Aaaaaauuuugh!!! No E-Mail Access...

Our e-mail server has been down all day and I'm starting to hyperventilate.  I took a full day of rest yesterday and never logged once onto e-mail, plus I only checked it once early Saturday morning.  I must have close to 200 messages waiting for me and no way to access them.  Worse, I have a number of replies I need to get out to people today, not to mention e-mailing a few completed article assignments to editors. 

I am soooo much a "I want it when I want it" sort of person.  And I want my e-mail NOW.  I called Road Runner's hotline and after listening to automated messages that had me make seven different selections (I counted - press 1 for English, press 3 for maintenance trouble, press 4 if you have already tried this solution, press 2 if you would like to speak to a service rep, press 7 if you mean you want to speak to one now, press the square of pie if you really, really need to speak to a rep b/c you must first prove to us you are worthy of our time...).  Anyway, the message I finally got to before I spoke to a CSR said that all of GSO was having e-mail trouble, they're aware of it, they're working on it.  That was at 11:30 this morning and it's now just before 4 and still no e-mail. 

On the bright side, I've gotten a ton of work done today, which proves my point from an earlier blog that I am, indeed, and e-mail addict.

And I am desperately craving a hit...

Gregory Alan to play at Book Launch

A fantastic "Urban Acoustic" guitar player named Gregory Alan will be playing at my Book Launch at The Green Bean on Dec. 1st.  I first heard Greg play back in April, during national poetry month.  Our local writers group had organized poetry readings around town that month and I attended one at a local Starbucks where Greg was playing. His style is this smooth, soothing blend of pop, R&B, and contemporary jazz.

I'm not a big fan of live music.  It's always too loud, too overpowering, and in my opinion most musicians sound better when they've been edited and digitized on a CD.  So it was a surprise how much I liked Greg's sound.  Blair felt the same way because a little into Greg's second song he leaned over to me and said, "We should get his CD."

I've been a little nervous about the book launch.  I've invited all these people and now they're going to do what while they're there?  I'll read from my book, but that will be under 10 minutes.  And I'll sign book copies (which I hope will take a lot longer than 10 minutes!), and there will be cake and food and drink.  But music brings an added element of togetherness.  I think it will provide that cohesion I'm looking for. 

Plus, Greg gets a chance to sell his CD's and market himself, and I'm all for championing local artists.  All in all, I'm really looking forward to the event.

Decorating Diaries: Bedroom BEFORE & AFTER Pics

It has been 10 long, hard years, but the day has finally arrived that I can say with great pride and job that I LOVE MY BEDROOM.

My decorator Dawn Leamon was here last night for three hours as we installed hardware for the curtains, ironed bedding, bought pillows, and "fluffed" the bedroom.  We're not done (still need furniture and artwork) but I am thrilled, thrilled, thrilled with where we are now.  Check out this night and day difference:

This is what happens when Dena tries to decorate on her own (BEFORE PIC):

And here's what happens when Dena gets smart and seeks the help of a professional (AFTER PIC):

I hesitate to even post the pictures because they just don't come anywhere near to doing the room justice.  Every time I walk by the doorway, it takes my breath away.  And last night when the curtains were closed, it made the room look palatial. Blair and I both are extremely happy.  So much so, that when I told him Dawn suggested we paint the master bath red to coordinate with the bedroom, he didn't blink an eye.  "Okay, it's just paint," was his response.

_{The cats are currently banned from the bed, although I'm not sure how long I'll last.  Lucy hopped up on the bed this morning and was sniffing around the comforter, and looked very miffed when I shooed her off.  And Olivia's been eyeing the curtains like she just discovered a new Mt. Everest to scale.} 

I Have An E-Mail Addiction

"Hi, my name's Dena, and I'm addicted to e-mail."

(Group Response): "Hi, Dena!"

Seriously, it's a problem.  I check e-mail constantly.  And I can't stand to let something just sit.  If it's a newsletter, I must read it.  If a friend sent photos, I must view them.  And if it's one of my political action alert e-mails, I must send an immediate e-mail to the proper Senator or House Representative, telling them they're a boob.

In short, I need help.

I know exactly why I do it.  It's a quick fix for my Type A "let's make a list and check things off" personality.  I can slam through 20 e-mails and feel like I'm getting things done.  At the very least, I'm deleting unneeded messages and clearing my plate so the real work can begin.  The problem is, the real work never does begin because I'm too busy checking the next batch of e-mails that have arrived.

At the risk of damaging my ego, I just don't receive that many urgent e-mails each day.  If I receive 100, probably 2 might require some sort of timely (same day) response.

My friend Ed made a great point at our last writers group meeting that I've been mulling over.  He said, "I'm only good for so many words per day, and if I use them up on e-mails and correspondence, then that's all I have to give for that day."

I never thought of it before in those terms, but that applies to me.  I enter e-mail with the intent of getting rid of the little stuff, but by the time I'm done, I typically have no interest in tackling the big stuff. And I think it's because of what Ed said--I'm just written out by that point.  And I've wasted my energy and words on non-critical documents and mailings.  Not a smart use of time.

I'm toying with the idea of not allowing myself to look at e-mail until at least noon each day.  That would give me an entire morning of writing time. (To show you how addicted I am, even though it's the obvious solution to break a bad habit, I can only commit to thinking about it.) Then I can write more in the afternoon and check e-mail again in the evening. 

I also think the constant checking of e-mail has shortened my attention span. I'm so used to spending 5 seconds to 5 minutes on an e-mail, it's hard to focus for a 2-hour writing session.

Shiver.  Quake.  Withdrawal symptoms are already occurring.  I'll keep you posted.

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ADDENDUM:

I wrote the above last night.  It's now 9am on Thursday and yes, I already cheated and checked e-mail. BUT, there were 2 e-mails from NY editors, asking I call them asap to talk about my working on magazine articles for them.  C'mon!  It's like the Universe wants me to cheat.  What's an addict to do?