Rebel Yell!

An annoying aspect of being out of college is the establishment of patterns and routines. While there was some semblance of routine in college, it was quite sporadic, one didn’t always have the same schedule everyday, after a few months classes changed, and you saw new faces walking around, different work out schedule. In reality the only pattern that remained constant were the dining hall hours, or at least that’s how I revolved any patterns I established.

Life, post-college however, is the complete opposite where 2/3 of my day is spent in the exact same way. Every day I wake up at the same time, to the same alarm sound, drink the same morning beverage, get in the same car and drive the same commute, to go to the same office building to do the same work every day. I leave at the same time every day, reverse the commute, arrive home the same time most days depending on rush hour, which now has new meaning other than a crappy Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan movie that I’ve definitely seen more times than I would like to admit. I eat dinner, sometimes do some form of exercise, watch the same TV shows, and go to sleep at the same time every night. While having a job in general in this market has been nice, this Monday to Friday routine takes its toll on the creative and innovative spirit I once possessed.

There was a time when I would spend 2/3 of my day dreaming up the next theme party to host at my frat house which could lead to somewhat consensual sex with the beautiful drunken co-eds that gathered around the keg of stale Natty Light. My creativity was applied to everything that mattered most, theme parties, brands of condoms for the weekend, story-telling, nick-naming, and most importantly, laying ground work with my flavor of the week in preparation for the upcoming theme party. I never set an alarm clock, or followed a specific route around campus, never went to the same building every day, and definitely never, ever, drank anything in the morning other than H2O, Gatorade, or the beer that I miraculously did not spill while passing out the night before while watching late night HBO.

So sitting here, in my plot on the cubicle farm, looking at my phone and seeing the date as 10/23, makes me think I want to reduce or simplify my life back to the time when 2/3 of my life was so much more fun, innovative, and creative. Nostalgia sets in and I reminisce about good times, no responsibilities, and no 9-5 yuppie conforming life. But then the other 1/3 of my brain kicks in and I realize that we all can’t be Peter Pan, and that Neverland loses its luster, and that I can find a Starbucks within 5 minutes of my office in any direction. Maybe I’ll choose a different Starbucks today just to feel good about the 2/3 of rebel I still have in me.