Yesterday was the day I thought would actually be a day off, or at least mostly a day off, but that didn’t happen. In fact, I had this whole list of things I was going to do this month while on hiatus from my Big Client, including taking some time off before I begin teaching, and I haven’t done any of those things.I don’t feel as though I’ve been wasting time, except perhaps with job interviews — I think I did a fair amount of that this month — but I’m not at all sure what rushed in to fill the twenty hours a week I had been spending on my Big Client. I’ll look back through my xanga in hopes of finding clues.

The amount that I earned this month was just about the same as the amount I have been earning each month apart from the Big Client. That is, half of what I need to earn. So whatever I was doing was apparently not paying me.

I did some hemming last night while watching Burn Notice with the family, but my husband told me to buy some clothes. Making them myself takes too long, he said. So I tried some things on at T.J. Maxx (the closest thing we have to an outlet store) and then, unhappy with the quality of the fabrics there (and the whole sequins bit… what does it say about us that career clothing for grown women has sequins on it?), I came home and ordered things in the styles I had liked from online outlet places.

Were you aware that a person can pay $49.50 for a T-shirt?

Having seen the customary prices, I wasn’t too horrified by my totals, but I am still slightly horrified by them. Still, it’s less than I used to spend on all the kids’ back to school clothes, so I guess I won’t complain. #2 daughter did complain. She doesn’t believe in ordering clothes online. I’ll report on my level of success with it, but I have a feeling that I am the least knowledgeable person here when it comes to clothes shopping. Still, I will feel properly dressed in class and in meetings.

My website is still not launched, I don’t have a parking permit or access to my email for the school, I don’t have a new contract from the Big Client yet, and my schedule is still tentative. Nonetheless, I’m feeling fairly well prepared for the fall.

Monday #1 daughter and #2 son start school, and so do I, except that my classes don’t begin till Tuesday. I return to tutoring on Monday, and the HGP begins.

Now something I haven’t gotten done yet is my syllabus. I was still working on it at 8:00 last night. We turn them in to the department, and have been given a list of things we should include for the sake of legal accountability. We also turn in our gradebooks, and have been warned to keep them clean and readable. I think I have to make up my mind about the syllabus and send it in this morning before I head to the bookstore.

I didn’t get the syllabus done because… well, perhaps partly because I can’t quite make up my mind about it. Partly because I am supposed to email it with my departmental email, which I still can’t access. Partly because I got emails yesterday about clients, went to visit them and found them not in and lost time in the driving and talking with their receptionists and all, partly because I spent way too long fussing around with hex codes at my other xanga (it had to be done; I’m just not sure that it was enough better after two hours that it justified the two hours), and partly because I had to do a report for another client. Oh, and partly because of ordering clothes and #2 son’s textbooks. Does that come to enough parts, do you think?

All that was enough that I completely forgot to hover vulture-like over the Amazon Vine announcements.

This is a good thing. By the time I remembered, at 5:30, the member’s forum was already full of people’s complaints about having wasted their whole afternoon poised at the refresh button, and the listing had only actually been up for five minutes. I requested software and a book, which are sort of my usual things. I wasn’t offered the snazzy electronic devices. The member’s forum often has speculation on how the people who are offered those things rate. I received one of those things, back when they were offering them to everyone, and it was fairly thrilling, but maybe my review of it wasn’t useful enough.

Today I will be minding a client’s shop for her. I hope to get my syllabus turned in first, and also to get to the gym. TGIF, in any case.