On priorities.

Virgo:: Secrets are always bad, right? They are the lynchpins of corruption, the evil mechanisms by which unethical power-mongers do their dirty deeds. In the sphere of intimate relationships, secrets are lies of omission that insidiously corrode the trust between people. So there again: nasty, awful things. But in the coming days, Virgo, I'd like you to entertain the possibility that secrets can also be blessings. To jumpstart your redemptive meditations, read these thoughts from philosopher Sissela Bok's book Secrets: on the Ethics of Concealment and Revelation: "We are all experts on secrecy. From earliest childhood we feel its mystery and attraction. We know both the power it confers and the burden it imposes. We learn how it can delight, give breathing space and protect."

It's no secret that lately, I've had a clusterfuck of way too much going on in my life and attempting to drive me mad. Ergo, it's streamline-or-die time. Time to prioritize.

1. Work-- This is my bread and butter. It pays my rent, it puts groceries in the fridge. As mundane as it can be, it's best not to forget that.

2. Sihaya Designs-- The biz is in it's "gathering steam" phase where it's time to plan ahead a few months as to not go slowly nuts and tear my hair all out. Also, I take commissions, and it is therefore my responsibility to deliver a quality product in a timely manner, provided there are no out-of-my-control snafus. I've been pretty good about this, barring the one commission that currently has me banging my head on the table. Right now, this is priority numero deux.

3. Dancing-- I'll be the first to admit that I've been a slacker lately. Class + sporadic practice is not going to make me the caliber of dancer I want to be. I've just been so hectic with everything else that finding time and/or energy to dance has been very difficult. But the bottom line is that I have a choice. I can be a mediocre dancer who dances for fun, or I can be a solid dancer with the option of one day going pro. I want Option II. I need to start acting in accord. Ergo, this becomes new priority 3-- I have practices with Flissy, practices with student troupe, class, and 2 sessions of individual practice to look forward to per week. This will be adjusted as needed/necessary.

4. Downtime-- I need at least one night a week of downtime to recharge, or I get frazzled and snippy. Best to avoid that.

5. Friends*-- This is the area I'm going to have to cut back on, much as it pains me. I have a tendency to work hard and play hard, too-- but I burn out more quickly on social interaction when there's much work to be done. I'm going to need to learn to be more careful when I say yes, 'cause I'm certainly overbooking/double-booking myself more than I'd like right now. This is the awesome-and-yet-sad part of having tons of friends who are all wildly talented and do crazy and amazing things. I'll probably keep Top Model Wednesdays and go clubbing/dancing occasionally, but for the time being, I have to buckle down and work. Flissy suggested I get myself a social secretary. If such a thing were economically feasable, I'd totally consider it. (*Friend Emergencies are excluded from this priority status. Friend Emergencies are urgent, and I will make the time. Period.)

6. Dating-- Pretty low priority for me right now. I think after 5 months of marathon-dating, I'm starting to get dating burnout, and I simply don't have much energy for entanglements that aren't emotionally significant for me at this time. If Mr./Ms. Right comes along, this might get shuffled around, but I'm not actively looking for anyone currently. I will keep the dates I've made and still see peeps from time to time, but the bottom line is that if there's something in my current schedule that's expendable, this is it.

7. Everything else-- Yep. That about covers it.

Last night, I got a lot done on commissioned work. I finally pwned the filigree-wrapping quandary and finished the vintage lavaliere that I was working on for whisperwords. Pics to come. Also? Dude, I FAIL. I misplaced two really big peridots SOMEWHERE in my house. I remember opening them, setting them on the kitchen table, leaving the house to do somethingorother... and now I can't find them. Time to set out a saucer of milk, methinks. AND! I made seven sales yesterday. For a non-update day, that's pretty much unprecedented. Very happy about this.

And the dreams were rather colorful. I dreamt I was in this huge mall in a futuristic city. I decided to go to the amazing new ice creamery... I stood in line dreaming about mint chocolate chip covered in rainbow sprinkles, only to have them close up right before I got to order. I also dreamt there was an impromptu burlesque show going on in the main court, and I bumped into Aster there. Then Chris March from Project Runway showed up (he'd made the costumes, natch), hugged me, and told me I needed to moisturize. Then I woke up.

Gee. The office coffee's at least good today. :)

ETA: Oh man. Another Dune movie is in the works.