Counting down, now.

I have five class days left of the semester.  Only that.  I have the Tuesday before Thanksgiving (which might as well be cancelled, given the likely attendance), and two Tuesday classes and two Thursday classes after.  Last day of class is 12/7; final exams week is FUBARed, so I'll actually have one class have its final exam on a Monday.  For a Tuesday/Thursday class.  The other one is half an hour off on its times on Tuesday.  The bad side is that the university has completely screwed up a final exams scheduling system that has worked for decades; the good side is that I'll have final grades turned in by Tuesday night.  And then I'm completely done with academia after my last check cleared.

As for what I'll do without that job...I'll be writing.

I'm also counting down on Detritus.  I'm on the next to last chapter.  It might stretch to 40K words, but that'll be it.  It has fought me every step of the way since I decided that it was going to have a hopeful ending. 

Probably not going to publish in hard copy for this one.  Just Kindle.  Look for it in January.

I've got two more short stories to write for the collection I'm putting together, and one to edit and revise.  Probably get that done in fair short order, since the stories aren't fighting me.  I can knock out a short story in about two or three hours, depending on length.  I'm not that fast of a typist. 

Sales and KU reads are spiraling up slowly.  I'm trying to figure a balance between promoting my work (with NO budget for advertising, or for book signings in my local bookstore that does that sort of thing) and spamming my Facebook/blog contacts.  I really don't want to do the spamming thing; if I'm headed in that direction, let me know. 

One of the projects I'm considering for the future is a short manual on Adulting 101, including things like how to do your laundry, how to build a budget, how to plan a menu for a week, how to shop wisely...things that parents are supposed to teach their kids but often don't, either through being to busy or through thinking that it's faster and easier on the household if they just do it for their kids. 

I think I can turn this into an alternate career.  I'm certainly trying.  The time between being employed and being self-employed is certainly ticking away faster than I'd thought it would.