A grumpy afternoon.

I am AGAIN grouchy and out of sorts... this time because I believe I may be coming down with a cold. I am going to fight it off as best as I can. It is aggrivating and annoying at any time of the year, but during final exam week it is especially so.

I think the idea here is that this pre-cold is telling me to slow down and take it easy. I am a person who typically is very active and reactive.... sometimes to my benefit for I am able to get a great deal of work done, but sometimes it works against me for I am always running up upon deadlines, not really getting a chance to sit back and enjoy life. The only times I frequently feel I am able to relax and step back a bit (and this is perhaps only 50-60% of the time even then) is when I am take time to enjoy my pipe. I do also get to relax when I drink, but unfortunately I do not drink often (though in my world of my mind's eye, I do). There is a brief relaxation associated with the beauty of intercourse with my wife, but again the effects are relatively transitory.

How do we strike a balance between trying to acheive and trying to enjoy life at a lesiurely pace? It is hard to get any sort of balance, since either mode tends to hoist upon you more of the same..... if you try to acheive you get more and more and more to do..... if you try to stop and enjoy, you miss out of opportunities and eventually fall out of the loop.

Maybe tonight I will salve my soul again with the beautiful gin "snow cones" again. They are an asset to me and I think they may be helpful. I will now leave my office and building to head to my car to have a few moments with my beautiful briar pipe.

Everyone, try to relax.... I think it is worth it, even if it is hard to do.