I'm sure that most people who will read this, know the lady of whom I am speaking here. Will Someone Feed the Cat has done what I consider, yeoman's work here on OS and has made this community fun, friendly, and... well... fun again. So I stumbled onto her blog in the real world and thought that those don't really know her might be interested to hear what, exactly she does with all her free time. Curlers in the hair, fuzzy slippers, sipping gin and tonics. That's kinda what I suspected.

The fact that she does all the stuff she describes (and this is a typical week for her) and then does all the stuff she does here on OS... well... it makes the male in me week in the knees. Nobody will ever accuse me of being able to multi task. I have no idea how she does all this. This was posted last Friday...

"I have been a terrible blogger lately. I know that. But it is not that I have nothing to say, it's just trying to find the time, or, knowing me, managing the time better.

I found out a couple of weeks back that I would be heading to Kelowna tomorrow. I will leave Kelowna in a SmartCar and spend 4 days driving to Whitehorse. I'm going back to the Yukon! This makes me very happy. After my trip there in July, I was desperate to get back there in winter. But as you may recall, I left in an RV. I will be going back in a SmartCar. In January.

The junket continues on up to Nunavut, but my boss will be taking the car from Whitehorse and I fly home. It'll be a crazy, tiring week, and I can't wait.

But before you can disappear for a week, planets have to be aligned. The boys (and the Poor Sod) are fine when I go - they barely notice. But I like to load in food and leave the laundry done. I keep loading in food, and they keep eating it. I have to check for dentists appointments and exam schedules and leave notes. I wrongly believe the world grinds to a halt in my absence. This is not so, but I think it is.

I usually file columns on Mondays. This means two additional columns had to be filed in advance. Which means they had to be written. This is doable. But I'm also on a committee here in Burlington that will launch on Monday - the day I leave. I'm the Communications Director, which means in a matter of weeks, we've produced a website, developed a communications plan, and organized press releases. It's an important committee - we plan to talk to as many residents of Burlington (pop: 165,000) as we can in the next few short weeks, and be able to tell politicians what we have heard.

You know what a committee is right? You've heard that joke about a camel is a horse designed by a committee? I'm working with some fabulous people, but you also know I ain't much of a team player. A final meeting yesterday saw me absolving myself of any blame for the coming week. "No internet," I lied. I don't think they'll miss me, to tell the truth.

So. Going to meetings all the time. That's new for me. Going to Mark's Warehouse and buying flannel lined jeans is also new. I finally opened the travel docs for the trip, and realized I can only take carry-on. Dunno what I was thinking - we're traveling for days in a SmartCar ferchrisakes. I purposely peeked at one while in Detroit. This will be an experience.

At Mark's, Ari saw me come out of a change room.
"You're really going to wear those?" he asked me. I hadn't even asked "does my bum look big in these?" I knew. And now it was confirmed. I also bought these puffy, warm socks. I already have a good coat from when they sent me to Sweden. In January.

I whined to my editor that I'm always on ice floes. "Oh, well, why didn't you say so?" he asked innocently. "I just turned down trips to, lemme see, Rio de Janeiro - you don't speak Spanish, Capetown, you'd get tired from the long (business class) flight, Madrid - no, you'd complain about the junky airport, Miami and Phoenix - far too dangerous for someone as sensitive as you"

CTS called and asked if I could tape a show on Friday. Oh sure, I said. What's an hour of time for a show? I forgot the hours of time to cram on current events behind the show. A national magazine contacted me this week, wanting a parenting piece. This makes me very happy, and I jumped at the chance. "When's your deadline?" I asked. It's for the April issue. "Uhm, Friday the 29th," she said. I heard her duck. I said I'd have it done before I went away. I'm working on it as we speak.

Because everyone thinks I don't really work hard, none of this is making a dent, I know. But I started getting a cold on Tuesday. I never get colds. I pictured me in the Yukon, in a SmartCar filled with Kleenex. I asked my doctor if that ColdFX stuff works. She said no. I bought it anyway. It worked.

I had to pick up new glasses. They were ready, which was great. I noticed on Thursday I was getting a sty in my eye. At least the cold was going. I freaked out and started trying to treat the sty. I now pictured being in the Yukon in a SmartCar with a patch over one eye. Wearing pants that make my ass look a mile wide.

Today, I have my columns written. The TV show is in the can (Behind the Story, 7pm, CTS tonight). The magazine article is awaiting a final interview this morning (yes, Sunday) at 11 with a guy in Texas. There is a pile of fat pants on the bed sitting beside a tiny suitcase. I sent a kid to find my magic wand. I think I've wrestled the sty under control and the cold.

Lookout, Yukon. I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!"

Don't know 'bout you, but I think she deserves a big round of applause when she gets back.