Moving Out of Grad School

Another contributing factor to my quarter life crisis might be the fact that I recently completed my masters program. I am now a Master of the Fine Art of acting. Which, incidentally, is the terminal degree in my field (my field being acting), so the chances of my pursuing further education at this point seem... slim. Especially in light of the whole student loans to employment prospects ratio.

It might be worth mentioning that I've been in formal schooling since 1992, when I started kindergarten. I have never, within my conscious memory, not been in school. Does this mean that my current self is closer to my four year old self than any other incarnations of my... self? Sorry, I think that's the kombucha talking.... I guess what I'm saying is I have three diplomas and zero real-world experience to go with them. I'm like a hologram. Or a replicant. Or Sam Rockwell's character in Moon (oops, spoiler alert). 

Pros of Being Out of School:

• I'm not actively borrowing money anymore.
• People will perhaps less frequently tell me that I don't know what the "real world" is like (although probably not...) 
• Strangers will stop giving me unsolicited advice about what to do with my life (although probably not...)
• No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks. 

Cons of Being Out of School:

• I have to start paying back the money that I borrowed. 
• No more student discounts (technically speaking...)
• I will have to depend on "real world" friend-making skills, no more instant-pal classmates. (Whatever happened to friendster?)
• Day job.

Anyway I went back to the theater to clean out my locker, the photo above shows its contents. I've always been fascinated by the idea of seeing one's clothing hung out on a clothes-line, like some shell of your identity strung up so that you can get an outside perspective. This is sort of the same thing.

'Nother Scorcher!

Few things say quarter life crisis quite like purchasing an air conditioner. Yesterday JC (my boyfriend) was supposed to meet me at the farmer's market after I went to yoga (yes, that is what I did yesterday, and that's what this blog is about). Instead, he kidnapped me and my organic kale and took us to Sears because it's supposed to be 98° tomorrow, and we live on the third floor of an un-airconditioned and pretty old house. 

Pros to having an air-conditioner:

• I can continue to keep chocolate in my room without fear of it melting and I won't have to worry about our subletter stealing my chocolate. Not that our subletter has ever stolen anything. But still. It's chocolate. 
• JC and I don't have to pretend that we sleep in separate beds in order to fall asleep.
• I can eat ramen without breaking into a sweat.

Cons to having an air-conditioner:

• They cost money. Both to obtain, and to run.
• The white noise makes it hard to hear the dialogue in the crime dramas I watch out of my feeble laptop speakers.
• They are difficult to install!

Which makes me wonder why JC and I thought this would be a good project to tackle at 1:25 am when I got home from work last night. But we did. And we failed. This morning, however, we were much more clear-headed and realized that obviously what we had to do was:

1. Build a small tower of styrofoam pieces.
2. Insert air-conditioner into window so that it is leaning precariously backwards (for proper drainage, as per the directions).
3. Extend those foldy-accordion-thingies.
4. Use a nail to make a hole in the wood of the window.
5. Put a screw through the holes in the air-conditioner into the holes we made with the nail.
6. Make sure the window stays down by propping it with a wooden spoon.

So now we have an air conditioner! Hooray! I think.