Marianne and the girls are out today, or for most of it so far. Jess had unigym and Sophie had dance class, and I think they all then went for lunch at my mother’s place. Having had four and a half hours sleep in the past twenty eight, I finished proofing Science Fiction: The Very Best of 2005 this afternoon and have sent it back to Oakland. Best Short Novels: 2006 is, of course, all but finished. I’ve done my main pass through, and answered some followups from Kathy at the Club. Marianne has been working on Fantasy: The Very Best of 2005 too. Depending on how she feels, I might start in on it too. Once that’s done, I have an introduction to revise for The Starry Rift, then I can get to the taxes. Once the taxes are done, on to Miscellaneous Project #2. Lots of reading in June. Time I can, frankly, not afford, but such is the course of matters. Along the way I’ve been doing some reading for the year’s bests for 2007. I’m a long, long way behind on that, and usually depend on the winter months (the Reading Months when it’s rainy and grey outside) to get that done. I’ll be wasting a month of that in the US though, so I have to take some of that with me somehow, otherwise November will be the same kind of madness as April has been.
I can see some respite up ahead. If I can just get close to deadlines through to Christmas Eve, 2007, I’m home and hosed. I’ll be taking at least five months off work, if not longer. And then, I can do some quiet things, unwind, destress, and take care of myself. So, twenty one months. That’s not so much. I got through 20 years of the day job.
