It’s been a very busy week here because of work deadlines. Because I always run the risk of feeling like I’m drowning in work when I have these deadline crunches, this time around, I made sure to commit to other things which help relieve the tedium of focusing too much on work - with some truly excellent results! There’s nothing like balance to really make a person feel more energized.

I really think I’m actually working smarter because I’ve been taking several small breaks instead of charging full-steam ahead into my work without taking so much as a breath.

I haven’t managed to finish a book this week because of deadlines, but my “balanced living tools” this week have included quick dips into The Wright Three, by Blue Balliett. I really enjoyed Chasing Vermeer, Balliett’s first book about Petra and Calder. I’m about a third of the way through The Wright Three, in which Petra and Calder are joined by Calder’s old friend Tommy, and the writing and plot in this book are just as delicious as Chasing Vermeer. If it weren’t for my deadlines, I’d be zooming through this, but since I can’t, I’ve been taking my time and really savoring it. As soon as I finish this, I’m going to pick up Calder Game, the latest Balliett book.

I also managed to read through this month’s edition of Toronto Life; admittedly, I didn’t actually read all the articles, but there were some interesting items in there. We recently just subscribed, and so far I’m pretty glad we did. I’ve already picked out a handful of restaurants that I’d like to try, plus there are a few plays that I hadn’t heard about that I’d like to buy tickets for.

Not that I have time to actually go anywhere right now. But soon! In another week and a bit, I should be out of deadline crunch. And I am REALLY looking forward to that!

Tags: children's books, Reading, The Sunday Salon