I recently stumbled into a whole series of games called “time management games”, a name which I think is terribly, terribly misleading.

“Time suck games” is more like it.

Let me just say, none of these games have helped me with my time management issues, although they’ve been quite good at adding to my time management challenges. Maybe that’s why they’re called time management games.

These games have been around for quite a while; my daughter used to play Diner Dash when she was younger. I always thought it was one of those “tycoon” type of games, where you build up a restaurant empire and earn mega bucks.

Thanks to my iPhone, where I now get to do things like play Cooking Dash (I’m at level 30 something, and let me tell you, running a Japanese-themed diner is hard), I now know what these time management games are all about. You’re not building up empires. You’re keeping customers and clients happy.

So here’s what I’ve learned so far from playing these games:

1. It is preferable to be the wait staff at an unsuccessful (ie slow) restaurant (or hotel. Or fast food outlet. Or spa – yes, a spa. And here I thought a spa was for relaxing.)
2. Customers these days need to learn some patience.
3. Wait staff definitely work for their tips, and then some.
4. It’s a good idea to play something like Cooking Dash right before you’re planning to clean up the kitchen, because you actually do end up cleaning the kitchen a whole lot quicker. (The job isn’t nearly as thorough, mind you, but for a little while there, you’ll feel like Speed Man/Woman.)

While these games are addictive, after a while you do get rather tired of rushing around, which is a good thing.

It’s at the point where I’m contemplating dumping plates of food onto the floor and throwing up my hands in despair that I switch to Sims 3. Which isn’t exactly the most productive thing in the world to do, either. But it’s a lot slower pace, and quite worthwhile for building up those procrastination muscles, too.

This post has been written to explain where I’ve been the last little while. Now you know.

It’s been quite a week – I’ve finished a couple of deadlines, spent Wednesday morning getting a test done (no worries, all is well), Wednesday night feeling pleasantly drowsy, pampered and well-fed, (oh, and I spent Tuesday night very hungry since my test required an all-liquid diet the day before), and today I finally managed to get back into Twitter and Facebook mode after having to stay away during the weeks I was drenched with deadlines.

(I don’t think I mean “drenched”. I think I mean another word, but for the life of me, I can’t think of another suitable word right now.)

So I thought it’s time for a nice odds and ends post!

2010 Blog Improvement Project

I joined the Blog Improvement Project last year, but quite late, after people had already dived into the first few assignments, and I never really did end up truly participating. But since I have plans to revamp the template here, and clean up my categories and tags and things like that (and couldn’t participate in Bloggiesta because of deadline woes), I thought it might be nice to participate this year.

This year the BIP is being run by both Kim at Sophisticated Dorkiness, who hosted last year’s BIP, and Jackie at Farm Lane Books, and it has it’s own site: 2010 Blog Improvement Project.

Have you joined? What kinds of things are you looking forward to doing this year with your blog?

Work Sanity: The Art of Taking Breaks

During my recent avalanche of deadlines, I made sure to take several breaks each day. In addition to pampering myself with baths, I also used games as incentives. When I finished a chapter, I’d indulge myself with a few rounds of the following games (but beware. They can be addictive.)

Mah Jongg Dimensions. This game is hosted at AARP, but luckily you don’t have to be retired to play it. It seems simple, but you only get five minutes and the second and third levels have a lot more tiles. Very fun.

Yumsters 2. Don’t ask me why I became so beguiled with these musical worms. But I was. And I took that trek across all those countries with them many, many times on my iPhone.

Suduko. I played this on my iPhone – and I admit freely, I finally clued in that Suduko is solved EXACTLY like a logic puzzle. I love logic puzzles. I never loved Suduko. Now I do.

If You Like Cats …

(And I do.) My not-aunt Margaret sent me the link to this video (she’s also the one responsible for the Mah Jongg Dimensions game, too. In fact, I tremble in fear before opening her emails because she finds the most addictive and fun stuff online, guaranteed to fritter away chunks of my time).

This video’s on the long side (and it’s been around for a while, so you might have already seen it), but it is totally worth it (if you like cats, that is).

The bit near the end when Maru plays with the boxes is just priceless!

So those are my odds and ends. I’m really looking forward to the weekend – I have a few days to rest, relax and (fingers crossed) get back to my writing. No, I haven’t forgotten that I am writer, and a writer writes. (Not to mention the manuscript of NANTUCKET which is still waiting for me to read in its entirety for the first time …)

Any odds and ends going on with you?