Sunday, August 30, 2009
Really Bad Habits

Of all the reasons why I don't like living with my parents (crazy long commute to/from work, being far from the city where all the fun is, being stuck in the suburbs, having my parents around, etc.), I think the one that bothers me the most is that I don't like the habits I fall in/out of when I'm at home. For the five years that I lived on my own I did what most adults would do: I did my own laundry, I went grocery shopping, I cooked, I cleaned and generally took care of myself and all my affairs in a fairly responsible manner.

Take a snapshot of my life now and you'd see a lazy twenty-something who leaves her dirty laundry in a pile in her room for her mother to pick up. You'd see someone who's the last to eat a meal and leaves all her dirty dishes in the sink at the end of the night. She's also the same one that does no chores around the house, not even clean her own space and instead allows her mother to clean her washroom. You'd see someone who doesn't bother shopping for food, doesn't make any food and when faced with breakfast on Saturday mornings would sooner eat a Nestle ice cream cone than even make a bowl of cereal. PEOPLE. I am eating ICE CREAM for breakfast. There is something seriously wrong here. In short, I've become a lazy-ass of the worst variety.

So yesterday morning, after sleeping in, watching infomercials and eating junk food first thing in the morning (on the menu: a handful of cold dumplings straight outta the fridge, a handful of coconut-milk-coated-and-deep-fried peanuts, and aforementioned Nestle Drumstick - OMG - I still can't get over the ice cream...), I instantly perked up when I realized that I had a spare car to myself for the day and took off for the mall. I had a couple of errands that I needed to run - responsible things, like bringing my shoes in for repair, buying face wash, toothpaste, and I had a coupon to use at the Gap! I looked forward to doing independent adult stuff like that.

Three hours later, I left the mall without any face wash nor any toothpaste, having not used my coupon (I did at least manage to bring my shoes in for repair) and instead had two shopping bags filled with THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS' worth of new tops, cardigans, a dress and a pair of faux-snake skin heels. All those commercials are right - cars and credit cards really do give you a sense of freedom. Well, "freedom", or the idea that you can do whatever the hell you want in the most fiscally irresponsible of ways.

The only good thing that came of yesterday was going for a run after returning from the mall (perhaps I needed to cleanse myself of the guilt that comes with blowing that much money in one session at the mall), only to scarf down dinner afterwards (made by mum, of course) and then take the car and head downtown because I hate being stuck in the suburbs and the city is where all the fun is anyway.

These will all be arguments I use when trying to convince my family that me moving out (the sooner the better!) is a REALLY good idea.