Done yesterday (20090819)

[mdlbear]

0819 We
  * awake 5:40ish; snuggle
  * up 7:10; W=193.6; coffee; drugs, nose, teeth
  & a few minutes' triage on an office bookshelf
  * Tell Colleen & Ali to leave van on curb - want that anyway because it's
    easier for her to get in and out.
  * reserve car for Seattle
  * replace toilet seat in front bathroom with the wooden one
    (i.e. the one that used to be there, now that it's been found)
  x The toilet grab bars don't work; interfere with shower curtain.
  x 10 meeting at work
  * 11ish web check-in
  * activate SW credit card
  ~ call Dell - no email 800-289-3355
    callback, customer care, sales... all no love
    posted on forum; don't expect reply
  * received Callie's recorder from Howard
  * hotel reservation for ConChord
  * meditation: 10 min
    ! Calming, but no insights.
  & Call from Callie - rental car won't be needed
  & Demo usable, but apparently won't get used.
  ~ buy: Barefoot: 3# coffee (Colleen)
  * buy a universal power supply for YD to use while hers is still in Seattle
    but it didn't work.
  * pay bills through next Wed. 8/26
  * cancel car reservation(?)
  ~ print directions to BGM
  * pack

Pretty decent day, and pretty productive, though a whole lot of stuff still didn't get done. :( No walk.

The promised email from Dell still hadn't shown up, so I tried calling. No love to Dell's customer service. They call it "customer care", but it doesn't.

10 minutes of meditation, which was calming but generated no insights. Minor argument with Colleen about telling me things. She tried several times, apparently, to tell me that the YD was using her sister's room as a playroom but would clean it up for guests, but then gave up because I wasn't paying attention. When it's important, I really need her to keep trying, but apparently it's hard for her to determine when I'm sufficiently not-busy to be paying attention.

Hint: if we're in the same room, I'm looking at you, and not reading or engaged in some task, I'm probably paying attention to what you're saying. Otherwise all bets are off. Saying "Steve, I have something to say to you" will probably work best to get my attention -- I may not hear the whole phrase, but I'll probably catch my name and a few keywords. But wait until you can see I'm listening before you go on.

Comments

[phoenixpdx.livejournal.com]

You will probably laugh at this, but John is much the same way (hard to tell if I have his attention or not).

When I really need to make sure he's listening, we use an INT-ACK/NAK protocol. Really.

I say "Interrupt??"

If he responds with a "yes?" or equivalent, I say "I need your attention, please". Then he says "OK" and I tell him what I need to tell him.

If he does not respond to either prompt, I repeat. How many repeats depends on how urgent it is. (We know it's important because I'm doing the protocol, right?)

After, lo! these many years of doing this, he pretty much gives me his attention on the first interrupt.

Maybe something similar could work with you and Colleen. Sounds like you are dealing with similar distractability/hyperfocus issues to what John has.

[mdlbear]

Yes. Might work.

It's mostly a combination of hyperfocus and inability to multitask, in my case.