The weirdest things I’ve been doing with the time I don’t have
...since I’ve obviously not been using it to blog (sorry!).
Rewatching Lord of the Rings extended editions, and nitpicking the goofy bits
I confess, a lot of this came out of trying not to cry. I’ve seen these movies dozens of times, and I still cry in all the same places, but really, if you’re on Mount Doom and have almost no water, why would you spill half of it down your chin?
Animal Planet’s “Too Cute”
This is not a weird use of my time, per se, but I definitely watch it at weird times, like to when I’m half asleep at 9 am or while writing archaeology papers. I also attempt to show the clips to people at potentially inappropriate times, like in the middle of dinner. FYI, it’s on Netflix AND YouTube, so clearly Animal Planet is anti-homework.
Attempting to cram in as many TEMS shifts as possible
It’s become sort of a game – how many Tufts Emergency Medical Services shifts can I apply for, and still make it to my off-campus commitments? Functionally speaking, it’s sort of moot, since I’ve been getting about 2-4 shifts a month, regardless if I request 15 or 55, but I spend a probably unhealthy amount of time on EMS Planner, hoping shifts have been posted and I’ve picked up some interesting times.
Planning my classes for next semester
Again, not innately weird, but definitely excessive. I’m only taking two academic classes next semester, and they’re each 75 minutes Tuesday and Thursday mornings, so I have three days and two afternoons to cram in as many studio art classes as I please. I used to just sign up for what seemed most interesting or had the least homework for each free time block, but I’m finally trying to pick classes because they go together. Example: I’m seriously considering taking papermaking and bookmaking together. How beautiful is that? Make the paper, and then use it for the books I make. The primary issue with that is product waste – I’ve done so much bookmaking already, what the heck am I going to do with more empty notebooks? I’m mostly too lazy to sell them, and I certainly don’t need to use all of them. Anyone want to buy one? Email me!
Buzzfeed
Sometimes weird, sometimes funny, sometimes informative, and always interesting, I can easily spend hours reading through their lovely lists. Gods know I love lists!
Cleaning and condensing My Documents and My Pictures
This is the ultimate time-killer. I have essentially infinite storage space online (courtesy of my dad’s work), so I can always dump stuff there. But there’s something so satisfying about seeing the little bar under “Local Disc (C:)” get shorter as the clutter gets reduced.
The Ten Greatest All-Nude Fight Scenes in Comics
First things first: who goes through countless comics looking for all-nude fight scenes? Then RANKS them? And why did I read it? I can’t remember how I found it, but I’m sure that was odd, too.
http://tytempletonart.wordpress.com/2010/04/16/the-ten-greatest-all-nude-fight-scenes-in-comics/
Reorganizing my art supplies
I would assume, at this point, my skill for finding unnecessary organizational tasks is top-notch. I have so many art supplies for so many disciplines; I just keep changing my mind about where I want to put what.
NY Times Crossword Archive
At some point, crosswords (especially those for the same day, e.g. all Mondays) get a little redundant. I can’t tell you how many times “__ facto” comes up, so that’s no longer a mystery (it’s “ipso,” if anyone was wondering). I just keep arbitrarily attempting harder and harder puzzles, which leads to more and more Googling, and more and more random facts and people I learn about. I would definitely recommend it, as a fun teaching tool. Seriously, though, I’ve finished about 4 years of Mondays, maybe 3 years of Tuesdays, and a year of Wednesdays, so this is getting a little ridiculous.
Shopping for clothes on Amazon
I most definitely don’t need more clothes, but it’s so convenient, and there’s so much pretty.
Building a database of “artists to reference”
I’m actually quite proud of this. Though it’s very early on, mostly just names and preferred media, I love the idea of being able to open a spreadsheet, pick a media or subject matter, and find a bunch of awesome artists to look to for inspiration.
Finding people I know on LinkedIn
I’ve passed the point where they count how many connections you have (above 500, you’re just “500+”), but for some reason, I find it weirdly satisfying to find people I know among the masses of recommendations.
Reading cheesy sci-fi novellas on Kindle iPhone
This is sort of the sci-fi/fantasy equivalent of Harlequin romances. NOT high-class reading (which I have no shortage of, as my bookshelf attests), but after reading about Roman sculpture, Greek archaeology, and introductory statistics, I don’t have a lot of brainpower left for anything heavy.
Reorganizing my desk
I’m getting to the point where I’m rather mortified at how much time I can fill with unnecessary tidying. Let’s not talk about that anymore.
Doodling
Everyone who doesn’t doodle, should. Life is better that way.