Monday, September 23, 2013

a day in the life

Let me explain what's about to happen: I regularly read a blog called Keeper of the Home. It's about natural living, homemaking, homeschooling, and being a "Proverbs 31 woman". None of which I really identify with. But I enjoy the blog nonetheless and want to try and implement some of the things I've learned from it. I've already made my own granola bars and I have plans to start making my own deodorant, toothpaste, and kombucha. Just for fun.

Recently, Keeper of the Home has been doing a "Day in the Life" series, featuring different women and a typical day in their lives. It may seem mundane, but I always find those kinds of details fascinating. I actually want to know what you ate for breakfast this morning and what time you went to sleep last night.

So, I decided to document a day in the life of myself. Read on and prepare to be rapt. The particular day I documented was Wednesday, September 11, 2013.

6-6:15 am The alarm goes off and 10 times out of 10, I press the snooze button.

6:15-6:45 am I bargain with myself for more sleep. Do I really need to fix my hair much this morning? Can I just grab a (homemade) granola bar on my way out the door instead of eating cereal? Do I already have an outfit picked out for the day?

6:30-6:45 am I get up and trudge to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. Routines and rituals help me get going in the morning, but they also weigh me down with their mundane repetition. I've heard it's good for your brain to switch up your routines and try new ways of doing the same old things. I should brush my teeth in the kitchen or something.

7-7:20 am Put on make up and do my hair while listening to NPR - my best friend in the morning.

7:20-7:30 am I make my lunch and eat my breakfast (or pack my breakfast to eat at work).

7:30-7:40 am Get dressed (never forgetting earrings and perfume), gather my various bags for the day, make sure the curling iron/straightener is unplugged, and head out for the day.

7:40-8 am Drive to work and either listen to NPR or a Morning Prayer podcast (with weird Native American sounding music).

8-8:25 am Turn on my computer, check email, Facebook, a few blogs (always Two Pitties), turn on office Keurig.

8:25 am Fill Keurig with water and make first cup of coffee.

8:45 am Fill out counseling log from last night (I am a counseling practicum student this semester), call dentist to confirm next appointment, email my friend Paula about our sorority's budget.

8:59 am Let a student into the building's computer lab, help other students sign up for mock trial try-outs, talk to a custodian about the nighttime custodian's consistently poor cleaning job.

9-10 am Process mail, talk to students and professors.

10-10:40 am Listen to students voice their concerns over a new program at the school.

10:40 am Turn institutional surveys into a professor and eat part of an apple.

10:50-11 am Talk to a student.

11-12 pm Organize calendar and work on various tasks.

12-1 pm Eat my lunch in an abandoned (vacant) office in the building, study for the NCE, distract myself by reading about sleep paralysis on my phone.

1-2 pm Various work at my desk.

2-2:30 pm Two students stop by.

2:30 pm Have my second cup of coffee and a mini Twix pilfered from a professor's desk.

3:30-4 pm Drive to practicum site, listen to Evening Prayer.

4-5 pm Supervision at my practicum site.

5-6 pm Sit in with a client.

6-7 pm Write notes about previous session and wait for lead counselor to check them.

7-7:30 pm Chat with lead counselor and get ready to leave site.

7:30-8 pm I drive home, listen to a second round of evening prayer (Jesuit, this time). Apparently I was really feeling the need for prayer this day. When I got home I talked to my roommate for a little while.

8-9 pm My roommate and I went for a walk around Rice University.

9 pm When we got home I ate a snack and started watching a show on 9/11. I got on Hulu intending to watch Colbert or something like that, but was persuaded by an ad to watch the 9/11 documentary. It's weird how watching news coverage from that event still puts a tight, sickening knot in my stomach. Eventually I paused the show to brush my teeth and take a melantonin.

10:15 pm I paused the show again to talk to my friend on the phone about our duties as alumni council to our old sorority.

11 pm I finally got in the shower. I'm supposed to go to bed at 10... Typical.

11:30 pm I finally finished the 9/11 show.

12 am I turn out my bedside lamp and already regret staying up so late.

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