Rocksteady

You may have noticed that I’ve been posting my blog entries at the crack of dawn. I’m in a pattern of waking up really early, so it seems to be the best use of my time to capture the first thoughts of my day (read: before the kids wake up).

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Had lunch yesterday with the beautiful and talented Erin Dionne. I thought I was busy! Her new book, The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet, is out now. Twelve years ago, we were sitting in cubicles at Houghton Mifflin trying to decide what to do with our lives. Now, we’re trying to balance the writing life with family and work and cleaning the house and sleeping.

It's funny how we shake things off and keep moving. Sore throat? Not today. Dirty house? I'll clean tomorrow. No sleep? I'll sleep when I'm dead!

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The work-life balance is a big, fat myth.

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As I was spouting off about how little time I have, Erin indulged me in a conversation about hiring a personal assistant. It was strictly hypothetical, but she asked, “What would this person do for me?” Well, he or she would help me get my office organized, answer e-mail, schedule readings, mail books for review, and keep up with the things I lose track of regularly.

How many of us have just felt overburdened by life at any given time? What I need is more time in the week to free me up to do other things. I really like doing those things listed above. So I could hire a student to come over a few hours a week to help me get organized, or have a sitter watch the kids a few hours every week at a consistent time so I can do office work.

It was a good conversation to have. Thanks E! For now, I’ll settle for getting up in the dark and organizing my desk, but, oh, a girl can dream!

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And now, something for the English majors—and those who enjoy life's inconsistencies. Two of my new favorite blogs: the “blog” of “unnecessary” quotation marks and passive aggressive notes.

Let’s not forget the ever-popular This Is Why You’re Fat.

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Listening to the song “Rocksteady” by Marc Broussard.