The illusion of control.

I've long been aware of my habit of using domestic mundanities for procrastinatory purposes. (My bathroom is never so clean as when I've got a stack of grading that needs finishing.) But the job market is turning this into a whole 'nother thing. I spent the better part of last night tackling mountains of laundry and ironing and mending. I dropped off a bunch of dry cleaning this morning. And I'm all excited about my big plans to take all my knives in to get sharpened tomorrow.

I've realized that this is all a pathetic attempt to pretend that I've got some degree of control over my life right now. I was commiserating with PGS about this, and he told me that last year around this time his officemate started making a bunch of doctor's appointments to deal with the random aches and pains she'd been putting up with for a long time. Apparently she said she was doing it because she felt like her body was the only thing she had any control over.

Great idea. Maybe I'll get my teeth cleaned or something.