Clouded Mind

If the power to do hard work is not a skill, it's the best possible substitute for it.
-- James A. Garfield

Wednesday, January 31, 2001
Two years ago: Women in Cinema
Three years ago: A Two-Party Weekend

I must be feeling better; I didn't have to get up and medicate myself in the middle of the night last night. It's always nighmarish -- I cough, snort and gag for a long time before becoming conscious enough to realize what the problem is and do something about it!

I stopped at the grocery store on the way to work, at six thirty in the morning. In addition to my usual frozen selections, I got a chicken breast with pesto, pine nuts and pasta, fresh from the deli. Very good, but they go overboard on the amout on pasta, enough for three people I think!

Since I was still feeling sub-par, my dream was to go home early and rest!

But...

First, today's guest column was on the opaque side. Chip thought I missed some edits that were needed. I did find the writing tough to understand, my brain being clouded and all.

I had next week's column already in hand, so I built it, then changed the source file's extension so it wouldn't get linked in prematurely. Chip wanted the author to possibly expand the article before I post it publicly, so this way he could read it on the web and maybe think of something more to say about it.

Instead of leaving at three o'clock, I decided to go ahead and do the mailbag column. I'd missed it last week because I'd been too busy. So all this ended up as a long day!

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I continued my practice this week of getting into bed immediately I get home. I think I mostly dozed, though. Tonight was the last night of Jazz!, Ken Burn's latest production. Apparently Wynton Marsalis (music director for the entire series) is a jazz messiah? This last episode is a panegyric to him, with some attention devoted to other performers in the sixties, seventies and eighties. Sheesh! I still think the series is worth buying.