In the Meantime
I don't know what to do with myself. I have a little over an hour until good TV starts and I'm at a loss. Thank goodness for school. School means I rarely have this problem. Thus far today I've been to the gym, played tennis, and run errands so all that's out. Dinner? Just finished. Clean the bathroom? I'm dog sitting for a friend and I don't see myself cleaning someone else's bathroom given that I so seldom clean my own. Take a walk? Actually that's a great idea, but I'm writing now. It took me a solid minute to decide to do this and I don't want to ruin it now.
Initially I thought I might write some fiction tonight. You know, maybe add a chapter or two to the novel, but then I remembered that I'm supposed to be on break from school. I spent the semester working on the novel and I'm going to spend a good portion of next semester doing the same. It's like when I abandoned my winter break reading list. I rationalized that I needed the break and I'm pretty sure I was right. A break is a good thing. And that's why I'm boring myself writing this instead of hanging out with Sam and Malin (two of the characters in my novel). I'll get back to them in a few weeks.
In the meantime, I'm going to spend a lot of time at a loss. When school is in session, I'm constantly busy. I'm either working, studying, working out, playing tennis, forcing myself to relax, or sleeping. I don't have time to meet a friend for a drink, sit in the sun on a nice day, or write for pleasure. Hell, I don't even have time to wonder what to do next. That's why I live my life on automatic most of the time. If I'm not doing this, I'm doing that. It's pretty seamless and requires absolutely no thought and wastes no time. Options breed procrastination so I give myself few options. Work, study, workout, sleep. Period.
Oh, and forced relaxation. At some point, I make myself stop. Usually it's a winding down period in advance of setting the alarm and turning off the light. Some times it means a movie, other times a re-run of 'Castle', still other times I just listen to the popping of tennis balls on Tennis Channel. Really, it all depends on how much winding down I need to do and how mindless it needs to be.
I need a life? Got one. It simply may not be your idea of a life. Still, it doesn't mean that I don't have one. I often wonder why I'm doing what I'm doing - working full time and going to graduate school two-thirds time. It's not for the faint of heart. I'm not doing it to get a promotion at work. I've been there, done that, and don't want to do it again. Plus it's a Master's in Liberal Arts. That doesn't scream hire me and pay me lots of money, does it? At this point, I'd be happy with a job teaching English (well aware that I don't like to read) abroad. Not that I need a Master's to do that. A Bachelor's and TEFL certification are plenty.
I like to say that some day this MLA experience will get me into a PhD program, but before I go through the mess of applying I need to figure out what I want to study. More and more, I think I may just want to write and screw the PhD. I suppose that means an MFA, but I'm not sure about that either. Eh, I guess we'll see.
I guess I need to figure out how to keep myself busy for the next two and a half weeks. What do people that don't do anything do? They work forty hours and then what? Play video games? Surf You Tube for videos of cute kittens? Drink a case of beer? Bitch because their DVR will only record four programs at once? I just don't know. Doesn't sound like much of a life to me.
I love school. Yes, I'm that nerd. I love that I never have time for anything. I love that it seems like all I do is work and study. I love that I have no idea what to do with myself on semester break. I love it all. This life, the one most think I don't have? Yeah, I love it, too.
Initially I thought I might write some fiction tonight. You know, maybe add a chapter or two to the novel, but then I remembered that I'm supposed to be on break from school. I spent the semester working on the novel and I'm going to spend a good portion of next semester doing the same. It's like when I abandoned my winter break reading list. I rationalized that I needed the break and I'm pretty sure I was right. A break is a good thing. And that's why I'm boring myself writing this instead of hanging out with Sam and Malin (two of the characters in my novel). I'll get back to them in a few weeks.
In the meantime, I'm going to spend a lot of time at a loss. When school is in session, I'm constantly busy. I'm either working, studying, working out, playing tennis, forcing myself to relax, or sleeping. I don't have time to meet a friend for a drink, sit in the sun on a nice day, or write for pleasure. Hell, I don't even have time to wonder what to do next. That's why I live my life on automatic most of the time. If I'm not doing this, I'm doing that. It's pretty seamless and requires absolutely no thought and wastes no time. Options breed procrastination so I give myself few options. Work, study, workout, sleep. Period.
Oh, and forced relaxation. At some point, I make myself stop. Usually it's a winding down period in advance of setting the alarm and turning off the light. Some times it means a movie, other times a re-run of 'Castle', still other times I just listen to the popping of tennis balls on Tennis Channel. Really, it all depends on how much winding down I need to do and how mindless it needs to be.
I need a life? Got one. It simply may not be your idea of a life. Still, it doesn't mean that I don't have one. I often wonder why I'm doing what I'm doing - working full time and going to graduate school two-thirds time. It's not for the faint of heart. I'm not doing it to get a promotion at work. I've been there, done that, and don't want to do it again. Plus it's a Master's in Liberal Arts. That doesn't scream hire me and pay me lots of money, does it? At this point, I'd be happy with a job teaching English (well aware that I don't like to read) abroad. Not that I need a Master's to do that. A Bachelor's and TEFL certification are plenty.
I like to say that some day this MLA experience will get me into a PhD program, but before I go through the mess of applying I need to figure out what I want to study. More and more, I think I may just want to write and screw the PhD. I suppose that means an MFA, but I'm not sure about that either. Eh, I guess we'll see.
I guess I need to figure out how to keep myself busy for the next two and a half weeks. What do people that don't do anything do? They work forty hours and then what? Play video games? Surf You Tube for videos of cute kittens? Drink a case of beer? Bitch because their DVR will only record four programs at once? I just don't know. Doesn't sound like much of a life to me.
I love school. Yes, I'm that nerd. I love that I never have time for anything. I love that it seems like all I do is work and study. I love that I have no idea what to do with myself on semester break. I love it all. This life, the one most think I don't have? Yeah, I love it, too.
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