According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, we’re about midway through the “Dog Days of Summer”. The Almanac says the phrase originates from Ancient Greece and Rome when this time in the calendar reflected a period of extremely hot and humid weather coinciding with the rise of the Dog Star, Sirius.The Almanac notes that in ancient times, this period of extreme heat and humidity often drove men and dogs mad from the weather. Out here in the prairie by the lake, this is the time for completing the first half of the year’s AAM reports for a few clients. That means that despite many efforts to prep, I’m scrambling to pull together all the necessary documentation. On top of that we’re already looking at 2023 production schedules, 2023 promotional budgets, and reassessing what worked and what didn’t work so far this year. I've checked and it turns out that many of my colleagues in the magazine world are equally busy with plans for the coming new year.So how do you cope with the heat, the humidity and with so much going on all at once? In my case, I discovered that no amount of training and exercise was helping as much as it used to. So now I literally go to the dogs. When we moved back from the city to the suburbs, I became a volunteer at a nearby animal shelter and joined their dog walking and animal enrichment volunteers. We walk shelter dogs, manage their morning playgroups and help the professional staff when animals are taken out to off-site adoption promotions. Being a volunteer is a joyful experience. And for me, being amongst all of these wonderful animals (And some really great people) is a welcome respite from the stress and strains of 21st century magazine publishing.What are you doing to blow off steam and confront the stress of the modern magazine economy?
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It's Tuesday: Midway Through the Dog Days of…
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According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, we’re about midway through the “Dog Days of Summer”. The Almanac says the phrase originates from Ancient Greece and Rome when this time in the calendar reflected a period of extremely hot and humid weather coinciding with the rise of the Dog Star, Sirius.The Almanac notes that in ancient times, this period of extreme heat and humidity often drove men and dogs mad from the weather. Out here in the prairie by the lake, this is the time for completing the first half of the year’s AAM reports for a few clients. That means that despite many efforts to prep, I’m scrambling to pull together all the necessary documentation. On top of that we’re already looking at 2023 production schedules, 2023 promotional budgets, and reassessing what worked and what didn’t work so far this year. I've checked and it turns out that many of my colleagues in the magazine world are equally busy with plans for the coming new year.So how do you cope with the heat, the humidity and with so much going on all at once? In my case, I discovered that no amount of training and exercise was helping as much as it used to. So now I literally go to the dogs. When we moved back from the city to the suburbs, I became a volunteer at a nearby animal shelter and joined their dog walking and animal enrichment volunteers. We walk shelter dogs, manage their morning playgroups and help the professional staff when animals are taken out to off-site adoption promotions. Being a volunteer is a joyful experience. And for me, being amongst all of these wonderful animals (And some really great people) is a welcome respite from the stress and strains of 21st century magazine publishing.What are you doing to blow off steam and confront the stress of the modern magazine economy?