Mon, 16 Jan

Now more than ever I feel that I have to compartmentalize my time really carefully. I find that I strongly resent the things that get in the way of the other things; I also hate wasted moments. A lunch hour, for example, has endless productivity possibilities--as long as I’m in my house for it. A lunch hour in an office, though, is pointless and wretched. (Not to mention the wasted commuting hours.) The office I’m working in for this maternity contract seems to be trying to re-normalize/reinforce in-office working now, too, which feels hugely regressive.

At the weekend I claimed (and guarded very carefully) some time I’ve needed for a while, to use for a bedroom clear-out. My daughter and I filled 9 bin bags full of clothes to give to charity/the school uniform sale, and my son filled 5 storage bins of toys he doesn’t use (though 4 of them he says he needs to keep for “filmmaking”--they include everything from costumes to remote-controlled dinosaurs). Of course that means I didn’t get to do other things for my press. The balance feels hopelessly askew right now.

My itchy dog’s skin seems much better BUT now her ears are inflamed. So, while she’s not biting herself to pieces, she’s trying to shake her entire head off. I’ll let you know if she succeeds.