22 January, 2006

Absolutely empty

My lack of blogging hasn't been a lack of ideas. In fact, my mind is vomiting ideas at a phenomenal rate, most of them related to my programming, many other relating as well to my research, and a few relating to an idea for a novel that I've been tossing around the last few months. (I write some stories and poems. Haven't published anything since the days of my college's literary magazine, though.)

This isn't to say that most of the ideas flitting around in my mind are actually any good. Riding my bicycle home the other day, I noticed a cloud of birds swarming in the sky, moving almost as one body — stretching, collapsing, and so forth. What on earth goes through those birds' minds as they do this? I have no idea, but these ideas swirling in my head behave similarly. I've gotten over the insomnia that accompanied them the first few nights; I've managed to implement some, follow others through, list others down for future investigation, etc.

A handful of the ideas flitting about are ideas for weblog entries. Some of them predating December! I seem to have a talent for turning upside-down the general principle that weblogs are raw, unfiltered thoughts. For example, I did draft one entry comparing recent political history in America and Russia. I was very pleased with it, until I showed it to my wife. She admitted that it wasn't entirely incorrect, and confirmed that the statements I had attributed to her family were statements they had in fact made. However, her ambivalent air made it clear to me that what I understood didn't mesh with what they meant to say, so I have put it aside indefinitely.

I have put several such drafts aside indefinitely. I should look at them again someday.

The real problem is that on the few occasions that I have time to write an entry, I'm usually empty of any energy. Here's hoping that today will provide a fresh start.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like your reflection about those birds, studying their displacement and puting it in the form of a function would be an interesting challenge. ;)

jack perry said...

There are people who do that, and they are called biologists :-)