DEATH BY WORDS
Did I Just Fry My Brain With Intense Mental Exertion?
This is my brain on life
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words — watch out for them words
This past weekend, I wrote a term paper. Twenty-one pages at its roughest draft and, eventually, I whittled it down to eighteen. I’d left it to the 11:11:11th hour, meaning I spent the weekend hunched over a computer, working literary journals and trade publications for sources, frantically typing and citing, proofreading, typing, citing, cut-and-pasting, morning to night both days.
I wrote a second paper on Monday. Then stole more precious moments from my life to edit, re-edit, and re-re-edit both. At the crack of dawn on the sofa, a dog snoring on my hip, when I’d normally be reading the news? Check. Nom-noming a mid-morning snack? Check. Typing instead of eating at lunchtime? Check. Those five or ten minutes after logging out of my work apps for the day before walking out the door to my evening commute? Check.
Then I “relaxed” by playing Wordle. It was harder than usual. Much harder. Instead of winning in two or three or maybe four rows at worst and losing never, it took me all six rows just about every time and I even lost. Twice.
