Bohemia unleashed...or the travails of a day to myself.

I don't know if you've ever had one of these days, but if you haven't, you should certainly try it out. Sometimes it's just a great idea to have some time to yourself, to just do some self-pampering and screw the finances to hell. Lately, I've been realizing that my busy work schedule has been getting me more stressed, and thus, I determined, it was time for a day all to myself. Likewise, what a day it has been!


So, the rundown. What did I do today? I'm sure that's the question that's on your head. It's certainly on mine. In due time, my dear reader, in due time. Ok, it's due time. I started the day getting up around 10, at which time I made pancakes and watched the thoroughly entertaining if not exceedingly mind-numbing film Anaconda! Yes, that's right, the amazingly horrific (in a hilarious way) and amazingly intelligent (with undertones of idiodicy) film - nay, masterpiece! - starring the blindingly talented Jennifer Lopez (some of you may know her as J-Lo) and the dashing and talented Ice Cube. Oh, it was glorious!

In any case, if it is possible to top such a feature, I then further numbed my half-asleep brain watching the engaging film 10 Things I Hate About You, which, despite Heath Ledger's (cough) dashing (cough cough) good looks (cough - can you tell I'm being ironic? - cough), was mostly entertaining for its eye-candy (of the Joseph Gordon-Levitt variety - what, nerdy types are hot!).

Now, I'm sure you're all very engaged by my day thus far, as I was as well. In any case, at 2 PM, I decided I had already put in too much effort. So, naturally, I took a nap! It was spectacular, as I slept for an hour. Then I decided it was time to be productive, go do something, get some personal fulfillment. Well, in any case, once that was done, I went into Palo Alto!

I did some reading at the illustrious Coupa Cafe (for those of you around campus, if you've never studied there, I highly recommend it. They have free wireless!). While there, I had a cafe milano, which outed me $4.25 but was worth every cent. Presently, you may be saying - but Reo (or whatever you call me), what did you do after that? Well, good question! After two hours reading at the cafe, I decided it was time for some dinner. So, I went to another cafe - the Cafe 220 - for some Mediterranean food. It was good, you know, Cafe 220 style. Then, I decided...drumroll please...to see LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE!

Yeah, it was the perfect way to cap off such a relaxing and me-centered day. I saw the movie while being surrounded by about 149 old and pretentious types from Palo Alto - you know, the money-donating liberal types that populate the hills and tree-lined streets around this campus - who could not stop chattering about how Robin Williams was so great in that movie - oh, what was it called - The Night something or another...ah, yes, Listener - thank you Marge! God...I just wished one of them had stopped talking about the latest expansion of the Stanford Business School or Toni Collette's breakdown scene or the differences in the novel and the movie or the amazing reviews Little Miss Sunshine was getting despite it's "horrible" trailer. Ugh. In any case, I showed them! I promptly bought a ticket and caught them all off guard as I sat in a seat in the corner. Right. Yeah. Nobody noticed, but oh well. I had a good time, a few laughs, and clearly made the woman sitting next to me uneasy by virtue of my being there. Sometimes I really just feel like the young bohemian I'm sure to become in Europe.

In any case, that was my glorious day. Did some thinking, did some reading, did some soul searching, and felt independent. Sometimes it's great to just have a day to yourself - to do things you want to do, and to know that you are perfectly capable of eating alone in a restaurant or sitting alone in a movie theatre. I think I'm ready to face another work week, finally.