Thursday, September 21, 2006

By the end of the month. That's it.

I work so much better on deadline. I was the freakish university student who never turned in a paper late, and never asked for an extension. At work, I create my own deadlines if there isn't a built-in deadline, because that's how I prioritize and stay motivated. But I have a rule with the blogging thing - to never let it interfere with actual life. So life keeps interfering with my plans to catch up on some review materials, and creating deadlines just isn't working. Maybe publicly shaming myself will.

I've been trying for weeks to write the season two House DVD review, and I finished my ramblings on the extras (pretty good) and technical quality (sooo much better than season one) and was trying to get away with writing just a brief blurb about major storylines from that season and why the show is worth watching. But I got stuck. Because I'm completely, hopelessly, utterly incapable of writing a brief blurb about what makes the show worth watching. I'm not sure I understand this concept: brief? I was going to write it without rewatching all the episodes, since I'm reasonably familiar with season two already, but then I wanted to see them with fresh eyes, and then I got hooked on watching it again anyway, and then I started writing, but now I'm away again this weekend and ... yeah. Before the season three DVD is out, I will get it done.

And as I said in my PVR Worthy? post, I wasn't going to even watch Smith, but then yesterday, I got a screener of the first episode. I'm not sure I can watch it and write a preview by the time the show premieres... two days ago. But I suppose I will watch it and write something up before next week's. I'm never home when the courier comes, and I've had a spate of deliveries lately I've gone to pick up at the depot, and I find it a little embarrassing that the DHL counter guy knew my name when I walked in yesterday, and left a message today saying "we have a delivery for you ... again." I have no idea what this one is, either, but I'm sure it will be one more thing I'll decide needs to get done soon or I'm a bad, bad person.

I have a book review I need to write, too, and a couple more books to read before I can even start flagellating myself for not reviewing them promptly. And I'm trying to get an interview-based article done but was a little derailed after getting stood up for one of the two interviews involved. And I have a couple of things sitting on my TV that I didn't request, so am not obligated to review, but they're sitting there making me feel guilty anyway.

No sympathy required (good thing, right, because I can't imagine anyone feeling sorry for me about self-created pressure) but there's nothing like procrastinating about writing by writing a pointless post to make myself feel better about having too much else to write about. And making me wonder how I started turning fun into deadline anxiety.