Where Does the Time Go?

Between Labor Day weekend and the League of Utah Writer's Roundup next weekend, I lost track of what day it is. Sorry this post is coming a little later than usual.

This weekend Moose and I had a blast. His parents visited. They even slept on our floor one night. (Someday we will have a guest room again.) My parents also came down. We all met up at the sheepdog trials in Midway. I was talking with my mother and I made the comment that I don't really like watching professional sports, but I sat for two days and watched the trials. I was trying to come up with all sorts of reasons why the sheepdog trials are better than say the NFL, but it just boiled down to the fact that I just enjoy watching the dogs and their handlers. I recommend that everyone at least see the trials once. It is amazing to think of what these dogs can do, and a lot of them are professional working dogs who help with herding the family livestock. When we get our own place with a fence, we will be getting a dog. I know border collies take a lot of time and energy, but then again I have Moose. My parents' have a dog and her favorite person is Moose, despite the fact that she only sees him about twice a month. He runs her into the ground when they play.

I have also been doing a lot of work for the annual writer's conference for the League of Utah Writers. I am the contest chair and that means getting a lot of information organized from a lot of different people. I think last year I was a little frustrated with some of the contestants. I don't have much sympathy for people who want me to change the rules for them. This year I was able to talk a lot of people through the new electronic submission and the bigger concerns have come from the judges. The majority of the judges I've worked with have been great, but there are a few with whom I just grit my teeth and say, okay, if it is easier for you. This easier for them makes a lot more work for me. The nice thing about this is that I just don't have to ask them to judge again. The other exciting thing about being a contest chair is that it always seems to come down to the last minute. I always feel like I am scrambling at the end. Last year I was up until 1:30 the night before the awards ceremony trying to get all of the entries organized by author, and not by category, so I could hand them out the next night. I hope that this year will be smoother since I am emailing things back instead of dealing with all that paper. But who knows.