When a person has two jobs, it’s probably inevitable that they would collide at some point. By “collide” I mean “get very busy at the same time.”
That’s where I’ve been for the past month or so. A project I’m managing in my day job is coming down to the wire. We do a massive data migration at the end of this week and launch a new web-based tool that relies on it on Monday. I have to go to Carlsbad for four days (two days of travel) to attend to the launch, train the users and help manage data clean-up. Most of my projects over the past numerous years have been self-managed and involved at most one other person. This one required that I coordinate efforts with several people, something that is a touch outside my comfort zone. But it seems to be all coming together, and if the data gods are willing, we’ll experience a smooth migration.
At the same time, I’ve been juggling more than the usual number of deadlines in my writing job. There have been all of the editing and proofing requirements for the book that is coming out this fall. Entire weeks and weekends can vanish with no work other than on that project getting accomplished. Fortunately I’ve been able to shoehorn in some other projects during idle moments. My next Cemetery Dance column, for example, which is due next Monday–I got most of that written on an otherwise idle Saturday afternoon, and now I have only to brush it up and update it before I head out to California.
However, I have a short story due on May 1st that I’ve been thinking about a lot over the past few months, but haven’t actually done much work on. I’ve got to knuckle down and get it written. Fiction is harder than non-fiction in terms of forcing myself to accomplish something, I find. With non-fiction, I can always find something productive to do. With fiction, either the story is coming or it isn’t. Fingers crossed, the story will come when I need it. I think it could be a really good one, but I only know the general shape of it at the moment.
I should have some interesting news early next week about a rare work being offered on Kindle. Stay tuned.
I’m quickly losing interest in 24. I was doing about 10 other things while it was on last night and even walked away from the TV for several minutes at one point and didn’t feel like I missed much. There’s no way the guy who suddenly started killing people is “one of the good guys under cover” any more, which makes most of his actions early in the season hard to fathom. Castle, on the other hand, didn’t let me wander from the screen. The chemistry between the two leads just keeps getting better and better.
The season premiere of Law & Order: Criminal Intent must have been running off the top of the hour, because I lost the last few minutes on my recording from Sunday night. I tried to record it again last night, but I messed up the time, so I guess I’ll have to wait until Saturday to get the ending. I know the gist of what happens, but it looks like one of those good emotional moments. I felt like I was a step ahead of Goren for most of this episode, but it’s great to see him back again. He’s one of my favorite characters.
