Day 101/Day 9: F**K December

I know it. Y'all told me. You said, "Girl, you's crazy. Ain't no way you gon' write eveyday in D'cember. Ain't. No. Way." And I said, "You quit your mean-mouthin' and get off on to school." And you hollered over your shoulder that I's goin' nowhere in life anyways and you dint need me nohow.

Yesterday, I literally wrote one sentence. It was eleven-something at night. I was in my pajamas, teeth all brushed, ear plugs hanging out of my ears. I squinted into my computer screen and squeezed out one measly sentence to get it in under the wire. Wanna know the sentence? "I knew I should be worried about my grandmother, but for some reason, my rank on the need-to-know list concerned me more." Not bad.

The I NEED TO SEE YOU BY CHRISTMAS OR I'LL DIE frenzy has begun and because I am a weak-willed people-pleaser the last five days have been pockmarked with coffee dates, wine drinking and Rock Band Play-offs (which was actually okay because I secretly want to be a singer and that's my only outlet right now). I have managed to write every day despite my fractured creative time and zapped concentration. Some days are better than others and none were as pathetic as last night. But it's only going to get harder between now and Christmas, which means something's gotta give.

So today, I said no. To my best friend and person who really deserves my time more than most people on this planet. I said no to her and her family coming up to Canmore. I simply can't get any work done with a two-year-old running around. You mothers who can? Incredible. Unbelievable, actually. Either you medicate your children or you have an underground personal-sized concrete bunker the comes with a matching nanny. Don't lie to me.

I'm also thinking that it's time to unleash the patented power sentence, five words capable of stopping any would-be time vampire in their gothy tracks: I'm chasing down a dream. I've written about this before. This sentence was my Get Out Of Beers Free card for the entire Ironman year. "I know it's Christmas, but I'm chasing down a dream." No one can dispute that without coming across as a big-fat saboteur or malignant guilt-tripper. At least not if they read this blog. (New Year's Resolution #1: Get More Readers.)