last few days of Dublin

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busy, Dublin, masters, stress, time

One, two, three – three full days left until I leave my home for the summer and I am starting to panic. Between the making lists of what to take and what to do I find that I all I want to do is curl up and read a book.

But since beaming hasn’t been invented yet and I don’t have staff to whip my the house into shape I will just have to bite the bullet and try and get everything done.

It isn’t so much the dread of packing for six weeks or the fact that I have to clean, which I hate, but that everyday life just keeps moving on, chewing up precious time. Today I am meeting my prof to talk about my masters, and I am truly dreading it as I am so behind, tomorrow I need to do some test editing for a really exciting job opportunity and then there is a meeting that I need to prepare for as it is about a project I will be working on while away.

As my stress levels rise the only thing that is keeping me sane is the fact that I know that while I only have three days left, it will also be over in three days too!

My 1960s wall-clock reminding me of what time I have left

busy St Patrick’s Day

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busy, Dublin, gardening, Ireland, photography, photos, St Patrick's Day, work

Happy St Patrick’s Day. Unusually the sun has decided to stick around so this year the parade with be bathed in sun, not rain. But for me – with a to-do-list longer than any the snake St Patrick drove out of Ireland – my day will be filled with work and chores.

While I type this the washing machine is on spin cycle and my mind is whirling around at the same speed – thoughts of what I need to do, what should be done and what I want to do all mixed up together, with the occasional ‘red sock’ grabbing my attention.

However I may just give myself an hour or two to tidy up my tiny back yard and do up my windowsills, plant some green in hour of our Irish patron Saint. And since it is a Bank Holiday here maybe I’ll even allow myself some time to read on my blue bench out in the sun.

the only green decorating my windowsill

lists and weekends

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busy, friends, life, lists, post-its, to do, working

Shopping lists, to-do-lists, lists of who to call, packing lists, post-its sticking to pages, in books, on doors in my calendar, sometimes even on my phone – lists and post-its are how I organise my world, and time.

With Saturday just one sleep away and my work hours slowly counting down I am somewhat dismayed to see how my weekend list seems to be growing a little out of control. I seem to have to do more things than I think I have time for.

So now as I look at my calendar and the list I have scrawled in wonky writing and feel dismayed. With a friend who I haven’t seen since before Christmas popping in later for a long overdue catch-up, my home needing a good clean, my wood guy delivering wood tomorrow, a friend needing a lift on Sunday and a surprise cinema ticket win inviting me to a surprise film on Sunday afternoon my time is more than limited as it is.

But with my list growing and my desk overflowing I think I will just have to bite the bullet and succumb to the fact that this weekend will be busier than I’d like. But maybe, before I can start checking things of my list, I should consider tiding up my work-space and decide what can be pushed another week. And I already know the first thing not getting done is cleaning – as long as I can find my desk and my lists, that’s all I need.

Now all I need to do is to write a list of where to start and what I need to get it done!

preparation is key

Tags

busy, classes, cycling, Dublin, plans, preparation, schedule, teaching, work

The next two weeks are going to be extremely busy for me. I have a packed schedule and my friends will only see flashes of me as I cycle from one job to the next and climb the stairs to my master classes. I have everything carefully timed and planned out and only hope that rain will stay away – drying off periods are not included in my schedule, nor or flat tyres, so fingers crossed.

But to be able to manage my frantic schedule I will have to pre-prepare – pack my bag in advance and make sure I have lunches tucked away in my saddlebags (I have big red saddle bags that embrace my bike in an eternal hug of practicality).

So yesterday I prepared today’s and tomorrow’s classes, photocopied up a storm (there was actually whirling and twirling of paper as I flicked through pages as fast as I could). And last night (before I had my shower and washed my hair – yes, even personal hygiene has to be scheduled) I packed my bag with all essential paperwork, pens and electronic devices. I even soaked my oats in milk over night to streamline the porridge-making process this morning.

So, yes – preparation is going to be key over the next few weeks and hopefully all will work out as planned. And if any surprises present themselves I just hope they’ll be pleasant ones, ones I’ll love to be interrupted by!

 

 

catching up with January

Tags

2016, busy, Dublin, interview, January, photography, photos, red pens, work, writing

We’re already half way through January and 2016 has truly hit its stride, but somehow my time away has left me a few paces behind. Since I landed back in Dublin on Monday I am still playing catch up with the new year.

With lecturing back in full swing and my to-do-list growing on a daily basis – how important is cleaning really? – my head is still wrapping its mind around the fact that the date has changed. And with a job interview (fingers crossed) lined up for early tomorrow morning, some grading left to do, a few film previews to go to and lots of writing still stuck in my pen time is just not slowing down.

So, with that in mind I better get back to work, sharpen those pencils and uncap those red pens and cross a few things of that ever growing list. I just hope that January will slow down a bit and allow me to catch up before I need to flick the page on my calendar again.

a package in the post

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busy, christmas, packing parcels, parcels, photography, photos, things to do, unwrapping

Christmas is less than two weeks away and I still have so much left to do. I still have a few parcels to pack and a few things to make and a lot of cookies to bake – and don’t get me started on Christmas cards.

However this morning my first Christmas parcel arrived all the way from Germany. A friend seems to have been more organised than I have and this morning the postman delivered a brown package to my doorstep.  Now the parcel is the living room, lying in wait and taunting me.

But I will be good and not unwrap until the big day has arrived – no matter how much i wanted to know what is hidden beneath the wrapping. After all delayed gratification is the best and I don’t want to deny myself the joy of unwrapping a gift on Christmas day.

Don’t open before the 24th – it is a German parcel after all

free fall Friday

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busy, free fall, hardship, hope, masters, MfA, parachute, plans, thoughts, writing

If you FALL, I’ll be there

Floor

After an extremely busy and challenging week today I feel as though I am in free fall. My plans deconstructed and the future uncertain I am struggling to see where things are going.

As I slowly reorganise my life, apply for jobs and attempt to right the wrong I find it hard to feel overly enthusiastic or excited about the great adventure that is my MfA, and so want to, as my lecturers are quite wonderful and may fellow bards are lovely.

But as my back-account quickly drains, my shoulders slowly rise up towards my ears, stress building tension permeating every fiber of my being. However, if the myths are to believed, hardship makes for great writers, so at the very least my grades should be good.

So maybe, for today, I will try and enjoy the thrill of free falling, lie on the wind and allow it to carry me somewhere unknown. And hope that there is a parachute packed safely on my back and that when I pull the cord, as I plummet downwards, it will releases and allow me to securely reach the ground.

long days

Tags

ACD, busy, masters, reading, work, writing

It’s the second week of my Masters, first week back lecturing,  and the last few days have been very long – sleep seems to have become a luxury not  a necessity. But it’s been good, difficult and challenging.

Yesterday I was the first one up to have my novel criticised and as I sat on that hard, uncomfortable chair (both literally and figuratively) my novel was torn apart and shredded, my work demolished.

Of course the whole situation upset me somewhat, while it wasn’t personal it wasn’t an easy place to be in. However, I do have to admit, that what was said, what was criticised was right. Every poke, prod and pull at my words and sentences had a point, sometimes even several. Not that it made me feel any better, but hopefully it will make me a better writer.

So now, that my first draft is trashed, I will start afresh, rewrite, rework and re-imagine.

left reading – right the destruction of my novel

needing more time

Tags

Ballybunion, busy, Ireland, photography, photos, students, Women in the Media, work

This week I am extremely busy. Between working all off last weekend and my students completing their end of year projects, designing and editing a small local magazine and getting all of my grading done I have no time whatsoever.

It is only Wednesday morning and I feel if it should be much later in the week, but at least I will be (hopefully) meeting my wonderful friend J. before she heads back to Berlin at some point.

And I do have something else to look forward to. On Saturday I will be driving right across Ireland to Ballybunion on the west coast to take part in a Women in the Media conference. The only problem is it means getting up at 5am in the morning to arrive in time for the first symposium, and I know I will be longing for more time in bed when that alarm rings. However a few hours of lost sleep is a price I am very willing to pay for this great event.

I went last year and it was wonderful. Lots of amazing women (and a few supportive men) talking about the world of media. A great place to meet like-minded ladies, network and just have fun.

A bonus is that Ballybunion is truly beautiful, if a little deserted at this time of year. Situated right by the sea and littered with sandy coves it is very relaxing and I can’t wait for my mini-break away.

But until then, I will just keep busy and count down the days and make sure my camera is charged for the weekend. After all I am sure to have few hours in the afternoon to take a couple of photos, like these I took last year.

what a difference two weeks make

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busy, Dinah Washington, music, projects, quote, work, working hours, writing

When I wandered into my study this morning I was greeted with the debris of some late night work: information scribbled on notepads, pens, my glasses, a list of things still left to do and an empty cup of tea.

The last two weeks have been very busy for me and the next few weeks won’t be very different. My calendar is bursting with deadlines and appointments, both for work and play.

But after a long summer of struggling to make ends meet it’s good to see that the work I put in is now paying off. However I can’t quite keep up, as time has gone into overdrive: college is already two weeks in, the new magazine is due to go to print in twelve days and my cousin and her daughter are dropping in for a five day visit in ten days time.

So as I ponder what a difference two weeks make I am wondering how I am going to find the time to sleep. But since the weekend is just a day away I am sure I can allow myself a bit of a longer lie in, even if my waking hours will be mostly occupied with work.

So for today i will try and do as much as I can in the daylight hours and tonight I will enjoy some time spent out with friends. And who knows what a difference today will make, and no one sings it better than the gorgeous Dinah Washington.