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October 26, 2005
It's almost like Alzheimer's at 34
Am I my own worst enemy? Oh, yes I am.
If there were two personality traits I could change in myself, they would be my almost legendary procrastination skill and my microscopic attention span. It is truly horrible, even when I finally do get around to something, I can't keep focused on it for longer than your average garage sale.
As many have gathered, I love video games. I have many more than I should have, because I play the average game for about a weekend before giving it up. Of the almost 100 games I have played in the last five years, I can count the ones I finished on one hand. Four fingers to be exact: Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (probably my favorite game ever, and still took me 2 tries to finish), Fallout 1 (after 3 tries over 4 years), Halo, and the first campaign for Neverwinter Nights (after 2 tries). Great games I played but never finished (and should have) include Fallout 2 (my 2nd fav game ever), Disciple, Nexus, The Jupiter Incident, Evil Genius, Beyond Good and Evil, Psychonauts, and Freedom Force, among many many others. Most games last a weekend and then hit the 'pile', a 2-inch silver stack where they live until they find their way back to their case and a milk crate in the closet.
I'm the same way with real life things also. I lasted 3 weeks in the SCA, quit karate after I hit my third belt, given up Magic at least 4 times now, wrote three chapters of what could be a great book and shelved it, and just recently quit the singles site thing after less than two weeks. About the only stable things in my life are my job and my other job (Eve). I love my job and have been there 6 years now, but am even feeling ancy about that, as its been a while since my last vertical move and budget controls for the next year make me question whether things will happen.
In a recent bout with insanity, I have been thinking of going back to school and finishing my degree (I am about halfway there with 60 transferable creds or so). But I know me, I'll manage one course a semester for about 2 semesters before I get tired of it and move on to flying ultralights or something. The only positive might be this, 135 women receive degrees for every 100 men. Sounds like good dating odds at least!
Almost worse than my life-of-fruitfly attention span is my procrastination. I have mastered the art of putting things off until the very last millisecond. If I were to actually decide to go to college, I know my application would be there the very last day and my financial aid request hand-delivered at 4:58. My Belize trip? Will be booked at most 2 weeks before we actually pick a date. Part of the reason it took me so long to get a new car (and I must say was actually a good thing here!) was my inability to pick up the phone for more information until 3 days after the owner actually sold the car.
Anyone else have any silly traits they'd like to lose? Any advice for the terminally inattentive?
Posted by TLorin at October 26, 2005 5:56 PM
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Comments
Two quick comments - first, according to the article its 135 women for every 100 men, but still that's good odds and may be reason enough to head back to the ivory tower.
Second, if memory serves me correct, you may want to add a third endearing character trait to this list, and that has to do with absentmindedness (which is a bit different than the attention span issue from above). Case in point, I don't know how many times I heard this phrase growing up: "Where are my keys? Have you seen my keys?" Ahhhhh yes, my left forearm still twitches and cringes in agony from thinking about how many times I was hit for mockingly reciting that phrase ad infinitum. :)
Nothin' but love. :)
G Max
Posted by: G_Max at October 27, 2005 1:09 PM
The lack of focus or attention is a very big problem with me, I am borderline ADHD and after a confusing time in my life I got so bad to the point where I am now taking medicine to control it. While I am on this medicine I am vehemently against just medicating willy-nilly and it was hard wrought decision I came too. That said I have several things I did that worked effectively for years.
1. Create a routine. I need it! If I for some reason get out of my routine I can wander around for hours trying to figure out what I need to do. It’s not uncommon for my b/f to watch me walk into a room, stop short, circle around, walk back out and walk back in with this blank look on my face. It is also very common for him to watch me walk all over the house with something in my hand like the remote and then find it in say the kitchen next to the microwave, where he will find in the living room the food I forgot about. Some people joke around if I ever get lost they can just follow my trail of things to where I am at.
I have a plastic $3 hook next to my door that I put my keys on the second I get thru the door and I place my purse next to it on the table with the mail, otherwise I would be running around frantically looking for everything.
2. Buy a cheap recorder. I am always thinking of things when I am driving or concentrating on something else and if I don’t put it down on paper or in a machine I lose it faster than it comes in. I carry around this tiny recorder (smaller then a cell phone) in my purse and whenever I am thinking of things I just grab it and say it out loud. I have a photographic memory in once I hear or say something it will pretty much stick.
3. Post it notes is your friend. My computer/desk at work/desk at home/mirror/car is littered with post it notes! Things as simple as ‘did you floss 4 times today’ to ‘Doc appt 4pm @ Coffman’. I have pens every where and I have post-it notes everywhere and its very satisfying to look at one and say “yes, I did that” and toss it out!
The traits I would like to lose are: Overanalyzing. I am so guilty of analyzing things to death, I worry and wonder and worry some more about the littlest things. An innocent comment can be analyzed for hours in my head. Like if I get told, “Not tonight, too tired hun” I will wonder about things like am I getting fat, to maybe I should just go buy some new clothes. I think it has to do with the fact that I am an only child, which was quite boring so I would think a LOT about different things. Another of my traits going back to the only child thing is selfishness; I can at times be a bit selfish. I've been told I am very selflessness but there are comments I might make or things I want, like attention that come from not having to compete with anyone. It drives my beau crazy b/c I am feeling like I need to compete with video games and computer games for his attention and love.
And now that I realize how much I've said I should say Rambling/talking too much is my last one!
Posted by: Serira at October 27, 2005 4:59 PM
Lol, G, I really did mean to put the 100 in there, otherwise every single male (and many married) would be lining up at registration tables picking out astronomy courses or some such.;) And you deserved every bruise! I wonder if absentmindedness is part and parcel of my attention deficit. (Though I am pretty good now, I just leave everything in my pockets and transfer them to the next day's clothes!)
I am glad I grew out of the #1 on your list, that is what G_Max was referencing; I was pretty horrible about wandering around looking for stuff I had 2 minutes before.
I like the recorder idea! I often email myself notes home from work or vice versa when I remember something important I have to do! And a cell phone works in a pinch, I've been known to leave myself messages too.=) And yes, I love finishing things, when you're as scatterbrained as I am, its like winning something!
And as you've seen, rambling is something I know about also...;)
Posted by: TLorin at October 28, 2005 11:36 AM
I'm not borderline ADHD, I have it. I love it, of course it is irritating when you are late for work and you cannot find your keys. The wandering from room to room often gives you a chance to admire your dwelling while wondering what it was that you had in mind to do. No one is perfect and I like being flawed, it gives me character.
Posted by: DarkElf at April 10, 2006 3:52 PM
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