In a Rut

Yeah, when I put the word "rut" into Google Image Search, that's the first thing that came up. It seems apropos.

I know it's no excuse for disappearing, but I've been in a real rut for a couple of weeks. Nothing really brought this about, but recently I've just felt very much stuck in a routine. I think mostly it's the job. Answering someone's phones and organizing their schedule can be a soul crushing endeavor. Getting up and motivating myself has grown increasingly difficult. It probably doesn't help that I take pretty much the same thing for lunch every day, as well.

I'm also thinking that not running has hurt my spirits. Thanks to a rather nasty shin/ankle sprain/strain (I don't know what it was, exactly, it just hurt and took a long time to go away), followed almost immediately by a foot sprain (which feels much better today), I have been off the pavement for nearly a month. I was able to run last week before my foot tightened up on me, and my strength and stamina were WAY down. It was very disappointing. I should be back up and running (so to speak) next week, though.

How else to cure a rut? Well, I've gone back and touched up a couple of scripts I've written and am now confident that they are ready to sell. As soon as my boss has a weekend where he doesn't have a pile of scripts to read, he's going to have a pile of my scripts to read. He's told me he'd read my stuff and I think the time has come. Some of these things are better than I remember them being.

I also got a Playstation 3 this weekend, so playing some Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto can help me blow off steam (and watching Blu Ray movies in glorious HD color is a real pick-me-up, as well). Nothing like technology to soothe the soul.

Here's hoping to a better month in May!
Cheers,
Eli

Crossword times return tomorrow. If you're curious, my NYT times have been slipping (I think because I've been doing them in the morning instead of after lunch), but I have had times under 4 minutes on the LAT and NYS for the first time in the past two weeks! Go me!

I'm So Tired

For some reason, I've woken up at 4:40am every day this week. My carpool buddy told me that he had been having the same problem for months, but it suddenly stopped this week. Is waking up at odd hours of the morning carpool transmittable?

Anyway, as such, nothing but crosswords today. Sorry, true believers.

Cheers,
Eli

NYT- 8:02
CS- 10:41
LAT- 11:03
NYS- 8:12
Y!- 7:51
Not a bad day, especially on the New York puzzles.

Should I Change My Vote?

This just in: Barack Obama can't bowl! Reports say he bowled a 31 in Pittsburgh recently. A 31! I mean, I get mopey when I get just barely over 100. Seriously, I've seen small children bowl better than a 31. Someone get this man some bumpers.

Now, I'm no pro, but I'm a modestly serious bowler. I own my own ball and shoes and I have about a 150 average in my league. Can I accept this kind of bowling score out of my commander in chief? What if Osama Bin Laden ever comes out of hiding and says he'll stop the whole terrorism thing if the president can beat him at bowling, I'd like to know that my president could at least put up a phone. Forget the whole "answering the phone at 3am" crap, I want to know my president can roll a strike every once in a while. I like my candidates Lebowski approved.

This better be an April Fool's joke, Mr. Obama.

In all seriousness, though, is this news? It seems like news organizations are treating it as news. Does anyone really care that Obama's a crappy bowler? Probably, but that's just asinine. GW Bush is a pretty decent athlete, and he's been just an awful president. Nixon was an avid bowler. How'd that turn out? FDR was in a wheelchair, and he won World War II. I guess what I'm saying is this: If a president is devoting too much time to athletics and recreation, he's probably doing a lousy job running the country.

Cheers,
Eli

Crosswords-
NYT- 9:13 (hard for a Tuesday, and others agree)
CS- 6:07
LAT- 8:04
NYS- 9:58
Y!- 7:35