Shoulder To The Wheel

Shortened by a day and firmly lodged between two major holidays, this is probably the oddes work week of the year. For one, the office environment is a bit askew when you come in each day and I wonder sometimes if I am in the right place or right time. Traffic is light to nonexistent, the days are inevitably short, the vibe is super casual, and it is almost if we are getting paid to do nothing at all. Unsettling. I would not be at all surprised to find cellophane flowers, tangerine trees, and marmalade skies when I step back outside.

I would take it all in stride and enjoy this long strange trip if I did not have so damn much that needed to be done. Contracts funded by federal tax dollars never go unworked and I have a lot of shit to do irrespective of the slack-induced haze of the holday season. Eating non-stop for the last two days (and thinking about drinking non-stop in the coming days) has made me bloated and unfocused. As I suck down my morning coffee and and attempt to mentally compile the list of things that I will fail to accomplish today, my mind keeps returning to thoughts of a heavy lunch and an even heavier nap.

Of course adding to the difficulty are the extracurricular social "burdens" I have put on my back to carry around between now and the end of 2006. In addition to my daily paycheck-justifying activities I somehow ended up with a gig to play, a wedding to attend, and a black tie New Year's Eve party to host. All within a 72-hour period. Fortunately I know how to prioritize everything on my To Do List:

1. Learn how to tie a bow tie before Sunday.
2. Try to return to the office after lunch each day.
3. ...

Fuck it.