The Paw of Doom

Which signals the break of dawn (also known as my alarm clock!!!) looks like this:

I knew I couldn't be the only one. And clearly, this guy understands:

Life swallowed me up

And I don't know if it's going to spit me back out until some time in December.

You may remember that my plan for this fall/winter was to knock out my last four classes, essentially the equivalent of being a full-time student for one last semester and be done before Christmas.  Not just so I can actually enjoy the holiday season, but more importantly to get my last credits in before my annual tuition fee is due and save a substantial amount of money. That plan was made when I landed a summer job, with every expectation of being laid off at the end of the season, most likely in October at the latest. But that's not how it happened. 

Instead, one of the other employees decided to leave the island, which opened up a slot for me to pick up her hours and stay on at the shop through the winter.  This is both good - because I need the money, and bad - because it means I have to squeeze in time for school around my work hours. Okay, not impossible. Tight, but not impossible.

(Yes, I know lots of people work crazy hours and go to school full-time. But you will have to take my word for it that this job is harder and more physically grueling that it ever should be. Someday when I am farther down the road and this employer is just a dwindling speck in my rearview mirror, I will share. But not till then.) 

Then, because I am an idiot/crazy person/masochist who forgets she is not superwoman, when someone I worked for on a book project a few years ago contacted me about an additional freelance job, of course I said yes.  It's nothing steady, just a little extra income at the end of each month but with my current status of being so-poor-I-can't-afford-to-pay-attention, even a little bit extra will help. And I'm hoping I can give this new project just small bits of time here and there over the next two months to keep the project moving along and its leader (author? whatever!) satisfied. Then after my school deadline has been met I can really give it the proper attention.

Oooo...and also in the past I think I mentioned that I'm the property manager for some apartments?  So - planned repairs, tenant turnovers, unplanned repairs - all needing more oversight than you'd ever believe.  Seriously, I'm sure in other parts of the world there are repair people who actually WANT your business and show up to do the work in some sort of timely fashion (or even ever at all), but here? Feh. 

So the rest of my life? May have be put on hold for a bit.  I think people in my immediate circle of friends will understand, some have even figured out that if you dangle food in front of me, I am much more likely to be available. Because I still have to eat, right? (And if you are cooking or picking up the check I am SO there. Kidding. Sort of.)

As for my bloggy friends? I'm guessing you will need the occasional reminder that I am still alive. I believe I can do that, but I cannot promise that I will be the sharpest tool in the shed. And perhaps there will be a greater than average reliance on island scenery shots or cute kitty pics. But if you can bear with me - and hang in there -  I'll do the best I can.