Going on furlough

Earlier this week I unexpectedly found myself free for a day.

This was certainly a mixed blessing. On one hand, it is a sign that the waves of this economic tsunami are crashing into the boat of my career, and it's starting to take on water. I might be forced to swim real soon.

On the other hand, when was the last time I had a completely free day? Perhaps it was the first day of summer after I finished fifth grade.

I had all kinds of plans. My main excuse for not writing and beginning a freelance career has been the lack of time. Now there was time. I could have gotten a start on a few projects that I have sitting in the back of my mind, could have begun sending out query letters, could have done some more research to find more markets for said potential freelance writing.

What did I do? Well,

* I went online and wasted an hour and half surfing the Web, looking at blogs and watching an episode of "The Big Bang Theory." (What can I say, I missed Monday's episode.)

* I popped in "Juno," a movie I had borrowed from the library. I think this was the best movie I have seen in a long, long, long time, and I think Jennifer Garner did a terrific job.

* I started to pace around the house. Normally, I would have taken the pooches and paced around the neighborhood, but it was 11 below zero. I wandered into the bathroom where I looked at my beard. I'm growing a beard. I picked up the beard trimmer that Kris bought for me at Fleet Farm, and wondered how I could get the various components to work on it. The directions did not mention how to change the components. I ended up getting a screwdriver out and taking off the clipper head, and as I did so, the spring-driven mechanism popped apart in four confusing pieces. I spent the next two hours putting the bastard back together again. While I was doing this, I contemplated death, because I found I was having trouble focusing my eyes on the teeny parts. I probably need reading glasses, the classic sign of aging. I fooled myself into thinking it was just a lighting problem.

* I worked myself into such a state, that I decided to damn the cold and went for a run anyway. It was a frigid slog, but it made me feel better.

* I ate lunch.

* I took a nap.

* I watched television.

* I wanted to go to work. I decided that I'm such a contrarian that the best way to motivate me is to order me not to do something.