I know, I haven’t talked…

I know, I haven't talked to you since Friday -- you can blame it all on Kevin this time. He gave me my Christmas presents Friday night, and among them was a little computer game named Caesar III. It's sort of halfway between Sim City and Warcraft, set in ancient Rome, and I've been totally addicted to it. For the first few days, I found it very difficult to walk away from it at all -- it's easier now, perhaps because I have so much work piled up.

I don't think of myself as having an addictive personality, generally. I'm not sure what I base that perception on, though, given that I have so little willpower about resisting things I desire (food, books, games, etc.) Maybe it's based on the fact that I don't smoke or drink much -- but I've never smoked, so I don't really know on that one, and I just don't like alcohol all that much, so I don't know if that's a fair test either. Still, eventually, I'll probably win the computer game, and that will be that. I won't pick up another one for a few years...

Some of the work I have to do I really don't want to -- it promises to be somewhat unpleasant. And so it's very easy to subsume my consciousness of waiting work in something as absorbing as a good computer game. I've also been re-reading some old favorites, some of Sheri Tepper's True Game books (the middle trilogy was just reissued, but it really is worth hunting down the early Mavin and later Jinian books before reading the middle Peter set). Somehow reading old favorites is just distracting enough that for a while I can avoid work...though I do continue feeling anxious and guilty, which isn't a problem with the computer game.

But today I can't avoid it anymore (which is why I'm finally writing a journal entry), so I'd best go do it, and hopefully talk to you later. I'll be at home working all day, so if I get too frustrated, I'll come bang my head against this virtual wall.

I should note that the semester started yesterday, and that classes went quite well. I'm teaching three sections of Freshman Composition, the same class I taught last semester, and felt much more relaxed and confident with it. I'm also teaching Business and Technical Writing, and I was pretty nervous there, but as I get a better sense of what exactly I'm supposed to be teaching them, I think it'll improve. People keep telling me that that class teaches itself. I'm not sure what that means, but I think it's supposed to be good.

7:50 - I might have known that if I went through e-mail after posting my journal entry, I'd have more to add. Bad planning on my part. But here's a link to an article Jed sent me, on being a media mogul -- and if you're not sure how that applies to me, just be patient...

I also have a request. A friend of mine in the Bay Area has been doing documentary research in India, and has footage which she needs to start turning into film -- but she's broke, and has no access to a digital video camera, which would really be ideal. If anyone would be willing to loan such to her (and I'll vouch for her reliability/responsibility/general trustworthiness), please let me know and I'll pass the word along.

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