When I was in college people would always ask me what I wanted, what my goals were. What I wanted to do when I grew up. I would tell them, “have a hammock.” Many would write me off as a weirdo and never talk to me again. The majority, would ask me, “What the hell does that mean?” Well clearly it is deeper than just owning a hammock, they are not terribly expensive, and if you really wanted to you could make one out of miscellaneous materials for probably around $30. So I explained to have a hammock and be able to use it, really use it. To have the freedom to wake up, hit the hammock with your library book(s) and your glass of lemonade and enjoy the outside and some reading for a good 8 to 12 hours. Obviously the way to achieve this kind of freedom is through having enough money to support this lifestyle. So really it is about freedom from the bill collectors and the massive debt incurred attending college.

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I was lead to the concept of continuous partial attention through an entry about email overload. I am very conflicted on this concept because, I know I am so much more productive when I can concentrate and block out the world. But I also have a tendency to load up my work environment with distractions. IM, email, RSS feeds. So on some level I want to get things done, but on another I guess don’t want to miss anything?

When I get into the flow I really get into it, I could go for days barely eating and sleeping because I am so focused on accomplishing something. I can only assume my embracing of distraction has to do with boredom, or not caring enough about the things I am purportedly trying to accomplish. This may be a good time to cast through my mind and find the things that send me into frenzied periods of autistic like concentration, and then find a way to pay the bills doing that. I do have some ideas.