…makes Kat a major crabapple.

I’ve been in serious, stressed-out crunch mode lately. I’m a terrible procrastinator, so of course I put off finishing my first book manuscript — which is due next Tuesday, the 31st — as long as humanly possible. Sure, I started working on it last fall when I got the contract, but after the holidays passed, it hit home. This thing still needs a lot of work. The last few weeks I’ve been (finally) working diligently, but I will be spending next weekend alone with my Mac and multiple gallons of coffee.

I’m guessing I’m not alone here. We all put things off. Even the most planned-out, uber-organized person (blech!) has to have a crunch time here and there. But although I feel like I do well under pressure, I don’t do well with prolonged pressure over a longer period such as this. A couple of days? No problem. A week? Okay, kinda stressed. A month? I’m talking breakouts of the sort I haven’t seen since high school, crazy dreams, crappy sleep overall, and a not-so-nice personality that has my household pets and even hubby eyeing me carefully before approaching.

So. I’ve decided I need a good solid date night tonight.

We’re off this evening to check out Euro, the new restaurant in Cherry Creek (in the former Manhattan Grill spot), and its chichi lounge, Bar Luxe. After dinner and drinks, we’ll head to the Fillmore for the Unlimited Sunshine tour, with Tegan & Sara, Gogol Bordello, and Cake. I looove Gogol Bordello and the band’s lead singer, Eugene Hutz. Eugene is a crazy-assed Ukrainian with one quarter gypsy blood, and his Roma roots have given him a musical talent and a taste for global travel. He’s a psycho on stage, with killer drunken charisma, and he’s one helluva party guest for after-hours carousing. (We hung out after they played the 15th St. Tavern, and those boys can drink vodka like water. Seriously. Like water.)

I’m a bit worried, though, that after seeing Gogol’s half-choreographed insanity, that Cake will be a total letdown. Not that I don’t like Cake’s music, or their stage presence; it’s just that after getting all crazy slap-happy on gypsy pogo punk, I’m thinking the transition to Cake’s mellower fare will kill the buzz.

But hey, at least I’ll get a good band buzz going in the first place. And for me, that’s the best brand of stress relief available. (Bonus: no hangover.)

After that, it’s serious crunch time ’til next week.