Quality of Life (Strife?)

In my pre-post-grad fervor, I have been frantically attempting to come up with ideas for new hobbies to pursue. I can't really remember what my hobbies were prior to starting university or if I even had any - unless you consider "setting fire to things" or "drinking OEs at an elementary school on Fridays nights" hobbies.

So, in the pursuit of cultural enrichment, I have created a short-list of new activities to take up:

1. Krav Maga : So. Fucking. Badass. However, since my current body shape is a cross between Conan O'Brien and ... Well ... (I'm fucking gangly, all right), I'd probably need to start with...

2. A Gym Membership (and the motivation to actually go to the gym). The Y in Victoria is incredibly cheap and is all-inclusive: for the low, low price of $29 per month, I can work out, go to yoga classes, swim, dance, play squash, and hang out in a sauna. Yeah, I'm down. I actually took a tour today on my friend Kyle's suggestion and the facilities looked pretty good. IT'S FUN TO STAY AT THE...

3. Learn to Play Guitar: I've always wanted to do this because guitar players are sexy and awesome, and then I could play little ditties on my fucking guitar and be a superstar and mock my lesser friends and their shitty and inferior instruments. Plus, I could probably make some extra coin if I threw on a pair o' horn-rimmed glasses and took that bitch down to a street corner in Victoria. Bitches in Victoria love people who play guitar and wear horn-rimmed glasses.

4. Read These Books: I really enjoy reading, but it's been so long since I've been able to read for pleasure. I'd like to get more into some "classics" and, you know, get a better feel for some good books. Oh, and re-read "The Master and Margarita". That book is god-like.

5. Write The Great Fantasy Love Story! Seriously, though, I've discussed this with friends before and decided that it needs to be done. Krakens ... and ... teenage romance. I hate Twilight, so I feel like I'd get a lot of satisfaction out of something as ludicrous as this project. You will probably hear more about this once I have time to get wasted and write this story.

Chances are I probably won't do any of these things - instead, I'll sit around playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the millionth time all summer. However, I'll try and keep my list updated and, you know, write about my progress. Or something.

Post-(G)Rad

I have this sinking feeling in my stomach, and I'm not sure what's causing it.

Maybe it's because I completed my Honours thesis defence on Tuesday and I'm still waiting for my grade. Maybe it's because I have my last exam of my degree next Thursday and I haven't even started studying.

... Or maybe it's the pure and utter anxiety of trying to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with myself once I finish up university next week.

Hi. My name is Kate. I'm 21, and I'm just about to graduate with an Honours B.A. in Political Science from the University of Victoria. Lucky me. I'll be qualified to work at Starbucks until I go back for graduate studies.

What do I do now? Do I just chill out for a year and work a dead-end job until the time comes for me to return to the Ivory Tower for an M.A.? Do I try and better my life in some way, or exhibit a little ambition and apply for a more important (see: well-paying) job? Do I lie on the couch eating cheesy poofs watching movies on Netflix? Fuck if I know.

This is the dawning of a new era for me. I was once a rad university student writing essays at the last minute and getting drunk off Colt 45s. Welcome to my post-rad world. Shit.