Step Into My Office Baby

Productivity was the name of the game this week. In the absence of an office job, I have been concentrating on things to occupy my time here in Portland. In addition to the list of incomplete projects and tasks that I need to attend to, I have also signed up for some volunteering positions with local preservation organizations. I'm hoping that by mingling with other like-minded community members that I might get more leads on potential projects -- or at the very least make a few new friends and become more informed. As I continue to read about preservation issues in Portland, I am beginning to understand the growing need for the city to incorporate policies into their smart-growth plans that include provisions for historic buildings and districts. I'd like to be able to put my free time to good use and maybe find a job while I'm at it!

Also, though, I have set my mind to doing tasks that will help make Jesse's life easier while he is working for two different companies. I still haven't gotten around to doing laundry or cleaning the bathroom (ugh), but I did take Jesse's suits to the dry cleaners on Wednesday and took care of some administrative tasks that would have otherwise sucked out an hour of his workday. If I can put some of my skills to work for him -- like editing and writing when necessary -- then maybe he can feel more relaxed during the week and we can have more free time to go out and do fun things.

Today, Jesse is downtown at the office, so I'm going to try and finish up a few tasks that would prove distracting to him at home -- like vacuuming out our new credenza and moving our office supplies into it's drawers and cabinets. I finished the runner on top and it looks quite spiffy, so now the only thing left to do is make it functional! Also, I need to arrange a few more decorative items on top so we stop using it as a collection point for miscellaneous papers.

After the work is done, I'm hoping to have a little bit of free time to do some fun things, like continuing to expanding my Portland Love Quilt and tackling a small pile new fabric that has been lurking on my ironing board all week.

Even though we just went to Anna and Brian's for a Trivial Pursuit game night on Wednesday, I think I'm going to also try and convince Jesse that we should have our own game night tonight. After all, it is Friday. I'm thinking a Risk extravaganza is in order.