Sunday snapshot(s)

Oddly, given that Mondays can be such a major drag, Sunday night used to be my favourite evening of the week. Even in high school I used to enjoy it - with my Sony Walkman as my companion, I'd usually go for a long walk on Sundays after dinner. I rarely partake in the Sunday night stroll (particularly in winter), but I do still view the evening as a contemplative one. Basically, I like to use Sundays as a means to contemplate on the week that was, and speculate on the week that will be.

About mid-way through this past week, I realized I was getting into a rut, that I was falling into a dull trap: get up in the morning, eat my breakfast, head to work, work until 5:00, and then head back home to eat dinner, maybe I'd read or watch something on tv, and then I'd go to bed. Only to start that routine all over again the next morning. I'm not sure why I haven't been out too much this year. Well, I can probably guess: I've been consumed with money concerns, and fearful of spending too much lest I don't have a job come April. I'm on contract, and so I'm feeling a mite vulnerable, given the economic uncertainties. I retain some confidence that I'll be safe - and my boss, who essentially created the position for me and has been my champion assured me she'd fight to the bitter end to retain me - but there's always that minor uncertainty. And while I do have a fairly strong and diverse - and, thus, employable - skill set (not to mention I'm somewhat self sufficient: I'll always be able to pick up some freelance writing to tide me over), I dread the thought of having to look for work, particularly in this shitty economy. Pounding the proverbial pavement is a soul destroying exercise, and one I'm sadly too familiar with.

But all that said, I'm doing my best to break out of this rut, finances be damned. To wit, I decided I was going to take myself out on Thursday after work: to treat myself to dinner, a drink or two, and hang out with a book. As luck would have it, my friend M. was free, so instead I went out with him to hoist a beer. And last night, the lovely A. and I hit Gate 403 for some food and music. I'm laying low today (I did get out for a nice run though, and I'm going to throw in a DVD once I finish off this post), but we're doing a winterlicious dinner on Wednesday. And I'm going to take myself out to see Slumdog Millionaire, probably Tuesday (leaving work early to catch a 4:20 show). Yes, these are still somewhat loner-ish activities, but let's face facts: I'm a loner! Not a recluse, but someone that enjoys time to myself, but out in public, and perhaps with one friend.

Wow, a dull post. Thank god I have no readers.

Reading: Finished the second book of Bolano's 2666 - the fourth part (which was very bleak) - and going to read something easily digestible before tackling the last part, so I'm going to pick up Dupont Circle by Paul Kafka-Gibbons. I bought it in a bookstore while in DC's Dupont Circle, so it should be a nice reminder of my trip. Interestingly, he has a web site with some of his unpublished work available for free download.
Listening: Sade's Best of (finally bought a copy of it from iTunes - my original copy was basically unplayable; funny, it always conjures up Japan since I listened to it obsessively, particularly while riding the trains, when I was visiting a few years back), misc. songs that I'm burning into iTunes (I have so much space to use up on my iPod, so I might as well use it with the bulk of my CD collection).
Watching: Triumph of the Will, Breathless, The Leopard (DVDs taken from St. Mike's Library).