may 16, 2001. It's quarter after four. I ran out of work at 3 o'clock, but my boss is out on a seminar, so I'm entertaining myself (dammit!) until she comes back. In practise this has meant a long period reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, a book that I'm reading simply because it was there at a crucial moment of boredom. Although the story is occasionally interesting, it's subject matter (an explanation of rational thought) is really too cold & academic to really whole-heartedly dig. Which I suppose proves the author's point. As Jay says in his review, "Captian Obvious to the rescue!" The summer is always a strange time for me. Because I'm always always always working in preparation for another year of study, my days are spent in a fairly uncomfortable setting. This boring environment provides me with a distraction-free zone where I can concentrate on equally boring novels. (It's truly amazing what you can concentrate on when there's nothing to do. This is how I made it all the way through Infinite Jest.) And of course, I can't downplay the many personality conflicts that have occurred with my family and local friends over the years. The frequent acrimony gives me a damn good reason to stay curled up in my room with a book. Cheers! When I was doing my first degree, I used to take some time in the spring and research the booklists for courses I would be taking in the fall. Then I would work through as many of these books as possible before being readmitted to an interesting life on campus. It sounds really obsessive and anal, but it's a reasonably smart way to handle an academic year containing 3 or 4 literature courses. With one course out of the way, you can spend all your other time frantically reading through the requirements for the remaining 4 courses. That is, when you're not drinking. Or falling in love and acting like a total ass. Yeah, those last two take up a lot of time if you're not careful. Tommorrow: more perilous vacuuming! plus: electrifying packing! a thrilling purchase of film! will we drink all the milk before we leave for the weekend? will I forget deodourant? will I start smoking to take my mind off food? (too late!) will there even be an entry?! FIND OUT!