Getting ready

Although not much writing got done this week, I’ve been busy doing all the other little things that need to be done before I leave for New York in — gulp — less than a month.

Thursday night after work, I designed the business card I’ll be handing out at RWA Nationals. (That’s it on the left. I like how it matches the blog.) I still need to have it printed, but that may or may not happen this payday. I’m having it done through  my office to save on shipping — one of the perks of having a company called “Direct Impressions Business Services” in the back shop.

Friday morning, I went shopping. No, I still don’t have a bra or shoes for my Golden Heart awards ceremony gown — but I now own a nice pair of dress pants (on sale for about $10 at Kohl’s), a casual dress ($26-ish) and a cardigan ($9 — love those 80% off sales!)  for the meeting rooms I’ve been assured are C-O-L-D. Tops, along with the shoes and bra, might have to wait until next payday, too.

Friday night, I ordered the address label sticker for the back of the business card — the one that lists my manuscript’s title, “Beauty and the Ballplayer,” and its status as a 2011 Golden Heart finalist. (They were fairly cheap, at just a little more than $5 total for 140 labels and shipping.)

I also did some research on transportation from the airport to the conference hotel. Turns out that a cab ($45 one way) is not the way to go. A van is less than $40 round-trip. I found out it’ll take more than an hour to travel 15 miles, though. The hotel website says JFK is 15 miles away, but the shuttle service leaves from the airport just before 7 a.m. and doesn’t arrive until 8:20.

So my travel preparation is going swimmingly. If only my revisions were going along half as well. My balky computer has thrown me for a loop … and me with about 50 pages left to get through in my first revised draft.

Then again, maybe I’m just using my poor, ailing Mac as an excuse to avoid revising. I’d rather be working on a new story.