A year in the life of an overachieving slacker.

Yesterday I worked on some calendaring for the coming year. That's something we used to do periodically back when I had one of those job type things and it is a very beneficial planning tool.

However, I have discovered that I'm going to be awfully busy this year and I'm not sure how I'm going to manage this grueling schedule. All of those corporate executives are a bunch of slackers compared to me. Navy Seals are relieved that they're not under the same amount of stress that I am. It's frightening, really.

Yesterday I listed 30+ galleries and museums that I would like to visit in the coming year if I can squeeze them in. That will be challenging considering the state of my datebook. Let's take a look.

I am pretty much all booked up every Saturday for the foreseeable future with these fun events:

First Saturday Arts Market in the Heights

Second Saturday Open Studios at Winter Street and Spring Street Studios

Discovery Green Flea every third Saturday

Re-Market is the fourth Saturday of every month

So this Saturday I will be attending First Saturday Arts Market *and* I will be checking out a new market called the Houston Outdoor Market. It's a brand new one that will be open every weekend.

I hope to feel a connection to one of these places so that I can eventually become a vendor and get rid of some of this crap I keep making.

Next Saturday I will be checking out the open studios at Winter and Spring Street Studios to see what that's like. I don't plan to be renting studio space from them any time soon since it starts in the $300/month range. That's more for serious artists and there is very little in this life that I am serious enough about to pay $300/month for it.

The day after the open studios (Sunday, February 12) is the Urban Market Antique Show at The Bayou City Event Center.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo starts on February 28 and runs through March 18. Jayson will be hosting the company suite at Reliant Stadium on March 8 when ZZ Top will be performing. That should be fun :) Oh, I'm also getting my roots done that day.

On March 23 the Bayou City Art Festival will be happening in Memorial Park. Then two weeks later I will be heading to the Round Top area for the spring edition of the Texas Antique Weekend. I had intended to go last fall but it didn't work out so I'm making it a priority to check it out in the spring.

Are you exhausted yet?? I know, me too. The very next weekend following the antique show is the International Gem and Jewelry Show at Reliant. I went to this years ago and can remember being very overwhelmed but in a good way. There's just so much to choose from that it's almost too much.

April 23 will be mine and Jayson's 24th anniversary. We will probably celebrate by going out to eat at some place that doesn't have a drive-through. He just loves to spoil me like that.

The Urban Market Antique Show will be happening again on May 20. Then the weekend of June 23-24 is the Round Top Summer Antique Show and also the Gem and Jewelry Show will be back. I like it when things happen 2 or 3 times a year. That way I can choose which date is most convenient for my nightmare of a schedule.

Nothing much happens over the next couple of months because this is Texas and it's too dang hot. We use this important down time to put off our holiday preparations until the last possible minute.

October 4-7 is the Fall edition of the Round Top antique thing and hopefully by this time I will have already been to at least one.

The Urban Market will show up again on October 28 and then it will be time for the International Quilt Festival on November 1-4.  The Nutcracker Market will be November 8-11 so I can go stare at a bunch of pretty stuff that I can't afford to buy. I actually sort of enjoy those things because I can look at something really pricey then figure out how to make the same thing for cheap.

Artcrawl 2012 should be happening some time during November but I'm not sure when. And then it's Christmas.

Whew! Now can you see why I might not be able to squeeze in all those museum visits? Just thinking about it has worn me out so I should probably rest from now until Saturday. I'm going to need my strength for the year ahead.