What have I been up to?

Because I am a terrible pen pal (this has been proven time and time again), I have received the following question several times: What have you been up to?

I've answered it a few times, but it wouldn't hurt to answer it once more. This (the blog you are currently reading) being a record of my life, the answer should be on here. 

I really have not been doing very much of anything. At first I felt like I needed a break from reality. I allowed myself to succumb to the lazy, beach town-lifestyle of San Clemente. I ate, slept, enjoyed the warm weather, sent my East Coast/London attire on unpaid vacation, and brought my t-shirts, shorts, and flip flops wardrobe out of retirement. This pretty much sums up my activities. Oh, and there has also been plenty of television and movie watching. I think the most exciting thing I've done is start this blog. Pathetic, no?

I eventually grew tired of this lazy lifestyle and decided to rejoin the world of the living. I began work on my final project for BU. I am currently in the research phase for my two 2,500 word magazine pieces. I would describe them, but I was informed by a very reliable source (GQ) that I should not do so. Any project usually undergoes many changes, so the final product usually doesn't resemble the original description. So here's the deal: after I get further into my two articles, I will talk about them in further detail. 

Speaking of GQ, isn't wonderful how I let magazines run my life? I try (key word!) to dress myself according to the rules of GQ and Esquire. And if The New Yorker says "jump," I say "how high?" I'll watch what it tells me to watch and so on. I like guidelines, and these are mine.

But I digress. So I am currently in the process of working on those articles, so that I can actually get my Master's degree. Also, I am trying to find some random part-time job to keep me busy (and earn a little bit of cash) during the other hours in the day. So far, I have not been successful on the job front. I never thought that even a non-career job would be difficult to obtain. This world we are living in is hell. The career I have chosen is rapidly plummeting toward its doom. Why didn't I listen to  my mother and become a doctor instead of a journalist? Oh right, because I am rubbish when it comes to math and science. I blame my mother. She should have read to me from a math book instead of Oscar Wilde and Grimm Brothers. Damn her for making me a reader at a very early age!

Meanwhile, I have also begun haunting all the Starbucks locations in San Clemente. I try to switch it up so as not to become a proper regular, but I spend hours each day at a Starbucks. It's become sort of an addiction. Keeps me out of the house, I get "free" wireless, and I get to overhear so many fascinating conversations. Perhaps I could add anecdotes to each of my posts from now on: what I heard at Starbucks today. 

So that is it. You are completely caught up on my life. Hopefully, my pitiful existence brightens your day. 

Cheers,

- R