Between work, classes and homework, I find myself drifting farther and farther away from my favorite hobbies.
My lack of free time has stopped me from watching my favorite television shows, reading a novel I began way back in January and even cooking a meal out of my favorite cookbook.
I was at Barnes and Noble recently and this awesome cookbook was on sale, 40 percent off – a deal that I couldn’t pass up.
I was about to run to the counter and purchase the new edition of the cookbook in the pretty red binder with the colorful tabs and useful tips.
But then I forced myself to stop and I put it down.
Will I have time to bake something fantastic this week, this month, or even this semester?
Cooking is something I enjoy doing that helps relieve everyday stresses, but now I’m weighing homework against cooking and realize I have no time to slow down.
Since completing V.C. Andrews’ “My Sweet Audrina” in the summer, I’ve become obsessed with her occult series about family mysteries and old mansions. I read the first two books in a five part series, but since the semester started I haven’t been able to read any of “If There Be Thorns.”
The book stares at me from across the desk, but I can’t bear to open it. I figure if I have time to read the novel then I should have time to read my textbooks. No excuses.
The same goes for my television shows. I’ve missed out on my daily dose of “Maury” as well as “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.” The TV is usually my summertime companion, but we would spend some quality time together during the school year every now and then, but now it looks like it’ll remain reserved strictly for the summer.
Thursdays used to be my “Me” days. I would watch hours of television (including “The OC”), paint my nails and take an evening to just relax.
Now even that small time I had set aside for myself has been interrupted. Recently I have been using that time to catch up with everything that I couldn’t manage to fit into the rest of my week.
Since there’s no more “OC,” I guess I can afford to use that time wisely and do some studying.
But I refuse to give up my Saturday nights after work when I manage to watch my favorite show: “Cheaters.”
So this is what my life has come down to: no cooking, no reading, no watching TV?
While spring break is still two weeks away some of the local and national colleges are already on spring break this week and the worst part about not having any extra time is staring me in the face.
I can deal with a semester of no reading for pleasure, no cooking for fun or no vegging out on TV but what hurts the most is not being able to spend it with others.
My friend Norine flew in from Missouri last Saturday and I’ve only seen her once this week. I’ve been trying to condense the overwhelming amount of things I have to do into a few short days, but it hasn’t worked out so well.
With two more weeks until spring break and only a few short months until the summer, I’m hoping that my hobbies and my friends and I can begin to spend some more time together.
Alexandra Lozano, a junior journalism major, is news editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at alozano@ulv.edu.
