24 Hours & Counting...

I am about 24 hours away from finishing the fall 2010 collection. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and I am beside myself silly.  I literally have been at my computer designing for 9 weeks.  The boys & I have camped over at Audrey's so she and Mom can "mother" my kids while I crank out the collection.  I know it is an odd arrangement, but it works for us.  It's like a big slumber party every night.  The boys love hanging out together and enjoy Nana's home cooked meals.  They also enjoy Aunt Audie's clean & folded laundry and chauffeur skills. As for me, I have enjoyed all of the hospitality as well, but am looking forward to heading back to the ranch.  It is time to light the fire, sip cocoa and simply wind down.   Not that I will get to do much winding down...I still have Christmas shopping and all that that entails, but at least I am finished with the collection (or will be in 24hours & counting).

When I am working on a collection I put in 12 to 14 hour days.   I usually listen to music, but this time my music got old fast and I switched to a different type of audio entertainment:  NPR radio & audio books.

(I know, I'm getting old before my very eyes)

l So, I compiled a list of what I listened to and counted up the hours for a grand total of 301 hours  -  or 12.5 days of stories.

Now I know, I need a break ... or a life!

l I started with NPR and This American Life by Ira Glass - for a total of 35 hrs. Episode 233: Classifieds was my favorite.  I love the redo of 'Rocket Man' at the end of the segment. l l l l l lll Then I switched to books downloaded from Audible.com. (If you haven't tried Audible, I recommend it and it makes a nice Christmas gift too!) l

Audible.com - all unabridged

1. The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington -  9.5 hrs

2. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand -  63 hrs

3. The Perfect Scent by Chandler Burr - 12hrs  (listened to it 2x)  24 hrs

4. Amazing Grace (story of William Wilberforce) by Eric Metaxas - 10 hrs

5. Heavier Than Heaven - bio on Kurt Cobain by Charles R. Cross - 15hrs

6. Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector by Mick Brown - 17.5 hrs

7. John Lennon: The Life by Phillip Norman - 13 hrs

8. When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography of Led Zeppelin by Mick Wall - 18 hrs  (I'm on a music binge here)

9. Dorothy Parker by Marion Mead - 17.5 hrs

10. Madoff with the Money by Jerry Oppenheimer  - 10hrs

11. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi - 18 hrs

12. Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde by Jeff Guinn - 16.5 hrs

13. The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty by Julia Siler - 17 hrs

14. Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Micheal B. Orin - 17 hrs

I'm headed back to the drawing board ....wonder what a psychoanalyst would have to say about these random selections?!