Tell-All Tuesday

So I got a rejection this week. I know, not the first, won't be the last, and I'm not supposed to grouse about them because it makes me look bad, but I'm going to anyway. Just a little.

I sent a short story off to a magazine I subscribe to. A few weeks afterward I get a renewal notice along with a letter telling me they're having financial difficulties and to help them, please renew now rather than later. Reasonable. And I've enjoyed the magazine so I send a check for another year or two. (Hey, it was at least three weeks ago, I can't remember that far back!) Then , another few weeks later I get a self-addressed stamped envelope back and I'm thinking -- okay, here it is, a rejection. Sigh and sadness. But I open it up and find an obviously much-photocopied form letter inside about how they've asked their subscribers to step up and help with their financial troubles and they have, but not enough. Please renew my subscription early.

So I stare at the letter in confusion. I look at the envelope again. Yep, my handwriting and my stamp. I look at the plea for money again. Nope, nothing about my story. Confused, I set it aside to go through the rest of the mail and notice a tiny blue paper on top folded in quarters, making it about the size of ... oh... a votive candle. And that's my form rejection.

Does this seem wrong to anyone else? As a subscriber, certainly send me the renewal form early. Certainly tell me you're having trouble and need certain subscriptions in order to be able to budget effectively. As someone looking for a job (temporary as it might be) telling me you're having budget issues and -- effectively-- calling collect in order to do it seems wrong.

So, yeah, that happened.

On the what have I accomplished side of things, I've been having some troubles. I now have three short stories started alongside the longer work that is currently on my to-do list. I'm getting plenty of new ideas, but am having trouble pushing through the old ideas.

I have finished one pair of knitted socks (that might have been last week), a crochet washcloth and most of a (very tiny) blanket. I made three "solid color collared shirts" because our county school board voted in "uniforms" of a sort and everything my little girl has worn up to this point has prints or trim, something to make it unacceptable in the new year. (You may read in all sorts of anger and hatred of our school board here, because I've certainly thought it.) We put pretty buttons on the shirts we made though, so hopefully that's acceptable. Glarg.

But in writing, really, I haven't accomplished much at all. Troubles deciding which job is my main job. Mommy or writer. Sometimes there isn't time for both.

Better weeks for the rest of you? Thoughts?