I enjoy the blocks. Its good to take time off once in a while. But when I'm itching to fire up the apps and have no idea what to do, I just play. I try out a new tut, or work on some type of texture blending, or play with the modeler, whatever. In short, I build technique when I'm on a drought. That's a good use of time because the more technique one learns, the more one can express what's in the brain. And, hey, every once in a while some happy accident comes together and I get excited again.