August 8, 2005
Haven't felt like doing much of anything lately. I managed to tear through my pathetic excuse for a backlog without adding a single entry to it; it's taking me twice as long as usual to get my work done because I'm just not feeling into it; and I'm starting to have to force myself to go ride my bike on weekends.
The work angle is bothering me the most. My current project is something I haven't done yet -- I should be diving headlong into it and solving the problem. Doing new things is what makes my job enjoyable, after all. I feel like I'm already in a rut and I've only been there for four months. Hopefully I can just fight through this and get into the next project.
Biking is more to be expected. I've never been a big fan of exercise: The longest I've ever stayed on a regimen was when I had a bunch of jarhead wannabes yelling at me twice a week. The fact that they were "paying" me more than $20,000 a year by covering my tuition went a long way toward making that palatable. I'm still going out every Sunday (I plan on going as soon as I finish this entry) but I'm just not looking forward to it like I was. Again, I think I'm in a rut -- I'm just too familiar with the route, and the big hill just past the Beltway keeps me from doing any more exploring.
My new goal is to start biking to work at least once a week, maybe twice, on Tuesday and/or Thursday. It's a little over 6½ miles (more if I try to go around the bicycle death-trap that is VA-28 in Prince William County) and can be done in under an hour. That would provide the double benefit of more exercise and saving me gas money. On the downside, it involves waking up an hour early and I lose that gas savings by having to buy my lunch. It might be worth a shot, though, if it can pull me out of this funk I've been in lately.
Writing I've never been able to figure out anyway. Sometimes I have lots to say; sometimes nothing. The more I do this, the more I respect people who can do this on a daily basis and turn out non-crap.
