… because the release is getting closer and closer, and we’re getting further and further behind. And I’m trying not to have kittens. I’m just having a lot of caffeine instead.

 Roll on next week and some peace and quiet…

… and at work just after 7:30 am. Which means that I feel productive, at least, but I do loathe getting out of bed before 5 am, which is what happened this morning.

There’s a period of time, roughly between 3 and 6 am.
If you’re just going to bed at that time, it’s silly o’clock.
If you’re getting up though between those hours, it’s classed as stupid o’clock.

So this morning, I definitely got out of bed at stupid o’clock… 

.. with work, with my lack of weekend, with my general lack of motivation, with my lingering cold.

Well, that last isn’t too bad compared to the week before. I finally made it back into the office on Tuesday, and although I’m still coughing a lot and getting through way too many tissues and menthol lozenges, I’m functional. Mostly. I’m still really really tired as I haven’t had a proper convalescence, but I managed to stay in bed till after noon today which has helped.

I have a lot of work to do though, including yesterday and today. I was in the office yesterday, which meant listening to Wales beat Italy via internet TV streaming, and then a lot of listening to the radio on the way home for the Ireland v Scotland match. 3 out of 3 for Wales so far though… but with our toughest matches to come (Ireland and France), I don’t think we’ll get the Grand Slam this year. We’re in with a good shot at the overall Championship though.

Although my work deadline is this coming Friday, I have a suspicion that things won’t be over by then. Although I wouldn’t say no to a couple of extra days to get everything done in…. Argh. Tired. Fed up. Can’t wait till my time off in March…

… because I am sick sick sick: I ache all over, my throat feels like someone’s forcibly shoved a cheesegrater down my neck, and I’ve lost all ability to control my body temperature.

I’ve felt like this since Monday, in fact. I stuck it out working from home for two days, but today I gave up more or less entirely and spent the day in bed, more or less, hoping that that would make me feel much better.

It hasn’t. Aaaaarrgggghh.  Still, I have to do some work tomorrow as I’m slipping behind on our deadlines for the end-of-month release.

… despite it being a weekend. I have too much to do and too little time to do it, so I did about 5 hrs yesterday, and another 4 or so today, with the rugby on in the background. Apart from the Wales v Scotland game, of course, which I gave my full (and nervous) attention to.

Another 2 and a half weeks, and it’ll all be over, anyway (the current work pressure, I mean, not the 6 Nations). So I do have something to look forward to. I think I may go into the office next Saturday for a half-day - there’s no rugby on next week and there may be other people there, and I might visit Ikea while I’m up in Belfast…

It would just be nice to manage to get into the office early tomorrow, to be honest, even if I would have to sit in the car park and wait for someone who can turn off the alarm.

Also today, I am mostly … being visited by the muse

… which, to be frank, has been a rare occurence of late. Post-November (i.e. post-NaNoWriMo), I haven’t had much inspiration at all. But these past few days have been filled with ideas and also with the ability to get them down on file/paper. So thank you, Calliope, Erato, Euterpe or Thalia, whichever of you is helping me out.

… thanks to a tension headache that built up yesterday and hit me hard this morning. Since I went out on Saturday night for a few pints of cider (and didn’t get home till after 3 in the morning), I thought it was just a mild hangover yesterday. But I hadn’t drunk that much, and the headache got worse instead of better despite painkillers and a quiet day (unless you count an afternoon of doing more Author-It work with the Scotland-France game commentary in the background).

Although painkillers seem to be controlling the worst of the headache today - I can stand to look at the computer screen at least - I wasn’t in a fit state to drive earlier on. So I’m working from home again, which weirdly makes me more prone to forgetting to eat lunch and take breaks… I should probably go and make some toast right now, in fact.

Also today, I am mostly … stressed

… because of our looming deadline and the stupid amount of work we still have to do. Oh, it’s do-able - it just means long hours and weekend hours and actual as well as figurative headaches. Hence the previous part of this post.