It has been 4 weeks since I last worked. Contrary to the Natalie Dee comic I've attached, it is not awesome. Being unemployed sucks. Yes, the time off is supposed to be fun and enjoyable, but it just isn't. You can't really relax when you're worried about paying the rent. You can't really unwind when that usually means shopping, and you can't shop. In fact, you can't even really take in the peacefulness of being at home when everyone else is at work, because uncertainty is not peaceful. Well, at least to me. I am sure that other people have been much more successful with managing their sanity with their "time off". I covet their abilities to just chill. I usually have an arsenal of things I dig to get me through rough times. But, without income, it is really hard to justify the spending involved. Instead, I will blog about it. The following are blog posts of things that I am really looking forward to doing again.Making a Delicious Afternoon Ceviche
I realize not everyone likes ceviche, but inexplicably, when I randomly make it for others, I tend to just feel so good. It may have something to do with my love for ceviche and the fact that if I've made some, I'll more than likely have some, but still. Last summer, I made it probably 5 times. It was good times. Circumstances being what they are, I've yet to make it since. It really is a shame, because at the risk of sounding arrogant, I will say that my ceviche is pretty much the bomb.
Anyway, this blog posting caught my eye this week not just because the writer shares my love for ceviche, but also because I read their recipe is pretty different than mine. I bet their version is pretty awesome too. I mean, with avocado in it, they've already won half the battle.
Driving Really Fast with No Defined Destination
Now, this one is a bit trickier because I lack two critical components to successfully conquer this feat. 1. The money to support the gasoline habit my car has, and other incidentals. 2. A bona fide partner in crime. There really is nothing quite like giving in to the often random urge to get up and go. You grab your partner (doe-see-doe...), and an overnight bag in the hopeful event that things go really well, and jump in your supposedly trusty vehicle. And then, just GO. It's best if you go really fast in your initial take off period. But then, after you've driven that way for a while, you sit back and just take it in at a more reasonable pace. Good driving music is essential, and if you're lucky your person will even hold your hand. Man, OH man, that is absolute best. Destination, unknown. But those are the details that don't matter as much when you really launch.
The blog I found to support this is completely unrelated to what I have just described. I just really dig it. It's from Literally, A Web Log... which is an awesome site because it pokes fun at people who inadvertently use the term "literally" oh-so incorrectly. I liked this image because it reminded me of this one time in college when my friend Maritza and I took off aimlessly in her rental car, and I was driving SO fast that she picked up my cell phone and called her bf to tell him "no really, we are reeeeally, really flying." She didn't say "literally" but the effect was the same, sorta. That was fun.
Going to as Many Concerts as Possible in One Summer
I have been blessed and cursed to have only one real vice: Live Music. She is a bittersweet mistress. I don't think living in her excess will lead to my untimely death, but she is an expensive and heart wrenching habit. It all started 19 years ago, and progressively, I have been able to feed her cravings more and more. I was really lucky to have gotten some of my ticket procurement out of the way before I lost my job. This summer, I have gotten to see: She Wants Revenge, Playradioplay!, Tori Amos, Girl Talk, and of course, after nearly 6 months of clutching my tickets, my beloved Depeche Mode. I have also caught some pretty sweet cover bands, which fed the itch for what it's worth too. I don't quite feel alive like I do at a show, be it a huge event or a small gig. It sucks that among those I missed are: Death Cab, Modest Mouse (this weekend), The Faint (this weekend), Crystal Castles, Underworld, Chromeo, and of course the once in a lifetime NIN/JA show (Nine Inch Nails with Jane's Addiction). Well, better luck next time, I suppose. I have been pretty well off with what I have seen. Next up... the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in about 3 weeks. At the Greek , no less!
Anyway, to support this thing that I look forward to, I turn back to one of my favorite blogs, 1,000 Awesome Things. It really is an awesome blog, and as such, deserves to be listed as one the things they cite. But I digress. Awesome Thing # 706 is The Moment at a Concert When the Crowd Figures Out What Song They're Playing. Yay! That IS awesome. I couldn't agree more. It's even more awesome when in unison the crowd sings along with the artist and all you hear is this massive coming together of the masses over lyrics and music that reverberates in their hearts and are expelled from their mouths. Love. It.
http://1000awesomethings.com/2009/08/06/706-the-moment-at-a-concert-when-the-crowd-figures-out-what-song-theyre-playing/
A summer of music for me as well. Tori Amos was amazing. The very next day, Coldplay...three weeks later, I was able to reunite with my very first love affair, and first concert experience, "Better than Ezra." Checking on Toxic Airborne Event for the 4th. Miss you Tori-ite!
ReplyDelete