I’m so busy programming these days that I hardly have time to look around me never mind posting here. It is with great regret that I don’t post more often. I’m hoping to catch up with the work backlog soon so I can begin posting again regularly.

Just in case you’re wondering why I haven’t posted since 11 June last, I’ve been too busy to. Work work work - which at the moment is a blessing. I should have a bit more time after the middle of next week (no pun intended).

Today is the second last day of the Chinese Year of the Pig. And it’s been a pretty good year for me at least.

Next Thursday, 7th February 2008, sees the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Rat. I’m hoping I will finally see some harvest from all the hard work I’ve put in since before my Dog year.

I’ve been under severe work pressure recently and have therefore been unable to post, much to my chagrin. I’ve finally done my VAT returns, and ironed out all the bugs in a shopping cart I was building, which will relieve some (but not all) of the pressure. Hopefully I can post a bit more in the coming week.

For those who are interested, Listowel Writers’ Week have posted details of this year’s competitions on their Writers’ Week website. Check it out!

We’re well into SMS 2007 with two days of the second week gone already. John Perry arrived last night and will be giving masterclasses to some privileged piano students, as well as performing in UCH next Saturday 4th August at 2.00pm. In the office we’re engrossed in organising everything from accommodation, to meals and transport for all the participants and bracing ourselves for the large ingress of people this coming weekend for the Instrumental programme.

I’m also having to do my own work, and am now facing into at least a couple of hours intense programming before I can call it a day.

After a glorious day yesterday - the first without rain for a month and a half! - and a nice morning this morning, it’s back to spilling rain and gloom once more. It was too good to last I suppose

Day 2 of SMS is down and I’m very tired - so tired I can’t bring myself to work any more, so I’m calling it quits for the day.

The first day of Summer Music on the Shannon 2007 has passed without incident. It was a very early start for us as we had to get up at 6.30 am to be in UCH by 8.00 am for registration of the first week’s Opera students and faculty. I have a nicer office this year than ever before, as there is more natural light. We didn’t get back home until 6.30 pm when I cooked dinner.

I now have to do at least an hour’s work on this shopping cart I’m building, which I don’t relish as I feel quite tired, and I have to be up early again tomorrow. I would much prefer to be dozing off in front of the TV.

I’ve been somewhat remiss in posting the last few days due to the volume of work that has accumulated since last week’s break in Mayo. So it’s head down and at it to see if I can get the backlog cleared. This means working this afternoon-evening for at least 4 hours, and most of tomorrow as well. Sigh! Hopefully I’ll get the shopping cart I’m coding to work without too much trouble.

Next week it’s more of the same - work, work, work - but this year’s Summer Music on the Shannon is looming very large on the horizon which means more complications. Some of the SMS faculty and some students on the SMS Youth Opera programme arrive next weekend as that part of the festival kicks off on Monday 23 July for 4 weeks. As I’m the Programme Co-ordinator I’ll be involved part-time for the first 2 weeks and full-time for the second 2 weeks. Hence the pressure to get as much of the web project work I’m doing done by next Friday as possible. So I foresee that posting here will be at a minimum in the coming days.

I’ve been rather remiss in posting in recent days, due a) to not being near a computer, b) not being near a computer with Internet access, or c) not having the energy or desire to post.

Well, it’s back to work today. The one bright side to this atrocious weather we’re currently experiencing is that I won’t be distracted from the huge amount of work I have to get through in the next 3 weeks by sunny days and blue skies - which is sad and could well lead to SAD!

It’s the end of June, and a long hard slog of a month it’s been - work-wise and personally. It feels as if I’ve spent large tracts of the month immersed, or bogged down rather, in impenetrable programming constructs and program work flows. While I’ve made a fair amount of progress in the database application project I’m working on, it doesn’t feel that way, since every inch, or should I say byte, has been so hard-fought. The other two projects I’m working on are seriously behind schedule also, with the result that I’ve been burning the midnight oil in an effort to reel in some of the backlog. So basically, I’m feeling burnt out right now. I’ve just tonight and some of tomorrow left to make a bit more progress, as I’m off on a week’s break on Sunday with my partner. And not a moment too soon either.

We’re dropping off the children at the grandparents’ in Kerry on Sunday. Then on Monday we make our way to Mulranny in County Mayo where we are attending a three day workshop in Poetry Therapy organised by the Mayo Rape Crisis Centre and run by Professor Geri Chavis. On the way, we hope to drop in on Coole Park (of Lady Gregory and W.B.Yeats fame) for a short visit and to meet up with some friends. So that should prove the perfect way to chill out and recharge the batteries for both of us.