Shrapnel

Hello, I’m AKA. You may remember me from such blog postings as “Incongruous YouTube Video” and “Shapeless Rant About Something Insanely Trivial”.

Been quiet around here recently, hasn’t it? You can always trace a direct line from the infrequency of postings here to the crazed rush of industry in my life. December has been Mad Busy.

At this time of year, I usually do some kind of “Year In Review” bollocks. Not this year. I can’t be bothered. 2007 has been a weird, strange chapter in my life – a year that has veered unpredictably between devastating lows and exhilarating highs, and I’ve found it to be exhausting and, in many ways, crushing. And with only four days left, I still have no idea what the rest of this brutal year will throw at me. Can’t wait to see the back of it. Come on, 2008, hurry up!

December involved epic amounts of time juggling. In addition to the considerable and growing demands of my day job, a hefty, lucrative writing job fell in my lap out of nowhere (proving that Facebook actually does have viable social networking resources that can be translated into cold, hard green). The writing gig entailed three and a bit drafts, numerous meetings with producers and directors, mountains of (ultimately useless) research material that needed sifting and very little sleep. 4 hours a night max became the norm for a while. Weekends didn’t exist. I was shooting around London like a rubber ball stapled to an Oyster Card. And the deadlines were as tight as whalebone corsets.

On the upside, my long-dormant writing career got the sort of boost that I really didn’t predict and, if all goes well, this might be a nice little sideline moving forward. Sure, the money is nice, but the best thing is the fact that I get the opportunity to do what I do best – making shit up.

And the Christmas break has not brought me any kind of respite or opportunity to recover from the demands of the year. I’m tired in every way imaginable. I’ve been skating on the cusp of a burn-out for so long now that it’s become my default setting. What I want from 2008 more than anything is peace and stability. That would be a great belated Christmas present if anyone can swing it.