Squirrel!*

So, I've been working quite a bit lately (which, as Martha Stewart would say, is a "good thing.") In addition to my regular blog clients and my Only in Nevada articles (if you haven't already, you can check them out here), I have been getting little odd jobs here and there. From academic research papers to fantasy football articles to rewriting nutrition articles to maintaining social media accounts to whatever else I can find, I definitely don't have time to be bored.

However, while I sit at my computer in upwards of eight hours per day (and sometimes as many as 14), in addition to a chronically numb tuchas**, I have picked up a bad habit. While working, I frequently check my email (all six addresses) as well as messages and updates on Facebook, Twitter, etc. As would be expected, of course, I am exposed to some of the cutest videos I have ever seen (that is, beyond the embarrassingly adorable home movies I took of my daughters.) So, naturally, I must watch them. And, also naturally, I must click on the "You may also like ..." click bait at the end of each.

Thus, I could be researching Nevada hikes or more haunted places in the state or the best place to get mac & cheese (I actually just wrote this one) and become instantly distracted by the image of a cute little animal. The next thing I know it's two hours later, and I have decided I need to travel to Japan: this zoo, this island, and, especially, this island. (I could totally live here!) The next logical thing to do is to research airfare to and accommodations in Japan which I quickly realize I can't afford which then brings me back to the present and my work.

Until it happens again.

I also have been unnaturally attracted to Facebook quizzes. You know the ones: Whose Corpse will You Keep in Your Freezer, What do Your Friends Dislike About You, What Do Your Initials Say About Your Favorite Impressionist Artist, and the like. Go check out my Facebook page if you need proof. It's crazy. Or perhaps I'm just crazy.

Historically, I have never been a procrastinator or subject to random daydreaming. As a prototypical Virgo I am very focused, attuned to detail, and an annoying perfectionist. This makes me wonder why, all of a sudden, I am giving in to my newfound distracted proclivities. I know it's not senility (so don't even suggest it, okay?!) I don't think it's boredom because I am genuinely interested in the research and writing I do. It may just be that I've had a rather boring existence over the past, oh, five years, and I crave some kind of adventure, even if it entails an island full of rabbit poop or incessant meowing.