Summer Employed

I was hired recently at a summer camp for a 9 to 5 type job. I recall my previous 9 to 5 jobs, and how consuming they can be. At first I tell myself I'm just adjusting, but then weeks later, I still don't want to leave the house. I think I'll have to fight against fatigue to experience the city and friendships, to not have these six weeks disappear.

It seems to have happened a bit in Toronto. I didn't have much creative output last year, although perhaps some energy was funelled into academic texts. There's an optimistic and pessimistic rationale: maybe I was too busy integrating to a new place, having new experiences, to take stock. Or maybe the loneliness of a new place exhausted me psychologically. This summer, I would like to experience new things, even at a cost of reflection. But I also want to be able to remember. I'm not even sure these are inversely related. I don't know how or if I experience burnout, in addition to, or as a better explanation for, the schedule adjustment period that I know I struggle with. I don't have a lot in the way of explanation for how I feel. It's easier to think instead about what I want, so that's what I'm doing in this post.

To mitigate some soul-sucking effects of simply having less time to myself, I've set the following goals for every week of working:

1. Attend a (ideally new) event that Montreal offers: one of the festivals in Place des Arts, a show, etc.
2. See a friend one-on-one. Like many friends, group gatherings can sometimes elicit more angst than comfort, but a 1-person hangout has a solid chance of making me feel connected.
3. Do something to retain ties to Toronto folks. Text someone, call, send a letter.
4. Write personally. Could be a journal entry, blog post, etc.
5. Apply to a full-time job. I don't have serious hopes to find myself a gig immediately following camp, but I would like to continue thinking about what posts are suitable for me and what exists.
6. Attend a community-oriented event. A Food Not Bombs serve, a workshop, a reading group.
7. Go to a new cafe (or barring that, a new food place).

I've also tweaked my budget to allow for more entertainment expenses (a whole 100 for entertainment, up from its previous 60 - to those curious, this excludes eating out).

And then there are some things I'd like to do this summer while working, but not every week:

1. Go on a hike.
2. See my aunts.
3. Take advantage of having a monthly OPUS card to go on an EXO line.
4. Host a gathering to celebrate my birthday