I didn't feel up to the whole explanation (Personal Freedom vs. Society's Expectations, maybe throwing in the bit from Atlas Shrugged about not wanting my brain to be used for anyone else's profit, and of course finishing up with a Tom Robbins riff, just for good measure. Yeah, you've heard it all before) so I told him I was taking some time off to get bills paid. Learning that I wasn't actually a complete bum seemed to appease him somewhat, but I was still in kind of a shitty mood.

Then it hit me, again. I'm doing OK. I'm paying all my bills. If I were living in my parent's basement, it would be totally different. But I'm not. I've been on my own for almost five years. I've got a fairly nice car, and excellent credit. I don't need a better job for the money, and status doesn't mean shit to me.

Frankly, I don't want the responsibility or the stress of a "grownup job." I love being able to finish a day's work, and not think about work again until I walk in the door the following day. And let us not overlook the benefits of always having pocket money. I'm not living paycheck to paycheck. I'm happy with my job, except when someone reminds me that I couldn't possibly be.

I just don't understand it. If I had gone the corporate route, no one would think it was odd at all. No one would even consider the fact that maybe I wasn't doing what I wanted.

I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but I'll say it again. I am probably getting more use out of my College Brain(TM) than most people. My degree isn't just a piece of paper to hang in my office. For me, it symbolizes the fact that yes, I went to college. I'm glad I did. I learned a lot of things there, but most importantly, I learned to think for myself. I learned that maybe a good education is a reward in and of itself, and not just the means to a Better Job and a Happy Future.

So screw you, Brian. I'm doing ok. And I'm happy. Tell me in eight years if your daughter still is.

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