The 99:99 Plan Flexes; and, I Yield to the FO

With the introduction of the rattie sisters, Star and Sable, into our lives two weeks ago, the last couple of weeks have been rough on the 99:99 plan. In the interest of bonding with the new family members, I've been making myself available for interaction whenever I notice that they're awake.

It's working well to create a comfortable relationship between people and rats, but it's tending to disrupt my other activities. I've been missing the occasional day of my chosen exercise, marching in place, and I've been finding myself so wiped out on Saturdays that I spend the day half-asleep in front of the TV.

Fortunately, I've got a strong support system in Gryphon. He's been helping me to get the rest I need on the weekends, and he's been very encouraging as I adjust to the new reality the rest of the week.

One of the things that I've been unhappy with under the new paradigm is that my various projects have been slipping. Originally, I would start the 99 minute, 99 second counter on the timer, and I would pick up whatever task was next on my agenda - a knitting WIP, some beadwork, or blogging and computer maintenance time. When I decided it was time for a meal, or I had to do some other chore around the house (like laundry), I left the timer running and just did it, coming back to the primary project when I was done. When the alarm went off, no matter how much of that 99:99 had been spent on the primary task, I moved on to something else.

The rats have introduced more interruptions to the process. Less was getting done on any given project, and I was less happy with my progress on anything. So I've decided that my 99:99 plan, being flexible, needed to be re-shaped slightly to make me happy with it again.

Starting at the end of last week, instead of applying the 99:99 countdown timer to a specific chunk of time, I'm applying it to a specific project.

Let's say that the knitted baby blanket is the next WIP in line. I'll pick up the knitting and start the timer. Perhaps 25 minutes later I decide it's time for lunch. Under the old plan, I'd keep that timer running, and just go back to the knitting after eating - assuming there was any time left in that 99:99.

Now, however, there's a much greater chance that eating lunch will lead to additional interruptions as the ratties discover I'm having a meal and want to come out for treats and attention. So instead of letting the timer run, I've begun stopping the timer whenever I put down the current project, and starting it again when I pick it up.

The advantage to this is that any project that comes up on my agenda gets the full 99 minutes, 99 seconds of attention before I move on to another one. I'm already feeling more satisfied with the progress I've made on WIPs that have passed through my hands since I started applying the time in this fashion.

BTW, not long ago we did a BP reading here at home, and the numbers were 119/84. Way down from where I'd been running, which was around 150+/90+. Plus, my blood sugar has been running so good on in-office tests that my doctor doesn't feel I need to be checking it on a schedule at all - only if I feel off for some reason. The combination of exercise, meds, and diet are making a difference!

Okay, I Give!

Yesterday, we had a mild, sunny afternoon - perfect sweater weather! I wore my new Homespun cardigan out to our SnB-NH knitting at Panera, and everyone raved about it. I had expressed a few reservations about the design of the piece in my post on Friday, but if everyone was liking it so much - it got me thinking maybe it wasn't so bad.

BTW, thanks also to everyone who posted a comment complimenting me on the sweater! You were actually the start of the trend!

The clincher came, though, when Gryphon and I stopped by the supermarket on the way home to pick up a few things. As I stood contemplating the sour cream choices, a woman who was walking by touched my arm and said, "Excuse me, I just had to ask - did you make your jacket? It's lovely!"

A pleasant conversation ensued where I learned that she was a relatively new knitter who had made herself a scarf from Homespun yarn. That's how she'd recognized the material in the sweater, and that it was likely homemade. I started to tell her about our knitting groups around here, but she said she's from NY, so instead I merely gave her my card with the links for my blogs. She mentioned she'd been interested in doing a shawl next, and I gave her the quicky instructions for doing one from Homespun - "Three skeins, cast on 57 stitches, and just knit until the yarn is gone!"

So, okay. I give in. I completely withdraw any reservations I expressed about how this specific sweater came out. If the first time I wear my first sweater in public gets the kind of reaction it did yesterday, it must be all right.

Are we all happy now?

Star Says

"Just keep that oatmeal coming, and we'll all be happy!"

Technorati : cardigan, pet rat, rats, the 99:99 plan