Blogger's Block, Part 2

I didn't blog at all last week. There are several reasons why.

1. I found out that the Kardashians are going to be around for at least three more seasons. For the love of God, they're NEVER GOING TO GO AWAY!

2. I've been working a lot of extra hours at my website job; last week I worked twenty extra hours. That was in addition to my regularly assigned hours, as well as the time that I spent on teaching responsibilities. After I was done working, all I wanted to do was lie face-down on my bed and not get up except to eat chocolate.

3. Some guy really creeped me out on the train recently. It's not like that's the first time I've ever had a weird El encounter. There were the people who (on three separate occasions) told me that I was going to go to hell. There was the guy who ran his hands through my hair, and another guy who ran his hand down my arm. There was the guy who took off his pants because I made the mistake of glancing in his direction. Disgusting jerks like that make me wish that I could just walk everywhere, except I've had some scary encounters on the street too.

This guy asked me what time it was. After I told him, he leaned forward and said, "You know, I was telling my friend that you look like you would make a really good wife someday."

I thought, How does me telling you what time it is make you think that I want you to propose to me? Because I DON'T! I really need to stop wearing a watch. Out loud I dismissed him coldly by saying, "Look, I'm just trying to read my book." I could have said a lot more, but there were children present and I'd probably have gotten in trouble if I swore in front of them.

4. I've been watching way too many episodes of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding and My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding. I can't help feeling appalled and fascinated at the same time by these people who see nothing wrong with keeping their kids out of school, letting them dress up (and dance) like strippers, and marrying them off at age 16 (though some of them start looking for husbands at age 14). One of the teenage grooms said that he liked the fact that his bride was a virgin who didn't even kiss him until their wedding day. He said, "I want something new. I don't want something used."

5. I've been spending a lot of time at the gym, because it's a good way to blow off steam. I get kind of distracted by all the cute, muscular guys at the gym, though, which has made me embarrass myself on more than one occasion. For example, once I was walking into the gym and I saw a cute guy working at the front desk. I was watching him instead of the door, and then I ended up getting my shoe caught in the door. As a result, I ended up with a hole in my shoe and a sore foot. That was almost as embarrassing as the time I fell off one of the exercise machines because I was checking out a guy who was lifting weights. I guess a women's gym would be less distracting, but then I probably wouldn't go to the gym as often. (Just kidding. Well, not really.)

6. I did actually get a lot of fiction writing done last week. I usually write out my first drafts longhand in journals. But then I write out the second draft on the computer so that I can do revisions more easily. The problem with working on the computer, though, is that it gives me access to the Internet. (I wonder if writers got a lot more writing done when they only had typewriters.) The Internet is the number one reason I procrastinate. I spend too much time watching Youtube videos, like the one about the lion that tried to eat a human baby, because the baby was wearing a hoodie with black and white stripes. (The lion must have thought the baby was a zebra.)



7. I've been having trouble sleeping lately. Even though I've been working overtime, I often find myself unable to relax when I try to sleep. On the other hand, it might have to do with the fact that a new couple moved in next door. They're very - er - enthusiastic. Sometimes their enthusiasm wakes me up at night. It's one thing to ask my neighbors to turn their music down, to ask them if their parties will end before one A.M. on a Tuesday, or to let them know that everyone can hear them fighting with their significant others on the phone (or perhaps they're yelling at the people on the 900-hotlines). But how do I ask this couple to be quiet?

All this and more is why I didn't get any blogging done last week. Even though I have spent several years juggling two (or three) jobs while attending graduate school full-time, I also spend a lot of time procrastinating. I think it's because sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all the work I have to do. It's easier to just waste time watching reality TV shows that reinforce negative stereotypes about women (seriously, are there any shows out there that show women in a good light? Or would anyone even watch those shows?) or read weird news articles, like the one about the mother who is apparently addicted to tanning and was arrested because she let her five-year-old daughter go tanning too.

True, I did get a lot of stuff done last week. But I kept procrastinating about writing a new blog post, because it felt like it was one more thing that I had to do. When you stop doing something for too long, it becomes that much more difficult to get back into the routine. And then you end up accomplishing nothing. So I need to stop making excuses and stop procrastinating. (But I'm still going to go to the gym on a regular basis, because it's, um, good for my health and all that.)

What about you? When you procrastinate, what do you do? How do you stop procrastinating?