A tale of work, fatigue, and distractions.

I've been MIA on LJ for about a year, except for the occasional "still breathing" posts and the auto-posts from my near-dormant Twitter account. Mostly, I've been hanging out on Facebook.

So, yes, I'm still breathing. I'm just fatigued. In March 2011 (the point at which I nearly disappeared from LJ and my art blog), I accepted a job as a software tester and technical writer at a small engineering firm, in a position advertised as a six-month temporary assignment. As we approach March 2012, it’s been 12 months, I'm still there, and the big pile-o-work isn’t getting any smaller.

Although I shouldn't complain about having a decent-paying job in my field, I am fatigued by the rigid work schedule of 10-hour days that start a wee bit too early in the morning. I'm adapting, but I'm not getting much done at home in the evenings, and my creative output has been severely limited. My creative drought was exacerbated by a medication prescribed for my twitchy eye, until I decided I could live with a twitch but I can't live without art. (So, when you see me, remember that I'm not really winking at you; I just twitch a little bit.)

2011 in general was a year of health-related distractions. I blame most of it on the fatigue and on working in an old, dusty building with drainage issues. The epic battle against the bacteria that Occupy My Sinuses continues, but I think I'm winning. Also, 10 weeks and 10 pounds after injuring my knee twice during the holidays, I’m finally getting back into my regular yoga schedule. (Baby gates and spikey gumball trees, I hates them I do.) Luckily, the important knee mechanics weren't damaged, but it's hard to do yoga with a near-equivalent of "housemaid's knee". (I’ve also learned that a memory-foam bathmat makes an incredibly useful yoga accessory if you have grumpy knees.)

Other tidbits from 2011:

• I had a short story published in the Yard Dog Press anthology “I Should Have Stayed in Oz”.
• My short story from the 2010 Yard Dog Press anthology "A Bubba In Time Saves None" was awarded first place in the short story category by the Missouri Professional Communicators and second place at the national level by the National Federation of Press Women.
• I went to the National Federation of Press Women conference, and was appointed to the executive board as web director for the next two years.
• I attended three science fiction conventions and had art in their art shows (ConQuesT, SoonerCon, and Archon).
• I went to the Campbell Conference at KU.
• I was supposed to be Artist GOH at Contra, but it was cancelled. (Stupid economy.)
• I drove cross-country solo to Mom’s for Thanksgiving, a significant distance that I would prefer to fly, but at Thanksgiving? Um, no.

So, that’s a brief recap of my year. I could write a little bit about art, but I’ll do that in another post.