Once a week, huh?

Yeah, I know. I said I'd update this once a week, yet I've let 11 days slip by without an update. Not that any of you have noticed. An absolutely clamoring silence tells me I don't have much of a regular readership. But we'll test this by not even posting a link to this post on Facebook or Twitter. I have a suspicion that not all of my 158 page views thus far (astounding, to be sure) come from my friends and followers; that the sheer act of posting shows up somewhere in the noise of the internet.

My absence is purely out of laziness and shame. I finished Moneyball on Easter Sunday, then read approximately 3 pages of Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea before deciding I was done reading for the day. That book seems like it's best suited to knock out on a rainy afternoon. So, I gave it a day's rest then started in on George Orwell's "modern" classic dystopic view of what was, at that time, a nightmare to be; 1984.

That was a week ago, and I'm sad to report I haven't gotten very far. When I started in on this challenge, I considered the fact that it would seem very much like homework and would require a certain level of intrinsic discipline for which I'm not well known. And, while that has contributed, the lion's share of the blame rests on my lack of forethought regarding the changing seasons and my increased social schedule. Between visitors from out of town, events I purchased tickets to in advance, my wife's new and improved on-call schedule, and Twins games, I have found myself with less time on my hands that I previously estimated. I use phrases like "lack of forethought" not because these schedule impediments couldn't have been anticipated, but because I just occasionally opt to disregard the prospect of thinking ahead.

The coming week doesn't look terribly promising to make a great deal of headway. I have a professional exam on Friday morning that I desperately need to study for, a friend to visit on Friday evening, family to visit on Saturday, and a certain amount of driving between. I could make progress tonight, I supposed, but I already promised my wife a date night (see the mew and improved schedule). It's just as well, as I'd also likely get sucked into watching the Twins game. I mentioned that before--I actually went to the game on Saturday--but it's worth calling out. I should have known I'd prefer to watch baseball than read. I can skip my favorite shows frequently, probably because I know they'll be repeated. But sporting events need to be watched in real or near real time. Why? No real reason. They just have to.

So, with that all in mind, don't expect a full recap of 1984 at this time next Monday. I will still try to get a blog post up for more of my in-progress impressions. This blog is intended to hold me accountable to reading, much in the same way the books give me something to write about. Obligations are a good thing. They keep you from stagnating. But I hate them. I really do. But I'll stay the course and quit procrastinating.

...Eventually.