Weekly Mileage #261 and Post Convention Productivity

Monday I got caught up watching a K-drama on Netflix, something I’ve avoided in the past because I have to read the subtitles, which means I can’t get anything else done like I usually do when watching something. It was a nice rest day after the busy week prior, but I also didn’t get anything done that needed to be done.

Tuesday we had music lessons, then went straight to the orthodontist so River could get the bands on his molars and a thicker wire put on. On the way home I picked up a new prescription to try since the last one was a bust. We were home for about an hour, then Sunshine and I had appointments to finally get our new military IDs. I accidentally left our identifying paperwork at the office and didn’t realize it till I got home, so I wasted time going back to get it. Then I had a few minutes to relax, before it was time to get ready for karate. It was testing week, but it was a big class, so only the boys had a chance to do any testing and they need to practice more before they’ll pass.

Wednesday I had planned on going for a run, but it rained most of the morning. It’s time to buckle down and get on task. I have a long to-do list for the next convention and for getting things moving in general with the business. I took my first dose of meds: Modafinil, which I actually tried back when I was first diagnosed with narcolepsy, but it gave me a never-ending, really bad headache, so I only lasted a couple days on it. I’m trying it again, but at half the dose, in hopes that it will be easier to onboard this time. We’ll see.

I had my accountability call. My accountability partner has gone to lots of trade shows and has her own marketing business, though I try not to take advantage of her experience. She did give me some really helpful advice and ideas based on the things I’d come up with after last week’s convention (display idea changes, seminar topics, etc).

I looked up the application form for speaking at the conventions next year so I know what to expect. It’s actually a really smart business model. Speakers don’t get paid. Speakers have to be vendors, and basically they’re putting their knowledge and products out there and attracting more people to their booths (which I knew, which is why I need to do it). I didn’t realize they didn’t get paid, though.

A couple podcasters/bloggers I follow speak at all the conventions in the series, and I thought they did that because it was part of their income stream. Apparently it’s not, at least not directly. However, speaking does establish them as experts in their fields, which draws visitors to their booths, websites, and podcasts. So it does impact their earnings. For the convention organizers, since they’re not paying the speakers, their income is from the vendors’ booth fees and the attendees’ registration fees. Costs still include convention center fees and advertising, but it’s more streamlined than I realized.

After my call I worked on the designs for a case for my square terminal, a case for my wood sign for my display, padding for the display panel edges (so they don’t scrape up the inside of the car or break the windows), and the modifications I need to make to the carseat dolly I built years ago that will now become a wire panel dolly (a thought I had while driving home on Sunday). After looking it over, I’ll end up pretty much rebuilding the dolly to make it strong enough to handle the weight of the panels, but the basic idea will be the same.

Thursday I got a decent night’s sleep finally, though after a couple nights of not nearly enough sleep, I’m still tired. So far, the meds aren’t so bad this time around at the lower dose (headache, but mild, a bit of dizziness, plus weird feelings when the meds kick in), but feeling when they kick in is a bit disconcerting. At this point, I knew to expect it since I’ve been trying different meds, but it’s still weird.

I picked out the leather and materials for the projects I need to knock out quickly- protective cases, etc, plus I made the design to engrave on a notebook for Sunshine’s friend’s birthday.

I started looking for a printable to purchase on Etsy, then realized I needed a place for it to sit for customers/email subscribers to download it, so I went down a rabbit hole of figuring out how to make a password protected page where I could store the downloads. It’s more difficult than it needs to be, and still doesn’t look quite how I wanted- I wanted a simple page with clickable links, but that’s not what I’ve got right now.

I also finally started setting up the new email provider to use for sending emails to people who visit my site. I’ve been using Omnisend, but a podcast I listen to about selling on Shopify loves Klaviyo for it’s versatility and metrics, so I’m switching.

After looking up printables on Etsy, I ultimately decided I need to make my own. I did get lots of good ideas on what to include in them, but I will need to find the images to use. I’m debating whether to hire it out, or if I can find enough of the images I need in a cohesive style to use.

I engraved the design for the birthday present notebook, then refreshed my memory on stitching papers into leather notebook covers, which is not how I usually do it.

Despite not feeling great because of the meds (better than the last round of meds though) and still being tired because of not enough sleep, and getting a late start to the day, I feel like it was a productive day. And my brain felt better than it has in awhile. Hopefully because of the meds?

Friday I didn’t sleep well, despite going to bed at a decent time. I did get up and go for a hike with friends, though. Max was ecstatic. I managed to get some good photos of River in his Mud Washes Off shirt that I can use on social media and my website.

After the hike I picked up milk, prepped course materials to ship, took the time to write out what goes in the materials bag and what to check in the toolbox, what to put in the shipping box, and how to get the label printed (it involves transferring info from Kajabi- my course platform- to Shopify- my store platform, which could be done automatically with an app, but I don’t have high enough sales yet to make it worth the money) so I don’t forget any steps, then stopped at the UPS store to drop off the boxes. I rested for a bit since I ran a bit during the hike because Max was so excited about being on the trails again, but needed to rest before we went to karate.

*Castle Crashers, a taco, and Mario Brothers’ hats, courtesy of Ocean*

At karate we all tested either Universal 4 or grabs, but no one passed yet. Given the lack of practice this time around, that’s not super surprising. We did get some tips on things to work on, so we’ll be able to pass our tests next week.

I finished stitching the notebook for Sunshine’s friend’s birthday present before heading to bed.

I didn’t feel the meds kick in today and still felt mild symptoms, but they were better than they have been. So far it’s going a lot better this time around. I also feel more on top of things mentally, though I’m not sure if it’s the meds or just finally coming out of the funk I’ve been in the last 6 months because of burnout. Probably both?

Saturday I ran a 3.3 mile trail run with Max while Jeremy took the boys to help with the black belt testing going on. It was eye opening, and we definitely need to be practicing and getting in shape now, rather than waiting till just before we test. Jeremy and River had really sore muscles. The testing is long, too- they were gone all day and left before it was finished because it was getting late.

After my run I iced my feet and laid on the Biomat and I didn’t feel too badly afterwards. Then I took Sunshine to her friend’s birthday party.

I ran some errands after dropping her off, and on the way home what I thought was rain turned out to be giant snow flakes. It was too warm to stick, but it snowed for awhile. It was a bit bizarre for here- I’d expect it in Colorado, but we don’t usually get spring snow here.

After all that, I was tired, but not wiped out and exhausted, which is surprising. I’m so used to feeling so crummy, that it’s a bit jarring to NOT be feeling super crummy, especially after the hard karate workout Friday evening and the 3.3 mile run Saturday morning. I haven’t run that distance since Thanksgiving. Maybe the issue with my energy levels is related to my narcolepsy after all? It’s weird to be tired, but not the level of tired/exhausted that I’ve been for so long. The energy issues have been around for several years, but they’ve been getting worse.

Icing my feet post-run helped a lot, and they weren’t nearly as sore as they have been. I need to start icing after karate as well, since my foot is usually unhappy after class. The still-healing soft tissues don’t appreciate all the jumping and weight-bearing pivoting that I do.

I had a thought this week about my memory retrieval issues. This is why I have such a hard time remembering things like conference talks. It’s encouraging to know there’s a reason why I struggle so much to remember what was said in the talks. Occasionally a talk will stuck in my brain, but that’s very uncommon. If they actually “stick”, I do make an effort to find out what I need to learn/apply from it, but I’m not one who can name a speaker and rattle off quotes from their talk.

Sunday I was tired, but not exhausted. By evening I wasn’t feeling great, but I think it was more low blood sugar than anything. I didn’t eat much during the day, which I think is the meds at work- they can suppress appetite.

I got a hair up my nose and started rearranging the basement. I need more room for the future sewing machine and the future clicker press I need to buy. I was going to get a smaller table top clicker press, but I can spend about the same and buy a free standing, larger clicker press from China for about the same amount of money. I’m just not sure if we have the space for a free standing clicker press. I found the space for another sewing machine (with a barrel post, which will make sewing buckets so much faster), but there just isn’t that much room for stuff, especially since we need to leave a large enough open space for practicing karate- the rearrangement gives us a bit more open space, though I don’t think there’s space for a floor standing clicker press.

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Russia invading Ukraine last month has sparked some conversations with the kids. Stories of civilians making molotov cocktails and learning to shoot to protect their country, people who fled early on returning to fight as the opposition and fighting drag on. Photos showing the juxtaposition of brightly colored fingernails with military rifles and molotov cocktails has been jarring.

What would we do? As long as we had someone trustworthy to care for the boys, the rest of us would stay and fight. Sunshine, Jeremy and I know how to shoot, so we have a leg up on a lot of people. But surveys have been done, and there’s a large portion of the population of the US who apparently wouldn’t stand and fight to protect the country. What are we willing to fight for? For all it’s faults, I wouldn’t want to live in a US that’s been invaded by a hostile country, so I am willing to fight for it. Unfortunately, the time may come that we have to. The world isn’t getting more peaceful.