Woulda coulda shoulda

Ahem. As I am writing this at home on Friday afternoon, don't have a tent, camping stove or tickets to Glastonbury it may be safe to assume a certain commentator was right and neither I nor he are going.

As usual I left things until too late, way too late. I shan't lie. Procrastination is a bit of a problem for me and things generally get left until the last minute or beyond. In fact I dread to think of the fortune I have paid in library fines, video club late fees, last minute delivery charges and late check outs. Clearly things are unfair and I am puzzled why the world does not allow a special reservation for deadlines because they know I am going to be late in advance. I think thats fair warning for them to anticipate it.

Not only do I leave things until the last minute, quite often things are not planned at all. Hence offers to have people over for dinner can be blighted by complete lack of preparation. I mean how am I supposed to know that chicken takes a long time to defrost? They don't tell you that in Resarch methods II! Or what about the simple things like restaurants keeping a table in reserve for me, because what kind of person makes a reservation days in advance? I may not even be hungry on Friday night or in the mood for Thai food.

The answer "Whatever" to the question "what do you feel like doing?", sounds quite laid back and going with the flow, at least in theory. On the downside it guarantees that you end up watching Fun with Dick and Jane, when you wanted to watch Casino Royale at the cinema, or you end up walking aimlessly instead of going to that art gallery. Funnily enough this never happens at work, where next months activities are recorded in anal, minute details. I reason that I prepare and plan so much at work, I deserver not to do it in my private life, am I correct?

So "Whatever" in this instance means that I am not hunkered down in a rapidly drying tent listening to Bruce Springsteen. It means a DVD and bottle of white on my own as everyone else has made plans for today.