As anyone who has known me for more than 43 minutes knows, I have ADD. I could be the poster boy. But lately, I’ve been doubling down. I’m kind of frantic. I might have to see if I can get a prescription for Concerta if only to shut down the circus for a day.
For example, the idea to write this has interrupted roughly six projects that I have underway this morning. I stopped writing for a few minutes to delete some screenshots I took last night for an online class I’m taking at UC Irvine in IIoT tech. Right now I’m being distracted by an empty wine glass sitting on my desk that I need to rinse out and a picture my daughter Cassie drew which I downloaded from her Facebook account that happens to be showing on my laptop screen next to the monitor I’m writing on. My browser has 12 tabs open, all things I’m working on, and I also have the Arduino IDE open with some code I’m working on. I just stopped again because an email popped up that said I had some peer reviews of written assignments for two Coursera courses. On the plus side both were 20/20 and very complimentary. And now I’m back.
So yeah, uncontrolled chaos.
I generally read at least 3 books at a time so I can skip back and forth and sit still for an hour or so. I’m currently reading “The Artful Baker”; “The Evening and the Morning”; “Semiosis”; “Wild Cards”; “The Quiet Americans”; and rereading “Enlightenment Now”. I’m also listening to “talking to Strangers”; “Something Deeply Hidden”; and “Curious”.
I’m learning to do 3d Cad on an iPad using Shapr3d, Designing the TowBot, working on code for the TowBot, and learning how to use three new ESP32 modules. Figuring out how to write to a ITS7789V 1.14″ 240X135 pixel IPS TFT display (currently showing “Hello Bill”, so yay!). Reworking the board layout for the lighting control boards for Fritz, and repairing my 6M foil wing. I’m missing a bunch of stuff, but you get the picture.
I don’t know what brought all this on. Maybe it’s stress, maybe it’s stress being lower, maybe I’m just going nuts. Last night I interrupted the four things I was doing to make pureed parsnips in heavy cream and make some ginger marmalade for the blueberry scones I got up at 5:30 this morning to make. I’m going to quit writing this and go surf my SUP board and see if I can chill out a little bit.
Like many things, it’s both good and bad. I consider ADD to be my superpower and my kryptonite. If I could direct it a bit it would be a tremendous capability. But most times I’m not driving the bus, I’m just a passenger.