Wednesday, November 25, 2009

What I've been doing instead of blogging


I've fallen behind on writing posts lately, but that's only because I've been keeping busy with:

Work! Yep, that's 40 hours (plus 7.5 hours commuting time) per week, not leaving much time left over for blogging. And those breaks, so handy for dashing off a quickie blog post, are usually used for getting more caffeine into my system these days.

Cybils! Oh, I am SO behind in my reading - so I feel lashed by guilt every time I sit down with my little netbook instead of a nominated middle-grade fantasy or SF book. I'm not sure this is much of an excuse, however. My co-panelist Charlotte has not only managed to read most of the nominated books, but she has been posting up a storm, including a weekly round-up of fantasy and SF reviews from all over the blogosphere.

Running! The 2010 LA Marathon is looming...

Crafting! The only thing that keeps me from melting into a little puddle of guilt while watching Netflix movies (when I should be reading!!!) is working on my creatures (photo above). It's for a good cause - I'm donating them to my library system's Nettie Frishman fundraiser, which raises money for children's librarians' staff development workshops. But will anyone buy them? Fear of rejection clutches at my heart, as well as the guilty hope that I'll be able to take my creatures all home again where they belong.

It's so convenient that even my excuses for not posting can become fodder for a post...

10 comments:

  1. They are very cute creatures, and I hope they sell well!

    (I am lucky--my work is only 35 hours a week, and a 20 minute commute, which gives me ten hours a week more than you...but on the other hand, your children are probably able to pour their own beverages without spilling. A gallon of milk on the kitchen floor slows a person down...)

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  2. Very good point, Charlotte! I've only got one at home at the moment, and she is mostly in her room with the door shut.

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  3. I love those animals and would like to purchase a cow, a monkey, and a rabbit, please. Let me know the cost and I will send check to Children's Services.

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  4. Hmmm... no more reading anonymously -- I NEED one of those gnomes! He may find me monitoring the silent auction.

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  5. Er - there aren't any cows, Susan! Do you mean the hippo? Or the panda? Oh dear...
    And Jenn - there's no gnome! You must mean Santa. But he can be a gnome for you...

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  6. I like Santa, too! I'm sure he'll look a lot more Santa-like when his suit isn't hidden by a monkey or a panda. (Hey, it's hard to see them clearly in a basket full of critters! They look adorable, no matter what!)

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  7. Will these lovelies be in a silent auction? If so I need to deputize someone to act as my bidder, since I will be out of the country during the Fundraiser. As to the cow, I meant the cute guy at the very back edge of the basket, with the large white face and horns and a panda on his lap. Or her lap. (Assuming they are anatomically correct.)

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  8. They are most definitely NOT anatomically correct - and you must mean the sheep (or ram?). Anyway, consider it reserved, along with a monkey and rabbit!

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  9. I thought we only work 38.25 hours per week... =)

    Your crafts are great. If you find time to make any character from Shaun the Sheep (www.shaunthesheep.com), I will come early to buy it!

    Make sure to charge a LOT for them! At my first Nettie, the librarians in our area hand-sewed cute cell phone cozies... which the organizers labeled as something like 50 cents apiece! Ridiculous! I bought mine back and gave them as gifts.

    If we're going to donate our time and materials to make crafts, and then spend more money buying them from each other, we might as well price them at a rate that makes some money for the fund!

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  10. Eva, these are so sweet! I love that you have done this for your library. Please let us know how the fundraiser goes...

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