work

Summer hours

I read over my story this morning and made a few small changes, then submitted it to the anthology. It could be a good while before I hear anything back, but even if they decide not to accept it, I’m glad I stayed up last night to finish it.

Other than that, it was a pretty quiet day at work. I returned from lunch to discover a very quiet office. I’d apparently forgotten that this week marked the beginning of summer hours at work, where everybody who works a little extra Monday through Thursday gets to leave early on Friday. I wouldn’t have been able to do it this week, even if I had signed up this year, because of the two days I was off. I don’t particularly dislike the office when it’s that quiet, but it does seem to make a slow Friday afternoon even slower.

Wednesday is the new Monday

A busy day at work, which I guess is what happens you come in after a four-day weekend and start a brand new project the same day.

In a lot of respects, though, it was just a typical Monday. Which makes the fact that it’s already Wednesday all the more sweet.

I’m still plugging away at that short story that’s due Friday, although I’m not entirely convinced it’s headed in the direction it needs to go, much less that it will get there in the limited it has left. If I don’t finish…I don’t know. I guess I have to hope there’s a third volume of this particular anthology?

This could very well be Tuesday

I picked up Tucker, our dog, from the kennel this morning, and then I spent the rest of the day not doing a whole lot. I finished the Sunday crossword, watched some television (Leverage, Burn Notice, The West Wing), and worked a little on a short story that I need to have finished before a submission date of July 15. I’m making good progress, and moreover liking the story, but I’m a little worried about meeting the deadline. Not least of all because I’m not sure I could rework the story for a different venue if I miss it. We’ll see.

It’s back to work with me tomorrow. I’ve studiously avoided checking my work e-mail since Friday, so I could have a busy morning.

Ah, Friday

Not much more to say about it than that.

It was a long day, and kind of a surprisingly long week, given that the work part of it was only four days long. But now, the weekend is here, and I can say only: huzzah!

Wednesday

I know what you’re wondering, and the answer is yes, I did but a ten-foot-long soaker hose this evening after work. I watered the tree in the front, the lawn in the back, and I did a little cleaning up around the house. (Despite a dog who now seems determined to undo that cleaning by ripping up his toys and leaving the shredded bits all around. And by continuing to shed.)

Tomorrow, my parents return from their time abroad in Ireland. I’ve had a few postcards from them, a couple of phone calls, but it’s mostly been me and the dog for the past two weeks. Honestly, I think he’s a little sick of me. Although, last night, the air conditioner upstairs started to work again, and this evening I took him for a ride around the block in the car, so I may not have completely outlived my usefulness.

Today at work, we had a brief tour of all the fire exits, extinguishers, and emergency phones around the office. We’ve been there since April 1, so this was probably overdue. The stairwells are actually really nice, and I think we were all actually a little disappointed we couldn’t evacuate the building then and there, or even use the stairs except during an emergency. Opening them sets of an alarm downstairs, but they seemed wonderfully quiet compared to our desks, which have lately been surrounded by jackhammering and banging twenty-four/seven. (Or…well, okay, eight/five. But that’s still all work day being bombarded by loud noise right outside the window.)

Oh well. Just two more days of that, and then a three-day weekend. And we get to leave early on Friday in anticipation of it, which is nice.