wordfalls and scatters

I finished marking the final late assignments for last semester yesterday. Today I've been making my way through the discussion boards for two units, and mapping out the work I need to do to familiarise myself with the new unit I'm teaching. I'm making lists of things to do (book proposal, next bluestocking event, update and maybe move my website, sort out my workspace, writing projects).

I have three engagements tomorrow morning, my graduation tomorrow night, so many people I want to see. My evenings are booked until Friday, and then I'm away for the weekend from Sunday 'til next friday.

It's good to be busy, to have things I want to learn and do and make. Also a bit overwhelming.

Part of what I'm trying to say is: I want to catch up with you all, really I do. But I may not be able to as soon as I'd like. I still like you very much, and want to be your friend!

Today, I'm going to leave the house at 8am. I'm going to spend the day working on my research assistance stuff, and two hours in the evening at greek class. I'm going to cycle around 50km. I'm going to get home at 9:30pm.

This Saturday, pretty much the whole day I was busy with work: a remarkably focused meeting, uploading marks for one unit, background reading and some board moderation for another.

On Sunday, I had a hangover and went to Crafternoon. I also spent the morning doing lesson preparation, and the evening marking and writing up meeting notes.

I think this will be how things are, again. I don't feel bad about it. Firstly, all of this is stuff I want to do: I enjoy, I care about it, I'm willing to stay up past my bedtime working on it. Secondly, I'm pretty sure that life is like this for lots of people do, with the frantic Getting Things Done all over the place.

This weekend wasn't much of a weekend, but I did feel like I used all of my time well. I didn't spend any of my time doing things I regretted later,* like reading stupid stuff on the Internet. I spent time with people I care about, and worked well.

I think that as long as I remember to set aside some time in the week for Sitting Quietly By Myself, I should be fine with this.

---
* Actually, maybe I could have had fewer ciders.

Most of my days have been like this: wake up, rush to do things, rush to uni, try to work, rush home, try to do more things, rush to meet people, discuss agendas.

So, yesterday uni was all tippetytaptippetytap as fast as I can because I am meant to be finishing a chapter by tomorrow (hah!) or maybe monday (which would still involve writing around 19,000 words in four days). Plus also some lunch, and some looking-after-baby-Phoebe. And then I rushed home, went to the shops, baked a cake while trying to talk coherently to K (who very nicely forced me to sit down and relax for a while and did the dishes), and then rushed off to Think Tank meeting. We had an agenda for think tank. It was an actual, real, action-points, meeting. The upshot of it was:

Now that we have our doteasy account, I need to learn how to make it go. Our website will need to have a few publications, maybe some blogs, and maybe some discussion forums. Can anyone recommend a good tutorial or...something... I am not even entirely sure what it is that I need. Some sort of dreamweaverish program?

This morning I have been rushing around packing school lunches and planting garlic and tidying things that I feel need to be tidy so that I feel good about life.

And now I am at uni, and it is work-time, which I feel quite good about.

I would like you all to know that I miss you, though, and the reason I am being all Absent is busy-related: I still like you very much. *hugs*