Amra Pajalic

Things are accelerating for me. Have so much on I’m in bunker mentality where I can only deal with the task directly in front of me. I feel like it’s feast or famine. Earlier in the year was so dull with nothing going on, and now I’m hanging on the edge of my seat fighting to stay on for the ride. Just looked at my diary and I have had at least one meeting every week for the past two months as I coordinate my various projects. Was beginning to feel burnt out, but took some time to relax on the weekend. Read two books:

Steph Bowe’s Girl Saves Boy-an impressive debut for a 16 year old and a really lovely story.

Kathy Charles Hollywood Ending-a dark book dealing with gritty issues. Really well developed and deep. Reading it felt like dropping a rock in a pond where the ripples are still washing over me.

Other things in no particular order:

• I did a talk to a Year 8 comprehension class last Thursday.  Began reading an extract where Sabiha is rude to her teacher and looked up at their sweet,  little faces and stopped short of her rude remark. Usually my talks are for Year 9′s onward so I’ve now identified a suitable extract for this group. A Literacy Officer was observing and I received some constructive criticism about how to improve my talk and what activities I can introduce for the future so I was wrapped with that.
• I’m doing another teaching gig from 6 September at another school in the Western suburbs. I’m excited about continuing teaching and I’ll have this group of students for a whole 6 weeks so I’ll be able to do more writing activities.
• Next week is my debut at the Melbourne Writer’s Festival. I’m so excited. It’s been my dream to appear on that stage since I began writing and I’ve gone pretty much every year, so I’m really looking forward to it. Best part is my girlfriend Jodi is coming with me so we’re going to have a day out, sans babies. Such fun.
• With the MWF beginning have a few night events. This Thursday going to the Text Party. Hope to meet Kathy and Steph there and have a chat to them about their books. There’s a YA dinner organised next week by Melina Marchetta which I’m desperate to go to, but the bub has been a royal pain the butt at night so we’ll see how Thursday goes and take it from there.
• Started watching True Blood Season 3. Already feel like my day has a special zing because I have an episode to look forward to at the end of the day. Speaking of Vampires-watched the spoof movie Vampires Suck and was so disappointed. Was hoping it would be a great spoof of the whole vampire obsession going on in popular culture, instead it was a scene by scene remake of Twilight with a supposedly comical element that fell flat. People don’t seem to understand what satire is these days. It’s such a shame too because there’s so many vampire movies and tv shows that could have been incorporated for a hysterical send up of it all.

Time to back to work. Bub is in childcare all day so I have a whole day to try to be super productive and move forward with my to do list.