Today is my day to print mailing lists. I cannot print addresses in blocks of more than 100. So I spend 10 minutes prepping a list to go and then 20 minutes of waiting while it processes and prints. As I’m prepping each list, checking addresses, and purchasing yet more postage, the back of my brain spouts a tension building litany of all the things that could go wrong. I can feel my tension level ratcheting up every moment I spend in front of the computer. Once a list is ready to go I walk away while it is printing. I walk away and try to be nice to the children who invariably need something during the prepping time where I have to concentrate. They get growled at and are sad. So I try to be nice to them and meet their needs. Then I go and hide in my book. I finished Komarr and have started on A Civil Campaign. The world of Miles Vorkosigan soothes my spirit. All the tension leaves as I completely absorb myself in this familiar story. But then the real world calls either in the form of a finished printer or a needy child and the tension begins to build again.
I really hope books arrive tomorrow or I’m going to be a wreck. I’ll probably be a wreck anyway, but at least I’ll be a wreck with something to do.
Just a coupld of small laughs to hopefully help.
Just a coupld of small laughs to hopefully help.
Look at it this way … there are only so many things you CAN control about this whole thing.
You’ve done the absolute best you can do on the things you CAN control. Prepping everything to the furthest point possible given what has and hasn’t arrived so far. This is essentially just another project with multiple tasks, interrelated in the end but with varying levels of dependency upon each other and all dependent upon Event X … but each can go to different levels of completion before X-not-having-been-done brings them to a half. Same thing that Howard’s handled over and over at work, and you’ve handled over and over as well.
You’ve made contingency plans out the wazoo — again, the best you can do — in case the things you CAN’T control go wrong.
Grab Patches and play the Blanket Game. Howard makes it sound like so much fun.
And another off-the-cuff suggestion (from a non-Mommy, so I could be all wrong) — maybe tell Kiki that for every book she reads to the younger kids today (aka “Keeping them occupied so I’m free to prep the printer”), she gets a square marked off on her task list? It may not be housecleaning, and reeks of bribery, but it’s something you need done and will take some of the “I’m not being a great Mommy right now — ignoring my children’s needs!” guilt off your head which is just contributing to the gerbil-in-a-wheel spinning of all the other worry.
I wish I still had crapapple blossoms to ship to you. One sniff and stress goes away.
Look at it this way … there are only so many things you CAN control about this whole thing.
You’ve done the absolute best you can do on the things you CAN control. Prepping everything to the furthest point possible given what has and hasn’t arrived so far. This is essentially just another project with multiple tasks, interrelated in the end but with varying levels of dependency upon each other and all dependent upon Event X … but each can go to different levels of completion before X-not-having-been-done brings them to a half. Same thing that Howard’s handled over and over at work, and you’ve handled over and over as well.
You’ve made contingency plans out the wazoo — again, the best you can do — in case the things you CAN’T control go wrong.
Grab Patches and play the Blanket Game. Howard makes it sound like so much fun.
And another off-the-cuff suggestion (from a non-Mommy, so I could be all wrong) — maybe tell Kiki that for every book she reads to the younger kids today (aka “Keeping them occupied so I’m free to prep the printer”), she gets a square marked off on her task list? It may not be housecleaning, and reeks of bribery, but it’s something you need done and will take some of the “I’m not being a great Mommy right now — ignoring my children’s needs!” guilt off your head which is just contributing to the gerbil-in-a-wheel spinning of all the other worry.
I wish I still had crapapple blossoms to ship to you. One sniff and stress goes away.
Thank You
As one of the international orders you are handling, I would like to say thank you for all your hard work.
I personally can’t imagine trying to juggle 4 kids (I don’t have any yet) and posting 1800 books, and I’m really impressed by the fact that you seem to be handling it, albeit in a stressed kind of way. 🙂
Thank you again, and remember that Howards’ fan base appreciates your efforts just as much as we do Howards.
Thank You
As one of the international orders you are handling, I would like to say thank you for all your hard work.
I personally can’t imagine trying to juggle 4 kids (I don’t have any yet) and posting 1800 books, and I’m really impressed by the fact that you seem to be handling it, albeit in a stressed kind of way. 🙂
Thank you again, and remember that Howards’ fan base appreciates your efforts just as much as we do Howards.
I don’t remember why, but I got turned off by that series. Its been awhile so I can’t remember why. It might have been the blatent promotion of homosexuality and alternate lifestyles, or it might have just been Vorkosigan overload. I started the series, and read almost all the way through it in about a week. I remember however that I did enjoy a Civil Campaign. If I remember right, it was my favorite of that series.
I don’t remember why, but I got turned off by that series. Its been awhile so I can’t remember why. It might have been the blatent promotion of homosexuality and alternate lifestyles, or it might have just been Vorkosigan overload. I started the series, and read almost all the way through it in about a week. I remember however that I did enjoy a Civil Campaign. If I remember right, it was my favorite of that series.