study

Why, oh why, am I not better organised? I seem to revel in leaving things until the last minute or agreeing to do a million things at once. I wish I was more organised! I also seem to revel in putting pressure on myself to reach unrealistic targets then I get stressed when I don't achieve them.

For example, I'm studying again now and I worked out I need to do four units a week in order to get through the full course before attending a related seminar at the end of February. It's the end of week one and I'm only part way through unit two. That means I have to study six units in the coming week...a week in which I have a day trip to Cambridge to see my sister one final time before she returns home to the other side of the world, I will be away all day Thursday as I'm working out of another office for the day, and I will also be stressing madly about my exam results which are due on either Wednesday, Thursday or Friday (I'm not organised enough to know exactly which day to expect them).

I know from experience that there is no point studying on Mondays because I'm tired after the first day of the working week. Note: I also know that this particular week is going to be frantic as I have back to back appointments in my diary all week.

I know that Tuesdays are out because I have something I have to do on Tuesdays.

I'd be freaking out if it wasn't for the fact that I should be able to get in a few hours study on the train on Wednesday!

I guess it's not going to be a writing week!

little black dress

Asda are selling box sets of four Little Black Dress books for £5. I'm only telling everyone this because I already have mine! Got it this afternoon while on the way to Staples to look at office chairs. Of course, the only problem is that now I'm desperate to read them, especially Decent Exposure by Phillipa Ashley, when I really should be doing other things!

things

Where to start? What to say? It's been so long since I blogged and I've been so busy! I'm also mindful of the fact that I haven't posted about Cuba yet. Nor have I emailed my patiently waiting family with details - although they have seen the holiday pix!

I've thought about blogging and have even logged in a couple of times but then I've sat here thinking "but I've got nothing interesting to say".

Quite simply, I've been busy just getting on with life. Work obviously takes up a fair chunk of my day. After work I've been putting the finishing touches on a new website I've created for a Harlequin Romance author, I've continued with the editing of Rules in preparation for a much hoped for full request from LBD (fingers crossed!), I've been ice skating at Somerset House (I won free tickets!) and I've been catching up with family.

I've also watched the first four hours of series six of 24, tried to fight off a cold that was desperate to knock me out for a few days, read Kelly Hunter's Priceless (fantastic!) and generally not had enough sleep because I've been staying up too late.

What I haven't managed to do is study. I know, I know, I should be studying by now because I'm intending to sit three exams in May. However, I've been waiting for work to approve my study sponsorship agreement so I don't have to pay for it all myself. But in desperation I did order the course book for one of my courses on Thursday, expecting it to arrive yesterday so I could start studying this weekend. It didn't arrive so that's my excuse for not studying this weekend.

Instead, I'll be working hard to put the finishing touches on the author's website, continuing with more editing of Rules and visiting Staples to buy a new office chair for my husband. The studying begins on Monday.

i'm writing again!

I've edited two whole chapters of Rules today! It feels good. Thinking back, I realised I haven't done any writing since late September when I sent the partial of Rules, the partial of The Husband Hunt and the full of Sea of Dreams into various editors. I had exactly a month until exams so I studied hard. Then after exams we went on holiday. After the holiday was Christmas. And now here I am. Chapters nine and ten are duly edited. Of course, we won't mention chapter eight which I've skipped over for now because it needs a complete rewrite. Get the rest polished up and then go back - that's my plan.

Tomorrow I'm going sale shopping!