Monday

So the question I get asked a lot is: "What do you do with your day, Ella?" For some reason, my mates think I sit at home with nothing to do. This isn't the case. Read on.

Everyday is structured to shit

So before, my days consisted of struggling out of bed to get to the gym or in time to not look totally disinterested in my job. (You know that really tired feeling in your muscles and mind where you just want to snooze for a little bit longer? as if you had Chronic Fatigue) I used to struggle out of bed because I was constantly tired from either the weekend that had just passed or from really long hours at work. I used to get to work knowing that my whole day was pretty much already taken up. I could fit in some emailing, a rushed lunch, maybe a gym session in the afternoon or a dinner with a friend or the family, but that was about it. And I did that for over four years. Come Thursday or Friday, depending on how awesome or awful the week had been, I'd be craving the weekend.

Now, my days are slightly different but I am still really busy. But doing what? I'm working as a casting agent at Six Wolves. It's a neat job because the hours are flexible and it isn't full time- just on an 'as-needs-basis". I'm doing something that is of more interest to me and I'm learning something a bit different to the intricacies of banking. What else do I do?

I catch up with friends that I would normally only get to see on the weekends. Today I met up with Sarah. She's going away on a world trip for several months so it was good to feed off her excitement and say goodbye and gossip a bit. And tomorrow for instance, I'm meeting Andrew at Sydney Uni. He works there. I meet people for breakfast too. (I must say that one of the things I have liked most about not working a nine to five job is going to the gym then meeting a mate for breakfast on a weekday! small pleasures dude.) I still meet up with mates in corporate jobs although I try to catch them after work because I can't say I particularly like food courts. I figured, I'd prefer to cook for myself than head into the city for food court food.

I plan and think. This takes time! If you work in an office job, either you or your boss would normally be taking time out to do this planning on your behalf. Now, I have to do that bit myself. For example, tomorrow I'm going for a run, then a breakfast on Challis Ave, then I'm going to do some printing and photocopy my (first) zine and apply for some courses for next year, then have lunch and then fix my mobile phone plan (iPhone or HTC Magic? for the last two months, I've racked up mobile phone bills of over $250 - ouch!), then make a cake with my mum and use her as my subject for my photography assignment. In my unemployed state, I also get to think about what I'm going to do with the rest of my life... yeah, try that. I bet most of you aren't thinking about that and don't want to. It's tough thinking about that shit actually. People go through their whole lives and don't think about it. Or maybe people just want to have babies and live in a nice house which I'm not dissing.

I'm trying to be helpful. So one of the things that people think about being unemployed is that you have a lot of time on your hands and that you can help them out, on a whim. Like if they need a driver or a babysitter etc. This isn't completely a lie but I've been learning to be a bit more selfish of late. It's still my time I'm giving up. I think people forget this.

I get to go for a walk (or run) at 9am instead of the ungodly and freezing hour of 7am. This is rad. I like walking in the morning. I normally like walking to music but my headphones are dead at the moment. It's still good to clear my head for the day ahead.

I get to visit galleries and museums whenever. Yes, I'm one of those people who will drop into a really quiet gallery and walk around for half an hour and ask a question of the dude behind the desk just to see if he is awake or not.

No denying it, I spend time making the most of Twitter and Facebook. I prefer Twitter. There is more free knowledge sharing going on there and less showing off. I get to browse forums and bulletin boards and search for cool new blogs and websites. I love reading opinions and the internet is great for that. Often I don't agree but hell, it's still what someone thinks and I'm interested in why they think that, I guess, but I shall not digress.

So maybe, you are right, and my time is taken up by a permutation of "jack shit" but I feel busy which I think suffices for now. I'm glad I didn't buy that house and get myself a mortgage. The tone of this blog might be a bit different if I'd done that.

xxx