Burning the Candle

Well, the kids are back in school, the sun is setting a little earlier each afternoon, and the nights are cooler and breezier than they have been in months. Summer, it seems, is over, is it not?

For me, Summer means music, playing a myriad of gigs with a handful of bands. And, in looking at my calendar, I realize that Summer is far from over. From now until the middle of October, I'm playing at least once every weekend, and one or two weeknights here and there. This week alone I have a gig around 7 PM on Thursday that I have to jet to after work, a 12-hour procession on Saturday, and a much smaller job on Sunday. As for my office job, which ranges from famine to feast in terms of workload, all of this extracurricular activity is hitting during one of my “feast” times, ironically enough. Wednesday was one of those rare late nights in which I work until 7ish and skip the gym. I don't mind those once in a while, as long as they don't become a habit like at my last job, but it definitely throws me off a bit. I need to run to get my blood pumping and clear my head, to wake up and shake up the fog of the day. I need it most importantly to stave off my flabby gut and man-boobs. I can't go back a belt loop after tightening it over the Summer; I won't.

All things pass, even busy seasons. I hate that important things are getting neglected, like the matter of rolling over some funds in one of my 401K accounts prior to a deadline at the end of this month. I was notified back in August, and at the time the end of September seemed so far away. I keep putting off the phone call to straighten things out. I need more hours in the day, or fewer priorities, or the ideal combination of both.

I function best on autopilot. One of my superiors referred to my brain as a “computer” this week, citing my storage capacity. I occasionally come out with things that I don't consciously know that I know, which is both cool and frightening. I need to go further than one day at a time, and take things one hour at a time. It's a busy period, burning the candle at both ends, and in the back of my mind I haven't forgotten that it's almost time to plan another Cloakfest. I'll come up with something. I'll get everything done. And by October, I'll be able to relax a little. I've already narrowed down my Halloween costume ideas to two possibilities, and after that all I need to worry about is Christmas shopping. But then, after that, I'll be all done, right? Right?

What do you mean I have to do it all again next year?