There are some days when blogging comes easily, and then there are days when something unexpected happens that cuts into your blogging time, and when you finally sit down to write, there’s absolutely nothing to write about.
That’s where I find myself now: with nothing to write about. And writing about how there’s nothing to write about is only funny once, and I swear we’ve used that gag at least three times already. The details are unnecessary, but it’s enough to say that I’m writing this post in a situation where the only other real option is play Solitaire.
I figured writing a post would be a productive use of my time. After staring at a blank screen for five minutes or so, I figured playing Solitaire would be a better use of my time. As it turns out, one-card-draw is considerably less forgiving than three-card-draw, and after about an hour I still haven’t won a game.
And I still haven’t come up with an idea for a blog post.
Call this a filler post if you have to, but at least I’m still writing. I feel at least modestly productive whenever I write, and even if it’s a filler post, at least I’m still keeping up with the blog. Alex and I are committed to having something posted each day, and even if it’s an embedded YouTube video with no explanation whatsoever, the fact that we try to post something even when there is nothing to post illustrates our dedication. Or lunacy.
So I’ve got a filler post and an hour of losing at Solitaire under my belt now. What real use could this evening possibly have been? I’ve been discussing philosophical questions like this with a few of my friends recently, and I’m seeing subtle changes in my outlook on such matters as a result. Perhaps it’s due to these discussions, but I feel that tonight wasn’t a waste at all (remember, we write most of our posts in advance, so “tonight” for me is “last night” for you).
It has been a long time since I last played Solitaire (I keep obnoxiously capitalizing the S because I’m talking about the computer game, which I feel deserves a proper noun). These days I avoid strictly time-wasting activities where possible, as I’ll never get be able to keep up with all my side projects if all I do is lose at Solitaire. However, tonight was a nice break from everything. Regardless of how much or little time I devoted to it, I would end up with some sort of a blog post; with nothing else I could possibly be doing, I found myself relaxing, my mind the clearest it’s been in ages. I have an overactive imagination, and my brain likes to multitask by thinking about the most random things for no apparent reason in any situation that doesn’t require 100% of my focus. Tonight, I played Solitaire, and I wrote a blog post, and those are the only things that crossed my mind.
Okay, so I’ve had a few barbershop songs looping through my head, but that’s only because I normally listen to music while blogging, and something needed to be playing to break up the silence of the place where I’m writing. That something, for better or for worse, is a two-hour continuous double feature of “Zip-a-dee-doo-dah” and “Dream a Little Dream of Me.”
Now that I’m suffering from mild insanity thanks to my brain’s music selection, and now that my situation has changed and I can do more than just blog and stack virtual cards on top of one another, I believe I’ll bring this post to a close.
2 comments:
The great thing about analog solitaire is that it's so easy to cheat (and you don't need to be a hacker to do it)! Of course, you don't get the cool animation of the cards bouncing around when you eventually do win, though...
Admittedly, the bouncing cards are the main draw (pardon the expression) of playing computer solitaire. That, and the fact that it's way easier to set up a new game.
Post a Comment