If you didn’t already know, ATRO stands for Awesome Things Rip-Off because I totally ripped off the idea from this guy.
MB was away this weekend at another conference. While I enjoy *some* alone time, I mostly just him like crazy. While I’d like to think of myself as a fairly independent person, I do sometimes work better when MB’s around.
Case in point. This weekend I needed to work on an entry for an essay contest due this past Wednesday. By Saturday I had barely started it. I mean, I had thought about it a lot but hadn’t actually jotted any words down.
I had good intentions. I got in an early workout, then grabbed my laptop and headed to one of my favorite cafes in Japantown. It helped that it was a gorgeous day, making the walk there very nice.
The only problem was I was tired. I couldn’t sleep the night before so got about five hours. I tried to write. I wrote a paragraph. Well, “wrote” is an exaggeration. I took an already-written paragraph (from my memoir) and revised it. I surfed the internet. I had some tea and an Earl Gray macaroon.
Then I called it quits. After ONE HOUR. And went to the movies. The King’s Speech. It was awesome, and in more than one way.
While I prefer to see movies with friends, there’s something so peaceful about seeing one by yourself. You’re quietly sitting there in the dark, totally caught up (hopefully) in a great story. You’re focused completely on what’s the screen.
What made seeing The King’s Speech extra nice was that the theater was almost empty. It was a matinee and most people at the theater were there for the Asian American film festival (so I’m a traitor for seeing a “white” movie instead, oh well!). There was no one sitting next to me, and while the women behind me were slightly annoying, laughing at anything that was even remotely amusing, I still highly enjoyed myself.
And it was certainly better than sitting in a cafe not working.
As for the essay, I *did* finish at the last minute. Like by midnight on Tuesday (or Wednesday, technically). Definitely not awesome.