Have you been feeling really busy in your life? Are you just looking forward to holidays and Christmas time?

Are you missing someone because you've been too busy to spend time with them?

-- Anonymous, August 13, 1999

Answers

It was deja vu to see that picture of you dressed as Alabama Whorley, since recently whenever I see Patricia Arquette I am reminded of you. I couldn't figure out why, since I have only seen the couple of pictures you have posted in the past. Apparently, you do look like her.

I know this is off-topic, but I am relieved to see that there is a reason that my brain keeps popping up images of a person I do not know whenever I see Patricia Arquette. I guess I'm not obsessed with you after all.:)

-- Anonymous, August 13, 1999

Am I busy... hmmm, full time job, 30-35 minute drive each way, do all the cooking and shopping, some of the cleaning, wife, two kids at home, a cat and a rabbit. And in less than two weeks I'm going to be going to a three hour class one night a week which means a drive to Providence... hmmm, did I bring home my laptop so I can spend several hours working at home over the weekend... and tomorrow will drive 200 miles or so to visit my brother (who is in the hospital) and drive back again... I guess I must not be too busy because here I am posting an entry on your forum.

Actually, I love being busy... as long as I am enjoying the things I do (fortunately I really enjoy my job)

And it feels so good when you take a bit of time off... Our kids are now old enough that we frequently find our selves in empty nest mode when it comes to dinner time (and other nights I may suddenly find I have three or four or five extra teenagers to feed!)... Like Wednesday night... our daughter was working and our son was at a friend's house so Nancy and I decided to go out for dinner... our first choice restaurant had a half hour wait for tables so we tried a new place... delicious seafood chowder, salad, white wine... a micro- mini vacation...

Always look forward to the holidays, but I always hate to see summer end... But meanwhile, my wife will be home from her tennis game in an hour or so and I have to figure out what to do for dinner (without going shopping since my wife has my car since our daughter borrowed my wife's car to get to work)... I think some zucchini or yellow squash from the garden, sauteed, maybe over pasta... hmmmm, well I'd better get back to being busy...

-- Anonymous, August 13, 1999

Yes, I'm really busy, and yes, I miss my boyfriend because we're both too busy to spend much time together, and yes, you look an awful lot like Patricia Arquette.

-- Anonymous, August 13, 1999

Ah, yes, it must be that Friday the 13th thing...I'm very busy today at work. Busy tonight, as I decided to try making dinner to impress my boyfriend...busy at lunch today grocery shopping for said dinner. Busy last night trying to clean my room. Busy today stuffing envelopes/mailing out Seybold invitations at work. Busybusybusy.

-- Anonymous, August 13, 1999

Wow, I thought I was the only one that thought Pamie looked like Patricia Arquette!

This is my 'birthday week' so it's been very busy so far. Actually I have to leave in an hour, and I just got out of the shower (I'm a guy's worst nightmare, it takes me forever to get ready.. even if just going down the street for milk). Really should get my rear in gear, but procrastination is just so tempting.

-- Anonymous, August 13, 1999

Seriously? Right this minute, no...because everyone else is asleep, I don't have anything to do except my entry tonight and work on my next story, etc. My wife is sleeping peacefully in the bed next to the computer, and I don't travel.

Of course, usually it's a nightmare of my autistic kids tugging at me or grunting at me while I try to guess what they want, or figuring out how to tell my thirteen year old speaking son that the green-streaked spiked hair he wants would perhaps not be the best choice for him to make...

Or me biting off more web projects than I can handle...

Hey, I have to ask the daily question in the listserv I run...

And shouldn't I be doing...

Hey, you're RIGHT! Gotta go!--Al

-- Anonymous, August 14, 1999

Whoogoodness.. I'm working on one of the shows that Eric's working on and YEEKS! So much work. Last night it ran three hours long! We were all pooped afterward.

I complain all the time about being too busy. I work full time, do freelance on the side, and still do the comedy troupe thing and it is exhausting. But I wouldn't give up any of it. (well, maybe the full-time job). It really is rewarding and you get to work with these incredible people that make you laugh and are just incredibly talented. And you get to meet the most amazing people and feel like you're part of something, I dunno, special. You don't always get that feeling from "real" work.

Sometimes you just have to take a sick day from work and spend it just vegging at home. I don't get sick too often physically, so I use that time as "mental health" time.

-- Anonymous, August 14, 1999

Hey, that Mars Sociey Conference was business! We were very busy (when we weren't trying to catch up on the sleep we lost from driving to Boulder) making important contacts. Well, we met some really cool people in the hotel bar, anyway.

-- Anonymous, August 16, 1999

I started to read the postings to this topic... the second one began "Am I busy... hmmm, full time job, 30-35 minute drive each way, do all the cooking and shopping, some of the cleaning, wife, two kids at home, a cat and a rabbit." and said to myself, gee, that guy sounds like his life is just like mine... and then realized that it was me, that you were reposting a forum from August... duh...

-- Anonymous, November 03, 1999

Too busy, you ask. Within the last ten days, my father was hospitalized during my daughter's last week of rehearsal for her first major role (Mrs. Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie). She's in high school and doesn't drive yet and her school is two towns away - you get the picture. My father is two states away. Then, my father died (on my son's eighth birthday). The night before the funeral was dress rehearsal for my daughter and the night of the funeral was opening night, so we round-tripped about 500 miles in one day. And, yes, the car acted up - that reminds me, I have a letter to write to Goodyear. Don't wish a week like that on anyone. The play was great, though - her grandpa woulda been proud. And, we survived. Except,of course, for dad.

-- Anonymous, November 03, 1999

It's been one long all-nighter since May of last year. I moved to NY, lived in all 5 boroughs AND Jersey City from May-August. My father got sick just before Christmas, died in April, I moved again in June and on October 13.

I started a new job in my current company where I do a lot more for the same pay (I must have "sucker" tattooed on my forehead), but I enjoy the new responsibilities much more than the secretarial ones that, by the way, I still do.

So, it's either work late or be frantic all day. I've been begging for help, but the CFO thinks I "just answer the phone." Arggggh. My job has eaten my brain lately, it's all I can seem to write about in my journal (http://www.somecrazydame.com/madwo).

Also, my mom and brother are coming for Christmas, so I'm playing travel agent/tour guide. Sometimes none of this sounds like much to do, but I'd have no free time at all if I hadn't just moved 160 blocks closer to work. Thank heaven for that. My commute is now just a 15 minute stroll, so I am feeling some relief since this most recent move.

I just don't know how you people with children do it!

I'm not missing anyone in particular, because I've not made many friends since moving to NY. I really miss having someone to go out with or to invite over. Also, I feel as if I haven't had the time to grieve after my father's death.

I miss the great writer's group I had in SF and would like to start one up here, but time has been limited. I'd also like to write more and start to freelance (it's like a muscle: you've got to use it, or it atrophies).

But of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most

-- Anonymous, November 03, 1999

everything is relative.. but i've been noticing that a lot of times i put stuff off (calling people, writing people.. and i rarely do either, if ever) and i use the excuse "i'm busy" which is true, but when am i not? so now i'm starting to think maybe my entire life is busy, and if it is, that's great, because i still procrastinate like a bitch but seem to get everything constructive done.

-- Anonymous, November 03, 1999

I was just going to post that my body has a way of stopping me when I'm too busy -- get sick and shut down. Then, I read today's entry and sure enough, pamie is sick too!

I've been complaining too much about being so busy, and I haven't really been looking after myself (not enough sleep, food, you know the drill). So, my body decided to make me sick enough to leave work early yesterday, where I promptly fell asleep for 17 hours.

Of course, I feel like I wasted an entire day, but the world didn't fall apart because I wasn't participating :-)

-- Anonymous, November 04, 1999