Friday, June 02, 2006

I'm Gonna Have to Face It...

I've said it many times before: I am a creature of habit. From my morning routine to my shopping rituals, I refuse to believe all the hype of how variety is the spice of life. I enjoy my routines. The careful carrying-out of my morning ritual can make or break my day. And I happen to think that routines make the barely-tolerable things life mundane enough to make the other stuff spicier. I don't ritualize sex or drinking or partying or dancing; Just the boring stuff gets squished into little molds. Makeup application, the sequence of my showering, when I smoke my cigarettes on the drive into and home from work. Things like that. Also, I think I'm OCD.

Anyway, another thing I do that, for whatever reason, is always the same has to do with blogs. It's the same thing every day: I get into work, I wiggle my mouse so that the screen comes to life. I get on the internet. I go to my blog. I check my comments. Then I check out the links of the people who commented. When that's done, I go about The Reading of Other People's Blogs. If any of you out there keep religious track of your sitemeters, I'm sure you'd see ME checking your site at roughly the same time every day. Because it's always the SAME. First, the gossip blogs. Because I have to know all of the juicy stuff that happens in the world of celebrities. Starting with Go Fug Yourself, and working my way down that list, I get my fill of photos and quotes and info regarding all things famous. Depending on my mood (and whether or not I'm alone in the office), I write after I've read the gossip. Once I've written and published my post for the day, that's when the real reading begins: The Blogs. I go down that list to the right there, in alphabetical order. I read every new post that I come across. I actually get disappointed when I see that someone hasn't been updating (I'm looking at YOU, Dale's Big Fat Blog. You had that Guns'n'Roses thing up for, like, a week. I know you have a new one up now, but don't let that shit happen again.). So I read the new stuff. I peruse archives. I follow the trails of links within posts. And once I've made it all the way from A to Z, usually, I start all over. Multiple times. When, clearly, there is nothing new being posted, I start reading the blogs that other blogs recommend. This process can, if necessary, last me all day long.

There is a problem, though. I get very involved with blog reading. Like, too involved. So involved, in fact, that I begin to resent customers. And telephone calls. And the actual work I'm supposed to be doing. So things get sort of, how shall I say, neglected in lieu of reading more blogs. Or writing a new one. Or checking my email. Or anything involving the internet.

I think I'm addicted.

Is there a support group for this?

10 comments:

Cheetarah1980 said...

Say it with me, "My name is Laurie, and I'm a blogaholic."

Now everyone else..."Hi Laurie."

Don't feel bad. I do the same thing. Although not nearly as methodical as you. And you are on my daily reads list and never fail to disappoint. If you don't have a new post, I just troll your archives. Hours of fun right there.

Tiffany said...

LOL - I don't know how to check my "site meter" but I DID kill a good bit of time yesterday following the wedding links you had in your post from yesterday... And then those links... And those links...

And then I looked at the clock and thought - Crap! Work!

;^D

Pandora Wilde said...

I'm no one to ask, since I heart my RSS reader so I can keep up with everyone.

Speaking of keeping up, I'm over at http://whiplashsmile.blogflak.com now.

Bry said...

LOL...this post is so me. I didn't realize just how OCD I was until I moved into my own place with my sister (living with roommates kind of masked it for a while). My boyfriend suggested that I mix-up my morning routine and perhaps help my IBS by eating breakfast after I have my shower instead of after I do my hair and make-up. I looked at him like he was mad and had an internal heart attack...my routine keeps me sane (or insane...whichever...don't mess with the routine). And the whole addicted to blog thing...I'm resisting it, but it's very hard. Now that I'm working again, my Blogroll taunts me to procrastinate. Anyways, it's normal...don't worry...just don't get caught ;)

portuguesa nova said...

Three of my roommates from college have office jobs as lame as mine.

We e-mail each other all day, every day at roughly the same rate as if we were logged into instant messenger. Rarely does a 30 second period pass when I do not have at least 2-3 incoming e-mail messages from one of them.

Occasionally I go to my inbox to open new messages and find that they are from co-workers. Requesting stuff. I cannot tell you how annoyed I get.

Jasika said...

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha

WELCOME TO MY DAY. WELCOME TO MY WORLD. B actually used to worry about me because of this addiction.

Liz said...

I am with you on the make up and blog reading. My make-up regime is ingrained and if for some reason I don't follow it, it never fails that I forget something. I have more than once walked out of the house without mascara. I was so embarrassed and now carry it with me at all times, ok ok I am OCD when it comes to make-up. Lock me up :D

God's gift to women (with really low standards) said...

That Dale guy sounds pretty cool. I think I'll check his blog out. As a matter of fact, I think EVERYBODY should check his blog out.

surviving revival said...

Guilty. (That reminds me, I've had the same post up for a week. Sorry!) ;)

anno said...

I LOVE gossip, and I am a Go Fug Yourself and recent Divinities addict. Being a stodgy old married lady, reading your blog almost makes me feel blonde again. I look forward to your posts.