Saturday, May 21, 2011

Spending Time

I had a very long job today. It was a good job; a place I like to go, with some good people, a place I've been before and will hopefully be returning to as long as the interpreting services are needed.

But it was very long. With an hour drive on either side; it shouldn't take an hour to get there or get back - but it does. Such is the traffic situation in Portland now.

I thought I might be able to get some editing done. And planned to get some reading done.

But I forgot the book I was reading. Well - one of the two books I'm reading. One of them has a cover which would not be appropriate in this location and I don't have a book cover (it's a memoir, it's good so far), so I'm also reading a book with a cover no one would even notice and which recently won a big award. But I didn't take either one with me.

See, this job requires me to take less stuff with me. But I'm there for many hours so I have to take some stuff - but there are regulations about what can or can't be taken in. Which is all fine. It just means juggling what I have in my bag or having different bags. And then, invariably, I end up without something I want.

Which I did. And it was fine.

But I also did very little editing. There is too much happening in this place and the memoir is not an easy thing to edit and this work place is not the type of place where I want anyone looking over my shoulder. And the place is busy and noisy and I have to monitor who is where and am I needed and so on. Which is all fine - that's why I'm there; that's what I'm getting paid to do.

So - I thought, I'll do some writing when I get home. I have an assignment due before midnight tomorrow; and essay due before the 31st; and then this big memoir project due next month (which is a minimum 25,000 words or 100 pages - depending on which source is correct).

By the time I got home, I was exhausted. Even though I did pick up an iced soy latte to make the drive home. Something I debated because I didn't want to be up all night.

I did manage to get this week's quick write in. But I can't work on the assignment. I can't do any editing.

I'm writing this post. And then going to bed. I don't want to wake up with a keyboard pattern on my forehead. Too much time spent on work today and there's not enough time nor energy left to create.

I'll get the assignment done tomorrow.

*fingers crossed*
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