I’ve always been a fan of staycations. The problem with vacations, especially long vacations, is that by the end of them, I feel exhausted rather than relaxed. They were fun as heck when I was a kid, but on the grown-up side, vacations are a lot of responsibility. It feels like we’ve got to keep up the fun level for our kids. The planning’s got to be tight so the action’s consistent, and if they want to go to the pool, we’re going to the pool. If they want to order something special for dinner, that’s what’s happening.
When we got home and unpacked, I was feeling pretty sore from driving hours-on-end. But something possessed me to keep working on the manuscript edit. I got within twenty pages from the end … and crashed hard.
I didn’t touch the MS again until today, and managed my way through two more pages before I got sick of it.
Sigh. I don’t even remember the due date anymore, and to be honest I’m not all that interested in looking it up. My birthday came and went, and it was … much different than usual. And we’re getting so close to being ready to move. I feel so strange.
Work hit me like a ton of bricks on Monday. All the extra stuff in my life has definitely taken its toll. It hurt my work productivity for October … bad. Bad enough that this is the first time my manager contacted me with concern for my output. That was a scary moment. I certainly don’t want to lose my job in order to ghost edit some guy’s manuscript. It doesn’t pay nearly enough for that. But fortunately, my boss was understanding and didn’t discipline me due to my past track record. He just gave a stern warning that I’d better up my productivity for next month.
Once this MS is off my plate, aside from having to pack a ton of stuff and continue my BI training, I should be able to focus more on my regular job duties again.
Last night, I took the opportunity to relax as much as I could. I don’t like the stress level I’m currently at. It needs to come down a few notches. Why do vacations tend to have the opposite effect on me?
Well, let this be a lesson to you: If you feel in your gut that you shouldn’t take on a particular unexpected project, don’t do it. Even if it’s for a friend.
…I’ll be so glad when this is over. And sorry about the rant.
Nick Enlowe 