Snipped more of slide-maker rant, but wanted to leave this:

I now fit Santayana's definition of a fanatic: one who redoubles their effort when they have forgotten their goal. (I said to the secretary, "this is a quest now, I cannot stop until I beat it or it beats me."). (Santayana's famous quotation is "Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim.")

(Update added 7/7 at 8:14 pm: Yes, that is how I ALWAYS am. I get my teeth into something, and like the legendary bulldog that won't let go unless you break its jaw, I don't know when to cut my losses. And I tend to get way too wrapped up in work-related things when they're going badly and take them as evidence that I am a screw-up in all areas of my life, rather than simply saying "today did not go well. Perhaps tomorrow will be better.")