Dear Kid,

Did you ever have one of those experiences where it is an ungodly hour (say 10:30pm) and all you really want to do is go to sleep, but there are Things To Be Done? Things like studying or completing a project or writing a blog? Is it possible to have Stream of Writers’ block?

Dear Kid, Did you ever have one of those experiences where it is an ungodly hour (say 10:30pm) and all you really want to do is go to sleep, but there are Things To Be Done? Things like studying or completing a project or writing a blog? And you’re tired but you want to do a good job so you start thinking “What should I write about?” and the next thing you know you remember that Pi had asked about the military alphabet but when you look it up you realize there is No Way you’re going to manage to turn it into a blog – at least not tonight – and so you start thinking about chocolate, but you’ve already written about chocolate and besides the chocolate is in the kitchen and you are under three blankets and a comforter and it’s probably not worth venturing into the frozen arctic of the first floor, even for chocolate. And then you start contemplating why some people say they are going to do something and then do it and other people say they are going to do something and Never Do. And you wonder if those people even realize that they are Getting a Reputation for Not Doing what they say they are going to do (just like some other people have a reputation for being late). And you wonder if they do realize they are getting a reputation for Lack of Follow Through whether they care. And then you think about the chocolate some more. After that you might start contemplating how to buy a gift for the Impossible to Buy For. And you contemplate all sorts of things like naming a star after the person. So you look it up (being as how you are staring at the computer screen anyway) and you realize that there are several sites/agencies/organizations/whatev that will accept your money in exchange for the rights to name a star, but then you think about whether the sites/agencies/organizations/whatev talk to each other or not, and if not could you be naming a star that already has a name? And you think about whether they are just letting people name the same star over and over again. And then you wonder if the star cares about what we call it and has a complex from being named so many things or if it just does its twinkle, twinkle thing without worrying about names. Maybe it’s so far away that by the time a name gets to it, it has disintegrated into a zillion pieces. So you decide not to name a star. Which leaves you with no ideas, but that may – in this case – be better than being responsible for giving a star nightmares. And then you wonder if anyone would consider bringing you chocolate. After you discover that no one is awake (what with it being almost 11pm on a school night – aren’t non-college abodes funny?) you give up the chocolate-fetcher idea and start thinking about all the things you have to do the next day (which is in a surprisingly few number of minutes if you want to be technical). You contemplate making a list but realize that would take you away from your Appointed Task which is writing a blog. And you hear the puppy snoring and you wonder what he’s dreaming about and you consider looking up dog dreams but you realize that even if you find something interesting there is no way you’re going to stay up long enough to turn it into a blog. And you wonder if there are blog-writing elves which reminds you of a blog you wrote about elves, but it also reminds you that none of the elves you wrote about never showed up (even though you asked Most Politely) and decide that some research on Attracting Elves is called for (but not tonight). And you would add it to the list, but you decided you wouldn’t make the list and so you hope you remember but suspect you probably won’t. Then you think about the chocolate and yawn. And hope the two have nothing to do with each other. And decide that the chocolate and the list will both have to wait until morning. Maybe they’ll keep each other company. With the elves. Nope, I’ve never had that kind of experience either. Love, MomAnd you’re tired but you want to do a good job so you start thinking “What should I write about?” and the next thing you know you remember that Pi had asked about the military alphabet but when you look it up you realize there is No Way you’re going to manage to turn it into a blog – at least not tonight – and so you start thinking about chocolate, but you’ve already written about chocolate and besides the chocolate is in the kitchen and you are under three blankets and a comforter and it’s probably not worth venturing into the frozen arctic of the first floor, even for chocolate.

And then you start contemplating why some people say they are going to do something and then do it and other people say they are going to do something and Never Do. And you wonder if those people even realize that they are Getting a Reputation for Not Doing what they say they are going to do (just like some other people have a reputation for being late). And you wonder if they do realize they are getting a reputation for Lack of Follow Through whether they care. And then you think about the chocolate some more.

After that you might start contemplating how to buy a gift for the Impossible to Buy For. And you contemplate all sorts of things like naming a star after the person. So you look it up (being as how you are staring at the computer screen anyway) and you realize that there are several sites/agencies/organizations/whatev that will accept your money in exchange for the rights to name a star, but then you think about whether the sites/agencies/organizations/whatev talk to each other or not, and if not could you be naming a star that already has a name? And you think about whether they are just letting people name the same star over and over again.

And then you wonder if the star cares about what we call it and has a complex from being named so many things or if it just does its twinkle, twinkle thing without worrying about names. Maybe it’s so far away that by the time a name gets to it, it has disintegrated into a zillion pieces. So you decide not to name a star. Which leaves you with no ideas, but that may – in this case – be better than being responsible for giving a star nightmares. And then you wonder if anyone would consider bringing you chocolate.

After you discover that no one is awake (what with it being almost 11pm on a school night – aren’t non-college abodes funny?) you give up the chocolate-fetcher idea and start thinking about all the things you have to do the next day (which is in a surprisingly few number of minutes if you want to be technical). You contemplate making a list but realize that would take you away from your Appointed Task which is writing a blog.

And you hear the puppy snoring and you wonder what he’s dreaming about and you consider looking up dog dreams but you realize that even if you find something interesting there is no way you’re going to stay up long enough to turn it into a blog.

And you wonder if there are blog-writing elves which reminds you of a blog you wrote about elves, but it also reminds you that none of the elves you wrote about never showed up (even though you asked Most Politely) and decide that some research on Attracting Elves is called for (but not tonight). And you would add it to the list, but you decided you wouldn’t make the list and so you hope you remember but suspect you probably won’t.

Then you think about the chocolate and yawn. And hope the two have nothing to do with each other. And decide that the chocolate and the list will both have to wait until morning. Maybe they’ll keep each other company. With the elves.

Nope, I’ve never had that kind of experience either.

Love, Mom