A few days ago, I took the "Listening" area out of the right hand side. Tonight, I took the "Reading" part out.

Frankly, I haven't been listening to any music for weeks, maybe months. No time. I listen to talk radio to and from work. My life, recently, has precluded listening to music any other time.

As for reading, the only reading I have been doing in the last few months is on "the can". Mainly, it has been magazines that I have built up. I'm, still, working on finishing military history journals that I purchased in the spring of this year.

I've spent the last year + trying to simplify, and prioritize my life.

It hasn't been easy.

Actually, it would be more honest to say that the more I try to cut the extraneous out of my life the more "extraneous" piles up. It has gotten to a point where the reading of books has ceased, the regular listening of music has ceased, ... regularly accessing my most creative outlet has ceased.

Look at how often I have posted to my blog over the last year.

(This is my main creative outlet. ... The blog design, it's content.)

I sat down today about 1:45 PM at the computer.

My wife and I agreed that, for me, it was going to be a day for me that was all about reading the source material I, normally, write from, and blogging.

It was almost 10 PM tonight before I began to, seriously, read the material. Look at the time stamps for my posts.

It's kind of frustrating.

But, I need more of this. After work tomorrow, I don't have to go to work again until Wednesday. I'm going to try to get through more of this.

We'll see.