What are you supposed to be doing right now but are on Dope instead?

I’m at work right now, but I’m not working. You do the math.

I should be making the beds, straightening up the house and getting dressed – I have to be in my car in an hour to make my 9:00 appointment to have my car’s oil changed.

Well, I have a meeting with clients on Thursday, but I’ve been ready for it since yesterday. I may be a goof-off, but I’m a very efficient goof-off.

Working on my dissertation. I’ll get to it soon enough. I just got home from class and need to unwind a bit.

Before that I will decide if I want to eat something and if so, how fattening.

Waiting for another phone call to come in, so I can fix another problem. I say I should be waiting for one, but really, I’m hoping one won’t come in in the two minutes until my afternoon break. I really need the bathroom, and I don’t think I can hold it if I have to bugger around trying to fix someone’s DSL connection or something.

Replacing light fixtures in the factory.
Really. It’s not as fun as it sounds.

Updating my project plan. For the 33rd time (not counting minor revisions). Shaking my head in distain as my client tries to fit 6 months of work into 3 months, and how everyone in IT seems to forget that the system they’re installing needs to be accepted, approved and meet the needs of the end business users (UAT?! What do we need that for?).

Writing some stored procs and adding wrappers to a COM object for them. Blah, blah, blah.

I am out on strike right now, I can sit and surf the net all day. Unfortunately, I’m not getting paid either. I have a job interview tomorrow for a temporary job. 1/3 the pay and twice the work.

Job hunting*…

I do have an interview lined up for this afternoon that I’m hopefull about, so I don’t feel too bad.

  • It’s been 3 1/2 months that I’ve been unemployed and that’s twice as long as I’ve ever been without before.

I’m waiting for a client to call me back so I can send someone to fix his problem.

Writing up a summary about people doing terrible things to pigs in the name of medical science.

Making promos for upcoming programs and scheduling them. But the Roberts hearing is pre-empting all regular programming and there is nowhere to schedule promos. So, basically, I am getting paid to go out for the occasional smoke, drink a cup of tea and read The Dope.

I did have occasion to muse, just awhile ago, “I get paid to do this!!

I could be photocopying files. We need 360 copied. I’ve done about 100 and boy, is it boring. Also annoying because I squished my thumb in a newspaper box last week, it’s all healed now so the only thing I can’t do very well is write with a pen, and remove staples using a claw-shaped staple remover. I’ll continue once the fancy Heavy Duty staple remover that they ordered for me arrives.

Really, though, I should be reading about socioeconomic impacts of major disasters. Which is much more interesting. But it sounds so much like insurance-speak that I will need some more coffee, and I’m too lazy to go get some.

I should be:

Either rehearsing some tunes for my upcoming solo performances;

Laying some scratch tracks in the studio downstairs;

or

Practicing.

But I’m feeling particularly lazy right now, so I’m puttering back and forth between Doping and futzing with some lyrics to a new tune I’m working on.

Measuring vowels.

Practicing reading my paper for an upcoming conference.

Reading for my lexicography class.

Etc., etc., etc…

I should be in AutoCAD revising, yet again…for the 4th damned time…the architectural layout for a particularly indecisive client’s proposed office addition.

I normally look forward to a new job as a chance to help create something but by the time the 3rd or 4th revision rolls around I’m just about sick to death of it. This is typically when I procrastinate the most and end up surfing the SDMB or Flickr for dangerously long and unproductive periods of time.

Bathing.

Writing a letter.
Sigh…

I’m still working on that danged report I mentioned in post number 4. It’s finally starting to gel and look pretty. I just have to finish bulleting the final recommendations, reprinting the appendices, formatting the document, and loading the traffic simulation software onto the laptop.

Upside: The new deadline is Friday when I present to the client’s project team.

Downside: I’m presenting to the client’s project team all by myself for the first time. :eek: I’m now stressing about sounding like a moron. And about which shoes to wear…