Ruts and writing

Hey everybody, I hope you all had a great Labor Day Weekend!

Have you ever been in a rut? Well, I'm in one now, and I hope I can soon find a way to break out of it. My week-to-week routine has not changed much since I finished up school this past May. Unlike with so many others having this problem, mine is not career-related—far from it, in fact. I am quite happy with my job and have nothing bad to say about it, so the problem lies elsewhere.

One thing that has been kind of frustrating has been MySpace. For those of you who don't haven't heard of or visited this web site, it basically involves creating a profile (complete with picture, interests, some personal info, and a few paragraphs about yourself). Once you have a profile, you can peruse through others and send out messages, friend invites (you have a list of other members who you consider to be "friends"), and other such things. It's a very engrossing web site, yet for me it has been unfulfilling overall.

Now don't get me wrong, I have met some great friends on MySpace (and its college-themed cousin, Facebook), and I am not just on it to meet girls. However, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I have been making an effort to meet somebody special through these sites, and, up to this point, my attempts have all failed—usually in miserable fashion. I'm not going to get into any of the specifics here for various reasons (if you really want to know more, e-mail me and ask). The problem is that it is a seemingly endless cycle for me, and I am becoming more frustrated as time goes on. What usually happens is that I get my hopes up but they always come crashing back to earth, leaving me back at square one. If it wasn't for the wonderful friends that I've made, I probably would have removed my profile a while ago.

Aside from the web site, there are other things that are clutching me and keeping me from escaping from my rut. One thing is that every week seems to be a mirror image of its previous week. I never really engage in anything different or exciting in my free time, but instead I partake in the same activities. This is not to say that I dislike these activities, but rather that I need a little spice in my life. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to be asked what I did over the weekend and have to reply by saying, "Just relaxed, hung out with some friends." I want to relax and I want to spend time with friends, yes, but I can still do that without repeating the same routine every week.

On a lighter note, now that I've finished reading through all of the Harry Potter books again, I have quite a bit more free time on my hands that needs to be filled. I'm sure I will find some new books to dive into (including some solid recommendations from a reader of this blog), but I'm also hoping to start writing, which is something I mentioned in a previous blog entry.

Although I've been dying to write some fiction—probably short stories, at first—I also intend to make more frequent use of this blog. As I have lamented many times on this page, the blog has far too often fallen victim of my own neglect and indifference. I realize that it I'll probably never make daily updates, but I figure if I can at least shoot for 4 entries a week I should feel satisfied.

As for the fictitious work, at this point all I need is an idea and a surge of inspiration, and then I'll be set!

Finally, before I depart, I have to mention that the new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm premieres on Sunday, September 25th, while Alias begins the following Thursday, September 29th. I was surprised when I saw the commercial promoting the latter's emminent arrival, since I had been expecting it to once again run from January through May, as it did last season. As hard as it is to wait an extra three months, I'd actually prefer this, since there wouldn't be any 3-5 week gaps between new episodes, which just drives me nuts. Still, I can't complain about having new episodes to watch in just over three weeks. My guess is that this will be the show's final season, so hopefully it will go out with a bang, if this is true.

A new show that I've been anticipating for a while, The Unit, appears to have no date set for its series premiere. I'm anxious to find out when it will begin. At this point I'm betting it will be January, and if so then I can't wait!

Well it's time for bed. Okay, not really, I still have a few e-mails to send, but I'm gonna try to be under the covers before midnight. Have a great week!

-Mark