Just for fun, I took this easy and fast pudding recipe,* adapted it to be a recipe for banana pudding with nutmeg, and then took an entire hour to make it, including quite a while of stirring it in an ice bath to set it. All in the quest for the Best Pudding of My Life.
* Note to everyone: for serious. This pudding recipe. It's been posted by our stove for the past few weeks, because I keep making it. It's like a London Fog in pudding form. Trust me: you already have the ingredients in your house. Make it now.
Showing posts with label Living up to my name. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Living up to my name. Show all posts
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Evening in the House of Procrastination
I'm pretty nearly already asleep (and this is far later than I'm used to being awake), but I keep checking "one more thing" on the internet.
I just looked over at the bathroom, and Chris is standing in front of the sink (I think he's planning to brush his teeth), reading a novel.
Sometimes we're well suited to each other. (But we're going to be very sleepy in the morning. At least Chris doesn't have any more regular teaching left; it's all exams and fun days from tomorrow onward.)
Gute Nacht, bloggy people.
I just looked over at the bathroom, and Chris is standing in front of the sink (I think he's planning to brush his teeth), reading a novel.
Sometimes we're well suited to each other. (But we're going to be very sleepy in the morning. At least Chris doesn't have any more regular teaching left; it's all exams and fun days from tomorrow onward.)
Gute Nacht, bloggy people.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
How I'm living up to my name today
Today, I am fully deserving of the title "Queen of West Procrastination." In theory, I have a very small task to do: all I have to do is write two paragraphs and then edit three pages' worth of dissertation overview. Then can I send it to my supervisor, so that next week I can start writing a chapter.
Two paragraphs and then some editing: it's all I have to do today. But it's now after noon and what have I done today? If you check the last post I wrote, you can see that I just added photos to my Tea Granny Guide. And, uh, took those photos (except for the Christmas photo of Chris with his Memories of the Future Mug) and edited them. Before that, I talked on the phone with my Mom and with Ky, I vacuumed my bedroom, and I spent a couple of hours reading stuff on the internet.
Okay. This has to stop. My brain is already coming up with other busywork that it would rather do than stare at a Word document and try to figure out how to word these last two chapter plans. I'm going to set up at the kitchen table, because it's way too dark in the office today (that's been one of my problems), and then after working for three hours (that's all I need!), I'm going to go for a walk. And I am not allowed to set up the new cordless phones (and then spend an hour programming phone numbers) until after all this work is done. Much as that is the most perfect form of procrastinatory busy work. (New toy + I have to get that task done sometime anyway and so I feel like I've accomplished something).
Two paragraphs and then some editing: it's all I have to do today. But it's now after noon and what have I done today? If you check the last post I wrote, you can see that I just added photos to my Tea Granny Guide. And, uh, took those photos (except for the Christmas photo of Chris with his Memories of the Future Mug) and edited them. Before that, I talked on the phone with my Mom and with Ky, I vacuumed my bedroom, and I spent a couple of hours reading stuff on the internet.
Okay. This has to stop. My brain is already coming up with other busywork that it would rather do than stare at a Word document and try to figure out how to word these last two chapter plans. I'm going to set up at the kitchen table, because it's way too dark in the office today (that's been one of my problems), and then after working for three hours (that's all I need!), I'm going to go for a walk. And I am not allowed to set up the new cordless phones (and then spend an hour programming phone numbers) until after all this work is done. Much as that is the most perfect form of procrastinatory busy work. (New toy + I have to get that task done sometime anyway and so I feel like I've accomplished something).
Monday, January 04, 2010
Ten Years of Pictures of Your Queen
I started working on this post on New Year's Eve. I thought that a nice way to end off 2009 would be to put together a collection of ten photos from the past decade, representing each year of my twenties (an entire decade in which I was a university student, as Christina pointed out today).
Of course, in the true style of the Nation of Procrasti (West), it has taken me most of the week to finish this post, mostly because I had to track down and scan photos and that felt distinctly like work.
Think of this as taking Obsessive Hair-Blogging to a new level:
2000: Second to third years of university. I broke up with a boyfriend, got my first job, bought new shoes, and discovered a love of karaoke.
2001: Started my honours program, made a bunch of new friends through IVCF (including a young man named Christopher), quit my first job, and experimented with red highlights in my hair. If I'd had a blog in 2001, I would have posted it with the tag "Obsessive Hair-Blogging."
2002: Started dating Chris, all-but-finished my degree, and decided to do my MA with Dr. B. Also, I saw fit to wear pale pink from neck to toe, to Chris's sister's grad, and procrastinated from cutting my hair while I was busy with my honours paper. Typical.
2003: The year I went to Paris. Also, I went to Berlin and decided to study it forever and ever. Also, I started my MA. And moved out with Meg.
2004: Got engaged, helped Chris move away to start his first teaching job, and finally retired the Glasses That Look Like Squashed Stop Signs.
2005: Started this blog, finished my MA, got married, and moved across the country to start my PhD. And I dyed my hair red.
2006: Finished coursework, and cut my hair really short just in time for Meg and Karl's wedding. Also, I briefly took to wearing pastel-coloured clothes from Old Navy.
2008: Much better than 2007. I finished comps and even convinced Ky, Ariann and Derek to move out here. I admitted defeat and got all the hair dye cut out of my hair.
And now here I am at the end of 2009: a third pair of glasses, longer hair (because I'm lazy about getting it cut), and dissertating like crazy so that I can finish being a student already.
Of course, in the true style of the Nation of Procrasti (West), it has taken me most of the week to finish this post, mostly because I had to track down and scan photos and that felt distinctly like work.
Think of this as taking Obsessive Hair-Blogging to a new level:
2000: Second to third years of university. I broke up with a boyfriend, got my first job, bought new shoes, and discovered a love of karaoke.
2001: Started my honours program, made a bunch of new friends through IVCF (including a young man named Christopher), quit my first job, and experimented with red highlights in my hair. If I'd had a blog in 2001, I would have posted it with the tag "Obsessive Hair-Blogging."
2002: Started dating Chris, all-but-finished my degree, and decided to do my MA with Dr. B. Also, I saw fit to wear pale pink from neck to toe, to Chris's sister's grad, and procrastinated from cutting my hair while I was busy with my honours paper. Typical.
2003: The year I went to Paris. Also, I went to Berlin and decided to study it forever and ever. Also, I started my MA. And moved out with Meg. 
2004: Got engaged, helped Chris move away to start his first teaching job, and finally retired the Glasses That Look Like Squashed Stop Signs.2005: Started this blog, finished my MA, got married, and moved across the country to start my PhD. And I dyed my hair red.
2006: Finished coursework, and cut my hair really short just in time for Meg and Karl's wedding. Also, I briefly took to wearing pastel-coloured clothes from Old Navy.2007: [I apologize for the tone change in this year.] This one is tied (with 2005) for Hardest Year of My Life. But it picked up mid-way through the year, when Chris got a teaching job and we finally started making enough to live on, and so it wasn't all bad. I really like this picture of Dad and me, in a quiet moment on the weekend of Grandma's funeral (and Dad's second bout in the hospital, and then my apartment flooded on Monday). [And now we return to our regularly-scheduled Obsessive Hair-Blogging.]
2008: Much better than 2007. I finished comps and even convinced Ky, Ariann and Derek to move out here. I admitted defeat and got all the hair dye cut out of my hair. 
And now here I am at the end of 2009: a third pair of glasses, longer hair (because I'm lazy about getting it cut), and dissertating like crazy so that I can finish being a student already.Friday, December 11, 2009
Confession
I... I may have gone overboard with the Christmas crafts and decorating, folks. It started so innocently, with the tree and the wreath. And then with the windstorm last weekend that gave me so much extra greenery. But then I got too many ornaments for the tree, and I decided to do whatever I wanted on my birthday, and I was so excited about my pretty Christmas tree...
I spent part of my birthday making a Christmas centrepiece for my dining room table.
And I covered my dining room window with greenery. Well, you should see for yourself what my dining room looks like now:
You should click to make this one bigger, to get the full effect of my Crazy.
And yes, I know that we need to get the electronic cables under control again.
I know that a big part of this decorating mania is an attempt to ward off any potential holiday-related homesickness. I guess it's also because I'm tired of doing things on a small scale just because we have a small apartment: the giant tree and the nice decorations feel like the sorts of things I would do in a "grown-up" home, rather than a temporary-ish residence. It's an attempt at laying down some roots where I am.
This decorating binge is also the result of my excitement that the infamous LynnieC is flying in to Victoria on Saturday and staying at Ky's for Christmas. Lyn loves Christmas more than anyone else I know, in spite (or, dare I ask, because?) of several years working in retail. I've spent many Christmases with her and her family, and the idea of spending this one with her and Ky makes me feel a little bit like I'm home.
Okay, fine. I'm also procrastinating. You know how much I love using domesticity for procrastinatory purposes.
I spent part of my birthday making a Christmas centrepiece for my dining room table.
And I covered my dining room window with greenery. Well, you should see for yourself what my dining room looks like now:
You should click to make this one bigger, to get the full effect of my Crazy.And yes, I know that we need to get the electronic cables under control again.
I know that a big part of this decorating mania is an attempt to ward off any potential holiday-related homesickness. I guess it's also because I'm tired of doing things on a small scale just because we have a small apartment: the giant tree and the nice decorations feel like the sorts of things I would do in a "grown-up" home, rather than a temporary-ish residence. It's an attempt at laying down some roots where I am.
This decorating binge is also the result of my excitement that the infamous LynnieC is flying in to Victoria on Saturday and staying at Ky's for Christmas. Lyn loves Christmas more than anyone else I know, in spite (or, dare I ask, because?) of several years working in retail. I've spent many Christmases with her and her family, and the idea of spending this one with her and Ky makes me feel a little bit like I'm home.
Okay, fine. I'm also procrastinating. You know how much I love using domesticity for procrastinatory purposes.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Friday, August 07, 2009
Back online
Oh sweet, precious internet. Never go away.
It turned out to be a broken DSL modem. Now everything's back to normal, and I've been getting myself caught up on all the nonsense that's happened in the past half-week. And I didn't die without the internet this week: I made apricot freezer jam (using fruit I bought in the Okanagan), experimented with Hollandaise sauce, tended my landlords' garden in their absence, and am now watching football. So, it hasn't been so bad.
(Okay, I spent every evening at Ky's house, using her wireless while we watched So You Think You Can Dance.)
It turned out to be a broken DSL modem. Now everything's back to normal, and I've been getting myself caught up on all the nonsense that's happened in the past half-week. And I didn't die without the internet this week: I made apricot freezer jam (using fruit I bought in the Okanagan), experimented with Hollandaise sauce, tended my landlords' garden in their absence, and am now watching football. So, it hasn't been so bad.
(Okay, I spent every evening at Ky's house, using her wireless while we watched So You Think You Can Dance.)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Missed another blogiversary
As I sat in this pile of books and popcorn, the procrastinatory part of my brain suddenly asked, "Didn't you start blogging sometime in mid-January?" I checked the archives, and there it was: my blogiversary was last Thursday! I've now been blogging for four years.
(It seems a little to apt that I wrote a post about my underwear on my actual blogiversary.)
And so I'll celebrate it a little less than a week late. Would you expect any less from your Procrastination Queen (West)?
It's been four years and 1275 posts. When I began, I was a second-year MA student, sitting at this desk and trying to make myself write anything. Now I'm a fourth-year PhD student, sitting at this same desk, still trying to get myself to write. Since then, I've finished an MA thesis, gotten married, moved out here, gotten through coursework and comps, and have laid down some roots out here on this crazy island. I'm still trying to learn German, I'm still drinking tea, and I'm still wandering the house in this same pair of rubber-soled slippers. And yet sometimes I hardly recognise the person I was four years ago.
You know, this blog has been a real blessing for me. You all have kept me going through these isolated years of grad school. I've met so many interesting people who are going through exactly what I am going through, and who have taught me how to stay sane and get some work done.
I shouldn't write too much more right now; I'd better make supper and try to make some sense of this article sitting beside me.
In other news: it's about time that I started taking part in Schmutzie's Grace in Small Things challenge (Tagline: "Wage a battle against embitterment"). (Some of you may be familiar with this challenge thanks to Bronwyn's posts.) For the next 365 days, I'm going to try to find a reason to be thankful every day. I think this will really help me keep perspective through what might be a stressful year. (If all goes according to plan, I should be finishing up just around when I'm finishing my research trip to Germany.) I'll start this in the next post.
(It seems a little to apt that I wrote a post about my underwear on my actual blogiversary.)
And so I'll celebrate it a little less than a week late. Would you expect any less from your Procrastination Queen (West)?
It's been four years and 1275 posts. When I began, I was a second-year MA student, sitting at this desk and trying to make myself write anything. Now I'm a fourth-year PhD student, sitting at this same desk, still trying to get myself to write. Since then, I've finished an MA thesis, gotten married, moved out here, gotten through coursework and comps, and have laid down some roots out here on this crazy island. I'm still trying to learn German, I'm still drinking tea, and I'm still wandering the house in this same pair of rubber-soled slippers. And yet sometimes I hardly recognise the person I was four years ago.
You know, this blog has been a real blessing for me. You all have kept me going through these isolated years of grad school. I've met so many interesting people who are going through exactly what I am going through, and who have taught me how to stay sane and get some work done.
I shouldn't write too much more right now; I'd better make supper and try to make some sense of this article sitting beside me.
In other news: it's about time that I started taking part in Schmutzie's Grace in Small Things challenge (Tagline: "Wage a battle against embitterment"). (Some of you may be familiar with this challenge thanks to Bronwyn's posts.) For the next 365 days, I'm going to try to find a reason to be thankful every day. I think this will really help me keep perspective through what might be a stressful year. (If all goes according to plan, I should be finishing up just around when I'm finishing my research trip to Germany.) I'll start this in the next post.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Procrastinatory Confession
This time of year always gets me digging out everything that will make me warmer while I work: the space heater, the rubber-soled slippers, the hot water bottle that has its own fleece jacket, all my teapots, and the knit fingerless gloves that my friend Kat gave me for my birthday one year (she told me that they'd prove to be useful when my hands got cold while I was typing).
I've found that these fingerless gloves has many side effects: a.) feeling like a hobo, b.) continually punching the air while singing "Eye of the Tiger," c.) jazz hands, and d.) weird self-portraits using my webcam.
Further confession: did you notice that I absolutely can't stand wearing my wedding ring when I'm typing? I also can't stand wearing a watch while I'm working. But, for some reason, fingerless gloves and hats are a-okay.
I've found that these fingerless gloves has many side effects: a.) feeling like a hobo, b.) continually punching the air while singing "Eye of the Tiger," c.) jazz hands, and d.) weird self-portraits using my webcam.
Further confession: did you notice that I absolutely can't stand wearing my wedding ring when I'm typing? I also can't stand wearing a watch while I'm working. But, for some reason, fingerless gloves and hats are a-okay.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Not living up to my name very well
It's going to shock you when I tell you that I haven't been posting because I've been too busy doing actual work. Like, making actual progress on things that I've put off for a long time. (This post runs long, but it's full of news, and so those who know me might want to hang on and keep reading.)
I know: it's stunning. I'll give you a moment to collect yourselves.
I was getting really stressed out because I had planned on applying for a Big Fancy Travel Fellowship by the end of June, which meant that by the end of June I would have had to:
a.) have found a Doktorvater (essentially a supervisor) in Germany
b.) have become fluent in German, or some good-enough equivalent.
Unfortunately, I had made these plans when I thought I'd be done my comps by the end of January. And all of these plans hinged on me being able to go to Germany by next January, which gave me a single semester (plus whatever I could get done while in Saskatchewan this summer) to do, uh, all of my dissertation research. Absolutely everything, so that I could go to Germany and plug whatever holes were left by my secondary sources and cultural sources (my novels, movies, artworks...).
So, for the month of May I mistakenly thought that the reason why I felt so freaked out and frozen by my plans was because I had problems with anxiety. Finally this week I sat down and tried to plan everything out and realised: I'm not frozen by anxiety problems; I'm anxious because I've given myself an impossible task.
And so I started re-adjusting my plans. First, I found out that I really ought to be applying to Big Fancy Travel Fellowship in November instead of this summer (the foundation added a bunch of new deadlines for short-term travel fellowships since the last time I'd checked their site). If I applied now, I'd have to use the funding by next winter. If I wait to apply in November, I could wait until the following autumn to go to Germany.
It's official: my big trip has now been postponed from January to September 2009.
After I made that decision, I realised that if I didn't start preparing for the Big Fellowship right now, summer would disappear and it would be September and I'd be freaking out saying, "I only have a month to learn German and find a Doktorvater!" (Again.) I had to be proactive this time. This meant that I needed to find something that would force me to immerse myself in German learning right now (and I don't have time to take a German course by November, since I'll be in Saskatchewan in July and August). And so I bought a 12-month subscription to Rosetta Stone. That way, it was cheaper than buying the CD-ROM collection, and would force me to get to work right away, so that I could get my money's worth.
Seriously? Rosetta Stone is the best thing ever. I love it so much. It works like my brain does, which means that I want to work on my German every day. I finished an entire unit this week, because I was having so much fun. I remember words and grammar without trying to memorize them. And, since it has speech recognition, I get feedback that tells me when I'm saying things wrong.
So, that's where I've been this week: feverishly working away at everything that I've been avoiding for a month. Suddenly, I'm making progress on my language learning, and I have a solid plan for how I can get my dissertation done in a timely fashion. And I'm actually enjoying myself.
What? First I start running and now I'm not procrastinating?
I know: it's stunning. I'll give you a moment to collect yourselves.
I was getting really stressed out because I had planned on applying for a Big Fancy Travel Fellowship by the end of June, which meant that by the end of June I would have had to:
a.) have found a Doktorvater (essentially a supervisor) in Germany
b.) have become fluent in German, or some good-enough equivalent.
Unfortunately, I had made these plans when I thought I'd be done my comps by the end of January. And all of these plans hinged on me being able to go to Germany by next January, which gave me a single semester (plus whatever I could get done while in Saskatchewan this summer) to do, uh, all of my dissertation research. Absolutely everything, so that I could go to Germany and plug whatever holes were left by my secondary sources and cultural sources (my novels, movies, artworks...).
So, for the month of May I mistakenly thought that the reason why I felt so freaked out and frozen by my plans was because I had problems with anxiety. Finally this week I sat down and tried to plan everything out and realised: I'm not frozen by anxiety problems; I'm anxious because I've given myself an impossible task.
And so I started re-adjusting my plans. First, I found out that I really ought to be applying to Big Fancy Travel Fellowship in November instead of this summer (the foundation added a bunch of new deadlines for short-term travel fellowships since the last time I'd checked their site). If I applied now, I'd have to use the funding by next winter. If I wait to apply in November, I could wait until the following autumn to go to Germany.
It's official: my big trip has now been postponed from January to September 2009.
After I made that decision, I realised that if I didn't start preparing for the Big Fellowship right now, summer would disappear and it would be September and I'd be freaking out saying, "I only have a month to learn German and find a Doktorvater!" (Again.) I had to be proactive this time. This meant that I needed to find something that would force me to immerse myself in German learning right now (and I don't have time to take a German course by November, since I'll be in Saskatchewan in July and August). And so I bought a 12-month subscription to Rosetta Stone. That way, it was cheaper than buying the CD-ROM collection, and would force me to get to work right away, so that I could get my money's worth.
Seriously? Rosetta Stone is the best thing ever. I love it so much. It works like my brain does, which means that I want to work on my German every day. I finished an entire unit this week, because I was having so much fun. I remember words and grammar without trying to memorize them. And, since it has speech recognition, I get feedback that tells me when I'm saying things wrong.
So, that's where I've been this week: feverishly working away at everything that I've been avoiding for a month. Suddenly, I'm making progress on my language learning, and I have a solid plan for how I can get my dissertation done in a timely fashion. And I'm actually enjoying myself.
What? First I start running and now I'm not procrastinating?
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Warning
I'm currently obsessed with baking bread. And I'm working my way through The Joy of Cooking's bread recipes, while searching for more recipes to try. This means that you'll be hearing more about this obsession in this space.
It started yesterday with the Milk Bread recipe, chosen because of its simplicity (we had the ingredients on hand!) and because the recipe formed the base of a bunch of the other bread recipes (especially Cinnamon-Raisin Bread and Herb Bread). The loaves turned out beautifully (and so golden!), but small. Today, I decided we needed to have some real sandwich bread, and so I tried out the Whole Wheat Bread recipe. The loaves turned out to be comically ginormous, especially because apparently the recipe was for three loaves and I made two loaves out of it. But they baked quite nicely (after I removed the middle rack of our tiny oven and let them bake on the bottom rack -- they were starting to squish against the broiling element) and turned out to be a good size and consistency for sandwiches, and so I think I'll continue making that mistake in the future.
It's just lovely, at least right now. (Just wait until we've run out of bread and I start procrastinating from making more.) I far prefer this over running the breadmaker: I get to play with the KA mixer, be a total control freak over the whole process, and I get to work out some of my aggressions with the dough. It's also easier to read when the house smells like bread. It's all so satisfying.
So: what should I make next? I think I'm going to get some sourdough starter going right away, and I'll also try out that no-knead recipe that wolfangel shared ages ago.
It started yesterday with the Milk Bread recipe, chosen because of its simplicity (we had the ingredients on hand!) and because the recipe formed the base of a bunch of the other bread recipes (especially Cinnamon-Raisin Bread and Herb Bread). The loaves turned out beautifully (and so golden!), but small. Today, I decided we needed to have some real sandwich bread, and so I tried out the Whole Wheat Bread recipe. The loaves turned out to be comically ginormous, especially because apparently the recipe was for three loaves and I made two loaves out of it. But they baked quite nicely (after I removed the middle rack of our tiny oven and let them bake on the bottom rack -- they were starting to squish against the broiling element) and turned out to be a good size and consistency for sandwiches, and so I think I'll continue making that mistake in the future.
It's just lovely, at least right now. (Just wait until we've run out of bread and I start procrastinating from making more.) I far prefer this over running the breadmaker: I get to play with the KA mixer, be a total control freak over the whole process, and I get to work out some of my aggressions with the dough. It's also easier to read when the house smells like bread. It's all so satisfying.
So: what should I make next? I think I'm going to get some sourdough starter going right away, and I'll also try out that no-knead recipe that wolfangel shared ages ago.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
From the Annals of "Great Moments in Procrastination"
Our Procrastination Queen plays with her webcamera, attempting to figure out how to "smile with her eyes." (Yes, she has been watching too much Top Model.)
She ends up looking "sleepy."
She ends up looking "sleepy."
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
The things I do to get work done
Time: 12:43pm
Location: Desk in my home office, with the lights on (it is very dark out today) and a space heater running at my feet.
Tea of the day: Japanese Treasures green tea with real pieces of strawberry and red currant. (It was my favourite of Meg's teas, and she took me to get some of my own when I was in Vancouver).
Teacup of the day: Grandma's yellow roses Royal Albert cup and saucer.
I have eaten: cheese, many many oranges, and a bowl of popcorn.
I am wearing: black t-shirt with powder blue pants. Over that I'm wearing a pink silk robe, a red long scarf looped around dramatically, and black slippers. With my long hair I am a pair of tiny wire glasses, a laudanum addiction, and a case of tuberculosis away from being a Romantic-era poet.
What I have accomplished today: I've marked a couple of papers, talked on the phone with my Mom, watched an episode of Design Inc. on HGTV (and shut off the TV before I could get drawn in to the fun British real estate shows), made a bowl of popcorn and a pot of tea, and procrastinated on walking to the bank.
What I need to get done: Finish about ten more essays, read a book, finish cleaning up before we host prayer meeting at our house tonight, consume something that isn't in the popcorn/tea/cheese/pickles family.
Location: Desk in my home office, with the lights on (it is very dark out today) and a space heater running at my feet.
Tea of the day: Japanese Treasures green tea with real pieces of strawberry and red currant. (It was my favourite of Meg's teas, and she took me to get some of my own when I was in Vancouver).
Teacup of the day: Grandma's yellow roses Royal Albert cup and saucer.
I have eaten: cheese, many many oranges, and a bowl of popcorn.
I am wearing: black t-shirt with powder blue pants. Over that I'm wearing a pink silk robe, a red long scarf looped around dramatically, and black slippers. With my long hair I am a pair of tiny wire glasses, a laudanum addiction, and a case of tuberculosis away from being a Romantic-era poet.
What I have accomplished today: I've marked a couple of papers, talked on the phone with my Mom, watched an episode of Design Inc. on HGTV (and shut off the TV before I could get drawn in to the fun British real estate shows), made a bowl of popcorn and a pot of tea, and procrastinated on walking to the bank.
What I need to get done: Finish about ten more essays, read a book, finish cleaning up before we host prayer meeting at our house tonight, consume something that isn't in the popcorn/tea/cheese/pickles family.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The jumbly thoughts in the head of an exam grader
- Is there some sort of conspiracy going on with my students this year, in which every time they forget the first name of a historical figure they just call him "William"? In previous years I think my students gave their historical figures the first name of "John." This year it's all "William," all the time.
- I wonder if it's the result of something in popular culture, like when all the history essays I marked during the escalation of the war in Iraq over-used the CNN word "embedded," and started bandying about the phrase "coalition forces" instead of "the Allies." (Trivia: a significant percentage of students writing about any historical war will refer to the perceived "good guys" as "the Allies".)
- You know, I miss ANTM's Victoria. I wish she hadn't gone crazy on Twiggy and made Tyra scared that she'd throw a shoe at her, because Victoria would have laughed out loud this week when Jay announced (waaaay too exuberantly) that the girls were going to pose as "High Fashion GARGOYLES!"
- I wonder if my usage of red pen (but it was the first pen I could find!) is going to give my students low self esteem.
- Can I manage to eat a bowl of cheddar-flavoured popcorn without getting orange fingerprints on these papers?
- I wish shoemakers still made square-toed dress shoes. I think my wide-toed feet will die dead if the narrow-toed shoe hegemony continues any longer.
- Note to self: get more people watching Chuck so that it isn't cruelly taken away from me mid-season.
- Are those cobwebs in the dining room window?
- Did I remember to eat lunch today?
- Are other people as distractable as I am when they're grading?
Layers upon layers of procrastination
I've reached the point of exhaustion with my teaching load. Normally teaching is what makes me happy during the semester, but when it makes me this tired, I start feeling avoidant towards all my teaching-related responsibilities.
The funny thing is that my main method of procrastination from my teaching duties has been my comps reading. You know, that work that I'm supposed to be completing so that I can move forward in my program. In the past week and a half I've made real progress in my reading, and all I had to do was turn my PhD program into a tool of procrastination. Seriously: last week, I avoided leaving the house and dove upon every spare moment as an opportunity to read World War I books. (Which is how I ought to have spent my summer.)
Also, I spent a bunch of last week keeping my house very, very clean. But I didn't mark a single midterm.
Apparently, the best way I can get any pressing work done is to start avoiding something else.
The funny thing is that my main method of procrastination from my teaching duties has been my comps reading. You know, that work that I'm supposed to be completing so that I can move forward in my program. In the past week and a half I've made real progress in my reading, and all I had to do was turn my PhD program into a tool of procrastination. Seriously: last week, I avoided leaving the house and dove upon every spare moment as an opportunity to read World War I books. (Which is how I ought to have spent my summer.)
Also, I spent a bunch of last week keeping my house very, very clean. But I didn't mark a single midterm.
Apparently, the best way I can get any pressing work done is to start avoiding something else.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Official Lazy Day
We have hereby declared a Lazy Day in the House of Procrastination.
Our original plans for the day involved getting all packed up by 9am, driving out to Chris's school, and spending the day getting work done. Chris would get prep work for the next week done, while I would read a couple of books. Then we would drive home and wash a lot of dishes.
But then Chris woke up feeling really sick. This is his second weekend in a row where we hit weekend and suddenly he was sick. Last weekend it was a migraine. This weekend, it's some crazy virus -- his stomach and his sinuses are in pain.
Admittedly, we haven't been sleeping enough around here. There's so much to do that we push back bedtime further and further, but then Chris still has to get up at the same time. And, much as he absolutely loves his job, these first weeks of the school year have been stressful. We tried to watch Magic School Bus this morning, but they were trying to get everything ready for the first day of school (with only half an hour until all the kids arrived!) and that was too stressful for Chris. The last thing he needed was his Saturday morning cartoons reminding him of work.
(Apparently, we've both been under stress.)
And so that's it. I'm still in my pyjamas, hanging out in bed and sitting under the SAD lamp. Chris is curled up on the couch, and I haven't heard a sound out of him in half an hour. We have no goals for today.
Our original plans for the day involved getting all packed up by 9am, driving out to Chris's school, and spending the day getting work done. Chris would get prep work for the next week done, while I would read a couple of books. Then we would drive home and wash a lot of dishes.
But then Chris woke up feeling really sick. This is his second weekend in a row where we hit weekend and suddenly he was sick. Last weekend it was a migraine. This weekend, it's some crazy virus -- his stomach and his sinuses are in pain.
Admittedly, we haven't been sleeping enough around here. There's so much to do that we push back bedtime further and further, but then Chris still has to get up at the same time. And, much as he absolutely loves his job, these first weeks of the school year have been stressful. We tried to watch Magic School Bus this morning, but they were trying to get everything ready for the first day of school (with only half an hour until all the kids arrived!) and that was too stressful for Chris. The last thing he needed was his Saturday morning cartoons reminding him of work.
(Apparently, we've both been under stress.)
And so that's it. I'm still in my pyjamas, hanging out in bed and sitting under the SAD lamp. Chris is curled up on the couch, and I haven't heard a sound out of him in half an hour. We have no goals for today.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
My avoidance problem
Not a coincidence: we've taken to obsessively working our way through the American Office (we're part-way through Season 2, and yes I do have a crush on everybody), and I have a meeting with one of my professors on Wednesday, before which I need to read seven more books.
I'm also making the most elaborate supper possible tonight.
I'm also making the most elaborate supper possible tonight.
Friday, May 04, 2007
Bringing out the big guns
Time: 9:26am
I am wearing: my "Wait Til You See Me Dance" t-shirt, dress pants, leather shoes, pigtails in my hair. And mascara. That makes me feel even more determined.
I have consumed: Breakfast. And I've already decided on what I'm having for lunch.
I am determined: to get work done today! I'm going to catch the next bus to the University, take out the books that I need, and read a couple. I'm also going to translate some more German. And get my allergy shot. And bus to the bank in time to deposit some cheques. Thus, all the psychological tricks I'm playing on myself to get me out of the house. Including the fact that I'm already wearing my shoes, in hopes that it makes me think, "Well, but I'm already wearing my shoes! I'd better leave the house!"
I am wearing: my "Wait Til You See Me Dance" t-shirt, dress pants, leather shoes, pigtails in my hair. And mascara. That makes me feel even more determined.
I have consumed: Breakfast. And I've already decided on what I'm having for lunch.
I am determined: to get work done today! I'm going to catch the next bus to the University, take out the books that I need, and read a couple. I'm also going to translate some more German. And get my allergy shot. And bus to the bank in time to deposit some cheques. Thus, all the psychological tricks I'm playing on myself to get me out of the house. Including the fact that I'm already wearing my shoes, in hopes that it makes me think, "Well, but I'm already wearing my shoes! I'd better leave the house!"
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
The current state of my procrastination
Time: 3:53pm
I'm working until: 4:30, or whenever Chris gets home. Whichever happens first.
After that: I'm making some kind of food and going to a "Girls' Night" (but with my great-aunt, my mother's cousin, and a couple of ladies from church -- whee!)
Music: "Lucky Man," Lake and Palmer Emerson. And now "The Flowers Never Bend in the Rainfall" by Simon and Garfunkel. (It's my "Mellowish Mood" playlist. I construct playlists around moods.)
I'm avoiding reading: Government Party by Reg Whitaker (1977). It's a descriptive (read: self-proclaimed old-fashioned) history of the Liberal Party.
I'm silly because: I'm trying to read at home, while listening to music with words (that distracts me like nobody's business), with my computer on and right beside me. Right.
I feel justified in doing this because: The pressure and hectic pace of the past week and half are now over! Huzzah! I only have to read one book a day, instead of four!
The problem is: Without the pressure, I lack the motivation to do anything.
Even after: Two cups of coffee and half an hour under my SAD lamp. (Okay, more the equivalent of one cup, but I add a lot of hot milk and syrups to my coffee.)
But it's not like: I've done anything active today. Of course my head's fuzzy if I've sat around all day!
Okay: Back to work. I only have half an hour until Chris gets home.
I'm working until: 4:30, or whenever Chris gets home. Whichever happens first.
After that: I'm making some kind of food and going to a "Girls' Night" (but with my great-aunt, my mother's cousin, and a couple of ladies from church -- whee!)
Music: "Lucky Man," Lake and Palmer Emerson. And now "The Flowers Never Bend in the Rainfall" by Simon and Garfunkel. (It's my "Mellowish Mood" playlist. I construct playlists around moods.)
I'm avoiding reading: Government Party by Reg Whitaker (1977). It's a descriptive (read: self-proclaimed old-fashioned) history of the Liberal Party.
I'm silly because: I'm trying to read at home, while listening to music with words (that distracts me like nobody's business), with my computer on and right beside me. Right.
I feel justified in doing this because: The pressure and hectic pace of the past week and half are now over! Huzzah! I only have to read one book a day, instead of four!
The problem is: Without the pressure, I lack the motivation to do anything.
Even after: Two cups of coffee and half an hour under my SAD lamp. (Okay, more the equivalent of one cup, but I add a lot of hot milk and syrups to my coffee.)
But it's not like: I've done anything active today. Of course my head's fuzzy if I've sat around all day!
Okay: Back to work. I only have half an hour until Chris gets home.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Back to the office
I'm back to working from the PhD office. Last week I stayed home as much as possible, thanks to that terrible cold. (Both because I needed to rest, and so that I wasn't spreading the cold throughout the department.) Yesterday, I was still in that mode and so I tried to work from home. I managed to read the book I needed to read, but I also did the following:
1. Signed up for Facebook, and then looked up everyone I could think of. This took up much of my day.
2. Had one-person living room dance party to Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way" (I was working my way through mix CDs made by Ky and Lyn, the champions of the mix CD, and the mix tape before that.) (Seriously: Ky's "Folk Til You Drop" series? Bueno.)
3. Washed tons of laundry. (Okay, it was probably good that I had some time to myself at home, at least for that reason.)
4. Talked on the phone a bunch.
5. Watched the Happy Days episode where Fonzie jumped the shark. For serious. (I realised that I'd never seen that specific episode before. I'd seen the episode before that, "Hollywood Part 2", which ends with Fonzie mid-air and Ralph Malph shouting "Look! A banana peel!" but I'd never seen this historic episode. It was also depressing to realise that this was the beginning of Season 5. Of 11 seasons. There were six more seasons after that point.
And so today I'm working from the office. Although I have the office to myself, which is trouble. Evidently. Considering the fact that I'm blogging right now.
1. Signed up for Facebook, and then looked up everyone I could think of. This took up much of my day.
2. Had one-person living room dance party to Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way" (I was working my way through mix CDs made by Ky and Lyn, the champions of the mix CD, and the mix tape before that.) (Seriously: Ky's "Folk Til You Drop" series? Bueno.)
3. Washed tons of laundry. (Okay, it was probably good that I had some time to myself at home, at least for that reason.)
4. Talked on the phone a bunch.
5. Watched the Happy Days episode where Fonzie jumped the shark. For serious. (I realised that I'd never seen that specific episode before. I'd seen the episode before that, "Hollywood Part 2", which ends with Fonzie mid-air and Ralph Malph shouting "Look! A banana peel!" but I'd never seen this historic episode. It was also depressing to realise that this was the beginning of Season 5. Of 11 seasons. There were six more seasons after that point.
And so today I'm working from the office. Although I have the office to myself, which is trouble. Evidently. Considering the fact that I'm blogging right now.
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