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Thursday, August 25, 2005


Aly ready for a trail ride on Emma.  Posted by Picasa
Well... my idea of hastily bringing in a replacement child to take my mind off Dani's move to Toronto almost worked! Aly (niece)has proven to be great entertainment. However, it feels like I've talked to Dani more in the last couple of days than I have for the past six months! The poor girl has had a terrible time of it - sleep deprived, harrassed by evil Texans on the train, food poisoning, arriving at a deserted campus... forgot her computer cable - can't get online with her laptop - had to schlepp a monitor across campus only to discover her big computer isn't working properly... Regular phonecalls and moaning updates have kept me parenting at full speed... with the added delight of a five year-old looking at me with eyes that say, 'Auntie Nikki - when will you be off the phone?'

Monday, August 08, 2005

Ack. That just about sums it up. So pressed for time am I, point form of the deadlines I currently face will have to do. The list should serve as an explanation as to why a) I am a lousy correspondent, b) this blog is so neglected, and c) I'm feeling panicky even though I don't drink much coffee any more.

1. Must finish sequel to Jo's Triumph. First draft of Jo's Gold is nearly done - small problem - I hate it.

2. Must submit Family Guide (for parents of very small - i.e. preschool - children) to the Royal British Columbia Museum. An exceptionally interesting project, and one that has helped with research for Jo's Gold, but extremely challenging. Just try distilling a whole museum into five thousand words or less. Extra challenge: some of your readers are still in diapers.

3. Finalize travel details for Iceland trip for new TV Show, Around the World on Horseback. Penalty for not getting this finished - no trip to Iceland.

4. Last reveiw due (waaaay overdue) for CBRA.

5. Island Parent Magazine column - deadline today.

6. Various publicity-related things in my capacity as Sono Nis publicist. Read Second Watch - it's good.

7. Final edits are done for the new Tarragon Island book (Trouble on Tarragon Island) but pressure is mounting to start work on a new book.

8. Submit content for Victoria Children's Literature Roundtable newsletter.

9. Edit/format/write (not necessarily in that order) the Bolen Books Bookworm.

10. Keep the animals alive - fed, watered, mucked, and exercised.

11. Keep myself alive - fed, watered, mucked, and exercised.

Those are the highlights I'm dealing with today. There's more, but I don't have time to write them down.