Deadlines and Birthdays

Coffee in the Atlanta skyline mug, "Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens on iTunes. It's August 11th today, Monday, and I feel the weight of the month pressing down on me. The deadlines begin to pile up starting Friday and reach a crescendo of effort the day after Labor Day (early this year--September 1). Some of it's production--the least scary and most comfortingly predictable of the things I do--but a lot of it's writing, designing, webbing and other hard-to-time-quantify activities. Activities that could go easily and quietly into the "done" pile or that could turn into a day (week?) down the rabbit hole at a mad tea party. I don't have a week to spare.

And while I am dwelling on upcoming scary things this fine morning, I am going to be help-less again come September: Becky the Wonder Assistant is heading back to corporate America for a Real Job. After almost a year with steady help, I can't go back to a one-person shop--I need to hire someone new. And this time it won't be a friend helping me out on a part-time temporary basis--it'll be a Real Employee. I am hoping for a mother with little kids in school who just needs something with flexible hours and a little extra family income (not the rent).

But let's end the post on a positive note. Friday was Dan the Carpenter's birthday and we had a little party in the studio for him. I didn't taste the cake, but I trust Southern Sweets. I'm sure Dave will get an evil chuckle out of the singing cake plate being inflicted on someone else for a change.