I was uber lazy today. I got up at 9:00, had a glass of orange juice and then went back to sleep. Who does that? I finally got up and got dressed around 11:30 and had a baked sweet potato. I watched some Jersey Shore and got ready to go to the Oriental Institute. I had planned to meet Rob there this afternoon to watch a film about archaeology. He couldn't make it because his church function lasted longer than he thought it would. I watched the film anyway and toured the museum afterwards. The close up of the winged bull with a human head wall carving frightened me. The figure is about 16 feet tall and stands alone in a dimly lit gallery. I felt like it was going to come to life at any moment. I visited the Seminary Co-Op bookstore, and it was amazing. The store is tucked away downstairs and all the books are stacked haphazardly on these makeshift wooden shelves. The aisles were narrow and long and form a veritable underground labyrinth. I wanted to stay longer but I was hungry so I eased my way back home.
I talked to Rob for a little bit this afternoon and received a sample of his take on women, apparently we are a manipulative gender who play the victim card too much. He tried to back track but it was too late, I went into a diatribe about gender inequality and damage done in the socialization of girls at an early age. I like healthy debate, and it was nice to not dwell on the current disappointments in his life. I also talked to my sister, and a couple of other friends today and the entry title sums up the theme from all of our conversations.
Tariequa and Jeanetta stress that this is a recession. People are not guaranteed a college degree, a new home, a spouse, 2.5 kids, and a nest egg. It is necessary to find joy where I am and not postpone all happiness until these uncertain benchmarks are met. Desmond and I have had some important conversations that acknowledge our feelings but don't try to force an unrealistic commitment on each other. I haven't stopped having dreams and ambition, but there are certain things that I am not going to do. I'm not going to take a job that I will hate, so that I can spend more money on things that I don't really need. I am not going to spend time with people that I don't like so that I'm not alone. The solution is to keep looking for a great job that I will enjoy and seek people that I will be able to engage with, and I'm working on both.
Amazing Race and 60 minutes were good, I can't believe that guy who climbed up the side of a rock, thousands of feet in the air without any assistance. He was like a real life Spiderman. 307/782 on Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, it is getting better.
