No shutdown will shut me down

This week has been troublesome because of the government shutdown. I got the boot Tuesday around 10 a.m. and had to vacate the building along with my co-workers, not knowing when we would return. Well, furlough or no furlough, I've been using the extra time to write, send query letters, and pitch stories. I'm sad about being home with no pay, but it's beyond my control. So, I'll just sit back and make the most of it.

Furlough day 1 gave me a headache, and I spent the remainder of that day at the craft store looking for stuff to make. (This is how I ease my stress; I make pretty things.) That's how this little graphic got made. It was born in MS Paint as I sat seething at my desk over a project that was gnawing at my sanity earlier this year. Then, I felt better.

Furlough day 2 -- I attended an ARD meeting at my son's school, and it was the first positive one I've attended in a while. (These are meetings held annually or as needed to discuss the progress of a student with special needs. In this case, autism.) His reading has improved by a grade level, and he loves math. Magical words for a concerned mom. Afterward, I lunched with a friend and laughed at just about everything. Also, my landlord stopped by to give me a nearly brand-new lawnmower as a furlough gift. Not that I'll ever use it since I'm scared of the grass, but my husband can go nuts with it. 

This brings us to today, furlough day 3. My mom leaves the country tomorrow for 3 weeks. This will be a shock to us, considering this has never happened. I'm happy that she's going on an adventure, and I'll anticipate all the stories she'll have to tell when she returns. I plan to use day 3 to write, nothing different from any other free time I find, but this is time I wasn't anticipating. I'll be damned if I let it go to waste! More specifically, I will pitch to at least 2 magazines, phone a potential client about writing a business plan, and resume writing my autism journey memoir. No moping for this girl. Wasting time is not my style, and I don't plan on starting now. Cheers to productivity!