Procrastination is a Virtue....I Think....

Guess what? I'm supposed to be doing homework right now. Big surprise, I know. I'm also supposed to be reading 100 books, but we all knew how that commitment would turn out. (I've completed a few chapters of a few different books before I lost interest - I mean, had to, uh, do other things.... yeah.) And since I like to make my procrastinating actions slightly productive (in my eyes, anyway. My teachers would disagree with my methods), how bout a blog post? Oh sure, because people totally still read this thing.

Anyway... where was I going with this.... ah, yes. Productive Procrastinating. (might I point out the alliteration in that?) I think the best way to demonstrate my Procrastination Productivity is to write out a 'day in the life of' sort of post. So, here it goes.

I wake up at 6 am. Normally. Occasionally the alarm clock will mysteriously malfunction and I'll get to sleep until around 6:30 before the alarm clock that never malfunctions (read: my father.) summons me out of bed with much groaning, incoherent mumbling and resistance.

I stumble into the shower in that weird half-awake half-asleep state of being, will normally trip over various items and hit my head on something.

I then spend about ten minutes wandering around my house looking for my school uniform which, honestly, could be anywhere, but is normally in the most obvious place. Like a hamper. Or the dresser.

Breakfast is skipped because at this point I'm running late from spending an additional ten minutes wrestling my textbooks back into the three bags I take to school (yes, you read that right - three. Welcome to private classical school.)

Occasionally I'll drive to school, but not normally because if we are running late then Dad drives. He won't let me drive under pressure because apparently when I'm late I drive fast.

Ah, school. Now don't get me wrong - I love my school and my friends and learning (normally). But sometimes (read: most of the time) the work load is excessive, the people get on my nerves, and the learning just doesn't appeal to me. But I spend 7 hours every day there, so I just have to buck up and take it like a man. Well, woman.

When school lets out is when the real Productive Procrastinating begins. Certain days will be spent at Panera with my best friend. Half the time we are there is actual work, the other half is spent tumblr surfing and stuffing our faces with the amazing cream of chicken and wild rice soup (my stomach is growling just thinking about it...). Days that I don't go to Panera are normally spent in my room, with either chocolate or Goldfish to snack on. I'll spend a good amount of time playing my guitar, which I'm actually getting pretty good at (yay!). I can play three Mumford and Sons songs now and am working on a fourth :)

After guitar practicing is another raid of the pantry, then back to my "cave" as my mother calls it to do some actual school work. I always start with Calculus or Physics. Always. Because that's what I enjoy most and if I try to do my history reading first I'll whither away and die inside. History and Lit homework is saved for when I'm in bed at around 10 at night and absolutely have to do it or else. Sometimes I have papers to write, sometimes I have speeches to rehearse. Today, for instance, I have lines to memorize for drama (we're doing a scene from Waiting for Godot - I'm playing Estragon, if anyone is interested.) and also blocking to figure out for the scene I'm directing (blocking is figuring out how the actors will act and not just say lines. The scene I'm directing is from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - one of my favorites).

If I'm lucky I'll have time to work on my novel, which is progressing so slowly its starting to depress me. I hope to have it finished by June (and no, you can't read it until I am willing to have it published). I haven't had much time for reading for pleasure lately - reading Crime and Punishment for Lit class has been taking up a lot of my designated reading times. I have, however, been reading through the memoirs of my great-grandfather Alan Richardson Jones (my mother's grandfather), who grew up in over yonder England. I now know where I get my writing skills from. He was a doctor who specialized in blood types and things related to that sort. He also did a little bit of minor forensic work (see Mom? I'm not crazy for wanting to major in forensic science after all!). From what I've read so far - which isn't much - I've determined that my grandfather was a fascinating man and it makes me wish that I had known him better.

See? Productive Procrastinating! I'm increasing my musical talents and reading up on the history of my family! Now tell me what could be a better use of my time. At least I'm not off playing video games or sitting in front of a TV screen.

This is what a decent education will do to you. First, it will give you a sincere appreciation for learning of any kind. Then it will keep piling on the work, hoping that this appreciation will make it all okay. That then forces you to say "no, I'll do this another time. Now I'm going to go read up on my ancestry and teach myself a foreign language - FOR FUN! (did I mention that one? yeah, I'm trying to teach myself Italian and possibly Irish Gaelic...)" All because I'm so addicted to obtaining as much knowledge as possible.... I spent almost an hour yesterday solving riddles. Because I wanted to challenge my mind. I know that this all probably sounds so great and everything and possibly makes you want to send your kid to my school (actually, please do. It's a fantastic school.), but all I'm thinking is "why am I not normal??"