Real life and Brave New World

Today, I started Brave New World. I didn't make any specific posts for the individual books I was reading last month, but I might make an exception here.

Being a fan of Buffy for so many years, of course, I can't read the words 'Brave New World' without thinking of Anya with her full vengeance demon get-up telling Giles what an amazing 'brave new world' Cordelia has all condemned them to in the episode 'The Wish'.

The book's got such gems as, "For of course some sort of general idea they must have, if they were to do their work intelligently--though as little of one, if they were to be good and happy members of society as possible" and "That is the secret of happiness and virtue--liking what you've got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their unescapeable social destiny."

It's actually really, really creepy, and I've only just got to the end of chapter one. 

Nevermind the fact that it's making me think particularly uncharitable thoughts about corporate workplaces. I've been a student too many years to think of the corporation as anything other than the devil, but I've been spending a lot of time at work lately, and this book is already making me wonder why?!

Of course, I know why. My fiancee is an enterprising young man and is currently about to thrust both of us into the business of being franchisee holders, which means all his extra time is going into spending money and all my extra time is going into trying to find more money to spend. Which means working more hours than I am used to. 

I saw a post on Twitter about a month ago congratulating anyone who manages to write professionally at the same time as bringing up kids and/or holding down a job.

I don't have any kids, but lately I haven't been feeling like I'm keeping my head above water with the expectations that come along with claiming you're writing professionally at the same time as holding down a job. It's been more like, 'Okay, Nikki, but you're a writer, really, so you just keep on making sure to write at least half an hour to an hour a day. Or promoting, even promoting during that time is okay....'

And that's one of the reasons why there have been less posts here. The last thing I want to do when I get home from work is sit in front of another computer.

Thankfully, we are almost at the end of it now, then I will be once more the active and amazing online presence that you all know me to be.