a lot to do

What does it mean to have a lot to do?
To be busy, to have lots of plans, to answer any new requests negatively...
But its not so objective. Its a tool- to say one is busy. Or rather, we define the number of new things we want to take on. Sometimes one says that just breathing is all they are doing during a certain amount of time. "I will be meditating/resting/relaxing/taking it easy tomorrow afternoon." But maybe what this really means is that they are processing something, thinking about something, feeling something. So does this person have a lot to do? Or are they considered lazy?

three items

trying to throw junk in my office away.
lots of pieces of paper. one of them had a list of items to accomplish:
read comics (check)
waste time (check)
stare at wall (check)

therapy/exploration/friendship?

I was rereading "The Drama of the Gifted Child", a sort of psychological analysis of smart kids with parents that don't have it all together, or are inadequate in some way or another. This sets up a certain dynamic where the kid can tend to put more effort into the needs of others than him/herself. So, yes, this is a specific, "malady", if you like. Why does such a person need therapy? How is it different from a dedicated friend who has been around similar people, or maybe has had similar experience? Is it just the one-sidedness of the therapist-client relationship that's special, or is there more? Is it just the continued emphasis on self-exploration- if you tend to do that with your friends anyway- be a self analytical type person, then what more does therapy offer? I guess that its the specificity of the role that the therapist is supposed to play. They listen, form a big picture, and try to find the origins of certain behavior- emphasising it again and again until the client does the same thing himself. Something like that.
Also, can I come up with a better adjective than "smart" or "gifted". What about "sensitive"? Is there a specific character trait associated with having an adaptable personality that makes one susceptible to non-normal "self" or "personailty" formation?
I know I could probably read more, and don't need to reinvent the wheel here...

failed cult members

I was recently reading about Scientology, and came across some interviews of ex-members. Most of them talk about the nasty aspects of scientology and warn people against it. For some reason, the comments of this person stuck with me. Calling the whole religious/cult phenomenon "trivial" is a pretty narrow view though.

clean-up

This about covers it.

dream

There was a scavenger hunt type game in which we all received a clue.
We searched the lockers, but the mixture of individual agency, collective goals, selfishness and ineptness turned the game into the usual non-sensical adventure.

I was wrestling the same person, winning again and again. It was too easy.

Not sure how to interpret this one. Life hasn't been exactly easy lately.

direction

getting a little tired of writing about movie after movie.
though i did just see a good one ("The Passenger")
my next job is figured out, which is nice. just got back from a great backpacking trip.
i'm still happy with the title of this blog. although now that i'm basically done with grad school, i need to reinterpret the subtitle.
yes, direction. fog has no orientation. i'm almost done with "Elizabeth Costello", maybe i'll say a few words when i am.