Adjusting...

It's been wonderful to see everyone's posts about the Drea Leed conference. I remember how inspired I was by the last one. But lately I've had to recognize that there is only so much time in my life and as inspiring as I find Elizabethan, I 1) no longer can feasibly wear it, 2) cannot dedicate the time required to make it 3) have very little use for it since the SCA is not featuring largely in my life at this point and time. I find these revelations rather sad since I really enjoy the intellectual aspect of the recreation of a beautiful piece of clothing.

I am trying to figure out how to engage that aspect of my brain in other pursuits that I actually have some time for. One of the things I've appreciated is that the fitting techniques I apply for Elizabethan "costuming" can be applied to modern sewing as well- even though the silhouette is different. So can the embellishment techniques- not that I have a lot of time for that either. I'll admit that I don't have the opportunity to make and wear something as shiny and beautiful as Elizabethan dresses in modern life. But I can put beading and embroidery on normal wear and I can make and layer fabric and ribbon embellishments for regular wear as well.

I am still hoping to make some Persian clothing. I bought lots of silk for that purpose but I'm having trouble getting the research information from my sources. I guess I need to pester them again. I am lousy at finding materials online. I don't use the right words I guess. I'm hoping that I can make the Persian tunics in such a way as to make them somewhat usable for dress clothing too. Without the resources, I'm not sure if that's possible or not but it's worth investigating. There is a lot of work involved in making and embellishing Persian to wear it only once or twice a year at an SCA event.

I am enjoying my knitting, although time to do that is also at a premium and so progress is slow. I think, if I'm honest, my job takes most of my energy so that, by the time I get home, I just don't have much oomph for anything. (Oh and speaking of jobs, I still don't have my new title or salary. I have applied for the job so it exists and the waiver of search has cleared affirmative action so I'm hoping by Sept 1 everything will be in place...keep your fingers and toes crossed!)

Right now I just can't keep up. My house is a certified disaster which needs a very thorough cleaning, but first I have to get things organized so they can be put away, which is proving to be the bigger challenge. It's bad enough that my mom walked in and immediately understood why I wasn't going to be having any company any time soon. The spiders have taken over the front window with webs and huge tunnels, and I've left them there because they are killing the moths that keep eating my wool. The floor is so cluttered with "stuff" that I haven't been able to take a vacuum to it. I find it offensive and I still can't get it clean. Something has to be done soon!

Of course when I sew, I sew. The whole house suffers because I just leave scraps where they fall, threads and pattern pieces too. Fabric get's trotted out to examine and gets left where it sits. I'm a messy, messy sewer. But I get things done quickly because I'm not wasting time cleaning up. However, two skirts, a dress and three sets of bloomers later, it's really time to clean up the sewing mess. I still have stuff to do but I should pause for a little disaster recovery effort. But...but...but...if I'm cleaning I'm not working on the projects that I want to get done...like that third skirt which I'm dying to finish before Saturday (never mind that it's currently just a pile of three different fabrics).

Right now, it doesn't help that the lack of sleep leading up to my church convention kicked my hiney into a summer cold on Saturday. I'm whupped. My nose is running, my sinuses are clogged and, of course, I'm coughing up a lung again. I'm also sitting in an office that is currently 90 degrees F and that started the day at 80 degrees. It's wilting weather.

Adjusting to a new dean has also been a challenge and I'm learning that I have to delegate a whole lot more stuff.

Currently I'm working with Web Communications and our Dean to create a brand new website. I am also working with Marketing to create a newsletter to go out to the alumni to tell them about all our new changes (New dean, new building, new organization structure, new focus....). Both of these are scheduled to be ready by the first of January.

So many changes means that a lot of our Marketing materials will need to be updated but currently the one I'm starting on is the postcard that goes out to donors as a thank you for their gift. I will be working with the OSU Foundation on that one.

AND... lest I forget (as if that's possible) we are supposed to move back into the newly named Furman hall in late December or early January and I am in the process of trying to figure out what furniture will work in the new spaces and will be purchasing all new pieces for all offices, public and common areas. Additionally, I am puzzling out how to use this lovely gift of open spaces with no doors or storage most effectively and maintain confidentiality. (I truly believe architects live on another planet and the people who know better were only concerned with guiding the process in creating a space that will be pretty for donors to look at and not usability.) Creating a functional office space that has appropriate privacy and confidentiality is truly going to be a challenge.

Somewhere along the line, I have to also learn all the HR and Finance aspects of my new job so that when my boss leaves at the end of November, I'm ready to take over. I'm really quite overwhelmed.