Looks like it's going to be a late one...

[shapeofthings]

Some of you may recognise this photo from a previous entry. Yes, I retouched it again, starting from scratch. Why, because I'm meant to be writing a paper, that's why! I have been seated in front of the computer since 9am this morning. It is now 6:30 pm and I have written two entire paragraphs - go me! In the meantime I have out-done myself in the procrastination stakes. I'm not normally so bad, but I'm very reluctant to write this paper as it's based on other people's work rather than my own, which makes the process much more difficult. Why even bother? Because I really want to go to the conference, and work will only let me go if I'm presenting a paper, and by the time applications and abstracts were due my own project was not far enough advanced (i.e. was still awaiting funding and hadn't started) to write about. So I picked this project because I had a rough idea of what it was about (I'd been involved in editing and some of the basic analysis) and no-one else was interested in using it, plus it related nicely to the conference topic. Now I'm kicking myself as I realise I'm largely going to have to bluff my way through it and hope no-one asks any hard questions at the conference. Stupid me.

So yes, I'm about a quarter done (counting the abstract, which was already written), it's (over)due tomorrow and I'm still not entirely certain I know what I'm on about. So I've been putting it off, as all good slack-arses do. I was supposed to start yesterday, having given up a night out to start refreshed Saturday morning. I stressed out, slept like shit and woke up tired and fuzzy. So I did the housework then went to the Valley with Alex on a coffee mission. Said mission resulted in the pair of us buzzing on caffeine, so we wandered around for a while looking at stuff and doing a spot of shopping before grabbing some take-away and heading home for an early night.

Cue friend Greybags calling to say he was in town and could he crash at ours. Sure, no worries, would be a delight and see you soon. Well, lets just say I got to bed around 11pm in a very peaceful and colourful mental state, ok. Woke this morning feeling wonderfully refreshed and alert, just raring to go. Saw Greybags off at 8:30, got my things organised and proceeded to procrastinate in world class style. Go me! So after many, many hours of piss-farting around (Alex coming home, LJ surfing, chat, net surfing and playing in Photoshop) I finally started writing the damn thing. I've written two and a bit paragraphs...

Alex has been placed on culinary duties, study music is playing on the stereo and it's all systems go! Well, in a half-arsed, uncertain, Toni-ish way. Wish me luck!


Me, hard at work one rare evening. Note the sumptuousness of my public servant quarters.