the week without distractions

according to a formula by cardiff university psychologist cliff arnall, the monday of the last full week of january is the years most depressing day. 'blue monday,' as he calls today, is caused by the combination of xmas debt, yucky weather and new years resolutions already being neglected (btw his formula calculates june 22 as the happiest day).

not my hood

turns out dr cliff was a few days late. it was early last week when the blues managed to interrupt my routine. i lacked energy and inspiration. i felt lonely and lame. figuring out why wasnt so tough. im friendless in suburban chicago, my lil niece has been out of the country for 3 wks, and ive continued my hobby of looking for love in all the wrong places.

given the evidence, im surprised that its taken this long for the doldrums to interrupt my daily grind. but ah ha! it turns out its the routine itself - cleverly filled with gobs of distractions - that keeps reality at bay. ive blocked my creative impulse with the familiar detritus of social websites, porn, npr and sim city, apparently preferring to 'keep busy' to the endorphin rush of discovering and doing new things. 'comfort' comes in many forms, i guess.

with this in mind and a swift spank for my so-far mediocre adherence to my new years resolutions, i have designated this week 'the week without distractions'. for the next 7 days i will try to spurn anything designed to dull the senses, thereby revealing the vivid life.