this morning, i woke up rather early, as some of you may already know. i was as usual late getting started this morning b/c i was here on SC catching up on the my users and my conversations since i was last really on, friday night. as a consequence, when the mrs and i hopped in the car for the train station, it was a bit later than i would have liked by a fair bit.
i’m re-reading harry potter and the half-blood prince while waiting for the mrs to finish harry potter and the deathly hallows. we’re both of us at around the halfway point. i read pretty damned fast (i can usually average 100 pages/hour), while she’s by far the slower reader. i wish that i’d started it when we got home from the bookstore saturday. while there, i toyed with the idea of us buying two copies so that we could both read and be done this weekend, but i figure that margins are so vanishingly small on this book as it is that i would prefer to support bookstores and not screw up their sales figures.
in all honesty i’m rather disappointed in myself for having hit upon the idea so late in the day saturday—i only began re-reading late saturday evening. had i thought it through, i would have begun immediately so that i could finish it last night. this way, i know that the mrs will be done by the time she picks me up tonight from the train station, because she will undoubtedly have finished the book by then.
all of this has given me ample opportunity to consider the process of waiting.
i suck at waiting. i can be extremely patient about some things, usually involving people, but at others, i’m pretty darned bad.
even though this is in all likelihood the single most anticipated book in recent publishing history, judging from the figures blogged by zayda (indeed, if not of all publishing history), i’m surprising myself at how patient i am about this. sure, i’ve had flashes of jealousy—i see that several soulcasters have already finished it and i’m a bit envious about that—but overall, i’m doing OK. because i know that i’ll get to it when i get to it, and that i’ll enjoy it once i have.
it’ll just take me a while longer to get there than i like but as i have no control over how quickly i get it, i can simply accept how long it will take and proceed accordingly.
there are, after all, other things that demand my attention: some writing i’ve been meaning to revise for over a month as well as a few other writing projects that i’ve let go for longer than i ought to have.
perhaps using the return train ride tonight to revise is the best way to keep my mind off of it. after all, it’s time i have to spend anyway. might as well do something useful with it, if not for myself, then for the sake of the story itself.
so how do you tend to use your time while waiting for something else? is this something at which you’re pretty good, or do you just stink at waiting? maybe you prefer to plan things such that you don’t find yourself waiting very often? comment and let me know.
ed
silverwhisper posted on Jul 23, 2007
| views: 551
Comments
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the_infernal_optimist said on Jul 23, 2007....
Stay busy as hell. That's my only real coping mechanism, because the more I deliberately try not to think about things (like this book, which I hope to get later today!), the faster they swirl through my mind and the more impatient I become.
Patience is a virtue...one I don't possess. :-D (Not 100% true, I guess, given that I seldom get frustrated with little one - but waiting is the worst!)
~Infernal
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Alyss said on Jul 23, 2007....
I'm better at waiting for some things than others. ;-) -
silverwhisper said on Jul 23, 2007....
infernal: i know what you mean, it's a paradox at times, isn't it? :> and i suspect that motherhood's made your more patient than you were before. :>
alyss: why do i get the feeling there's a long blog entry in the offing upon reading that? :>
ed -
rmuxagirl said on Jul 23, 2007....
I definitely suck at waiting, I get antsy and a little inpateint. I read to pass the time, right now I'm working my way through Plato's Republic and a few other books. I have to wait til mom finished the new Harry Potter book before I can get to it. I should just buy it for myself. -
quietone said on Jul 23, 2007....
It depends on the situation. If I am waiting for my grandkids, friend, or family member, I have patience. But if I am at an appointment and I am waiting way past my time...I get very irritated like dr. appointments is a huge one. traffic lights, oh, bad! LOL to pass the time, I will pick up a magazine at the drs. but in traffic, I try to enjoy the scenery, weather, music. and at times I have been known to start muttering in an obsene language under my breath! as I get older, I get better at waiting. -
silverwhisper said on Jul 23, 2007....
r: ah, you're in the same boat i am! how fast does your mother read?
quietone: heh...this blog entry very nearly became "on the nature of traffic", to be honest. it's weird how something as relatively inconsequential as traffic can get us nutty, isn't it? :D
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Expendable said on Jul 23, 2007....
There's so many ways to wait. Reading helps - an old magazine in some waiting room helps some people. I find it easier to bring my own book. Or a small game that I can shove in a pocket - not just the electronic ones but those miniature playable games you can get on keychains like boggle or yatzhee. Really nice when you're unexpectedly wind up spending the night someplace.I also keep some index cards or a small notebook with me so I can brainstorm. I also have a usb drive that has firefox and abiword on it for when I can use a computer. -
mirrorimage said on Jul 23, 2007....
I'm pretty patient when it comes to waiting. I went from being the youngest child in a large family to being a mother so I'm pretty used to waiting! lol.... -
Me-Myself&I said on Jul 23, 2007....
I am a unpatient person, i hate to wait for anything. I'm a hardhead too**smile**
I am learning with age,to mellow out. But out of my unpatient ways i hardly ever procrastinate on anything.
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silverwhisper said on Jul 23, 2007....
ex: miniature boggle and yahtzee? i don't think i've seen those. and i like your idea re: the USB drive. :>
MI: [chuckle]
mm&i: see, i think that b/c i'm mellow about stuff, that might tend to explain why i'll sometimes procrastinate.
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CreativeWoman said on Jul 23, 2007....
Some things are harder for me to wait for than others. I used to be patient to a fault. I seem to be less so as I get older. Change is my hardest area of waiting for these days.
CW
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Alyss said on Jul 23, 2007....
There could be & indeed has been but it's still not something I can talk about yet. -
silverwhisper said on Jul 23, 2007....
CW: managing the transition in such a change is extremely challenging, i've always found.
alyss: i had a feeling that might be related. :>
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tbs230 said on Jul 23, 2007....
I hate waiting. It makes me cranky. I believe that's why I'm a fast reader. I hate waiting to find out what happens, so I read quickly. Just like I do everything I can quickly.
However, I have taught myself how not to get anxious about most things. That why I don't go crazy if I can't have what I want when I want it.
Even with Harry Potter, I wanted the book, but I refused to dwell on it because I knew I had to wait. Although, day of...I was about to curse out the post office for taking so long for the book to come.
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the_infernal_optimist said on Jul 23, 2007....
Good point about fast reading and impatience, tbs, though I think it's partly limited by ability.
My mom is so impatient that sometimes she'll skip to the last few pages of a book to find out what happened (and then goes back to read the rest of the book)...uh, what's the point at that point?
And agreed, Ed, re: motherhood - one of many benefits! :)
~Infernal
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silverwhisper said on Jul 23, 2007....
tbs: heh...what methods do you use to avoid becoming anxious? :>
infernal: o my--OK, your mother's a kind of impatient that i don't get! :D
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tbs230 said on Jul 23, 2007....
Silver: methods....hmmm, you know I've never actually tried to figure out how I do it. I just do.
infernal: Wow, I did that a few times, but I've learned that the last page really doesn't tell me much. I've been learning to fast read since I was young. I read so quickly that sometimes I get frustrated cuz I run out of things to read.
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Me-Myself&I said on Jul 23, 2007....
Infernal....thanks for helping me see i misspelled impatient...so is there a word like unpatient...lol...had to hurry and tell you...lol
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polarheart said on Jul 23, 2007....
Ed, I had to have a little chuckle when I read this post. . .I thought "oh the life of the ones that dont have kids!" LOLFor me the luxury of feeling bored or at a loss whilst waiting left about 3.5 years ago when Tigger was born. I now have plenty to fill my life whilst waiting for other things. . .busy, busy, busy!Polar x -
silverwhisper said on Jul 23, 2007....
tbs: really? just the pure application of willpower? that's quite impressive, actually.
polar: heh...i have a feeling that ran through the mind of every parent who read this! :D
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unassuming said on Jul 23, 2007....
It depends on what I am waiting for or doing. From my standpoint, I am a pretty patient person. It think in a way too patient at times. So waiting for me isn't that big of a deal. -
boyzmom said on Jul 23, 2007....
My Dad always liked to be early, wherever he went, and he dragged us along with him. 2 hours early for the company picnic, that was so he could help set up tables and start the barbeques. 30-45 minutes early for an event at the school or a family reunion. Always dropping us off at the school early. I am usually okay at waiting and like him, I like to be early but the kids are another story so I try not to be early any more. I have a hard time waiting for the movie that the kids are watching for the 15th time to be over though. -
silverwhisper said on Jul 23, 2007....
unassuming: i suppose that makes sense, that it's situation-dependent.
boyzmom: so has your father's tendency to be early rubbed off on you, then? and you know, i get impatient watching a movie the third time, myself--ugh! i know, i know, all kids do that and i'll have to experience it for myself some day in the future...
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Expendable said on Jul 23, 2007....
A company called Basic Fun makes the keychain games. I used to have a handheld electronic yahtzee game that someone tossed when they got angry at me.
Of course, I think some of us would love to have minature copies of D&D but the only minibooks they made were the original basic game and 2nd edition ones - and hard to find now. *sigh* Finally a pocket sized game but you needed reading glasses.
I'd love a paperback sized rpg. Big enough to read, easy to carry - and cheap to replace.
If you want to set up your own usb key, visit PortableApps.com for the portable versions of Firefox, Abiword and other programs.
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silverwhisper said on Jul 23, 2007....
oo, thank you, ex! :>
ed -
boyzmom said on Jul 23, 2007....
I am almost always early, especially for important things like work and interviews and even doctor's appointments. I have to remind myself that it is not the end of the world if I am late, that way I don't freak out in traffic but I usually leave early enough that I could change a flat tire on the way to where I am going and still be on time! LOL -
ninjapirate said on Jul 23, 2007....
I'm mostly impatient with lots of things. However, I'm extremely patient with family visits I like to think, also traffic, although L.A was really tough. My whole family was very impatient about Harry Potter though and we got 3 books hehe. I'm still on it, but my brother and sister in law finished it this weekend. I do hate arriving early to appointments though, I can't stand waiting. -
quietone said on Jul 23, 2007....
how about internet "waiting". yes, waiting and waiting for some web site to come up....then you get that "this page cannot be....bla bla bla" try again later. Now THAT drives me nuts...or wating and waitng to submit a comment...only to find out....oh, it got stuck..and lost in space...gotta rewrite what ya wrote, if one can remember that long....... -
Imladris said on Jul 23, 2007....
Waiting for my computer to start up nearly drives me insane, it's getting a bit slow in it's old age :-) I usually go and make a cup of tea so i'm not watching it. -
Lioness said on Jul 23, 2007....
Mine is not on reading. It's funny how I can make excuses for being late and yet I become very annoyed when someone is late for, say an appointment. Yes, I don't have much patience waiting for somebody or something and not doing something else. I'd rather read and reread a newspaper while passing up time.
Truth is, in a date, if he does not show up 5 mins after I arrived, then the date is cancelled. Haha... I've been a slave to this for quite some time now.
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mommyof2 said on Jul 24, 2007....
Waiting stinks!! I like how clean this place is though, I tend to clean far too much. -
destinydiva said on Jul 24, 2007....
I totally suck at waiting!!! I am incredibly impatient....
and very immature too..... my initial reaction to having to wait is scrap it!!!
If I have to wait I dont want it!!! I do it in every aspect of life when it comes to waiting.... not a good thing..... I'm working on it!
I'm the kinda person that always pays express delivery... even if I dont need it urgently... even if with a little patience ... delivery would be free!!!
If there was two stores..... same item..... one charged more than the other store for the item and had it in stock.... the other store would be getting it in stock the next day...... I'd pay more...... stupid really..... man I am seriously gonna re assess my patience :-)
Destiny x
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silverwhisper said on Jul 24, 2007....
boyzmom: you leave enough time to fix a flat? OK, that's a level of preparedness that i've never even considered! just out of curiosity, how much time does that work out to? about 30?
np: heh...turns out i won't be able to start reading it until tonight, myself, so i can sympathize. :> and i'm usually early to appointments, myself, and almost always when whoever i'm meeting is running late.
quietone: gah! pages not loading--i hate that! for longer comments that seem to take a while i always hit the stop and/or back buttons b/c the comment is usually there and i just copy & paste it, myself, although that isn't always an option, i find.
imladris: are you sure it isn't b/c there's spyware or something on your computer? that can slow down a PC something fierce, FYI.
lioness: wow, 5 minutes, huh? wow...i dunno, maybe i'm just too forgiving. when meeting someone, i usually bring along a book or something, just in case, myself
destiny: heh...i like immediate gratification myself, so i can understand. :>
ed ed -
boyzmom said on Jul 24, 2007....
If I am going to somewhere I have never been, I leave about 1 hour early, but if I know it takes 15-20 minutes to get somewhere, I leave about 45 minutes early when I can. -
silverwhisper said on Jul 24, 2007....
damn, that's a whole lotta time!
ed -
Imladris said on Jul 24, 2007....
yes, i have got a spyware programme, does it make that much difference? -
silverwhisper said on Jul 24, 2007....
absolutely, yes! get thee to an anti-spyware application source!
i shall spare you more of my bowlderized shakespeare if you make haste!
ed -
Imladris said on Jul 24, 2007....
I think i already have anti spyware, i've still got AOL, but i think i have spyware protection from Norton as well - not a computer expert as you may have guessed. -
beyondtheveil said on Jul 24, 2007....
Ed- If my memory serves me right, which often it doesn't, a person spends about six years of their life waiting. But that only includes measurable things in life like average time in lines and traffic, to name two.
I think if you add your wife, it probably doubles.
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silverwhisper said on Jul 26, 2007....
imladris: well, if that isn't it, it's hard to say without looking at it myself, i'm afraid.
beyond: it felt like it doubled!
ed
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