I’ve been asked by a few people why I haven’t mentioned writing on the blog as of late. Here’s my answer: I haven’t been writing.
This is not an ideal situation. It’s certainly not what I wanted. The reasons are vast and varied but mostly centers around work. People outside the world of academia think that summer is a time of relaxation (i.e. ‘teachers get a whole three months off!’). Those people have no idea what they are talking about.
Here in the technology realm, summer is a very busy time and far too short. It’s our time to get major projects done. Even though classes don’t start until the end of August, students are already arriving. My own staff returns next week meaning I have to be ready for training (something that rarely remains static from year to year).
However, events beyond just about anyone’s control has thrown all of that into chaos. I won’t go into specifics, but it’s been unpleasant. Projects have been left undone and I’ve been forced to cancel a number of planned vacation days. Since I have to use all my vacation by August 31st or lose it, I’m looking at losing 7 days of vacation. If I’m really lucky, I might only lose 5 but I’m not holding my breath.
All of this has left me worn out and tired. I get home cranky every night and when I’m not cranky, I’m angry. One thing I am not feeling is creative. Since late June, I’ve written about 1,500 words. It’s been about two weeks since I’ve even looked at my current work-in-progress.
I have a brief respite at the end of August, a literal ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ as I travel to Chicago for WorldCon and see a bunch of friends I haven’t seen in the flesh for almost three years (plus a Cubs game at Wrigley Field). Of all the ironies, a lot of this load will ease about two or three weeks into the school year. Of course, I just have to make it that far.
Moose and Ink 