Thursday 7 May 2009

Best Intentions

(Photo thanks to Tom Foolery, ages ago)
Last week, I decided to take Friday to catch up with the editing I need to do before the end of the month to send off to Caerleon.

This was the plan:
1. Drop J & S off at the bus stop - 7.15am
2. 7.30am, breakfast
3. 7.50am write, with only short break for lunch, until J & S return after school.

This is what happened:
1. Drop J & S off at the bus stop - 7.20
2. Home - put on washing, make beds, etc, blah, blah, blah
3. 7.45am turn on computer and start going through emails.
4. 8.10am - phone call from J, which went something like this:
J: Mum (in singsong voice that instantly tells me I'm not going to be pleased).
Me: What do you want?
J: I've left my memory stick on my bedroom window.
Me: So? (moments pause) I hope you're not expecting me to drive through rush hour traffic to your school with it?
J: But mum, I need it. I have to print off my ICT A2 module stuff and hand it in.
Me: When do you need it for? (Such a dumn question).
J: As soon as possible.

I daren't repeat what I said after that, but suffice to say, the dog pressed his ears against his head to stop from listening to the worst of it. My day was down hill from there. After dropping off memory stick, went home, R arrived asking how soon we can go to buy the plants (I) need? So that's what happened next. The mole man came, as my garden once again resembles Flanders, and on it went, until...

4.50pm I had a niggling feeling that I needed to check something. Checked letter from Uni telling us J's two choices. First choice is fine, but second choice would take him 6 hours (flying from Jersey to UK, then trains) which is far too long to travel. He was given 14 days to phone UCAS to make any changes to his choices, and it turned out that he had to phone BEFORE 6pm that very day to speak to someone to do it.

5.10- phoned J - no answer - eventually got through, at about 5.30, and told him to phone UCAS, gave him all his ID, phone numbers, etc.

5.40 - J phones back to tell me that he's been on hold for ever and his credit is running low, so can I phone UCAS. I said I would, but doubted they would let me instruct them.

5.53 - having been told by very nice chap that, "No, you can't make any changes, as J didn't put you down on the form to do so", I phoned 100s of times to J, who finally picked up, and said (in near hysterical voice, me that is, not him), "You have four minutes, to get through and make the changes."
6.01pm - J phones back. "Done it," he says. Then adds, "I don't know why you get in such a state mum, it was fine."

Grr. So, this weekend, I'm not speaking to anyone, not picking up the phone, and not doing anything other than my damn editing. Well, that's the plan anyway.

20 comments:

Anna Scott Graham said...

oh goodness!!!

kids; can't help but love them (all genetic, thank goodness), can't help but wanna rip their precious little heads off... (sometimes...)

I hope the weekend is full of editing. it's Mothering Sunday here this weekend, and I'm sending some extra Mum's Day vibes your way!!!

Marcie Steele said...

That post made me laugh, Debs, you are so right with your best intentions. I mean, we start off well...

Good luck for you next spot of 'writing' x

Melissa Amateis said...

Oh heavens. Kids make things so interesting, don't they? :-)

DAB said...

Right Distracted Debs,

What we need m'dear is a new sign

Creativity Crunch, cannot cope
Mum MUST make manuscript
Mutterings made, mountains moved
Police protected, private penthouse
Pole position. Pen poised ;-) TFx

claire p said...

I'm ploughing my way through my editing. Sooo boring. It's all done in long hand and I'm now just copying it out onto the word doc, takes ages. So good luck, I feel for you.

Michelle said...

Dear Debs
That is a Michelle type of day...have all the best intentions , plans and schemes and the world and his wife seem to be on a mission to disrupt it so that I do anything but write!!!

My sign should read:
No you can't have a drink
Yes Mummy is writing again
No dinner is not ready yet
Yes I will read you the pony book in a minute and
Yes I love you all very much!
Can I do it now?
Michelle
x

Pat Posner said...

The weekend can only be better, Debs. Can't it?

Good luck
xxPat

HelenMWalters said...

Oh dear, what a rollercoaster!

Lane Mathias said...

What a nightmare. I was beginning to panic about J! Thank goodness he got through.

Hope the weekend is better for you:-)

Unknown said...

Kids!!!!

Good luck with the editing.
lx

Susie Vereker said...

Debs have mailed you twice re your email probs. Perhaps group mails have gone into your junk mail. The problem seems to be at your end? If you have another address try mailing me on that.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

anna - my sentiments entirely, thankfully Uni is beckoning and although I shall miss him, it won't do him any harm to have to be a little more organized.

Happy Mother's Day.

l-plate - I shall endeavour to try again, once more. Hope you're feeling a little better.

melissa - you're quite right there.

tf - you're so clever with your words.

My message to the children would be:

Exhausted elder endlessly endeavours (to write!)

claire - poor you, that sounds exhausting. Keep on, keeping on.

michelle - haha, your message, sounds so familiar to how it works in this house too.

pat p - here's hoping so.

helen - so true.

lane - he drives my stress levels so high sometimes, and always remains so calm.

Hope you have a great weekend too.

liz - I know!

Thanks, and you.

Anonymous said...

Oh my. That tale would have tested anyone's patience - especially about UCAS. YAK!
Hope all is now calmer and the shed has been declared out of bounds LOL

Denise said...

There's a story in there. Everyone who read it would spend the whole time nodding! I think the notice on the shed should read "Enter at your peril..."

Leigh Russell said...

Yes, I nodded all the way through that one. I remember the singsong voice - what am I saying, I remember it? My 'children' have grown up and left home but can still do the old routine. "Mu-um". Bless them.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Annie Wicking said...

Don't make plan... Just do it!

Well that's what I keep telling myself. Now ask me if it helps me with my writing.

Errr Nope, but it sound good.;-)

Jenny Beattie said...

Oh I hope you're managing those intentions Debs. All the very best.

DJ Kirkby said...

I wouldn't be speaking to anyone either. Grrrr what a frustrating day for you.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

nina - it was well and truly out of bounds.

denise - I think you're right, I was not in the mood to be disturbed after all that.

leigh - I had heard that it doesn't stop when they leave home, um, yes, I think it was from my father!

annie - it does sound good, and that's what I'll aim to do.

jj - I am, which is a relief.

dj - it was very frustrating.

Anonymous said...

sounds a bit like my days:) Hope you got your quiet day for editing as planned.