If It's Not One Emergency...

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

If It's Not One Emergency...
I have to admit that I really suck at organizing my life. I put off my taxes to the very last moment but luckily get them in on time. Now its back to real work. I know that I have a lot of grading to do. So what do I do? Have a curry party with my students. Go out to dinner with M. I have a PhD in Japanese Lit and in Procrastination Sciences.

At school today, I'm at my desk with a mountain of papers in front of me--47 to be exact. I start to grade the first paper on top and am immediately bored. Out of the corner of my eyes, I catch a glimpse of a book that looks unfamiliar to me on my shelf. Naturally, I reach for it. It's a collection of stories from the Showa era that were, over the years, published in the journal, Chuo koron. The name of one author catches my eyes. Akutagawa Ryunosuke--Shunkinsho (Portrait of Shunkin). Of course, I open to that page and start reading it. In fact, I read the first section, before getting bored and noticing another author. Enchi Fumiko--Onnazaka (The Waiting Years). Hmmm, this is interesting....

I then hit myself in the noggin with my knuckles to wake myself up. What the shit are you doing? I ask myself, rather stupidly. I return to the mountain and all I can do is sigh. Whooo... I'm glad there were no students outside my door to see me act like a wierdo.

I'm now home, eager to get this grading done, but of course, I have to check my e-mail, something I rarely do. I click on my browser and "accidentally" click on the link to Xanga, and voila! Here I am, procrastinating even more.

Okay, okay, I will not bore you any more with this drivel. It is pointless and a total waste of your time and mine.

Do you ever feel like just not doing something?
- 8:57 PM
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Comments (21)

Absolutely.

47 papers....47 ronin =P Perhaps you could name each person after one of them. Hopefully that makes it a little easier to grade?
- 4/18/2006 9:10 PM
- EnderSatomi (message)
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hell yeah o-man! hell yeah...
- 4/18/2006 9:11 PM
- simply_marie (message)
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p.s. kafka on the shore is fantastic and makes references to the rokujou lady. I need to read Tale of Genji.
- 4/18/2006 9:11 PM
- EnderSatomi (message)
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i'm a student, i procrastinate all the time!!!!
- 4/18/2006 9:19 PM
- Di_Gah_Jea (message)
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Mm...the things I'll be looking forward to when I become a teacher. Fantastic!
- 4/18/2006 9:34 PM
- iiSoNySoUnDii (message)
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all the freakin' time.
- 4/18/2006 9:39 PM
- shi (message)
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Most of the time!
- 4/18/2006 9:49 PM
- writer_within (message)
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Yep! I'm currently NOT doing an assignment. OOPS.
- 4/18/2006 10:00 PM
- evil_vish (message)
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I feel like not preparing for trial, like not studying for finals, like not sending out resumes, and not packing things up for the move. I feel like not doing a lot of things!
- 4/18/2006 10:02 PM
- SammyStorm2 (message)
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all the time hehe.. just realized teachers and profs are just like us too, heh..
- 4/18/2006 11:08 PM
- starberri92 (message)
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I have chuckled in hearty agreement with this post. Procrastination is the one word term but the image of going through books to avoid the task in front of you is much more vivid. It reminded me of the times I would bake cookies or clean the freezer instead of outlining the cases.
- 4/18/2006 11:13 PM
- merrow_mistral (message)
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strange, I'd never think of picking up an ancient journal as procrastining. If anything, as a professor of Japanese Literature, that's what I would want to be doing. Putting years of background to good use (I'm going out on a limb and guessing you really enjoy Japanese Lit!), while at the same time building that background. There are always obligations, and grading papers are one of them, but how much of life does that take?

I have good professors, men who've decided that nobody passes their class without understanding their subject (and everybody in the class will pass if they can help it), professors who do everything themselves because they want to give students their best, always. I admire this greatly. I guess it's just, as a future professor (hopeful), I'd really like to think my life will involve more than training my students, that there'll be ample time for research and study in my field.

A PhD in Japanese literature should really mean that your job involves reading, interpreting, and writing on massive amounts of Japanese Literature, shouldn't it?

(note: currently procrastinating the crap out of a biology lab report due in two days)
- 4/18/2006 11:45 PM
- oriolis (message)
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well, everyone is a pro(ffesional)-crastinator!
- 4/19/2006 4:57 AM
- tanjf (message)
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About three years ago I left a comment on here about the cosmic properties of the number 47 (after your 47th birthday, by the way). 47 Ronin, 47 prefectures in Japan, the 47 society (www.47.net), 47 papers in front of you.

...it's a sign. KF
- 4/19/2006 11:18 AM
- kizyr (message)
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I think we all get in the slumps of "do nothing" I barely held out til Spring Break and enjoying the no worries break. Let's hope you get moving again soon.
- 4/19/2006 11:48 AM
- sekura81 (message)
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there's something about the end of the term that makes me procrastinate like a mofo too. but it all always gets done in the end right?
- 4/19/2006 11:58 AM
- lightpinksheep (message)
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procrastination - efficiency maximization

if you were completely focused on a certain task at hand, then you would do it and do it well. but if something draws your attention away, then you lack the proper focus, at that time, to really get the job done right. but it always ends up that the job will get done. the difference: whether you've maximized efficiency in performing the task only when truly focused or if you've simply dragged the task out over, possibly twice as much time, due to a lackluster attempt at trying to focus...
- 4/19/2006 1:34 PM
- mitchinn0m (message)
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I wouldn't call it procrastination... I'd call it "effecient brainstorming" on things you rather do or things you think you could do better. It happens to us, collge students, quite a lot. I wonder how people procrastinate here in the office... oh wait, I do that too...
- 4/19/2006 4:58 PM
- chenchanx (message)
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don't mind the spelling error there... don't you hate when you mispell something you put in quotes? great....
- 4/19/2006 5:01 PM
- chenchanx (message)
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Like, all the time!

I have a pile of homework to do, but when it's spring break, I honestly don't want to do anything. D: I started on history homework, but right after the first question, I started going on youtube and watching music videos.

It's like we all have an innate organ that transmits waves of slacking off...
- 4/21/2006 3:33 AM
- onigiri (message)
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It happens when we are frustrated because of the pile of work. Sometimes, I am so frustrated I simply can't do anything. I guess the best solution to that problem is to start doing something.
- 4/21/2006 5:50 AM
- akittyamy (message)
- reply