A Day... er... A Week In Her Shoes...

QL Damsel

Al's Place / TVS & QR & Radio Files Administrator
Staff member
Aug 26, 2002
2,553
16
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Near Austin Texas
www.quantumleap-alsplace.com
We've all heard it said: Walk a mile in her/his shoes before you cast judgement, right? In saying this, I'd like to post a little of a life so that you guys can see that when it comes to this... I'm full to the gils with things to do... I'm not really putting anything/anyone off. Honest.

Let's start a normal week - one should have time to get things done. Right? Well, let's see:

For most of the week, the following works for the most part:
  1. Wake at 5:30 and get ready to carpool to work 45 miles away.
  2. From 8:30 to 4:30: teach students and deal with whatever comes my way dealing with students / parents / administration / special education needs and pulling duty at the present time.
  3. Carpool back home 45 miles
  4. Take care of the kiddo's -- helping them with their homework and checking it to make sure that they are doing the work correctly.
  5. Check email and see normally that I have about: 5 - 6 emails waiting for an answer of some kind. I set them to the side and think about how to answer them.
  6. Help my husband with the house addition. Yup... we are building onto the house and we are doing it ourselves.
  7. Make dinner and straighten the house to a certain degree... watch TV while I eat.
  8. Set things out to prepare for the next day so that I'm ready to go back to work.
  9. Do any thing for work that I had to bring home... school... it doesn't just stay at school. It follows me home.
Now by this time, by the time all of this has happened it's right about 8:30 PM. Interestingly, you've noticed that all I have honestly done is checked my email. Right?

So by 9 PM every evening, I'm readying myself to sit down at the computer and see what's going on in Net-ville.

  1. This is where I go back to the email and check it again and see that I have a few more to deal with. I respond to them as long as it's a quick thing.
  2. Check Al's Place Messageboard. You know, I am an admin here and I do like to make sure that everyone is having fun and behaving themselves. And, I never know when I'll want to respond to something that someone has said or meet new members. :)
After I've done this... I then start on the nightly stuff that I must work on to make sure that the websites are ready for when I update the sites. I do try to get to bed by 11:00 PM because I do need some sleep....right?

Monday: Go through the easy stuff for Quantum Retribution and Quantum Leap: The Virtual Seasons. Some pages of the site only need a date changed... or a few links changed, so I try to go ahead and get them done. I also try to write with Eleiece so that we can finish up on that story (depending if we can get together).

Tuesday: I start on the other pages of Quantum Retribution. It's usually takes me the whole two hours because I'm usually talking with someone who catches me on yahoo or messenger. I'm pretty good at multi-tasking so, between chatting and updating some of the pages, there are some nights that I'm also writing with Eleiece. I know... I'm nuts... but what can I say?

Wednesday: Update Quantum Retribution so that it's airing all day on Thursday. Do my best to update the pages of QL:TVS that I haven't gotten to yet from the previous day.

Thursday: Update Quantum Leap: The Virtual Seasons. After I do this, it depends on what happens. It could be anything from editing, writing with Eleiece or writing on my own, looking at stories that have come in and see when they are supposed to air, wondering if I need to harass anyone who hasn't gotten their story in within three weeks of the air date.

I'm only one person and I do need a break every know and again, don't I? Sometimes... this is the day that I update and just walk away from the computer... but that doesn't stop the thoughts from floating through my mind wondering if I did everything right. And if I didn't, I usually get emails by the next day saying - I found an oopsie... you need to correct... blah blah blah.

Friday: I sit down at the computer with every attempt at anything to do with QL:TVS or QR or even my own novel that I want to complete and turn in for actual publication. Sometimes I can't get into my own writing or it doesn't just want to come so I pull up a story and begin editing, etc.

Saturday: Waking at 7:30, I'm usually cooking for the men that come over for the weekend to help out on the house. Hey, if they are doing the heavy stuff that I can't do... I'm going to at least cook for them. It's the least that I can do for them helping out. Right?

Depending on the time frame, Eleiece and I usually write a good amount of time roleplaying out the story for Quantum Retribution. Sometimes we've got something prepared from years of working with only a few characters but because we expanded the Evil Complex more, we have turned it into a real soap opera.

I also make sure that I have my lesson plans done for school for the next week, work on any homework, and call parents that I need to call.

Also during Saturday, I begin to work on the websites again to see if I can get ahead of the game... sometimes I can get ahead. sometimes I can't.

OH and don't forget the house cleaning and laundry that needs to get done and I get it all done.

Sunday: The only thing that is different from Saturday is that my house is clean, and my school homework is done. Yippee!

But I'm constantly busy.... doing something on the computer and I know that it drives my husband batty. I don't want to put my family in second place... and I'm not going to.

======

Now, I want you guys to understand... if you think that I'm being tacky for not getting back to you when you think that I should, please take a look back at this and understand why I put the guidelines on TVS like I have... it'll make it a lot easier for me to be able to do the things that I need to do... want to do... and still leave me time to be with my family and also to be able to enjoy doing this.

Thanks for reading and listening to my ramblings.

MJ
 
MJ,

I for one really appreciate all the hard work you do on TVS and Retribution. I honestly don't know how you manage it all and keep your homelife in order. Everything you do is appreciated.

Thank-you for all the time and effort that you put in to all things QL. Your writing, Admin duties, Chatroom, TVS, Retribution, ect.

I really don't know what this board would be without QL Damsel
 
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Tom,
I appreciate you saying thank you. I wasn't fishing for one in all honesty. I really wanted to let everyone know how busy I actually am and that I'm not putting anyone off if I don't email them back quickly. The funny thing is that I want to do more. I know that I can't physically do much more... but I am this summer. Brian has been kind enough to ask if I wouldn't mind taking over Project Starbright -- to which I have said, "Oh why not."

So... I'm going to be a busy little beaver.

Again, thanks Tom. :)

MJ
 
I know you wern't fishing for a compliment, but I also know that no matter how many times you are told thank-you and that your hard work is appreciated, It is never nearly enough.

As far as you taking over Project Starbright, all I have to say is "Oh Boy"
 
And I though my life was busy... Do you even get any sleep? I think it's incredible that you manage to have a real life, and still do all that you do online! I know I'm still new here, but love this site, so I have to say, I appreciate all the hard work that you've done.
 
Thank you as well, Lady Kayoss. :)

And yes, I do get some sleep... it just sometimes doesn't feel like it's enough, which normally it isn't.

It's funny, I had *someone* last night message me in a private message on yahoo asking (very tongue in cheek) if I actually did any breathing. I told her that sometimes, I didn't... and that it was hard to do stuff while I was blue. LOL

MJ
 
MJ......Are you kidding!!!!! I remember seeing your name mentioned when I checked in at the starbright site. You're the new producer. How can you have all that weight on your shoulders and not go insane! :eek I suggest that if you get anymore ideas for a QL spinoff or even a QR spinoff, write the pilot and have someone else produce/edit it. I agree family is #1 priority. Virtual Series are probably #3 or 4.

Anyway, I would also like to say thanks again and even though I've already said it in a recent email, congrats on the 200th eppy!

Thanks,

Steve
RossBeckett

P.S. To everyone else, there's a special post in the TVS general discussion area by me concerning the 200th eppy. :leap
 
Thank you, Ross. I appreciate the kind words.

Let me reiterate, I've not done anything with Starbright as of yet. But, Brian, did ask if I wanted to work on it. I said that I would.... so... here's to see what's about to come up on the plate.
 
MJ: Special Ed teacher

You know, I was in special ed in all my years of school. Well partial special ed. There are kids who have all their classes in the "resource room" as it's called. My first class in special ed was in HS. It was U.S. History. Before that it was just an additional study hall. Boy that brings back memories. I graduated in 2002 which is where my Yahoo ID comes from, "rossbeckett2002".

Steve
RossBeckett