Lazy

I recently read something that talked about the art of doing nothing--not going into a coma in front of the tv (my favorite pastime), actually blocking out free time when you are not tired from a long day or long week at work and simply doing nothing.

This is kind of what I was trying to achieve on my birthday mini vacation. The idea was to go somewhere--not too far (involving not too much travel time), that held interesting attractions (San Diego was my destination), but that I didn't have to do anything--no work, no books I had to read, no structured time lines--just do nothing. The idea was really intriguing. The reality didn't quite live up to the bill. I still needed to get ice.

My do nothing plan was put on hold to get my hair done (for those of you who know me--stop laughing, I mean blow dryed--it stays straigher and more professional if I have it blow dryed and I'm useless at trying to do it myself). I had to wait an hour for an appointment, so I went to Ralphs and there were some great books newly out that I had to buy. Finally I got everything done to the point of having nothing to do again (my goal after all), but I needed ice. There were pigeons on the balcony. That's right I was frightened by a bunch of pigeons on the balcony so I stayed in the room with the screen door closed (but I did have a lovely view of the ocean).

So I finally had the view, the ice and the plan--do nothing. I had my computer in case I wanted to write a blog (I really did think I would write a lot, but I didn't). I had my new books. I didn't have too many snacks, because I didn't want to go crazy eating which is my usual modus operendi (of course that back fired since the next day, my do nothing plan was put on hold to go back to Ralphs to buy snacks.)

Faced with nothing to do, I turned on the tv. I flipped through the limited chanels. I watched Law and Order (that I'd probably seen more than once before), then a movie, then another movie, then I turned on a movie on my computer, then I read one of my books (although this might have been after I went out for snacks--I love the snacks when I'm reading a good book), then I read another book (I read really fast--it is a real budget buster). These mindless activities were interrupted for dinner (the trip to Ralphs for snacks) and several trips to get ice. Except for the ocean view, I can do all this stuff at home, so I had to chalk the trip up to a pleasant "not quite" success.

So you know how the universe puts itself into syncronicity. I'm reading about the art of doing nothing after having the experience of trying it and then last night I was watching this completely forgettable, mindless, too much violence (I mean they shot at point blank at each other and the hero wasn't killed--ridiculous) movie ("Collateral" with Tom Cruise--boy has he taken some off the wall spooky scary roles--he is out there) and the one character is pointing out to the other character that his life has no meaning because for all his talk about goals, he still spends the evening sitting in his bark a lounger being put into a coma by tv (or something to that effect).

So I'm sitting here (well actually in my car while I was formulating what I wanted to put into my blog) and I'm thinking goals? do nothing? doomed to a life being put into a coma by tv? Bark a lounger? I really need one of those. I'm so lame that I sit in an office chair behind a desk at home and at work. In my sitting room (my version of my living room), I sit at my desk to eat dinner in the evening and watch tv and in the morning to eat breakfast and work a sudko (my idea of being retired without retiring--taking a leisurely morning every chance I get to carve out a real morning--not a series of rush, rush, rush that had previously been my life, but I think I'm digressing from my digression--math, it's everywhere--inside joke). I need a really good lounge chair--one with a refrigerator in the arm rest. And a portable ice maker that I can take on vacation. I definitely have a goal now.

I'm so bad at endings. I need to work on that. Except that I've kind of got my hands full on this do nothing plan. I just went to Jo Ann Fabrics and got a bunch of craft stuff. It is July. That's right, Christmas is right around that corner. Lazy may be one of those pipe dreams or on another level something I just don't need any work on at all. Well oiled machine. I just need some ice.