Obstructions to writing

I got up with an idea for writing blogs. Unfortunately, my political blog (An Arch Liberal) required an article I read last night on Daily Kos. It's gone from my browser history. I was going to write a different post here from you're seeing now but while l searched for what should have been easy to find, I forgot what I was going to write here.

If I can't get writing done, it's usually due to one of two or both things: a technical problem, or housework. For the former, I don't think I'm quite old enough or sleep-deprived enough that my technical judgment has slipped. Like just now. I need to turn on my backup program, but as soon as I do it, it's going to prompt me for permission to backup, and since it's been off for 12 hours, these are going to come one after the other, (Yes, I have to adjust that.) So, to remind myself to turn it on when I'm done here, I set alarm for fifteen minutes in the future. When I did it, though, I noticed the PC alarm didn't have labels. So, I canceled that out and used my phone.

Meanwhile, my cat bothers me for affection, and usually, I have no problem unless I'm already distracted and I'm facing some kind of frustration. Then I snap at her. A bad habit I want to quit. It stresses her out and that's the last thing I want to do to my constant companion.

Now, I might avoid this aggravation if I only demanded less from technology. But for efficiencies sake now that I'm committed to writing, I feel like I have to find ways to get more done, even if it requires time to put things in place.

And then there's insomnia. I can't get to sleep before 4, sometimes as late as 6. This almost guarantees I can't get 8 hours of sleep. After struggling with this for years, I'm convinced the problems is intractable, at least in isolation. Probably I'd sleep better if I got more exercise. I'd like to commit an hour a day to it. But I don't want to go to a gym. If I only have an hour, the time dressing out, getting to the gym, exercising, showering, dressing back in, getting back home, is too much. Besides, gyms count on the fact that you won't use them but will still pay for it. That's a key to their business model. Any exercise has to be done in my place, and in a way that won't disturb the neighbors: no jumping jacks or jumping rope. Or around my place, like brisk walking, jogging being out of the question.

I am now sixty. I am losing physical strength and ability. This is shown with the fact that when I take out the trash, do laundry, and vacuum the floor, my day is over, physically and because I'm just slower. That's unsatisfactory.

Now, I have to go and apologize . . . to my cat.

As I write, she studies me from above.

 You might not be able to tell by her face, but she's actually looking pretty sad.