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January 07, 2009
Where's my "pc-free vacation"?
I'm trying to do too many things at the same time, as I'm not really at home but in a place I have to completely renovate in an impossibly short period of time, following which I have to drive back to Ann Arbor. To call it aggravating is an understatement. I barely have time to check email, much less write blog posts -- especially the long essays which tend to be my style. Here's why. I and my temporary computer setup are surrounded by people, noise, loud work sounds, and constant pressures and questions, which make even checking email very difficult. Seriously, I try answering an email and someone will say, "Hey, Eric, what about the hookup for _____?" If my style consisted of short posts with links, this might not pose a huge problem, but unfortunately, when I blog, I need to have the ability to concentrate 100%, and I am hence completely unable to blog when other people are nearby or when there are noises. (A reason why I'm no good at "live-blogging.") Under normal conditions at home, the mere ringing of the telephone has ruined many a would-be blog post, as has a knock on the door -- and current circumstances multiply such an annoyance factor by at least ten. The bottom line is that I can only write when I am alone and uninterrupted. I realize that sounds like Jack Nicholson in The Shining, but it's the absolute truth. Heeeere's Eric!
Fortunately, co-blogger M. Simon has been writing posts in my absence, or else this blog would be temporarily dead, and if that happened, all I could do would be to apologize. Not everyone likes this situation. Here's anonymous commenter Jason: Gradually returning to the internet after a lengthy pc-free vacation, I was dismayed to find that the 72 new items on my RSS feed for this blog translated to only three (light) posts from the host.Reading that, I was jealous, as I'm not getting a pc-free vacation, but I am being prevented from blogging because of work. Jason sees a pattern in this: It is the pattern most of my favorite sites have undergone over the years, where 1, 2, 3 weeks of "too busy to blog" turns into 4, 5, 6, 7 weeks of "you know what, I don't actually hate having the extra time in my life that has been freed up by not blogging".There's a big mistake in that analysis. For starters, the quotes around "too busy to blog" imply I'm lying when I say that. Actually, "too busy" is an understatement, because it's not a question of being busy (which everyone is); it's being overwhelmed. Taking the reading into my mind a step further, an amazing conclusion is reached that "I don't actually hate having the extra time in my life that has been freed up by not blogging." Little do you know how I so hate it. I loathe it. I wish more than anything that someone could take my place and do this for me. I'd rather be undergoing major surgery. Seriously, I am jealous of the time I was once accustomed to having each morning, and wish more than anything that I could get it back. Whoever the mindreader is, I understand why a frustrated reader might jump to conclusions about how lazy Eric enjoying his "time off" or whatever you might think this misery is, but I wish he'd have left it at that. Instead, he lashes out at someone who has been helping me out -- M. Simon: I sure won't blame you, Mr. Scheie, if that's that's the way you end up heading....but I will damn well miss your well-crafted prose style and (even more) your singular insights. I sincerely appreciate the amount of time you have spent working on this site, and I feel like I learned a lot about myself just from pondering the points you've raised (on sexuality, and society's treatment of such, in particular).While I suspect that he does not find the "interloper" quite as monotonous as he claims (as I think his objection is probably based more on disagreement than boredom with Simon), I'm not a mindreader. As to the characterization of Simon as an "interloper," I'm n ot sure what that means, as there are people who would call me an "anti-family interloper." Besides, he's been blogging here for years. But no matter how infrequent the updates? How reassuring! Now I really want my pc-free vacation! I'm thinking that when the work is done, maybe I ought to visit the Sea of Cortez, then maybe the French Riviera! In any case, I've thought it over, and I think my situation is more complicated than that of Jack Nicholson in the Shining.
(Clearly, a situation like this calls for a more personal demonstration of my inner angst....) All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. 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All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. All work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. Etc. posted by Eric on 01.07.09 at 12:08 PM
Comments
Eric - this is Berkeley! The Berkeley Rent Control Board prohibits landlords in this city from giving free PCs or anything else of value to tenants as an incentive to sign or renew a lease. There are serious penalties for landlords who give free computers to their tenants, which the Rent Board classifies as a form of "tenant fraud." chocolatier · January 7, 2009 06:19 PM Eric, I miss your wonderful long posts. It will be so great to have you back. CV is not the same without you. M. Simon · January 7, 2009 06:51 PM A scythe can't be used as a weapon. Its balance and geometry are all wrong. Unlike a sickle, you can't hurt yourself with a scythe. The grim reaper in fact works with the other hand. His scythe itself symbolizes harvest time in the allegory. rhhardin · January 7, 2009 07:27 PM Of course I miss your posts, Eric. And if M. Simon stops posting when you get back to Ann Arbor, I'll miss his too.
Donna B. · January 7, 2009 09:20 PM My thanks for your blogging were sincere. If I misread your absence, I'm delighted to hear it -- but surely you don't imply I'm wrong about the pattern bloggers exhibit when they begin their fade away. And I assure you my objections to the interloper are based on his leaden, ham-fisted, repetitive prose and not necessarily his opinions. Though I can't say that for certain, I haven't bothered to read any of his posts since late november when he set the record for "first pundit to develop full-fledged obama derangement syndrome". If you think he is even remotely in the same ballpark with your ability to deal with nuance, processing seemingly-contradictory opinions within oneself, or generally maintaining a light writing touch (and sense of humor) even when discussing issues one feels strongly about, then you're badly underrating your own tenure. About to click "post", apologies in advance if I double-post again. jason · January 7, 2009 11:48 PM ....and just to forestall any further inpugnment of my motives, I say the above as a staunch supporter of Bush (on foreign policy if not necessarily much else) and long-time opponent of bush derangement syndrome -- on the grounds that it is the derangement syndrome (and not the political opinion itself) that is appalling. jason · January 7, 2009 11:54 PM Eric: Frank · January 8, 2009 07:53 PM Eric: Eric, I know the history there. But this is breaking news. With a black (well, half-black) President-elect, this shit still goes on. Frank · January 8, 2009 08:34 PM Post a comment
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That is a truly excellent photo.