Today was a busy but good day.  It was the kind of day where although I was swamped with loads of paperwork, the burden didn't seem so heavy and despite the vog, I had an overwhelming sense of peace and hope.  I had an implicit understanding of the days objectives and goals without my boss uttering a word.  I set off with my tired brain set on focus and I was ready to get my job done.  It was almost like being a computer automatically running tasks in the background.

A couple of cups of black coffee and a pile of paperwork deep and I was feeling good.  It didn't matter that I had only 3 hours of low quality sleep, it didn't matter that I had a load of paperwork yet to complete... I decided to use the break time I had before lunch to do some blogging work even though I normally use that time to catch up on "day job" work or to work ahead so I have more open time in the afternoon and evenings... That was my first mistake.  I took my mind off of the day job autopilot and into a whole 'nother world full of wandering and wondering...little of it work related.

Honestly, I'm normally able to simultaneously multitask my "day job" duties while working on the blog with little hassle and great ease.  Normally multitasking in such a way is not such a noteworthy event.  Today, however, I found myself blogging more than I normally do at the office- so much so that it spilled into my lunch hour.  Good thing I had already  made fresh juice to have in lieu of lunch (partial juice fast reset)...

I'm normally able to spit out engineering reports, proposals, budgets and the like in quick succession and have it ready for my boss and on his desk before he expects it.  I pride myself in being super efficient at work.  Not so efficient today.  Perhaps it was the exhaustion, perhaps it was the fact that I was so very inspired by so many of the blogs that were showing up in my bloglovin' dashboard that I kind of blew off finishing my reports and invoicing budgets and my mind began to wander.  It wandered all over the place.  I started making lists for things I didn't need but wanted to get because I decided I wanted to start crafting even though I have no talent for it.  I decided at that moment that I wanted to start making jewelry again which is something I loved doing but haven't done in years.  Then I got inspired by all the decorating ideas people were blogging and decided I wanted to purchase blank canvases and make patterns and paint them to use as wall decor to brighten up my home.

That mind of mine wandered all throughout space and time, everywhere and anywhere except to work. The phone then rang and BAM! back to reality.  I looked at the clock and saw that I had all too many day job tasks yet to complete and got back on that train and started to work...and work and work.... As I worked, as I typed, as I crunched numbers and reviewed engineering reports, the wandering thoughts began to creep back into my mind.  It went a little somethin' like this:

Total project budget: $23,000 quarterly... and teal would perfectly accent the decor in the room....*focus Jean*.... budget set, approved and filed.  Obtain copy of records from... I wonder if I would have time to do some baking when I get home... Print file and plans, put on boss' desk..  Ask the assistant to please get copies of the client files from the cabinet..and oh, I wonder where she got her nails done? ....

It was that kind of day.  I tried and worked and accomplished but it took twice as long because my tired yet busy mind wandered...and wondered and wandered some more.  I'm just thankful none of my reports accidentally mentioned any of the thoughts wandering through my mind.  At one point I found myself typing the sig "Jean @ WhatJeanLikes"... woops!! ...back space..back space.. back space....  I truly intended to get all of my work done, I truly did.  Although I got most of it done, I could have done more if I could just stop that wandering mind of mine...

Even now as I type this and listen to a compliation of Mozart, Chopin and Beethoven... my mind wanders to topics unrelated to blogging and lists for work that I need to get done tomorrow.  Isn't that just how it is sometimes?  When you need to focus on work, the mind... she wanders... and then when you have to focus on other things... the mind... she wanders to work related and stressful topics.  I'm so happy tomorrow is Wednesday.  I love the fact that it's mid-week and the slump of the early week blues seems but a distant memory and the hope for the weekend seems all the more close.

Happy mid-week, hump day, Wednesday to you all!!

Hopefully the rest of the week will have less wandering and more focus... doubtful!

Aloha,

Oh the unmitigated joy of spending these precious moments with the littles in my life...  Whether it's with my son Alaka'i or my nieces Alohilani and Kaliko, I treasure the quality time I get to spend with each of them.  Yesterday I had the absolute pleasure of spending my lunch hour with the youngest little in my life, my niece/Goddaughter Alohilani.  While the two older littles were at school studying away, I got to watch my niece for an hour or so while my sister-in-law ran errands in preparation for their upcoming move to another part of the island.

I had a lot of meetings lined up in the early morning that I had finished with early so I was able to make extra time to spend with her.  One of the few perks of my "day job" is that although I have bosses, I pretty much run my own schedule and can make concessions and changes as needed during the work day.  So I went home and met Alohi who was waiting ever so patiently for me outside the front door with her mommy.  As I walked her into the house, I asked this precious 2 1/2 year old girl what she wanted to eat or do and she said, "bath time"!  So naturally, I obliged.  This girl loves bath time, like loves it.  She chose to be bathed in my large kitchen sink because she's still a petite little and likes to be able to look out and see everything.



Bubbles were blown, water was splashed and she had a great time.  It's funny how even when you're having a bad day, a child can completely turn that day around.  She lit my world with sunshine that I dearly needed as I was stuck in a pensive sort of grumpy haze.

I'm so thankful to have had that hour or so with my darling Aloha yesterday.  My darling little protege.

I hope you all are having a good week and are able to spend time with the ones you love most.

Aloha,

It's been a hazy, voggy, headache-y sort of day here on the island of O'ahu... It's one of those hot, muggy and humid days where the vog rolls on in from Kīlauea volcano on the Big Island laying its blanket of haze on everything around you.  It rolls in ever so sneakily in the middle of the night on the backs of the warm, slow, southern winds and stays awhile to diffuse the sun and make everything look a little foggy, a little hazy and oh so voggy.  It sounds romantic, the idea of a haze coming in and blanketing an island, but it's not.  With the vog comes a sticky, oh so humid feeling with little to no winds which doesn't make a girl feel all that great.  I suppose for those from cold climates, it would be a welcome change, but for me and many like me, the vog is a literal headache that rolls in far too often to our island.

What is vog?

Vog is a form of air pollution that results when sulfur dioxide and other gases and particles emitted by an erupting volcano react with oxygen and moisture in the presence of sunlight. The word is a portmanteau of the words "volcanic" and "smog". The term is in common use in the Hawaiian islands, where the Kīlauea volcano, on Hawaiʻi Island (aka "The Big Island"), has been erupting continuously since 1983. Based on June 2008 measurements, Kīlauea emits 2,000 - 4,000 tons of sulfur dioxide every day.

Literally, it's sulfur fog that blankets everything, dulls the vibrant colors of the ocean and vegetation to the naked eye, makes growing a garden very difficult and oh, causes migraine like headaches to those who are sensitive.  Of course, I'm the kind of person who has allergies to pollen, dust and weather changes so the vog creates a not so fun, oh so headache-y type of feeling within me. Were it not for Advil, I would scarcely function during voggy, hazy days like today.



You know, the vog used to come throughout certain seasons in the year when I was growing up but in the last few years, it seems that the vog is all the more present, paying visit to all the islands on a more frequent basis. Perhaps it just likes to come to O'ahu because of all the shopping? haha.

Regardless, as bad as it makes me feel, as dull as it makes the vibrant colors normally surrounding you, it does create a kind of soft, diffusing blanket in the horizon that makes the vibrant and colorful sunsets here look like a gradient sky full of shades of purple, gold and red.  It's a rather enchanting effect that I would enjoy were it not for the negative symptoms and side effects the vog brings.

The photos above were taken nearly a year ago, on a voggy and hazy day much like today where it's so humid you feel sweaty less than an hour after you shower.  The gradient, hazy sky created by the vog is kind of a romantic type of scene that you could sit in the sand and enjoy with me at Laniakea Beach in Hale'iwa on O'ahu's North Shore with a cool drink in hand.

I think it's contributing to my oh so pensive, somewhat bummed mood the last two days.  I know that it surely hasn't helped but hey, I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world so I need to just take it all in and be thankful to be in such a lovely place.  Perspective Jean... perspective.  I always have to remind myself of that when I get down in the dumps or grumpy in a hazy headache-y sort of way... Perspective is the difference between a happy person and a miserable one.  I remember hearing that in a movie with Diane Lane... Under The Tuscan Sun (I believe) and although I don't know where that quotation originated from before I saw that movie, it holds true in every situation.  Must. Maintain. Perspective.

Hope you have a lovely and wonderful night and an even better day ahead.  Were you ever to visit our lovely state, may I suggest some Advil for the headache or whatever allergy medication you take if you're an allergic sort of person like me.

For more of my photos click here: What Jean Likes Photography

Here's to us, to maintaining perspective and not letting the headache-y, down in the dumps days get us down!

Aloha,

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Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend ...

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