I’ve been kicking around the question of what I want to do with my soon-to-be limited quantity of spare time. I definitely want some social involvement in there. And I want some more open-ended interaction with people who aren’t gay/bi men. Not that there aren’t alot of cool gay/bi men out there, but a broader perspective on the world is cool. I also want to spend time with gay/bi men, because I have no intention of staying single indefinitely or being unselective. Unfortunately, time is limited, so I can’t do _everything_.
I refuse to start watching television again. Which basically means my only connection to most people I run into will be the news, because I won’t be able to talk about anyone’s favorite sitcoms/dramas/music videos. I’m okay with that. I won’t turn into a bar fly. Alcohol is expensive, and I’m not a big fan of the taste.
I am considering going lacto-ova out in the world (though still vegan-leaning) and vegan at home. It would probably be better for me healthwise. It’d definitely be better for me socially. It’s not such a huge leap from where I currently am. I don’t think I’ll feel much guilt for it. Veganism isn’t very challenging in SF. In downtown chicago, well, that’s another story.
So here are some of the ideas I’ve come up with:
- WoW or FFXI I will not do both. I like the character development aspects of FFXI mucho better than WoW. WoW is both less interesting in terms of character development, and far less tedious. But socially speaking, WoW wins hands down over FFXI. So Mesharr may never again see the light of day, poor dear.
- Working out For my health, for my appearance, and for my psychological well being, I need to do this. But it’s so hard to make the time. At least twice a week is my goal
- Gaming in the burbs with
and friends It’s fun, they’re good guys. This is a social dead end, but I’m okay with that. The bigger problem is that it’s a huge time sink (1 hr+ to the burbs, 1hr+ back, much driving while there), and it complicates my work/workout/commute/sleep/eat routine. This consumes all of any tuesday evening I’ll be doing it. - Volunteering I think I can make time for one or maybe two causes.
- Howard brown health center (gay/lesbian health center) The guy who took care of me for the appointment already encouraged me to come back and volunteer with them. Maybe too much gay? Possible conflict of interest with gao healthcare work?
- Some existing political thing, Would Hatch Act concerns figure in here a little? I won’t do data entry or doorknocking, that’s an irritating waste of my time. My first choice would be something involving environmental education and outreach. Green Tech U might work, but the location is _not_ convenient, and it’s a rather passive, you-come-to-us/strictly class provision org. As well as being a city govt thing. In all other ways, it is cool. Then there are the money orgs, which don’t seem to do much other than lobby. Not a huge fan of that.
- Starting an org This has a certain appeal. I know it’s *very* occupying. But I could honestly say I’m working on something I believe is really important rather than volunteering for the ACLU, HRC, or the Sierra club where I think “good things, but not really top priority.” My ideas include an urban eco-tourism group or something that represents and politicizes the concerns of run-away/suicidal homo youth and/or victims of repressive regimes abroad. This is probably something that should wait until I’m more established.
- Social Clubs
- Vegetarian activists (shudder) I am not the evangelical type. But likely to attract people with similar ideals (if generally very different approaches to those ideals)
- Generic local social organizations like MEETinCHICAGO. No quality control on these people, but that’s part of the excitement.
- Starting an environmentalist reading group. I really enjoyed the conversations in my classics of environmental lit class, but a 300+ page book/week, with supplemental readings was just too much. One book a month, with two months for books like “Nature’s Metropolis” would be good, I think. I could also put it out on meetinchicago, earthsave chicago, etc.
- Dancing/Gymnastics Probably taking classes I know there’s a place that offers dance classes in Andersonville, not too far away. Gymnastics, sadly, is less convenient. Also, I want to do the two stepping/line dancing stuff at Charlie’s (local gay bar) on monday or wednesday nights. No more than once a week, because of time concerns.
- Conferences I wasn’t especially wowed by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force conference, so I don’t think I’ll be doing that again, but I’ve been seriously considering going to conferences around sustainable development issues. Which ones? Don’t know. Probably pricy, but not hugely time consuming (a weekend here, a weekend there…)
- Unstructured time I need unstructured time during my week to stay sane. Large amounts. Some for flexibility, and some to just slack.
So, yeah. Hmmm. Those are the things I’m considering doing with my time. Oh, and I mustn’t forget dating, my many lj subscriptions or travel. Fun stuff.
I want to take salsa lessons. That was my new year’s resolution. Hasn’t happened yet. Maybe in Burlington.
I think I’m more interested in swing & the linedancing/two-stepping plan. But we’ll see how it all goes.
I think the last option is the most important one. Having unstructured time opens you up to the universe and lets wonderful and unforseen things flow into your life.
On a more practical level, you might want to wait and see just how much (or how little) spare time you actually do have before you sign up to something. I’ve often found when embarking on a new job venture that there’s a steep decrease in free time at the beginning but things open up a little as I’ve settled in. Sometimes I’ve been able to start doing things that I didn’t originally think I had the time for.
*snuggle*
That’s a very good point, being flexible is important. But having ideas for what to do with the time, so that I don’t just spend it all in one habitual, but relatively unsatisfying activity is important, too. =)
Not that you asked, but my vote goes to working out and unstructured time–and make sure to devote that unstructured time to getting adequate sleep, if that isn’t an assumption already. 😉
It was an assumption, and how false it has turned out to be… =)
Are all of these ideas mutually exclusive? How much time are you actually going to have?
If I had to pick just one from all of them, I’d pick working out, since being active is important. Gaming/WoW/FFXI are fun, but the social aspect of each doesn’t feel as complete to me as meeting people in person.
It’s hard to say. 🙂 Maybe when you figure out how much time you will have, if you already don’t know, you’ll be able to make a concrete decision. Just make sure, like Jeimz said, to get enough sleep.
Well, I can clearly choose a few things, but it’s a matter of how involved I want to be in any of them.
The main advantage of the online gaming is that I don’t have to leave the house to do it. More relevant in the winter in chicago than in the spring and fall. =)
I used to live in Appleton, WI, so I’m well aware of the winter in that area. That’s where I picked up Final Fantasy XI, since it was a far cry better not being able to pull out of my driveway without having to shovel snow, and so I completely agree. 🙂
Personal Experience:
I went in thinking I would love FFXI and I would bitterly hate WoW.
I played FFXI and hated the fuck out of it. It was boring as shit.
I played WoW and never stopped.
I’ve played over a year of ffxi, and a few months of WoW. My experience… differs. =)
Speaking of veganism, Laura and I recently discovered how easy it is to make vegan mexican food. I’ll have to give you the recipe for how I fry up the black beans (in olive oil, of course. Substituting olive oil for random things makes mexican food far tastier, and far more veggie-friendly). Beyond that its just how fresh your salsa fresca is (you can probably make it at home , even in Chicago, by just buying the vegetables you think should be in salsa, cutting them up, and mixing them together. I don’t know whether they sell cilantro in grocery stores there, but its not bad without it) and how you heat your corn tortillas (my new favorite way, put a little olive oil on ’em, rub the olive oil all over the tortillas with your hands, making sure its just a thin oily coat, nothing thick enough to drip off, otherwise you’ll start a toaster fire, and toast ’em).
After a year of focusing on one lvl 60 in WoW, I dusted off my 57 druid and got him to 60 too. I feel qualified to say hell yes WoW is addicting. Moreso when you play in a guild of 300+ dramatic queens.
Chicago is constructed entirely out of red meat and cheese. Differing from Milwaukee only in that there is less focus on sausage and beer. But only a little less.
I find out working out 5x a week is easier than 2x or 3x