I have been so very, very busy lately, which is why this blog has been so very, very quiet. What I was sincerely hoping would not happen has indeed come to pass: at the same time I have a project to do for school, I have had a ton and a half of work dumped on me. But I’m finally realizing (several years later than I should have) that what I really need to do in my job is learn how to say "no".

Saying no to a job is probably the hardest thing for a freelancer to do. While I don’t live hand-to-mouth, I - like most freelancers - certainly live job-to-job. There is always a fear in the back of your mind that the job you’re working on now could be your last job for a very long time - or even your last job ever. So when another job does pop up (as it always does), the temptation is to take it without hesitation, even if you’ve got quite a bit on your plate already.

I haven’t overestimated my ability to get the work done on time and done well, but I continually overestimate my ability to get it all done without completely stressing out, driving myself into the ground, and turning into a moaning, gibbering, sleep-deprived wreck. I am a classic overachieving workaholic with a need to please everyone - hence my inability to potentially disappoint anyone (myself included) by turning something down.

But a new leaf has been turned. Ground rules have been set: I will only take work that I can fit into my schedule comfortably. I may be a freelancer, but that doesn’t mean I have to be chained to my computer 14 hours a day. My job has already taught me how to prioritize tasks and not procrastinate. Maybe now it’s finally teaching me that civilization won’t crumble just because I turn down the odd press release here and there. "No" is my new favorite word.

Besides work and school, the third activity in the triumvirate of things that generally keep me occupied is music - and there have been many musical goings-on of late. The most exciting of these events took place last night, when Salter Cane played its first gig in London. It felt like it would be such a huge step (I mean, it’s London) but as it turned out, playing in London was a lot like playing in Brighton - except we didn’t manage to sell any CDs, we didn’t get paid, and it was a two-and-a-half-hour slog around the M25 and through Camden to get to the venue instead of just a 10-minute taxi ride across town. It was fun nonetheless. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, quite a few people came out to see us, and it was certainly an interesting way for Jeremy to spend his birthday. We’ve got another gig next week, then we’ll head back into the studio for a bit, then there are a few more gigs here and there… Who says musicians are slackers?

And somewhere in the midst of all of that, I have to find time to prepare a presentation, translate a few annual reports, and go to Paris for a weekend. I think I need to get cracking tout de suite.