November 24: "Lincoln," To-Do List, Distractions

My life is full of constant digressions and distractions.  When I get up in the morning, I always have ambitious plans of what I will accomplish during the day.  By the time I surrender to sleep at around midnight or 1 a.m., my to-do list has been transformed into a to-don't list.  There never seems to be enough time, ever.

Billy Collins gets distracted . . . 

Lincoln

by: Billy Collins

Whatever it was that just flew out of my head

did not leave a trace,

not a contrail in the sky

not a footprint in a field of new snow.

The last thing I remember

is reading a sentence

in a long biography of Abraham Lincoln,

something about his face being so ugly

it became beautiful

in the eyes of Walt Whitman,

but there was something after

that made me fold down the corner

of the page and close the book--

so much I cannot think of today,

a team of white birds lifting off a shoreline

and disappearing into the sun.

So, once more I have whiled away the hours, conferring with the flowers, consulting with the rain.  That means I completed about 10% of my intended tasks.  I played keyboard for two church services, went grocery shopping for Thanksgiving, and planned for/led a virtual poetry workshop.  Oh, and I took my puppy for two long walks.  

After I'm done typing this blog post, I'm going to dive into finishing another writing project.  Nothing I want to discuss right now, but the due date is fast approaching.  I can't get distracted by Lincoln's face or a team of white birds lifting off a shoreline.  I need to stay focused.

Said Saint Marty as he cleans the bathroom, organizes and alphabetizes his bookshelves, bakes a ham, reads The Brothers Karamazov, and trains for a half marathon.

April 22: Busier than I Want, Poem, "Rye" Dip Monday

I have been insanely busy today.  I've also been insanely productive.  I sat down this morning and made a list of tasks I needed to accomplish.  It was a huge, daunting list.  Thus far, I've been able to put a check mark by quite a few of my to-dos.

I needed to put together the in-class portion of the final exam for my Intro to Film classes.  Check.

I needed to make a hand-out for the short answer essay portion of the final exam.  Check.

I needed to construct an e-mail list for both of my Intro to Film classes to send them the link to the online course evaluation.  Check.

I needed to grade some extra-credit assignments.  Check.

In between all of these things, I've said my prayers, read my devotions, answered phones, put together medical charts, and processed patient payments.  Check, check, check on all those things.

Now, I have to write my first and second blog posts for the day.  I feel like I've gotten a lot done, but I don't have a lot to show for it.  I'd rather have a new poem than a completed list.  Ah, well.  Summer is coming, with tons more time to write (and tons more time to worry about finances).

My question for the Gospel according to Holden today is simple:

Will my the poetry manuscript I just put together win the chapbook contest I'm going to enter?

And the answer from the holy book is:

Old Phoebe didn't say anything.  When she can't think of anything to say, she doesn't say a goddam word.

Well, that sucks.  I've learned that I don't get too many positive responses from The Catcher in the Rye.  It probably has to do with the fact that it's about a teenager having a nervous breakdown.  However, I usually get some kind of answer, positive or negative.  Anything.  The passage above is the Magic 8 Ball equivalent of "Cannot predict now" or "Ask again later."


Maybe Saint Marty will give his copy of Catcher a shake and ask again.  Or maybe he'll just live with the uncertainty for a while.  It's better than Holden calling him a pain in the ass or a goddam phony.

You can count on it!

May 21: Accomplishing A Whole Lot of Nothing, Guilt

I had every intention of accomplishing a lot of things today.  My to-do list was huge.

Well, I got to around number three on my list, and then I stalled.  I've been stalled for most of the day now.  Instead, I ate up my time doing things that weren't productive or helpful or even fun.  My to-do list transformed into a to-don't list.  And I'm experiencing tremendous guilt.

However, I am going to try to get back on track now.  I have a few more productive hours left, then committee meetings at church tonight.  Committee meetings, by definition, are not productive.  They're just a lot of people, sitting around a table, discussing making decisions about something that needs to be accomplished, and then tabling the discussion until the next meeting.  As you can tell, I'm not a big fan of committees or meetings.

Such is my lot in life today.  I've pissed away the hours, and now I have to do the penance.

If anyone needs some guilt, Saint Marty has an extra helping to share.  It tastes just like chicken.

Ignore the hammer and sickle.  Guilt for everyone!