The Black Hole of the Holidays and the Dreaded Blue Screen

The holidays are a wonderful time of the year with family, friends, food, and sharing gifts. Only one problem, it is a time that sucks me right out of the studio. I promised myself that wouldn't happen this year and things have been better; but still have family at home which somehow makes me believe I must play mom. I have gotten two quilts completely basted and ready to applique but that isn't nearly enough. As much as I love this time of the year, I will be glad when the new year finally rolls around and I can get back to my regular schedule.
Melody writes today about the discipline of working...I couldn't agree more...now I just need to get back to that discipline. I have become a slug. When you work for yourself, it is so easy to not work. The distractions of daily life come at you from all directions. There is the housework (not like I do it), calls and emails and the dangerous "I have already worked so hard this year, I deserve some time off." Whine, whine......sitting here at my laptop isn't helping.
Look around at the artist you consider successful, whose name rolls off your toungue with ease......then take a tour down memory lane through old Quilt National catalogues. There are a handful of people who are still working, pushing the envelope and growing to mature artist.
This is discipline, obsession, being driven or just plain hard work. Maybe their media has changed and we just don't see their work in our venues......but to get anywhere in any media you have to fall in love with it, marry yourself to it and live happily ever after. Try those dreaded resolutions.....to work everyday no matter what is going on around you. I promise to do my best to meet this goal.
Now to the bad news.....HELP....my dest top computer has given me the dreaded blue screen....meaning it won't re-boot. It keeps telling me all the amazing things about dumping physical memory....this cannot be good. I come to you from my laptop...thank all the computer pixies that I own one. Why do I mention this? I have several unanswered emails I can't get to, the graphics for my dvd covers are in Photoshop and world of other important information. My apologies now if I don't get back to you immediately if you emailed me prior to yesterday. I have tech support sons working on the problem.....wish us luck.
And yes, I know next year is 2006...it was a typo....you know fingers faster than brain.
Happy New Year.....avoid those hangovers and stay off the roads.