Two hours sleep is plenty really and have we done for Nathan?

I'm a bit tired - what with two hours sleep being a little below the guidelines recommended for such things - but it is Friday so all is well in my world!

• Done teaching
• Done breaking up for the holiday - it's a hard life
• Done speed visit to the pub
• Done telling everyone to make their own tea

Where is Nathan? Working - surely not? Refusing to speak to us - unlikey? Sickly - doubtful? Having a life - that is such bad news! For me - if not for him.
Now how will I get to hear all those familiar and distinctive 'voices'?

I'm going to the gym tomorrow - as usual - but I can go and buy a new book too (preferably one that I 'can't put down'). The decision now is what shall I select from the ranks and rows? I can't wait!!

It may be only 8 hours until school starts but my course work essay needs to be done for tomorrow!

There I was having fun debating if common courtesy is ever dispensable - even when the 'protagonists' are unpublished writers and literary agents -when the younger version of 'how can I make your life more complicated' announces that she has a major piece of course work to re-write and only 8 hours to do it in - complicated by a need to sleep within those said hours too.
I love a challenge almost as much as a debate - less fun though really.
To sleep perchance to dream? I think not.

Nathan he says 'No'

Reminds me of removing plasters

People say fast is best - less painful anticipation (sharp and stinging) - others say that to soak the plaster to give you time to prepare is best so you can gently ease the thing off (mental preparation to cope with the fact that it is going to hurt)

Pain is pain.

Still writing!

Harshly heartless but the post man he says 'yes' - well he said that will be £2.53 actually

FMP - someone wants to have my babies! I'll ponder the advances that would need to be made in medical science for that to happen while I go to make my tea!

Nathan - my best bud in America - says he turns around submissions 'like' fast - what's with the hold up in my acceptance then? Hopefully my revised and resent e-mail can make the swim and long hike to San Francisco and that Nathan isn't now snowed under the flood of resubmissions his blog has engenered.

Speaking of Literary Agents who don't live so far away that it is almost like another planet - (ooh - story plot line? I think I could work with that):

I was harshly heartless today - I walked past the netballers in their first match of the season - how late it is for this to be happening (at the end of the season) is a fair reflection of how dire they are .... so when I discovered quite by accident that they were only one-nil down to a team that thrashed them 16 - 0 last outing ... I kept on walking whilst wishing them well!

Instead I drove to town - and put the second ever submission in the post !!!! I know - I'm still a little weak at the knees myself!!

Not exactly rocket science but I think I've got a much better chance at securing a Literary Agent now that my submission has been posted to one!

On writing - still writing

Books about writing books?
I spent ages thinking about books to help you write - surely you'd get conflicting advice - from (depending on how many you read) singular view points.
I re-read every book I buy, beg, borrow or 'steal' up to 20 times - during my extended reading I absorb a lot of useful information about how books are written. I read everything put out by individual authors for 'fun' (if I find a voice that really catches my attention). I don't have favourite genres but page 49 better be good as I use it to select books for reading - prologues have had it (unless they are very long)!
If writers are writing about something they have never seen, heard, felt or done - then the 'how to' book would be a must - is anyone actually doing that?
(Talk to the person who did it - or buy the book written by the person who did it - or as close as you can find ) then visualise it - plan the 'journey' (space, time, physically, mentally, emotionally and socially) - and write; let them live - play God.

Been out at the pub drinking-ish (designated driver) with friends - think I might have gotten all philosophical!
01:18 and just the reading part of my day to go - did I mention the reading? 06:30 alarm but 'real' books await.

The Postman always rings twice

So far today:

• done teaching
• done meeting
• got Yr 6 sorted for Samlearning
• showed collegues how to sort their classes for said on-line tool
• took heavily-laden collegue to the train station
• done cursing the post office when the little window was closed when I arrived

It is however, 2 days to the school holidays and the sun is shining! My sister is flying in from Australia! Life could be worse!

If it hadn't been for the 'puppy-dog' eyes and what exactly is it with the Post Office anyway?!

So, anyway, just the 10 days late with the posting of the submission - procrastination no more - today was the day - oh yeah (slow version) ... !

Well 'like' - it went like this:
PLAN OF ACTION:

1. TEACH STUFF TO EDUCATE THE FUTURE GENERATION
2. TEACH, PLAY AND WIN CHESS - ALSO TO EDUCATE THE FUTURE GENERATION
3. LEAVE EXACTLY 30 SECONDS AFTER THE END OF SAID CLUB
4. GO AND POST THE SUBMISSION

Everything was going fine - I ignored suggestions to watch little people play football or bigger ones play rugby after moulding minds - heartless but necessary - I was on a shedule here

So where did it all go wrong?

Sick rugby player = player and Mommy going home (I blame Patient X - still)

No problem - still single-mindedly pursuing the writer's dream of making it to the Post Office before it closes with the parcel to get it weighed, stamped and in the post box - I head off to Chess with my eager collection of geeks - looking forward to their go at attempting to thrash the teacher - the most fun they get all week! I had been forced to return to reading 'Improve your Chess' after allowing one of the little perishers to blind-side me with clever rook play last week - never again! I'd remember to pay attention and show a little respect this week.

SO WHERE DID IT ALL GO WRONG?

Puppy-dog eyes!!

Sick player! Therefore the devoted parent was unavailable for transportation duty - at 3:30 with nothing that could be done except to cancell the away fixture or persuade 'soft' teachers to step into the transportation breach!

See above: all the KS2 teachers were involved in Art Club, Chess Club, Rugby matches, Football tournament, hosted at ours, so all helpful staff members were otherwise occupied. Then I thought the problem was averted when KS1 stepped up with staff member able to get the team THERE - this, of course, only made my dilemma worse - the 'pretty pleases' and 'puppy eyes' did it! I agreed to go and rescue them from the other side of town - with the traffic against me on the return journey - all because I had to pass the sad-looking, huddled throng of already changed rugby players with their best crestfallen, disillusioned, miserable eyes on my way to the Chess Wars!

So:

• did teaching - fair enough I get paid for that - 3:30 PO still open
• did Chess Club - no one beat me today (need I say more - except the fact that no-one there is over the age of 11 - except me) - 4:30 PO still open
• collected victorious rugby team from opposite end of town, returned them to school, drove home again hacking through cross town traffic - 5:30

And the problem with that? THE PART-TIME OPENING HOURS OF THE GREAT, BRITISH INSTITUTION KNOW AS THE POST OFFICE!!!!

Why do they close at exactly the same time as working people finish work? Why can they not give us a chance to post things to loved ones or Literary Agencies ? Couldn't they just stay open until - Oh! I don't know - a more reasonable time?!

Tomorrow is another day - I await the next effort of the Harbinger of Anti-writing } : (