... then three buses came along at once

You know, if you're a freelancer or a short-term contract worker, how you spend half your time on any particular job wondering where the next one's coming from? And a two month extension on a six month contract is quite nice, but really you'd love a job that was certain to last a year, or maybe even longer? And while hunting for another contract you're also writing stuff, and sending it off, and hoping that one day things fall into place?

Well, last Monday, I got a job - full time, until March 2009, in a good Department at a good University. Wehey! And I'm thinking, hmmm, there goes my writing day, but the job will involve quite a bit of travelling, could invest in a dictaphone, train myself to tell my stories out loud then type them out later .... am sure I can continue to come up with ideas. And after all, a salary for 20 months gives me time to regroup, build up the portfolio, have another go at launching myself into this writing life. It's not like I'm a full time writer, earning a living at it.

Then someone rang me, having been given my name by a mutual contact, and said would I like a month's work as a location scout. Well, yeah, why not, can fit it in around my current part time job before the full time one starts.

Then, I heard from the producer of my futuristic thingy that a couple of major studios are interested - you'd have to be available to do any work they want, she says. OK, well, I'm sure some space could be made - like, who really needs to have ironed shirts, and is it absolutely necessary to dust and hoover, or have windows clean enough to see out? And take-out pizza won't kill you if you eat it more than twice a week, will it?

And then my writing buddy's husband gets chatting to someone via work, who says her sister is looking for interesting scripts - the sister turns out to be an Oscar nominated actress, married to an Oscar winning actor/director.

Guess I can learn to go without sleep, too.