Procrastination-wise, pomegranates are nature’s Facebook

When I have a lot of work to do, I suddenly get the overwhelming urge to fold some laundry. Or dust the ceiling fans. Or call the credit card company and request a lower interest rate. Anything but the work I’m supposed to be doing.

I’ve set this weekend aside to catch up on my artwork for an upcoming show (three weeks, eeks) and my goal for today was to complete five illustrations. Naturally, I got up from the table about 40 times in the first hour. Around 1:00, I decided it was lunchtime whether I was hungry or not (I was not), and cleverly chose the single most time-consuming snack in the house: a pomegranate.

Pips! Everywhere! Man, I lost a good 30 minutes painstakingly plucking out every single one. And then? I didn’t particularly feel like eating them. So I blended them up in the blender, strained the juice into a glass, quick-steeped some green tea and made a little antioxidant cocktail to drink while I worked. Total estimated time spent on this pomegranate: 50 minutes. Total number of dishes and cooking utensils soiled in the process: 8. Total amount of juice consumed: 3/4 cup, max.

Pretty sure all those antioxidants are directly responsible for the quality of the illustrations I got done in the afternoon, though. What? No, not quite five, no, but a lot. Shut up.