I am so lucky. There is only one aspect to my day job that I
dislike and even that’s not too bad because actually, although there’s more of
it than there should be, it’s what they pay me for and in fact they also pay me
to do things I’d do even if I wasn’t paid.
I’m currently on a writer’s retreat. I’ve chosen to take leave
for this, just so that I won’t feel obliged to look at my work email. Technically,
writing is part of the day job. Most of my writing is speculative, so I’m never
sure whether I’ll be paid for it. So, I consider that part of my salary from
the university comes as a retainer; they’re in effect saying, use some of our time
to develop your craft, reflect on it, improve and pass on your knowledge to others.
