So, to any of you journalist-types out there (maybe there's ONE...I don't know), do you find yourself IMPOSING freakish deadlines on yourself when you have work to do? Like today...I had my weekly writing (which takes maybe 45 minutes to do, when it's easy) for the paper along with this goofy Madden column I'm doing for the paper...I could have been writing most of the day and be done with it, but I sat around and watched TV and actually played Madden earlier. I just sat down around 4:45 and started going at it. Got the weekly stuff done, which is nice. But now I have the column to write.

The big issue here is, I don't have a daily deadline, like some of my friends at papers do. So, do I do this to myself because I yearn for that deadline (I want to think not), or is it just because I want a challenge, and then when someone says it's good, the satisfaction of thinking, "Yeah, and I wrote it in an hour's time." Any thoughts?

See, in an hour and a half I have an interview with the executive producer of Madden games (I think). So I'd like to hammer out the column, then I can shepherd him into some quotes to fill gaps. It's deceptive, but it's better than wasting his (and my) time. Then, when that's over, it's off to Barb and Pete's where some sort of North-siderish Martini (yuck) party is going on. Really, it should be fun...

Oh yeah, and I was supposed to play against Jacquez Green of the Lions in Madden online last night, but he never called me. Jerk. Oh well, I don't know how he'd have fit into the story too much anyway...in fact, I have no clue how I'm going to write this story anyway...we'll see.