onsdag, oktober 11, 2006

Where, oh where does the time go?

It's getting harder to find the time to blog. Is it the endless teaching hours? Is it all the studying, books and articles to read, papers to write? Is it that I, too, must eat, sleep, socialize, and all those other things in the bottom levels of Maslow's hierarchy?

Go ahead and believe that it is; it'll make me sound more together. And it is true some, or even a lot of the time. If you believe it, then feel free to not read any further. Just admire the panda photo some more (from the Giant Panda Research Center just outside of Chengdu, my random photo from China for this post). Otherwise, here are some of the things which are really keeping me from my blogosphere home. You may wish to try some of them, but only if you don't have any work of your own, or pressing deadlines, for the next several weeks.

1) The Archers. This is the most pathetic one...let me justify it. See, I used to live in London, right? Where I was at one point in an, erm, relationship (I use that term lovingly, but loosely) with an older gentleman who listened a lot to Radio 4 (which in American terms, is, maybe NPR?) Soon, I started listening to Radio 4, too. All the time. And part of the Radio 4 experience is listening to the Archers, a very long-running radio soap opera. That isn't the sad part. The sad part is that I have only bothered to listen to one episode of the show in the going on three years that I've been in Denmark. Yet, I still get and read an e-mail synopsis every day, and read message boards to find out people's reactions to all the things I haven't actually heard. Which can take time...those people are opinionated!

2) Conceptis Puzzles. Probably my single biggest timewaster. Ingenious puzzles, which when done yield a not-normally ingenious picture of...whatever, the fact that it's a picture is much more important than the subject, or for that matter the quality of the picture. I can't help it, really. I've managed to wean myself off of the LAPs, which were just tedious, but I rarely can make it through a week without doing all the PAPs and FAPs. Worse, on the larger ones, I often will start one, do a bunch, and then have to go somewhere or do something...and so I end the puzzle and have to start over later. I even have a list on my computer so I can keep track of which ones I've done in any given week. And please don't tell me to print them out...it's all about the on-line final sound effect, and the pop-up version of whatever image I've done.

3) Neil Gaiman. It started with Anansi Boys from a Helsinki airport bookshop, enroute to China. Now it's American Gods (yes, I know, it's the wrong way round, yeah, yeah, whatever...), with Neverwhere waiting patiently in the wings. I hadn't read him before, but I find him inventive, clever, and much more interesting than organizational learning theory.

4) Lovecraft. The birthday present-savvy James sent me a copy of H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life for my birthday. One of the single greatest books I've ever received, not least because it's an in back to Lovecraft. And as anyone knows who has read Lovecraft, he's not a quick read. Worthwhile, to be sure, but not quick.

5) Planning my next trips. Not taking any trips, just planning them. All trips to California, for Christmas, and in the Spring. Planning is fun, especially when you can use it as an excuse to not get anything done.

And 6) please don't ask me to explain Text Twist, as I hope the words alone will say it all.

19 kommentarer:

Greg Mills sagde ...

The HP Lovecraft book is AMAZING. It's probably my most favoritist new book that I've read in the past five years. It helps that Houellebecq is a ranty crank, which I'm sucker for. Glad you read it and liked it.
Oof! i'm giddy!

Stevi sagde ...

i can understand Lovecraft, but an Archers synopsis?!

Vanessa sagde ...

Planning trips are always fun, even if its just a trip that I imagine I will take one day.
Have fun in California!

Greg Mills sagde ...

K -- are you coming to the bay area?

kimananda sagde ...

Greg, how exciting...a fellow fan! :-) And yep, I'm gonna be in the bay area visiting my momma. Both visits.

Stevi (it's very strange typing Stevi, and not Chloe, here)...yes, I know. I started with the synopsis when I was still in London, for when I'd miss an episode. Here, I keep thinking that I'll start listening to it again, so I'd better keep with the synopsis so that I'm caught up when that happens.

Vanessa, I can spend days planning trips, for the imaginary ones, too. And then try to do some of the imaginary ones, also. That's fun! :-)

Anonym sagde ...

Don't feel guilty about not posting as often as you did. It's your blog, you decide.

Anyway, your posts are always interesting so it's fine.

Dok Holocaust sagde ...

"Against the world, against life" is one of THE greatest books about the Old Man from Providence. not the most detailed, as it's more of an academic justification-for-fan-obsession than actual biography, but it's wonderfully written and the chapter headings of the first couple sections spell out a secret message, starting from "attack the story like a radiant suicide..."

Dok Holocaust sagde ...

sorry, consider that last message from me.

James Medhurst sagde ...

That's a lovely Panda. It seems to be procrastinating as well. I'm sure it has more important things to be doing than sleeping.

mary bishop sagde ...

I went to the puzzle site and almost died...how on earth are these things solved? I have a puzzle fetish as it is which causes me to waste lots of time. I can't add more, can I?

And then there is my budding career in cartoon photography!!

And the new kitten.

And the ten books I am sort of reading. Just read The Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken...it was very interesting and well written.

I also waste time looking through cookbooks but god knows I don't want to cook at all.

Greg Mills sagde ...

Well, if you're even in the City during the week, lunchtime-ish, perhaps we could eat... lunch.

Scholiast sagde ...

And in case you need something else, you'd probably do better than me at this!

Devil Mood sagde ...

Oh I think these tips will be great for me - I need new addictions - I'm fed up with my current ones.
I've heard of the Archers but never quite understood the concept of radio soap...but I believe it's addictive. Just like I was addicted to Eastenders.

Unknown sagde ...

The panda is sooooo sweet...awwww :-)

Daphnewood sagde ...

I have been planning trips for years! "Someday" I keep telling myself. And no need to explain text twist to me. It is a thorn in the side of productivity. Thanks for keeping us posted about your life though. I was having Kimananda withdrawals.

i'm marion sagde ...

It shouldn't be "cat nap" but "panda nap"!

sophie sagde ...

I have to check all these links -
in particular lovecraft just
for the name alone:)

Unknown sagde ...

hmm a diff kind of "not dng anything" is what i have posted on my blog!
I like it that you have categorised the reasons :)

kimananda sagde ...

Connie, actually I'm beginning to think that planning is stress-relieving, whatever the plans are about. It's sort of organized daydreaming.

Kunstem..., thanks! I consider this high praise.

Chibi and Morose, academic justification for fan obsession sounds fine to me. And it works, too!

James, you may be right. Speaking of which, should I send you my latest paper, so you can use your other work as a way of procrastinating reading it, and vice versa?

Mary, the puzzles are difficult at first, but not so bad once you get used to them. But it sounds like you have a lot to do already!

Greg, I may well be. I'll e-mail you when I know for sure. It'll be sometime after the 12th of December.

Scholiast, that was tough! But fun. Thanks!

Ms. Mood, a radio soap is just like a tv one, but cooler...with no visuals, you get to imagine more. I always had a favorite soap when I had tv, and got into the Archers when I had no tv. Speaking of which, do you know if there is any way of seeing Portuguese soaps on the internet? I discovered that I really like them (I only had seen Brazilian ones before, and I find them difficult to understand) when I was in Lisbon in July...I was just in time to see the last 3 episodes of (I think it was called) Dei-te quase tudo, and I'm eager to see one now from the beginning.

Tiffany, yeah, they were quite cute. :-)

Blue, I'm so excited about the trip actually...and the one afterwards. It'll be nice if we can meet up then.

Daphnewood, 'a thorn in the side of productivity' is exactly it! I've always known you're a kindred spirit. Hey, you wouldn't be in California in either December or April, would you?

Marion, yep, Panda nap...those are the really long ones. And speaking of ways of procrastinating, your blog has got me all looking forward to getting sea monkeys when I'm in the states over Christmas. I think I'll splurge and get the executive set. Thanks for the idea!

Sophie, Lovecraft is wonderful, but nothing like the name would indicate. Definitely not romance.

Mr. American, good point. Although I don't want to go mad slowly either. ;-)

Siriroop, I'd love to see your blog, but don't have access. I'll have to try again later. :-)