Anonymous said...

HAhahahahaha....wow. Minus the changing jobs thing...i am RIGHT there with you. The house has to get done cause everyone and their mother is going to stay with us during the wedding...which reminds me...the WEDDING?!?!

Ugh. I have ZERO time, and the bit i have i don't feel like making decisions about what to write in my blog. its so sad...the one thing that i would prefer not to accumulate dust certainly is.

Hugs MicroXX...your wedding is gunna be Beautiful!! Soon you'll be back to blogging...and letting life just...go.

BTW, johnny and i are going to costa rica for our honeymoon...have you guys decided what youre doing?? that is by far the most fun decision i have made during this crazy hoopala.

Tom said...

MXX,

If you have not planned your honeymoon yet (and I assume you have), may I suggest the Outerbanks of North Carolina. The wife and I honeymooned on Ocracoke Island. It doesn't get any more isolated (2+ hour ferry ride) than that, and the beaches are pristine. No commercial invasion at all (no McD's, or BK, or even Dairy Queen), just sun, surf and relaxation. Affordable too.

Candid Engineer said...

I defended a month and a half after my wedding... maybe not the best timing, but whatever. The last few weeks before a wedding are retarded, so just hang in there and things will calm down soon. Despite the fact that I absolutely hated planning a wedding, I actually went through some kind of wedding planning withdrawal after the big day. Thank goodness I had my dissertation to keep me occupied.

Anonymous said...

I've got just one word of advice:

ELOPE.

No more wedding decisions! See how easy that was!

microbiologist xx said...

PD - Trained for a half marathon! You're my hero. The best I can manage it two, two-three mile runs twice a week and I didn't even manage that last week.

chall - Actually, my problem is that I have no vision for my wedding. I would have preferred to pick a package or checked a box and have been done with it. I am looking forward to the reception though. It should be a pretty fun party.

AA-Thanks!

Cath - Thanks. I can't wait until things calm down. I imagine I will have a new found respect for my couch time after missing it so. I'm still waiting to see if I get a little transient expression of my bride gene.

QASA - Padded room. Hmmmmmm, that sounds wonderful. Thanks for the award. I will get to it...I promise.

ScientistMother - Thanks. Your right. I really didn't blog too much about the wedding, mostly because it would have been a lot more like complaining than blogging. :)

UR - Thanks!!

Rhea - Thanks! It is always nice to hear that others are in similar situations and are making it through.

Rhea AND Thomas Joseph - We are not actually going on a honeymoon. Since I just started my job, I really don't want to take off too much time right now. Plus, I am already taking a quick trip to Mexico a few weeks after the wedding. My boyfriend/husbands band is playing a couple dates in Mexico.

Thomas Joseph - That sounds fantastic. Even though we aren't going to go on a honeymoon, I will keep that in mind the future. We love to travel and we are always looking for somewhere new to go and neither of us have gone there. It sounds exactly like something we would enjoy too. Thanks for the tip.

CE - "The last few weeks before a wedding are retarded." YES! That is exactly what those weeks are. Less than two retarded weeks to go. I don't know if I will know what to do with myself when it is all over.

DrdrA - Yes. My original plan was to marry in some tropical location where I check the box next to the wedding package I want. Obviously that didn't happen. :)