August?

I've been on vacation since I got home. I haven't even done anything interesting. I sleep, run errands, cook, eat, read children's fiction, do crossword puzzles with Sir John, and play with the cats (especially the new baby). But now it's August, and at the very least I'd better pay bills and get to the bank today.

I do need to start thinking about work. To start with, I should make a list of things I need to do on campus: file travel voucher, which means finding receipts; check out books, which means thinking about what I need; get letterhead and write a couple of letters (and at this point I get tired and think I should spend more time with the cats).

But seriously. I have to write an abstract for next year's Zoo. That's a nice small piece of work, something that will stay done when 'tis done. And then not only is there the book to tackle (I had really better break this down into much smaller tasks), I also have 2 months to write an essay for a book collection. This is a project whose proposal sat on some editor's desk for years, so that I had more or less forgotten about it, or turned it into one of those "someday" things. And then last week I learned that it's a "go" and I have to start thinking about that essay again.

For today, anyway, and through the weekend, I'm going to continue the vacation---just try to make it a more active one. I'll go to the gym every day. I'll hit the Farmers' Market tomorrow. I'll do some weeding in the garden. I'll call a friend about going and having a look at his neglected new-house garden, so I can work out how many of my day lilies and hostas can move there (my garden is tiny, but I can never bear to just throw out healthy plants, even when they're taking over). If I'm feeling really ambitious, I might start a craft project.

Because I'm actually getting a little tired of being a slug.