I’m trying this experiment right now that combines writing, checking out what’s new on everyone’s blog, and watching a movie all on the same screen. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t totally freaking me out and giving me a punishing headache, which isn't to say I’m not enjoying it.
I’m a terrible multitasker, really. I can compartmentalize my time throughout the day and ensure a number of tasks get done, but I have great difficulty literally doing two things at the same time. I can’t write while listening to music; I can’t talk on a cellphone and walk at the same time. I’d like to say what I’m doing right now is challenging, but I’m not really doing it. I’m watching the movie in snatches, then writing in bursts, then going back to the flick. It’s taken me twenty minutes just to get this much down.
I’ve wanted to do this since I started reading Moriarty’s DVD Shelf (which has been dead for months, but the archives are still worth checking out). Moriarty is a contributor (the best one, I think) over at Aint It Cool News. He’s also a screenwriter, having penned two of the Masters of Horror episodes. His online writing seems to come in bursts, but at times—particularly during the DVD Shelf’s heyday—he’s astoundingly prolific. In a typical day, he watches five movies, which he accomplishes by tiling his desktop and playing the movies in one corner while he works. Always wanted to try it. Now I have. Probably won’t make a habit of it.
I’m watching Crimes and Misdemeanours, by the way. I feel sort of ambivalent about it so far, but I did start it at about 11:30 last night, and it’s only had half my attention today. I just don’t find the Martin Landau storyline all that compelling, which is about sixty percent of the movie. But Woody Allen as nebbish, neurotic, oversexed middle-aged guy: rather convincing.
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