I’m sitting in my home office not technically working. I was hoping to be writing an article for GameTextures right now, but my flash drive has apparently decided to not read on my Girlfriend’s Mac Book. I have an electrician doing work on a new panel in the basement, so the Substance Designer work I wanted to do is having to wait. We’re having a wall outlet replaced and the two electricians I had take a look at some stuff for the job all said the same thing: Our Panel is too tightly packed. I had planned for this with putting a few things on the Flash Drive, but if it’s broken (or maybe this laptop is, I don’t know) that ends my plans.
Perhaps it’s for the best anyway. After a slow start, 2018 has been absurdly busy. I’m in the middle of a contract, art test, and teaching job right now. I have 50 or 60 kids in my three classes at Drexel right now, and even-though I’ve taught ANIM 140/CGI I before, it’s still a beast of a class to tame. I am fast to answer student questions and I try to make time to see them but I have other work that needs to be done too. It also doesn’t help that my teaching schedule is Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday Night, and Thursday afternoon. I walk to the subway, walk to and in my classes, and walk back. By the time I get back on Thursday, I’m completely exhausted from not just the commute, but from teaching and helping others as well.
Working has been difficult the past few weeks. Between tying to get my own asset kit online and finishing The Park Bench (both of which have taken back seats), I’ve signed on to work on “arting” up a level for a VR shooter. It’s fun (Unreal ftw!) and it pays well. Between that and my teaching, I have very little time for other work. I want to make my weekend personal art time, but I’ve blocked out this weekend for a texture test I’ve been working on. Everything overlaps with everything else.
Maybe I should have rescheduled the electrician.
I’ve taken to waking up at 6am most days. My internal clock isn’t a fan of this. It would rather wake me up around 9 or so, but if I’m up at 6 I can squeeze in 5 or more hours of work before I head off to teach. I’ve cut my workouts back to three times a week too, instead of four. This was done a little while back, but I’ve since swapped gyms to a closer facility and there is no way I have the time to modify that now. I’m actually liking the change up as my strength keeps increasing, but I’ve found my Wednesday workout gets cut short most times. I just keep running late.
I guess that leads me to my Fridays. Even if I didn’t have any drinks last night (I had some), I’d still be mentally fried. I have been the last 4 weeks. I think I’ll need to modify my schedule more and make my Saturday and Sundays almost full work days. My Friday needs to be a weekend to recharge. It’s not just my mind, my body is exhausted too. Walking to the train, working out, riding the spin bike…when I say I’m exhausted on Friday, I am. By the time my class rolls around on Thursday, it’s a toss up on my energy level. Tuesday I’m chipper and ready to teach! Thursday I’m either struggling to push though the content or I’m excited to share my knowledge. Total crap shoot.
It sounds like I’m complaining, and because I want to do nothing more than take a nap and eat lunch right now, I am. But in general, I’m enjoying the current pace of life. I like the pressure, the hustle, the speed at which work needs to be done. And I believe that I can get it all taken care of. Perhaps that belief is a tad misplaced because I’m so burnt on Friday. I feel especially burnt today…I need to manage my Thursday happy hour better. On the hangover scale this is a two, but on the mental capacity scale I’m at a -10.
That’s why there’s tomorrow.
2-2-18