The dream job has been applied for, but in the meantime I've been spending my days trying to make the most out of unemployment. Hair care trials, gardening, cooking lessons, smoothie mixes, tea brewing, ruck marching, learning how to actually use my DSLR, volunteering, college applications, redecorating....
If the Army was good for anything, it certainly taught me how little I actually need in my closet. Purging has been the activity of choice as of recently. Redecorating has also been a high priority. Going back to the room I grew up in was not exactly triumphant. In fact, it felt rather depressing. No one wants to live at home at 23 when just a few months prior they were convinced they were in a wonderful job and would never have to move home again. However, I take heart in the fact that this very situation has turned out well for others, like Justin Halpern of the Sh*t My Dad Says fame.
Spending day after day sleeping in, wearing sweats constantly, and focusing most of my energy on watching every season of The Killing and Sherlock (both of which I most highly recommend if you have any sort of brain and like puzzles), I eventually realized that I felt exactly the same way I had during summer breaks from high school. About a week ago, I realized that the reason I felt like I was in high school was because I was in a room I decorated in high school.
Thus, the plan was struck: to make myself feel like a grown-up, I was going to make my room look like that of a grown-up. Throw pillows and paintings from Ross, candle holders from Pier One, and a coverlet from Amazon got me a new color scheme and breathed life back into my room. Now I can listen to Ella and Sinatra without having to ignore the stuffed teddy bears and Beanie Babies on my shelf. Tawdry historical romances with names like "To Seduce a Duke" and "The Highlander's Prize" have been replaced with "What I was Doing While You Were Breeding" and "How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World". The nail that once supported my high school project now hangs a golden map of the Western Hemisphere. Little things that change the look of the room entirely. Now to figure out what to do with the giant Victorian dollhouse...
Overhauling the room is just the first step. Next stop is to overhaul the wardrobe. I've come to notice that the girls' whose styles I often admire most never wear t-shirts. Ever. When it's cool, they were cute sweaters and designer flannel and cute tops. When it's warm they wear flowy tanks and tops and all sorts of delightful summery things, none of which involve the typical t-shirt. So, the next step is to turn all of those t-shirts into a quilt of some sort and replace them with classy outfits. The goal is to have people envy my style. Why envy what is so cheap to have?
Hobbies are the other new addition to my life, in an effort to fill the void left by the constant shenanigans of the Army. After having dozens of minions/siblings filling all of my time, I have found that I need a new way to fill my days. At the risk of sounding terribly uptight, I spent a decent amount of time yesterday with my family's gardener discussing herbs. As it turns out, this is the perfect weather to start growing herbs since it's chilly by Florida standards, highs in the low seventies, lows in the mid sixties... The parsley will likely die when it gets warmer, but the basil and mint will soak up as much water and sun as we can give them. Perfect for pasta and mojitos.
Nothing like a good college class to burn up the time as well, and as it turns out, the only class I require for my AA turns out to be the one class I wanted to take when I got home: Creative Writing. That being said, the creative juices have been flowing like Niagara and here is the product of that, along with the two short stories written for class. If you have never taken a Creative Writing course, I would highly suggest taking one as if brings a little extra umph to your writing.
Off to buy more basil, mint, and other things that make me feel mature.
Ciao
Sam
