Guilty Socializing

Dogged Business

For the last three weeks, I've been house hopping from dog-sitting job to the next. It's been both a pleasure and a pain, once locking myself out of the house, twice dealing with naughty puppies, and always having my (extremely incompetent) iPhone lose battery on walks. Can a girl get a podcast please?!

Needless to say, I have gotten home, cooked myself some potstickers, and am lounging in the bed that I've missed so much. I'm ready for a slovenly night in when I get a series of texts.

"Come to Maxwell's, it's a wine bar, we'll be there around 6."

Sitting in an empty house for the first time in nearly a month, I'm like, "I should go." The website looks enticing, and it's a balmy autumn day just ready to become a cool and clear night. What fun would it be to spend a night on the town, meeting new people with my best friend? And why should I feel so torn over what promises to be a relaxing nigh out?

Doggone Tired of Driving

The most annoying part of being a dog sitter has been the travel. Connecting the dots between my doggies, I'd travel 10 miles from one side of town to the next, where my cluster of dog walking jobs are. Add in some auditions in the city, and I feel I've spent a lifetime of hours in the car. 

"I support autonomous cars mostly because of how much time they'd afford humans. Think of how many books you could read, how many languages you could learn, how much work you could do, if you didn't need to concentrate on driving when commuting to work."

That's Riccardo's input. I've sat in a good amount of traffic over the last couple of weeks, wondering who on earth tracks the traffic lights to make me catch a red every time. Do you know how bad this is for fuel economy?! 

The Crux of the Problem

I guess what I'm trying to say, is, do I make the effort to dress nicely and go out on the town, when I dislike the means of getting there? 

You might be saying, "Sal, just get public transport and go."

That I might just do.

I think it may be more than that, though. Oftentimes, I might say "it's too far", but what I mean to say is, "it's too exhausting". Socializing in and of itself can be a difficult thing to do. I don't think I've made any friends by just hanging out. We'd always have a task to do, whether it was rehearsing for choir concerts, meeting up for group projects, or laughing at dance classes. I will always feel confused when a potential new friend just wants to hang out. 

"It's no pressure! This isn't a chore socialising, lol" the latest text buzzes out.

Then I realise something I haven't in a while. I just want to get on my bicycle and go. I haven't afforded any "me" time of late, and it is most enjoyable to just get lost, to feel the fresh air in my lungs, to enjoy the sharp autumn afternoon shadows, the wind blowing in my hair. Now that's what I call a nice Saturday evening out.

It is lovely to have a catch-up with an old friend, I will give you that. But perhaps I'll be more prone to attending if she suggested a night bowling, or baking, because God knows how little I drink, how little I want to talk over the sound system, but mostly, how little I want to be stuck in traffic on a Saturday night.