Sometimes I don't write

I have heard from various friends who apparently read my blog (!!!) that I haven't written much lately. I have thought about that. I mean to write about the adventure, but there are obstacles. But there is one that overrides the rest.

Sometimes, I need to not think. Writing requires thinking. So, as a means of self-protection, I avoid those things which require thinking. That's it.

Most of my time here is spent working. As I wrote in my previous entry, the work is HARD. When I am away from work, I need to do my best not to think about it. I have never had so much difficulty not thinking about work before. I was pretty good at it back in Buffalo. Out of work? I turned off the working part of my brain and attended to all things not work-related. I had become a master at the ability to switch it off. But here, it's different.

Here, distracting myself is more difficult. I have to actively keep myself more occupied, both mentally and physically. Work thoughts are much more intrusive. At night, they are haunting and can cause me to lose sleep. I have a few strategies for that. I watch the Big Bang show on my macbook or I listen to Coast to Coast on the radio. These are great comforts and I can fall asleep with them on.

When I am off work, it's usually dark. It's tough to find things to do after work. I love going to the Town Centre, walking, shopping, getting a chai latte at starbucks and doing people watching/listening. But the town Centre closes down at 6:00 pm. Then it becomes a ghost town. I'm not a regular pub goer. I don't drink much and when I do, I pay for it the next day, so that's not much of an option. I read, I watch tv, I cook, I clean. When it's daylight, I watch the birds I feed in my backyard. As the days get longer, this will become more of an option as well.

So, that's an answer to those of you who wonder why I am not writing much. When I have free time, like on the weekends, I do travel around. I often take a day trip on Saturdays. I photograph or videograph and post them on flickr, facebook and youtube. That's another way of chronicling my adventures. And there's alot less thinking and more enjoying in those activities. (See my videos by clicking on link in previous post).
I will be going with friends to Bath and Stonehenge the weekend of March 11/12. At the end of the month of March, I will be traveling by train to Paris and Amsterdam. Those things I can write about!