See, there are days like that, and then there are nights like last night, when everything sort of works out right. When I realize that all (or most) of my closest friends (in Pittsburgh) are there with me, and that there are at that moment no responsibilities, and that I can step out of my overanalytical control-freak shell and enjoy a moment, and wish that the night had 1400 hours in it.

It doesn’t happen often; I feel bad at organizing get-togethers. I feel like it’s a good idea to expand friendly gatherings beyond the few hours of Friday and Saturday nights; if 5/7 of your week is straight work, that sucks a little bit. Or if your only encounters with friends are through business (like rehearsal). But then I organize a gathering and it’s a bunch of people sitting around, bored. What I’m trying to do is spend time with friends without spending it putting food or drinks into ourselves, or spending money. There’s got to be more you can do. Are we just not very creative?

About this whole in-and-out-flow of food and money thing: we spend most of our lives doing it.
You eat food, it’s tasty. You exercise, it’s difficult. (often it’s fun. but it’s still difficult, whether you’re running or biking or whatever.) Food goes in, food gets burned off.
You work, you get money, it’s difficult. (and maybe, hopefully, you like your job; it’s still difficult) You spend money, you do something neat or you get things (or maybe you even get food), it’s fun.
Obviously, the examples aren’t complete. Sometimes you eat because you have to; sometimes you spend money because you have to. Sometimes you love exercise or your job so much that it’s easy, and you do it a lot.

The point is, so much of your life is dedicated to these two tasks: your bank account and your food account.

Is that good? I feel like it’s animalistic, especially the food account. Any animal can do that. And any idiot can spend his whole life chasing after money. I don’t really want to get into a big discussion of “what is meaningful in life” yet, because I don’t have any new insight since the last time I talked to you. Yes, you. Whoever you are, if we’ve had that conversation once, I don’t really have any new bright ideas. If we haven’t, we should! Given that people who read this are probably my friends, if you’re reading this, I’d like to know what’s driving your life- it’s kind of an important issue, and one that really lets me get to know you, I think, much moreso than “how’s it going?” Plus, maybe you know the secret, and you can let me in on it!

But I got sidetracked. I feel like I want to minimize the time spent regulating my food account and bank account. So if you have an idea for a Thing To Do that doesn’t involve those, please, let me know! (of course, I still like doing those things: if I’m eating dinner, or going to a movie, or playing Whirlyball, or what have you, with friends, I’m spending time with friends, which, in my book, is in the top five things in the world. Even above skiing. Which is really saying something.) I’ll repeat the previous sentence, not for emphasis, but just to get back on the same train of thought: So if you have an idea for a Thing To Do that doesn’t involve those, please, let me know!

Comments:

Brian - Apr 0, 2006

What’s driving my life? The knowledge that this is the best place to be, the quest for the impossible truth, nothing. Take your pick.

The other question I actually have an answer to. What something to do that has nothing to do with food or money: theatre, puzzles, board games, philosophy, combining jokes into other jokes, sex (this is a bit harder and could involve both, but nevertheless). I could go on. Don’t get yourself down. You enjoy life way too much for someone driven by two things, animalistic or not.