Smiling while failing

Technology failed me during these past two weeks. This is how I started the morning:

If you soften your gaze and back away slowly, the fail whale will appear.

Blue screens lit up my work computer throughout the weekend and the beginning of the week. I also caught some version of the plague Saturday night, but meetings and computer repair issues brought my germy-body to the office on Monday and Tuesday.

At times the sinus pressure was so great that my right eye would start pouring as I talked to coworkers. I’m pretty sure they wanted to swat me away with a Lysol wipe.

Add to this the fact that Tader and I broke up over the weekend. So, I’m sick, newly single, and my work computer is seizing. Sigh. These are my first-world problems.

Tader and I have a three-bedroom apartment, so we had to move the bedroom furniture (which he owns) to one end of the apartment and I dragged myself to Ikea several times to furnish my new bedroom. Putting together Ikea furniture while on cold medicine is slightly amusing…especially after the bed frame falls apart for the fourth time.

I eventually recovered from my sickness, just in time for our RuPaul’s Drag Race watch party!

RPDR is an amazing show and available on Logotv.com for free. One of the sponsors is Absolut: Cocktails Perfected, so I had to buy some Absolut for the party. Did you know that Absolut is three times more expensive than Bacardi? Bejesus…

There is more going on than sickness and drag queens. The dogs took the furniture rearrangement poorly. Gertrude almost broke her kennel in protest and Harley is unamused.

I’m also volunteering at the IRS VITA program, AccountAbility Minnesota, again!

I basically prepare taxes for low income individuals. I don’t mind preparing taxes – it’s fun, challenging, and a great networking opportunity.

Preparing taxes for underserved communities is also very encouraging. It makes my Ikea furniture woes, dying work computer, and head cold seem like minor annoyances. Many of my clients are single parents making under $20,000 a year. If they can juggle two jobs, kids and still find the resources to donate to charity, then I can spend four hours of my week preparing taxes for free.

I also found time to hang out with the people that matter,

…and made progress on my album!

That’s my setup before I moved my studio post-breakup. The new room is green, but the elements are the same.

This weekend is dedicated to catching up on work. After that it is time to bond with Ableton.