ignoring the peripherals

I'm working with this goofy new software application called WriteRoom. Without going into technical details, WriteRoom takes my high end 17 inch PowerBook and takes over the screen, leaving it black corner to corner, except for the lime green words that I type. In short, it looks like the goofy interface that I first worked with on an Apple II back in Velva Public High School in the dark ages.

This is the equivalent of driving a Porsche with the dash and steering wheel of a VW Bug. Sure, you could...but why? Because it makes the distractions go away. I can't fiddle with the font. I can't see the email or instant message icon bounce. I can't be tempted to link mid-sentence. All I can do is type in the dark, stopping every few sentences to sip the home brewed Dunn Brothers Guatemalan that sits on the night stand next to me.

I'm a notorious multi tasker. I'm not saying I'm good at it - just that I'm notorious for it. If I'm on the phone with you, I'm probably also checking my email. If I'm checking a spreadsheet, I'm also leaving a voice mail while chatting. Given ten fingers and two eyeballs, it seems like such a waste to just do one thing at a time...except that often I find myself doing three or four things poorly and nothing well.

Tonight, Grayson asked me for a favor. It was simple, really...Dad, will you go outside and play catch with me? I had plenty of genuine reasons to say no. I had things I needed to do. The kitchen needed cleaning up. Did I mention it was dark outside? Pitch black. So we went... We tossed a lumpy, fabric football back and forth in the yard. We didn't catch it very often, and I very nearly broke an ankle on a Tonka truck left in the yard...but we had fun. We talked. We laughed. And I think we made a memory.

Sometimes, it's good to type in the dark. The email icons will start bouncing soon enough.