There's this one project I've been working on for way too long, and I'm starting to panic a bit because it really should be done by now. Yes, it's an article. Yes, it seemed like a great idea when I was first handed the assignment. Then the research killed me. Not because there wasn't much out there, it was just a lot of the same thing. By the time I was ready to write, there were piles of snippets and poorly scribbled notes surrounding me. I was ready to rock the Word doc. Then someone tapped on my cubicle wall.

"This should only take a sec."

So I step away from the past-due project for a moment. When I come back to it, the muse is gone. Didn't even leave a note to indicate any hope of return.

So I stare at the screen until my forehead bursts open. And I catch the wave again. I'm about 200 words into a riveting, I-can't-believe-I'm-writing-this piece of work when--

Tap, tap, tap.

Now I know what people mean when they say "I'm all tapped out."