Some of you may have noticed a comment I left a few posts back where I said that I was officially reading Pierre Boulle's Monkey Planet in preparation for the first post in my new series, Overshadowed. Technically that was true, but right now I'm only about 25 pages in, as I had other reading I wanted to finish up before fully tucking into Boulle's very slim novel (even though I'm only 25 pages deep, I still only have about 100 to go). That other reading is now finished, and I should be done with Boulle's novel in a day or two, which means I'll only be a few days over my vague and self-imposed deadline for putting up the post. So that's okay.
This also means, however, that the post will be going up either on Friday night or sometime during the weekend, a fact which leads to the question asked by today's post title: how do you people do it? And by "you people", I mean Jonathan, Fox, Rick, Marilyn (are you still around, by the way??), and all you other bloggers who have regular day jobs like I do, but somehow manage to get your longest and most thoughtful posts up during the week. I sometimes manage that, but generally I have to wait until the weekend before I feel like I'm fully able to marshall my resources and time and mind-powers, so that I may bring you, my readers, the thick slabs of wonderfulness you so crave.
Also, I generally have no obligations on weekends. I don't have kids, and my wife and I no longer speak, so it's just easier for me to post then, but I'm painfully aware that traffic to this site is way down on weekends. I guess because you all have shit to do or something. Going to museums and zoo meetings and Little League football parties. Well, I have none of that on my plate, so the premiere post for Overshadowed will go up when I say it will. And then if none of you come by the day it goes up, or the day after, I'll just let it sit, with no new posts to push it from the top spot, until Monday. If you still don't come by on Monday, then thanks for nothing, you fuckers.
PS - Just writing this post has been a real bear. So you see what I'm talking about, right?
40 comments:
Jonathan, Fox, Rick, Marilyn (are you still around, by the way??), and all you other bloggers who have regular day jobs like I do, but somehow manage to get your longest and most thoughtful posts up during the week.
I for one work on Sundays, you know, and often spend time with the wife not doing much on Saturdays. Over the past couple of weeks, stuff at work have made it so my energy for blogging has decreased, and so has my output/presence on other blogs. I hope to pick up the pace a bit.
I look forward to the first installment of "Overshadowed," and will gladly read it whenever you get it done.
And Marilyn commented over at my place yesterday, so she's still around ...
The weekends I'm usually out with my fiancee, so not much time then for blogging. I work all week, but to me it's the greatest of relaxations to go home after work, watch a movie or two, and write about them. So most of my posting gets done during the week.
Marilyn told me she just doesn't like you anymore, that's all. We all secretly e-mail each other about you so we can talk about you and you won't know it. Anyway, like I said, she just doesn't like you anymore.
Okay, but seriously, I'm switching Name That Movie to Mondays because the weekends are just dead. I used to post on the weekends all the time thinking, "A-ha! None of the big bloggers do so I'll get all the readership on the weekends." Yeah right. No one surfs the blogs on the weekends. It's a work thing, completely. So I'm going to go back to a picture post or a favorite moment video post on the weekends from now on.
As for writing posts, it's pretty impossible on the weekend with everyone around and lots going on. But during the week everyone is doing homework at night so I can work on a post. And if you don't have kids then what's stopping you at night during the week? Are you tired from work and don't feel like it, because I can understand that. Work sucks.
I'm still expecting that someone, very soon, is going to start paying me millions of dollars a year to continute Cinema Styles. Any day now, just wait.
Thank you, Rick. I knew I could count on you, at least. Although telling me that Marilyn left a comment at your place doesn't actually make me feel any better.
Ed, you watch a movie or TWO a night and THEN right about them?? When do you go to sleep, for corn's sake? I can't do that. Maybe I need to sleep less.
Jonathan, it's true, I don't really have anything going on after work, and obviously sometimes I do blog then (if I didn't, I would ONLY post on weekends) but for something like this series, I really feel like I need more time, and my wife probably isn't going to want to watch Planet of the Apes after work, so the watching of movies is generally a weekend thing. And at that point, I feel like I need to write the post shortly after watching the movie, in order to keep everything fresh in my head.
But yes, most of it boils down to being tired after work. I also exercise when I get home from work most nights, which further depletes my energy. By that point, TV and reading and food is all I want to deal with.
Tell Marilyn I will always love her.
Sleep? What the hell is that?
I just love being able to watch a movie and then immediately process my thoughts about it by writing it all down. Writing is the best, most precise way of thinking for me, it helps me clarify and develop my thoughts about the movie I've just seen. The immediacy of this process -- watch, write, post -- is what I love most about blogging.
I wouldn't trade that for all the sleep in the world. Heh.
Your wife doesn't want to watch Planet of the Apes after work? Man, I'd watch that movie anytime, anywhere. Something about Chuck and sci-fi reaffirms my faith in humanity.
Ed, I think that you are a crazy person. Sleep is among the finest of human endeavors.
Jonathan, you know, I could probably swing a weekday viewing of the movie. Actually, I know I could, because I could just go in the other room and watch it. But I still probably wouldn't have the energy to post about it afterwards. My nightly routine is both unusual and slightly pathetic -- you don't need to know the details -- but it's one I'm currently comfortable with.
Still around, still reading, just not enough time to respond as much as I'd like recently.
I normally formulate my thoughts before I write. I use my lunch hour to put them together. I usually source pictures in the evening, after I get back from or finish watching a film, so they're ready to go.
I do my Break that Relaxes on Saturday because that gives me a day off of writing. I try to do something on Sunday, because that is a very high-traffic day for me. Having Rod as a partner helps the blog stay productive on days when I haven't seen anything, don't feel inspired, or don't have the time. The hubby knows I need some writing time on Sunday, that it makes me happy, so he leaves me alone.
And I LOVE sleeping, especially since we got our new air mattress. We can each adjust our sides of the bed for the firmness or softness we want. It's DIVINE!
Oh, hello, Marilyn.
I don't even know what "source pictures" means. I have so much to learn about this business we call blogging. And I absolutely need to develop some sort of routine.
But speaking of sleep, the other morning I woke up at about 5:00 in the morning, and I was so comfortable that I didn't care if I fell asleep again, or just lay there for two hours until I had to get up. It was great. I love beds.
And...don't you mean "The Break that Refreshes"???
Bill, you're such a close reader of my blog. Thank you for that correction. I love your loyalty, but this rivalry for my love must cease! I love you all each in a special way (cue happy music and dancing hippos).
Sourcing pictures just means looking for pictures on the Internet. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes not.
But you love me the most, right?
I need to get the software that allows me to capture images from DVDs. My blog would be so much better if I could do that. Jonathan, weren't you going to hook me up with that? What happened??
Now, now Bill...
Security word: deffepsi.
I do like Pepsi better than Coke. and my hearing is going a bit south. Hmmmm.
Okay, but seriously, I'm switching Name That Movie to Mondays because the weekends are just dead.
YAY!
I always miss those b/c I wake up at noon on Saturday, go to the gym, then go to the movies. I'm not online until at least midnight.
As far as writing about a movie, I try to do so on the evening of the day that I've seen something, or the day after. If it goes on much longer I start losing touch with it. So... I kinda just force myself to do it... even when it ain't so great.
But speaking of being prolific, that Ed Howard guy up there makes me jealous with the frequency that he gets stuff up. WTF!?!
And lastly, I need to get that screengrab software too. Right now I just "print screen" and crop that image in my ghetto version of photoshop. I'm really computer illiterate.
Just download media player classic from this site. It's open source (no copyright, no fees) and works fine. You load the DVD and then pause at the right moment and click on "capture" or "save" image. Something like that. I'm not home so I can't remember the exact wording.
Also, I have two new sidebar banners for The Tin Drum. Click on the one in my sidebar to go to the TOERIFC site where both are available. Fox, that means you.
Thank you Jonathan, I hope my own computer illiteracy will not cause me to jack up what sounds like a simple procedure.
And I like DIET Pepsie better than DIET Coke, but back when I drank the normal kind, Coke was the clear winner. I mean, come on, Marilyn.
I never drank anything but diet, dear heart. If you want to know the truth, I don't really like pop very much. I mostly drink water.
Hear that everybody? She called me "dear heart"!
I don't like water, because it doesn't taste like fruit.
Hear that everybody? She called me "dear heart"!
I'm still laughing because she said "pop"! PFFFT!! What are you from the Midwest or something?!?
I like to call Jonathan "Inkheart".
Whatever Bill, we all know she likes me the best.
Fox, my dad's nickname was Ink, and even though you didn't know that, I like that you put ink in my nickname. I shall henceforth call you fartheart.
BTW, I like water when it's carbonated and flavored with a cola, grape, orange, lemon or lime flavor. You can buy it premade like that you know.
I also like water that's called Bourbon and isn't actually water.
You know another kind of water I like? Ribeye steaks.
I like water made from cheesburgers. I also like water made from porn, and water made from me sleeping.
You know what blogger I like? Rick Jolson. He's awesome.
(I think the insanity from The Invisible Edge has bled over to TKOFYH).
Fox, you're thinking of Al Hitler, and I do not like that particular blogger. I think he's a hunk of shit, to be honest with you.
Bill-
You've got quite a set of onions on you. Yesterday at John's blog you burned bridges with that David Cronenberg blogger, and now you're insulting the The Legend of Coosa Creek!
I do what I want.
A soda has ice cream in it.
I like water with ME in it.
Marilyn, I'm not going to touch that, but if I were you I would be prepared for Fox to say something very inappropriate.
Nah, Bill. He only likes to say stuff that sounds gay.
Nah... I could never defile Marilyn.
We had such a fun time, last weekend, being best friends at a concert in Rockford. We even IM each other now and she told me that I'm the only one of "the film boys" that she does that with.
Oh yeah, and she called me "angel heart" so HA!
I said you remind me of Mickey Rourke in Angel Heart, lovey.
Security word: damboomm
Obviously, I'm in water now--hot water.
I don't think I like where this is going. You're both banned from my site! Or, as the Italians say, "Gousente!"
NOTE: The Italians don't actually say that, but it's my security word, and it sounds like an angry Italian word.
Bill,
Don't you get it? They're robots. They're all robots. They get their pre-processed, semi-organic nutritional "fuel" and then they bang away.
I also see a serious dip in activity over the weekend, although it does pick up somewhat on Sunday.
I have a wife and two children who keep me very busy over the weekend, so I usually don't touch the blog then.
I had a time when my wife would watch Project Runway with friends every Wednesday night. I would take that time to watch a movie and blog away for the entire week. Those were glorious times.
But see here. You've got loads and loads of comments.
Who are robots? Italians? Man, that explains a LOT!
As for the rest of it, my problem isn't really my wife -- just teasing, sweetie! -- but actually my apparent need to engage with no media that will require much attention or which will cause me to put in any work afterwards (by which I mean blogging) after I get home from work. Again, this obviously isn't true all the time, because I do post about things and such on weekdays, but something like this Monkey Planet/Planet of the Apes post is going to take some time, and I just don't have it in me to do it any time before Friday night.
And I only have all these comments now because I mentioned people's names. In fact, Piper, because I neglected to mention you by name, I'm not sure what you're doing here.
Bill,
Fox, Jonathan, Marilyn.
Those are the robots. But now that you bring it up, I think Italians are robots too.
And why I am? That's a good question. Consider it a bonus. Just a guy watching a good game of cards and wondering if he can play too.
Of course I meant "why I am" to be "why I am here."
Unless you want to answer the question "why I am." I would be interested to know that one.
Unless you want to answer the question "why I am." I would be interested to know that one.
You are, so that others may know.
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