Buying beef

Shopping for a bit of beef has been as exciting as my week has been.  We picked it up yesterday, and processed it this morning.  I wonder if that shouldn't have been the royal "we", as David did most of it while I stood around half asleep.  We later went to the library and I walked across the parking lot to mail a couple of letters.  The fresh air felt so-o-o good, and helped wake me up a bit.  I sure hope I sleep better tonight.

  Actually, I think I've been in a bit of a fog most of the week.  The art club I belong to has another workshop scheduled for Mar 9th and 10th, with a highly respected, internationally known teacher who, after much persuasion agreed to do it.  He doesn't generally teach, and there has been a lot of interest in this class, but that hasn't been reflected in the number of registrations, and we won't even "break even". The woman, who is acting as the liaison between the teacher and the club, got in a bit of a "tizzy", and many, many e-mails were exchanged between committee members.  These emails reflected a lot of things, such as the committee's frustration with a chair who rarely communicates, has not shown any leadership, and only talks about how she wasn't supposed to be in this committee and will be gone as soon as she can get rid of the responsibility.  The class liaison reverted into the style of a previous life, and became a raging harpy of a micro-manager, despite her obvious difficulty in reading an e-mail before responding to it.  All of this lasted about five days, and left me exhausted, mainly from biting my tongue and using every skill I have ever developed in terms of people management.  I finally, under remarkable self control, sent out an e-mail outlining the communication issues with e-mail versus face to face communication, suggesting that offence may have been taken,where none was intended, and that we should meet face to face. Quickly came two short, quick e-mail with general but vague apologies, and agreeing that a meeting was needed, and since then, dead silence.  For that I am grateful.  I think there are times when I would rather deal with propane heaters than a group of otherwise competent, middle-aged women, who engage in guerrilla warfare over the least important things, with smiles on both of their two faces, and gentle but lethal words.  I guess I am also grateful that a previous life prepared me for that sort of thing.  I actually went to an in-service presentation once that was entitled "Guerrilla Warfare".

There has been little time in the studio this week, but I did manage to get my handouts for Neepawa ready for printing.  David says that, considering they are 12 pages long, we would be better to take them to Staples for printing,and I'm all for that.