Nothing to do at work

August is real estate's slow season. Any experienced realtor can tell you that, and they 're really not kidding. July 31st was busy and booming like any Monday, but August 1st hit, and SLOOOOOOOOOW down, we're coming up on a traffic jam that won't quit until early autumn. The phones don't ring, the houses don't sell (and they haven't been selling for months), and I am left with virtually nothing to do. I have done perhaps 45 minutes of real work today. The rest of the time, I have checked my email, read the news, and snuck chapters of my latest book, Green Rider by Kristen Britain. The book has turned out to be quite good, and I'm dying to know what happens next. But I'll save the review for when I finish.

I picked up a copy of Marie Claire today. I don't read most magazines aimed at women unless I'm going on vacation, but I read in the New York Times that the magazine was switching editors, and that the new editor, Joanna Coles, was looking to change the magazine's focus to "confident, professional women." The main things that turn me away from women's magazines are endless articles praising whatever star has a new movie coming out, and the fascination with things that I consider childish. I've picked up Marie Claire in the past because there are articles about managing situations at work and how to meet your significant other's parents for the first time. Articles that actually apply to my life. So I think I might enjoy this change. I wouldn't mind finding a new magazine to enjoy. I love reading InStyle precisely because it bypasses the subjects that should only interest teenage girls, and I really enjoy getting National Geographic Adventure again. Even if I never climb Everest, I'm still fascinated to read more about climbing, surfing, and particularly good hiking. I'm hoping to incorporate hiking and adventure more into my life, especially if we move to the West Coast next year. Hiking always gets my minding spinning with stories because I can imagine so many scenarios in my mind. It was hiking in Taos' mountains that inspired 30 pages worth of one of my novels. And I so love the feeling of a good story buzzing in my brain. At the moment, there's just a faint hum.