ah, monotony

Today I was reminded of how much I enjoy doing monotonous things. My morning was spent rearranging the kitchen (which consisted of little more than shuffling pots and bags of rice) and cleaning the office. These tasks were slightly sidetracked, however, when I discovered a giant tub of change amidst the clutter, and promptly took to sorting out the pennies from the higher denominations. I spent a good half hour at this task before I noticed how much time had passed and that I had little time to get ready before I had to leave the house. Rest assured that tub will provide countless hours of entertainment for me.

When I was little I used to sit in the sand for long periods of time with a magnet gathering iron filings. And during undergrad I produced a number of insanely intricate pattern illustrations for which I would sit for hours upon end drawing. I still get carried away walking on stoney beaches looking for cool rocks, or on sandy beaches looking for shells. I think this affinity for monotonous exercises carried over to swimming, where I could swim for hours upon hours and not get bored.

I think if I carried a giant tub of choins with me all the time I would never become impatient or bored, never be bothered by waiting for someone or something. But somehow I think that sorting through change during a seminar or class might be frowned upon. For those I'll have to stick to doodling and thinking about unicorns.