I decided to tackle my list of desired hobbies the only way I know how; head on. I went on a shopping spree to buy all sorts of things. I needed second hand clothing for my handbags and second hand jewelry for my re-envisioned jewelry line. I needed a better camera for my photography, groceries for my home cooked meals, airline tickets for my travel excursions and so much more.
My favorite hobby or passion of all time is traveling. I could easily live out of a suitcase every day of my life. If I could afford it, I would never rent an apartment again. I would just hop from city to city. Maybe one day I will, but for now I have to settle for mini-adventures.
Before I quit, I went to a new city approximately six times a year. Since I had a full-time job, most of those trips were just for 3-days over the weekend. They still added up and made me feel alive despite their short lifespans. Ever since I moved to Los Angeles, 31 months ago, I have traveled approximately 30,000 miles by air each year. (I want to make it to the 50,000 mile mark this year.) That doesn't include trips up to San Francisco, down to San Diego or over to Las Vegas. Needless to say, I didn't spend much time at home as it was.
The weekend I quit, I was in Las Vegas with friends from college. I actually gave my employment agency notice via email from my hotel room. It seemed fitting somehow. I told my boss and the company the following Monday. Then I went to Las Vegas again the following weekend, by myself, as a reward. I lounged in a huge spa-like bathtub, sipped wine, listened to soothing music, played craps, ate delicious food and slept a lot. It was fantastic. Two weeks after I quit I was back in Las Vegas again with some of my rugby teammates. (Oh yeah, I played rugby for 8 years until I quit my job and decided rugby was too much like a job to continue). I spend a lot of time in Las Vegas. In fact, I will be going back again at the end of March with some friends who live in San Diego. If living in Sin City wouldn't ruin it for me, I would move there in a heartbeat.
Before that fourth Las Vegas trip is able to happen, I will be in Panama City Beach, Florida for four days. I convinced my lifelong friend to join me in the notorious spring break destination to act like 21 year olds for a few days. She nervously agreed and that is what we will be doing in exactly 52 hours. I was in charge of booking everything so I got us a two-bedroom luxury suite in a hotel that does not allow anyone under the age of 25 to check-in. Just because we are going to act like 21 year olds, doesn't mean we have to stay in a loud, crappy hotel. We are going to show those college kids how to really party. Then we will haul our achy old bodies to our room to recover in silence.
After Florida and the fourth round of Sin City fun, it will be just a few short weeks before I am back in the air. I am doing a month long "hopper" trip. I am flying from Los Angeles to Ohio where I will spend time with friends from the post-collegiate year in which I lived in my hometown with my parents followed by an alumni reunion weekend at my alma mater. Then I will be driving to Chicago with someone and then we will both be flying to Aruba to meet up with our other friend and her mother. I have already looked up some of the historical sites in Aruba and can't wait to explore it.
After Aruba I will be heading to Orlando to spend a week, alone, in a one-bedroom condo. I will likely spend my days at the pool or wandering around the city by bus. Maybe a trip to Universal Studios to check out the finished Harry Potter attraction. My family and I were there last spring and even though it wasn't finished yet, it looked pretty cool. Really though, I'm only staying in Orlando because I had to find something to do between Aruba and a wedding I am attending the following week. It just didn't make sense to fly all the way back to Los Angeles. After I am done in Orlando I will rent a car and drive to New Orleans to take in the sites, sounds and tastes of that city before backtracking a few miles to the wedding in Florida. Then it is back to the relatively boring Los Angeles for a few months. Luckily, I will have a month long European backpacking trip to look forward to.
Okay, I realize I may have a problem. I just want to keep moving at all times. Remaining stagnant is my biggest fear. I'll get help for it eventually but right now, I'm just going to enjoy my lunacy.
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