Life=Work?? I Think Not! March 24, 2009

“ I do not believe we can repair the basic fabric of society until people who are willing to work have work. Work organizes life. It gives structure and discipline to life.”

~Bill Clinton

I came across this quote and had to read it a few times before I decided whether or not I agreed. I don’t. Not entirely, anyway. I mean, hey, whether you like him or not, the man is smart. And he does know a lot about “jobs” (heh heh). Sorry. But really, it got me thinking about how structure and organization in life is based upon one‘s occupation. Think about it–every time you make plans, what’s the first scheduling conflict you have? Work. A person’s job takes up, at minimum, 8 hours a day. That’s at least 1/3 of your day blocked out. Your day revolves around being somewhere at a specific time, leaving at a more ambiguous time (depending how the day goes), and planning any social events/quality time with loved ones/errands in the gap of time between work and sleep.

So is it too naïve to think that I never want work to dictate my life? I don’t want to live a third of my day, hence, a third of my life, on a clock-in, clock-out basis. And I know what the arguments are: you have to find a work/life balance, you are not what your job is, quit being a lazy child, etc. But I feel like, if I’m going to spend more time working on something than I do sleeping, taking care o f myself, spending quality time with people, learning, or trying to make some kind of small contribution to the world, then it better be well worth it, and it better be a really positive part of my life. Not just somewhere I have to be, because I have to get a pay check.

That, my friends, is why people end up miserable. That’s why my parents’ generation is full of divorced, emotionally oppressed, bitter people (just a general judgment, obviously doesn’t apply to all people of that generation). Because they were raised to put their nose to the grindstone, work long and hard, not complain, and be grateful for what they had, rather than strive for what they wanted. Many people sense the generational divide, and are quick to call us younger folk spoiled and lazy for not having the same type of work ethic our parents did. Call it a side effect of growing up being told we could be whatever we wanted; excuse us for actually believing you! Honestly, most people finish college thinking they know exactly what they want to be, only to find out that, in order to achieve “whatever you put your mind to” you must complete the entry-level rite of passage (which just seems like a depressing array of mundane, bullshit jobs that are almost insulting to your intelligence to have to perform).

I dunno, maybe it’s the free spirit in me that thinks this way. I’m sure some people enjoy the structure of being somewhere, at sometime, to do something, then going home. Maybe it’s because I’ve been sleeping in until 10AM for the past month and the bum lifestyle is slowing encompassing my whole being (uh oh). But truly, I feel like people need to step back and make sure they are enjoying the finer things in life. The intangibles, like laughing with friends, keeping in touch with old acquaintances, seeing daylight between 8 and 5. You’d be surprised how accomplished you would feel after doing something as small as that. You may not get a promotion, or a raise, or a pat on the back from your boss, but, really, do you need all that to feel validated?

Make Money, Not War! March 17, 2009

So, for the past month I’ve had a lot of time to think. That happens when you don’t work. But I’ve been thinking about how the recently shiteous economy has caused people to kind of unite. Like, before, people were all out to impress each other with their expensive clothes and fancy drinks that had names. Now, it’s perfectly normal to see Goodwill poppin’ and for a bar to be kind of busy in the middle of the afternoon. A couple weeks ago I was hanging out with my friend Ashley, and we went to get free pancakes at IHOP (International Pancake Day….duh) and then, naturally, I had the great idea to go get some beers. So we jet over to this bar and are surprised and pleased to find that we are in the company of 20+ other individuals all seeking a mid-day buzz like us. I felt like I’d discovered an underwater community filled with a species no one had ever known existed.

Being in this bar mid-day was so much better than being in it on a Friday night. Because mid-day, the only people hanging out there were those like Ashley and myself; self-respecting twenty-somethings who just happen to not have a job. Nobody was judging. Nobody was one-upping. Because we were all on the same team, man! We were on ‘Team I Ain’t Got Jack Shit To Do’ ! It occurred to me, in that mildly populated bar by the beach, while I sipped on my $3 goblet of Dos Equis, that the horizon was changing. The winds were shifting, and there was a new feeling of unity and togetherness among young people that I had never felt before. Collectively, the Generation Y’ers could put their guards down, put their fists up, and let out a resounding “HELL NO WE WON’T GO…TO WORK!”

This generation is experiencing for the first time a crossroads in their lives; we are educated, yet broke, young, eager, and willing, yet without opportunity. For each male who feels like a manchild, and for each female who is not a girl, not yet a woman, fear not, because we are taking over the world (or at least the bars) one lay-off at a time!

So, the moral of this rambling is that even in the worst of times, there is always some good that comes out of it. Like in the sixties when all those people were pissed off about the war and just wanted to get blazed and screw, the Love Revolution was born. Now, as we all are riding the unemployment train together, unsure of our final destination, pissed off that the economy got this way, we too can all stop the hate, love one another,  and start our own little revolution: Make Money, Not War!

Insomnia March 17, 2009

So it’s not surprising that it’s taken me a month of unemployment, never-ending boredom, and a 4-day bout with insomnia to finally start writing this. After nearly 5 weeks of having little to do and no money to spend, I felt like now’s the time to share my wisdom with the world. Amazing that it only took me 3 hours of sleep and box of Girl Scout Cookies for dinner to get me this hyped up.

So here’s my story, Fresh Prince style: I did not grow up in Philly, but rather a suburb north of San Diego county famous for big trucks, wine, and that evolutionary hairstyle on girls where it’s platinum blond on top and black underneath. I graduated college in the OC (no, not like on TV, more like inland where white people are a minority and everyone goes home to their parents house on the weekends). Upon graduating, I moved to San Diego (whale’s vagina!) where I embarked on a journey of craptastic jobs with humiliating salaries. After getting laid-off in December (a blessing) I immediately found a new job that paid MORE (go me!). Fast-forward six weeks, and my ass is quitting like the chubby kid in P.E.

Yes, I quit my job in the middle of a horrible recession. Yes, California has a 10+% unemployment rate currently. No, I did not have another job lined up.  Trust me, I thought long and hard about the irrationality of the decision and the potential misery that lay ahead. But, if you worked there, you would understand. So I took my integrity (and some Post-Its, and a stapler, and my logo stainless-steel coffee mug, sweet) and peaced out. I kept it professional, left on good terms, and didn’t even throw a fit when it took them two weeks to send me my last paycheck (inept bastards). And now I am here. Bored. Lonely. Broke. But loving every minute of it. Well, besides the minutes where I’m lying in the fetal position in bed at 1 in the afternoon commiserating over my shitty life, massive debt, and poor job prospects. But then the manic side of me kicks in and it’s all rainbows and butterflies for the rest of the day!

So here, I’ll share my stories, insights, rants, and opinions on anything I want. Feel free to tell me what a judgmental bitch/potty mouth/flaming liberal/eternal pessimist/lazy sack/horrible writer I am. When all you do is watch Intervention, eat pretzels, and talk to yourself all day, any attention is good attention!