My goal: to eat, belch, and watch movies

The Contentious One has been neglecting this site for a couple of weeks, proving once again that a person can only do so much. And that indeed is my Thought for the Day. (When you Capitalize Something, it makes it seem more profound and important.)

As I go through the daily grind, I am struck by the demands of life and how much depends on proper execution of a series of mundane tasks.

I'm driving to work: if I'm inattentive at the wrong moment, suddenly I'm in the ditch, or injured, or dead.

I'm paying bills: if I miss one and don't catch the omission, the Visa people will tack on a ridiculous late fee and my credit rating may suffer. (And don't get me started on tax season! In our household, that's a project unto itself, chock full of lovely details.)

I'm chopping vegetables: and suddenly I remember seasoned chefs at my very first employer, Diamond Jim's Nightclub, with parts of their fingers missing.

I'm teaching a class: and then I realize I need to check out the appropriate video, remember that so-and-so was gone last time, so-and-so needs to make up the last exam, and so-and-so needs to see me after class. (And that the section of the text I'm dealing with I haven't actually re-read anytime in the last six months!)

I'm rushing around in the morning: and at that moment I mentally take in all the things I need to do today and all the places I need to be, and how my perceived competence depends on getting everything right--being in the right place at the right time and doing the right things in the right way.

Indeed, if I AM doing everything right, no one will notice and life will proceed smoothly. (Which, in a weird way, is ironic and even unfortunate--if you're doing things right, it can all be so seamless that people don't even appreciate what's involved.) But to make all that happen requires an intense devotion to being on-task, and a constant demand to prove to yourself and to the world that you can do it.

I look forward to the day when maybe my only tasks will be to eat, belch, and watch movies from Blockbuster. As I have argued elsewhere, there is a neurotic underpinning to Western Civilization, based on getting things done, and in a certain manner, that can weigh down even the most anal-retentive individual. In fact, the more anal, the more this is the case! Hmm--the Contentious Introvert may be ready for retirement, but retirement isn't ready for him for at least ten years.