Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Time Pressure

This post is probably not what you're thinking this is going to be. Most people stumbling into this backwater of the web (if indeed there are any) might suspect this will be about that particularly uncomfortable experience of having a clearly won position on the board with a precarious position on the clock. Most times it turns into a blunder and a lost game.

But that's not what I'm going to talk about.

One post in the last year, boasting about how the quest was going on. "Never fear, I'll be back" I said. Nope. Never happened. I don't think I've picked up a chess piece except to dust it in many of those months.

It's a different kind of time pressure, I suppose. Both chess and writing take time and discipline in order to hone the skill to do them reasonably well. Interestingly enough, the time invested is mostly enjoyable in both cases even if the skills developed are not world-class. In some ways I envy the giants among the Knights Errant. I spend hours just reading your musings. I can't imagine what it takes to put them together.

But there are so many fascinating things to fill the hours! Children, grandchildren, books, TV (the evil monster), work (the other monster)... you get the picture.

I'm resolved to avoid the game-losing blunder. It's OK to have a life away from the computer. I believe I'll come back to this work-in-progress some day. I'm going to stop worrying about when that will be.

Later!