Men In Kilts

The internet is up while I’m diligently working on my book, just in case I need to research something, of course. Then I hear it… Facebook’s magical ping that tells me I have a notification. I try hard to ignore it, but the temptation is too great. Eventually, my curiosity gets the better of me and I can’t help but check it out.

While I’m there, I scroll through my news feed to see what’s going on in the world. What’s the harm in that, right? Should only take a few minutes, then I’ll get right back to my writing. A “few” minutes longer than a few minutes later, I look up and I notice on my email tab that I have three new messages. Okay, maybe I’ll just I check those out quickly, then…

Before I know it, I’m sidetracked by recipes for roasted pork tenderloin with cider sauce, neeps and tatties. Well, now I’m intrigued because you know that I have to find out what neeps and tatties are. “Ah, potatoes and turnips. Makes sense. Oh, look… there’s a recipe for lamb sausage with whiskey cream sauce. That sounds yummy.” Twelve recipes and dozens of men-in-kilts photos later…

It’s easy to see how I can I have a love-hate relationship with the internet. It’s a useful tool and allows me to stay connected with people and to work from home. However, sometimes it can be my worst enemy – like when I discover that one interesting article or website that sparks a tangent of surfing, making it nearly impossible to remember why I’m sitting in front of my computer in the first place. I try not to give in to my insatiable need for more, but I’m not always successful.

For example, I enjoy cooking and I like to collect recipes. One afternoon, I accidentally stumbled upon the Outlander Kitchen. It’s a great website that offers historical and character-inspired recipes from the fictional world of Diana Gabaldon. While I wouldn’t categorize myself as an Outlander fanatic, I did find myself completely sucked in and spent hours blissfully reviewing recipes and writing down the ones I wanted to try. This is where I found the neeps and tatties.

The men in kilts? Honestly, I can’t recall how I got sidetracked with that. I just know that I was there. I’m not even sure where “there” was or how I found it or if I could even find it again. Somewhere out in cyberspace is a collection of shirtless, kilt-wearing, muscular men sporting long hair and sexy smiles. One day, I will find them again. But not this day.

Today, I will write. I will not look at the internet while writing. I will not look at the internet while writing. I will not…

PING.

Uh oh.