ok, i was set to do this on saturday and would have, therefore, only been off by one day, but blogger was proving uncooperative, thus i had to hold off until today. that said, here is the friday five on monday, followed by an actual post of substance, shockingly enough (and yes, i use the term "substance" loosely):

1. what was the last tv show you watched?
the today show this morning (i'm not even going to try to answer this like i would on friday - go with it).

2. what was the last thing you complained about?
lack of tours today. yes, i'm just as scared as you are that that complaint left my mouth. but i actually preferred having tours to look forward to - the people were always cool, it got me out of the office for awhile and it made the day go by faster. i'm bored today.

3. who was the last person you complimented and what did you say?
emily - i commented on how i really liked the shirt she's wearing today - it's this very cool cranberry color and i'm a big fan of it. then we discussed our mutual appreciation for the various shades of pink and i discussed how i have finally embraced my appreciation for the color (although i tend to go for more rose-based hues, darker than cotton candy pink). yes, it was a very indepth philosophical discussion. did i mention i'm bored today?

4. what was the last thing you threw away?
gum wrapper.

5. what was the last website (besides this one) you visited?
yahoo mail to check my email.

and now for the post of substance.

good weekend all in all, gave myself the opportunity to relax and, on sunday, enjoy the absolutely gorgeous sunshiney weather (it continues to be glorious today, although a little breezy, which wouldn't be a problem in the least if i wasn't wearing a long wrap skirt, if you know what i mean). georgetown barhopping was the name of the game friday evening, where i finally found a cute guy (with an accent, no less) to flirt with and chat with a bit - of course it's my luck that the accent (new zealand) should have been an indication that said guy might be a tourist and, oh yeah, leaving the area the next day ... but nonetheless. i'm not a fan of gearing up to going out on friday nights - happy hours are great because you just leave the office and go, but for really "going out" one needs time to be able to relax. therefore, register my vote for taking it easy friday evenings and going out on saturdays.

but it was still a very fun time - new area of nightlife to check out and whatnot. there are some very chill places in georgetown to carouse (sp?) in, although i overall prefer adams morgan to gt. more life there, i suppose - more options, more people, etc.

saturday and sunday were spent doing whatever. not much to report, but my body appreciated the chance to relax and recharge the batteries as much as possible. my fascinating saturday night? chipotle, a couple of phone calls and the second harry potter movie. fun times indeed. yet i was perfectly content with it. :-)

so i think i figured out why i have been going into some rather odd philosophical tangents as of late - and i suppose i can consider this a showcase of some of my best and worst traits. first, the backstory: lately i've been thinking about why we do the things we do. professionally (why we have a certain job), personally (examining the claim that the meaning of life is the relationships we form with others) and basic human necessity (what brings happiness? what brings sorrow? what is the difference between the two?). and i've been thinking about these pretty indepth whenever the thoughts pop into my head. it makes me want to ask people why they do the things they do. why do people walk around the neighborhood where i live during the weekends - wandering from store to store looking for clothes, food, music, etc. what fuels people to go out weekend after weekend, looking for people to meet and experiences to be had? let's say someone is doing everything he or she is supposed to be doing - going to work every day, working 40 hours a week, bringing home a paycheck, etc. - what is the deeper reasoning behind these actions? why, really, are they doing it? what is the infinite payoff? if you had to break it all down to a basic, fundamental explanation, what would that explanation be?

during the end of my lunchbreak today, as i was attempting to psych out the huge yellowjacket that was lurking menacingly around the area i was soaking up sunshine in, it hit me just why these thoughts have been popping into my head. for as long as i can remember, really all of my life, i've been doing things in anticipation of the next thing. you go through elementary school each year with the promise of another year, something new, approaching late the following august. then you get into junior high and it's all about reaching the next grade and becoming that much older, that much cooler - all the while the thought of COLLEGE looming ahead (this brings, depending on the age and whether or not you're waiting to hear if you were accepted or not, both excitement and dread.). college hits and it's great because you have four years to study exactly what it is that you want to study, molding and shaping yourself into What You Are Going To Be When You Grow Up. so you're anticipating your first steps into the real world and the rest of your life.

and then there's after college. you've got your job, you've got your place to live (whether it be an apartment, a house, your family home, etc.) and you can just focus on the status quo - doing what you're doing, what all of the work before got you to. you don't have to worry about not being able to make it - you've made it. you just have to focus on your job, your relationships and whatnot. that's really just about it - enjoy yourself and be happy.

but i've always thrived on focusing on The Next Thing. it's always pushed me, fueled me, driven me forward. so to have to suddenly put the brakes on and accept the fact that i should be enjoying the status quo doesn't work for me. i still want to know what's next. i still want to figure out what's around the corner. i want to get to wherever it is i'm supposed to be going so i can reach that checkpoint and move on to the next one. i don't do stationary. i move, pulse, gogogo.

basically i feel as if i'm supposed to reverse 22 years worth of thought process. and i don't want to.

does anyone else ever feel this way or is this just yet another example of how i can be truly batty sometimes?