Balancing Dreams with your Nine to Five

Me, standing on the rocks at
Avenida Peru in Vina del Mar, Chile.
The average number of days between my posts seems to be increasing signaling the reality that I'm not quite settled in my new job and that the holidays are nearing.  We've had some very good news and some bad news, and we've gotten excited and gotten less excited but all things considered we're doing well.

My initial ninety days at work are nearing and it's time to sign for a year, if they still want me, haha.  We're still crazy about going other places and sometimes it gets in the way with a normal life.  How do you get up every day and go to work when you wish everyone around you spoke a different language?  I don't know how others feel but sometimes my daily life isn't all that exciting, but then again, I'm comparing it to a lot of really exciting places.  While it might be part of growing up, I do think that moving to other countries tends to make my small-town life a bit less exciting.  I'm trying to balance this with my daily life.

A good friend of mine, who recently moved off to the greater DC area with a sweet job programming robots to think for us (or something like that), told me that the programming is just a means to get me into a position so that I can do what I really want.  He said: "It's my grind." if I'm not mistaken.  He's not really completely satisfied with programming either, since he loves Psychology, and has a vision beyond it all.  I like that.

I've considered that it could just be me, but Olivia seems to feel the same.  That's good, otherwise I would feel like I was the only one in the world who wants to move anywhere but Wilmington, NC and Seoul, South Korea.

I think it is just that the adventurous spirit that never dies and that deep down in our souls we long for more than what we have.  I wouldn't call it a simple dissatisfaction with things, but it's like this tickling excitement for a future where you get to move around and pursue selfless careers for the greater good of mankind.  (I'm trying to justify satisfying my selfish desires by making it sound like I want to do humanitarian work, or missionary work; is it working?)

We've just got a month or so to go and 2012 will be here.  What better time to start pondering our future and how our present will take us there?  I know it sounds unrelated but I remembered a piece of literature I read in college from Julio Cortázar entitled "La Isla a Mediodia", or something like "The Island at Noon".  All that dreaming and it can sometimes make you crazy.  If you haven't read it I highly recommend it as he was a man of great genius.  It's a short story so carve out a few and tell me what you think, ok?

My old Computer Science friend
Julio Cortazar: La Isla a Mediodia (The Island at Noon).


  1. I think it's normal to be bored, to want something exciting. It's that mentality that keeps our souls from aging, in my opinion. Always looking to better yourself/surroundings.

    And in the chance that you don't post by then, enjoy your new year! You'll get ahead.

  2. And your blog has a rather unusual layout so the comment I just left on your previous post was actually for this one. Take care man.

  3. I did the same thing. The comment I left on the last post should have gone with this one.

  4. Hola! I randomly stumbled across your blog via someone else's... I am a bit in the same boat as you and totally understand everything you just wrote about! Especially wanting to live somewhere everyone speaks a different language... I'm about to start a book called Quitter by Jon Acuff - the guy is brilliant, funny and thoughtful. He also blogs at It's a book about drawing the line between your day job and your dream job... maybe a book you and your wife would enjoy... God bless. :)


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