So, I'm supposed to turn a story in on Tuesday to my writers group, but I've barely started it, and can't seem to make words go together in sentence form to finish the deal. Or to even get past page 3. My brain is complaining that I'm trying to use it too much. At my day job, I've literally been told I have to know everything that's going on, every minute of the day.

That's kind of a lot of pressure, you know?

And a lot of brain activity virtually wasted on knowing that certain idiots wouldn't remain on task if you paid them (which we do) and others will try anything and everything to buck the system. I've got this one person whose Supervisor signs off on everything she does, even though both have been told over and over that many of her behaviors are not acceptable. That same Sup gives lip service to other problems we identify on her team, but there's absolutely no follow-through.

How do I fight that sort of thing? (I mean, without sharks with freakin' lasers on their heads, 'cause my Manager won't let me actually, you know, kill anyone.)

Meantime, that story sits unwritten, and it'll be the third one in a row I've renegged on bringing in. My novel sits in the notebook (and not a cool Notebook (tm), either, but a five subject ring bound thing) where I originally scribbled it, when I'm supposed to be transcribing it into the 'puter. And I've gotten four rejections in the last three days on stories.

Color me "Feeling Sorry for Myself." (What color would that be, anyway? Puce? Vermillion? Burnt Umber?)

That's all today--just griping.