31/8/13
On Being a Grown-up
31/8/13 10:23Many of my friends are at the Worldcon this weekend. Or at Dragon*Con. I am not. I made waffles this morning*, and have a weekend planned of cleaning my extremely untidy house, maybe washing the dog, going to a barbecue, and getting some writing done. Oh, and planning a week in the midwest in October, in Iowa, Ohio and...I forget where else, visiting colleges with La Bec.
Planning leads inexorably to more planning. I was thinking about next year, and getting a little angsty because July and August are typically crazy months at work, and yet I'm planning to take two whole weeks off in the middle of them (a week in France at a friend's birthday villa!, and then a week in London for Worldcon) and God knows what will happen with all my books while I'm gone. And because, Gods willing and the crick don't rise, Becca will be starting college shortly after I get back. The concatenation of money and time issues keeps welling up and I start wondering if I dare go to Wiscon only two months prior to my overseas trip, and how hard I'm going to have to work to get everything organized so that my absence from work only minimally impacts getting books out, and...
Bear in mind, most of this is a year from now, during which time the following things might happen:
The only antidote for this sort of bootless stressing is, I have found, to lay out all the things I am stressing over, put on my Grown-up Monocle™ and review them, and then move on to other activities. So there, I've done that. Now to make the bed.
* see prior entry.
Planning leads inexorably to more planning. I was thinking about next year, and getting a little angsty because July and August are typically crazy months at work, and yet I'm planning to take two whole weeks off in the middle of them (a week in France at a friend's birthday villa!, and then a week in London for Worldcon) and God knows what will happen with all my books while I'm gone. And because, Gods willing and the crick don't rise, Becca will be starting college shortly after I get back. The concatenation of money and time issues keeps welling up and I start wondering if I dare go to Wiscon only two months prior to my overseas trip, and how hard I'm going to have to work to get everything organized so that my absence from work only minimally impacts getting books out, and...
Bear in mind, most of this is a year from now, during which time the following things might happen:
- I might be hit by a train
- My company might be relocated to Ulaan Bator
- Worldcon might be cancelled. Or relocated to Ulaan Bator
- I might win the lottery (I never play the lottery, which reduces my chances, but it is a crazy old world)
- Becca might discover a vocation and become a nun (again, unlikely, but who knows)
- I might finish the two books I'm working on, make a huge sale on one of them, and go wreathed in triumph
The only antidote for this sort of bootless stressing is, I have found, to lay out all the things I am stressing over, put on my Grown-up Monocle™ and review them, and then move on to other activities. So there, I've done that. Now to make the bed.
* see prior entry.
My Turn for College Trips
31/8/13 23:38Just bought air tickets. Must arrange for hotels and car, but:
Minneapolis October 12-14
Northfield October 14-15
Grinnell, IA October 16-17
and home again, home again, jiggity jig.
If any Minneapolitans want to have dinner or something (and don't mind a fiercely intelligent, highly opinionated tag-along kid) do let me know...