Brain Strain

You know those days when you just think too hard, and it takes every last bit of energy out of you, and you just want to go to bed at 6? Yesterday was one of those days. I spent the entire day researching and starting to formulate a marketing plan. One would think that wouldn't be a big deal for me, since I spent several years working in advertising, researching and formulating marketing plans because my managers were too busy sitting in meetings. (Oh, so ironic, since I was a young college grad with an English major and they had MBAs.) But those marketing plans were (I can say now, since no one can fire me for saying so) total BS, meant to drain the client's budget and make the company enough money to pay the managers to sit in meetings all day and sip expensive coffee. I tried to argue a few times, but it always went like this:

Me: "But, Unholy Boss, a radio campaign won't do the client any good. It won't reach their target market."

UB: "Who cares? Just put it in there."

But now, years after I sold my soul to advertising and have gradually slaved to get it back, marketing is different. I can't blow a big budget because I don't have one. And I actually have to write the checks to pay for it. So I have to be careful and pinch pennies and things.

And that makes my head hurt.

So...after a long day of making my head hurt, I did the stupidest thing I could do. I picked up my lace shawl. I knew it was stupid. I knew I should have worked on a dishcloth or something. But no. I'm much too stubborn. When something gets in my head, I will do it -- even if it makes my brain scream out in agony. Even if it means making endless mistakes and occasionally swearing at the TV for distracting me. I will master the charted lace!

So I finally came to the end of my pattern repeat, and I found it to be...one stitch short. ONE STITCH! And for that tiny little yarn-over, I had to go back and take out two whole rows of SSKs and K2Togs and SK2TogPssos. But I did it. And I didn't even cry -- though, I'll admit it, I was tired, and I came pretty close.

And now I've learned my lesson. I will stop being so stubborn. If my brain is about to explode, I will not force it to read lace charts. I will work on something ridiculously simple, to allow my brain some recovery time.

Because my brain still hurts today. And, to make matters worse, Noisy Neighbor with the Hearse has invited his Noisy Son (who, incidentally, also has a big, noisy truck) over to do some landscaping. There's a lot of yelling and a lot of noisy equipment. And now I think I shall be spending the rest of the day in my other office -- the coffee shop.

BTW -- have you seen Jeanne's blog today? I made her Blog Scavenger Hunt! Sweet! Thanks, Jeanne -- I hope your Adamas is causing you less headaches than mine!