After five days, the heater in my apartment has finally been repaired. On Wednesday morning before I went to work I visited the manager's office to complain that my apartment's heat was still not functioning, and had not since the previous Saturday. The personal appearance must have worked, and I was truly relieved to return home after a stressful day at work to find a warm space. There was evidence that maintenance workmen had been there because a lamp, a brush, and a painting near the heater cabinet had been moved. And the space heater which management had lent to me, was gone. I thank it, and them, for its service.

The heat is on at work too, as store renovations continue and a regular seasonal advertising flurry is upon us. I now have some management responsibility in regards to the sign crew, so I have to learn how to work with people if I must assign them tasks or criticize their work. I have never been good at this, but Mr. Manager has given me some tips on how to do this. Meanwhile, our local Trader Joe's slogan is "Sign control!"

I have had many problems managing my time, over the years, and I continue to struggle now. One of my friends has recommended a time management book by David Allen, called "Getting Things Done," which she said has helped her a lot in her work. I need this not only for Trader Joe's signs but for art production and learning at home. You see, I have finally achieved "True American" status, because I am busy all the time. Now let's see if I have time enough to read the book.

The "Hole in the Wall" house portrait is on my art desk and I have mostly finished inking it. It should be done soon. If the people at "Hole in the Wall" buy it, then I will have to make another one for the June show. My Starbucks art is not completely undone, because a friend who manages another Starbucks has invited me to decorate not one, but three boards in his store. I have also returned, after a few month's halting, to the point in calculus where I got bewildered. My mathematical studies throughout these years have tended to go in epicycles, rather like the pre-Copernican planets, where they roll forward on their orbits but every so often go "retrograde" and make a separate sub-orbit before they can return to their main path. Or so it looked from an Earth that had not yet been redeemed by science and higher mathematics, let alone coffee and modern heating systems.

Posted at 2:35 am | link