In Pursuit of Happiness: Intro

Having been in DC for almost 6 years, you would think that I have a myriad of activities to keep my social calendar full. I don’t mean hanging out with my friends and then collectively thinking of something to do, but on my own, activities that I can do without depending on a friend’s interest in the same activity. I am trying to discover what things I can do in DC other than going out to the clubs, bars, or even the movies when I want to have a good time. Coming from a deteriorating town in Indiana, I need to learn how to make life in DC exactly what I want it to be. Over the next few months, I will be doing just that. To keep myself motivated, I am going to turn it into a writing exercise titled In Pursuit of Happiness. To help me in this venture, I will be utilizing such resources as Metro Weekly, Washington Blade, City Paper, as well as any community bulletin boards that I happen to come across to find things in the area that I can go out and do for fun. One thing that I should stress is that I am trying to do things that are free. These days, between bills, a rising cost of living and student loan repayment, extra money is scarce, so what little I do have I want to put towards lowering my debt. So, other than the cost of public transportation to and fro, I want to stick to activities that won’t cost me any money. Right about now, someone might be thinking “Why do you need to keep a record of something like this? Is no longer being bored enough motivation?” The answer is this: I am somewhat of a defeatist. I am the glass-half-empty type of guy who will usually give up on something before I have even made an attempt—as expressed previously—and I don’t want to just give up on the possibility of finding something before I have even began to look for it. I have already started doing some of the things that I was interested in—also expressed previously—and I just want to make sure that I feel motivated to continue. I mean, what do I have to lose, right?