Random Bits

The newest game around here: Playing Night Night. If it lasted longer than 10 seconds, I would drop to the floor, too, in hopes of a few zzzs.

Sometimes, I feel like such a fraud saying that I am a writer.  My work time is compressed into the 15 hours that Happy is with the babysitter each week and, in those 15 hours, I have lessons to plan, papers to grade, books to promote, a nonprofit to administer, freelance deadlines to meet, and, well, new stuff to write.  But the new stuff to write is the stuff that is just mine in this equation- until I’ve polished it enough into recognition that I know what to do with it- and so it’s the stuff that falls off my radar because it can’t neatly be crossed off a list.  And, right now, I’m surviving on a list that is cross-off-able.  Book contracts are my saving grace because then the new stuff to write becomes an offically listable item (because someone else has declared it so).  But first I have a new book to think about so…  

Right now, I am mostly focusing on putting together the materials we’ll need for promoting Beautiful You- tip sheets for the press kit, book trailer videos, blog posts, etc.  In true To Do List girl fashion, I have a June, July, August to do list just for book promotion preparation.  Got any ideas of promotion ideas you’ve seen that you think I should add to my list?  Please let me know! 

I love a list the way that some women love a manicure.  I said to BF the other day, “Oh, I have a list for that (I wish I could remember what it was in reference to)” and he said, “Of course you do.”  I also love charts.  So much so that I woke up at 6 am this morning to make one for my sister (she asked for it, I swear.  Okay, she asked for it after I suggested that I could make one for her that would be really helpful in solving the dilemma we were discussing).  And I especially love when list and chart making can make me feel virtuous enough to delay the actual real things I need to be doing on my to do list.  Productive procrastination- I’ve been good at it since college when I would famously clean my room before writing a paper or studying for an exam.  That habit dies hard.  Now, I clean the house before I pack for vacation. 

Vacation.  Can’t wait for some time at the beach.  The time at the beach this summer is reduced compared to previous summers and those who know me well know that’s like saying that my oxygen supply has been cut off.  I covet the ocean like I covet ice cream.  But, let’s talk about happy things and that is the book pile I am amassing for the beach (the endless reading at the beach is one of the things I love about it).  Currently, I have Lit by Mary Karr, The One that I Want by Allison Winn Scotch, On Beauty by Zadie Smith, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larson, and I Do Not Come To You By Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani in the book basket.  I like to take a book for every day so I have room for more suggestions (although, let’s be honest, that amount of reading was what was done in the pre-Happy days.  A girl can dream, though).  Got any? 

Happy put on a backpack the other day.  It was so grown-up it hurt my feelings.  I love the little boy that he is but gosh does it hurt my feelings to be losing the baby that he was.  Remember this kid? 

You’ll be happy to know that we had grilled sweet potatoes last night for dinner and he had a far better reaction.