Stuffed

Things get a little quiet in our industry over Christmas. The end point for all of our work is the government agencies that regulate/control/consider/approve the operation of existing mines and the commencement of new mines and one can only image how government agencies, such as the Department of Mines and Petroleum and the Office of the Environmental Protection Agency, must long for a break from the relentless harassment of current and perspective miners. 

Like Will Smith barricading himself in his New York apartment when the sun goes down in that zombie flick I Am Legend, the doors swing shut on Christmas eve and the miners are left scratching and tearing at the veneer for at least two weeks. Inside nothing can be heard above the sound of the crickets chirping.

There is nothing to do over the Christmas / New Year break and this is about the time I get a little antsy. As much as I enjoy home time with the family, I find myself with hours in the day that I don't normally have. This is usually from about 5am to 8am when the rest of the house is asleep and there is no reason to wake them. There is no school, there is no work, there is no rush.

It is during this period that I create 'stuff'. Stuff has no form or function. It does not need to be something three dimensional, nor does it need to be written, drawn or typed. Stuff is the foundation of things to come. However, stuff is more than just ideas or thoughts. Stuff is the framework for events or activities that will shape the coming weeks, months or years. When you create stuff you are making a statement to anyone who will listen that 'this is what I want to do'. 

But creating stuff can have repercussions, because while you are creating your own stuff the world is constantly creating more stuff to do: Chaos Theory. If you are not careful, you can soon end up with more stuff on your plate than you bargained for, none of which you can ignore and all of which you have to deal with. 

I am now in that space. A few weeks ago my work day comprised sitting in front of the computer clicking Send/Receive on my email. I turned off the automated update so I had something to do. On one occasion one of my colleagues sent me one email in two parts so I had twice as much to do: click send receive twice. Now my 'bottom is hanging out' and I have more on my plate than a bulimic at Sizzler's all you can eat buffet. 

Writing docos and blogs at the same time is is a marathon for the manic expressive

It is all good though. I shall just heed the advice of a colleague and very close friend who says, in such situations "Bite off more than you can chew and chew like mad!!"