Summertime Blues

“Sometimes I wonder what I’m gonna do, cuz there aint no cure for the summertime blues.”-Eddie Cochran

I’m so bored, and I’ve only been out of school for a week. I want to get a job, but I do not have a work permit or a running car. I want to get a hobby but I have no idea of what I could do for a hobby. I wanted to take Summer School but my class was canceled last minute. I want to leave the house but it’s been about 110 degrees and I can’t handle that kind of heat. My friends are all doing things, one is going to Berkely, one has a job, one has basketball every day.
As much fun as the SDMB is I’m seriously considering getting a life…but there doesn’t seem to be one out there for me. Does anybody have any suggestions?

What the heck are you doing for money? And a lot depends on your financial situation. As for getting to a job, how about public transportation? (You know, buses, subways) Got a bike? Carpool with a friend? If you want a job, you’ll get a job. As for a hobby, that’s a very personal thing. What do you enjoy? My hobby was horses, but that’s expensive (even if you don’t own one). Reading, knitting, crafts. Take a course in something - a musical instrument. If you don’t need the money, how about volunteer work – one of my first jobs was in a hospital, admitting emergency patients and I loved it. (It didn’t pay diddly so I moved on.) Like animals? volunteer (or job) with a vet or animal hospital. Like children? baby sit. Library. There are gazillion things out there you can do – but the real question is: do you really want to?

Well for a few years I actually worked like a normal person. Then I moved to CA and my father and my BF both told me to worry about school and they would take care of me financially.
I’m scared of the public transport. (I’m a country girl in a big city)
But all of the other suggestions are good, especially about volunteering. Like I said before, I don’t have a work permit, so I can’t work. I’m gonna wait till I’m 18 and I don’t need one before I get another job. It would take a lot of working out to accomplish them though. But if I really wanted to, I could probably figure something out. Hell, I’d probably start tomorrow if I didn’t have to worry about my lil sister. (I’m the only one to babysit her)

You have a son and a little sister.

Pardon me for being naïve . . . I have three siblings, all younger, and three dogs. I have never had a dull moment at home in my life.

Do your son and little sister sleep all day? Is there a local (free) kid center or something you can walk to? being in 110-degree heat is bad, I know, since I’ve had some ofthat in Virginia before. However, a quick walk over ain’t bad.

How about scrabble? Checkers? If you’re on AIM around 2 pm eastern time you might catch me on, at which point I’d be perfectly willing to un-borify you.

If you’re into computer games, there are a few websites that let you play their games and earn points towards free stuff. myecamp.com is one, and kiwibox.com is another.

Then there is the SDMB . . . that takes up 6 hours of my day easily.

Okay, country girl in big city – there you go – get out there and see the city! Explore. Be brave (and grow a little) and do something that’s a little scary - you’ll feel good about it. I guess you could get your bf to go with you, but I think you should learn to be independent – bf may not always be around to hold your hand. And I definitely encourage volunteerism. I did some volunteer work in a museum (Natural History in D.C.) and loved it – enjoyed meeting people from all over the world and I learned a lot.

Umm, what makes you think I have a son?
If I had a son…well hell, I doubt I’d ever be online.
LOL, me with a kid, LOL
And my lil sister never leaves the TV. That’s what is so great about baby sitting her.

Sycorax, out by myself! You mean I actually should, like, do something I want to do!!! Actually, that doesn’t sound half bad. Well, ok, the thought is terrifying. But I would really like to do something other than sit at home…
Contemplates playing explorer Definately food for thought

Yes,yes,yes - do something YOU want to do. I just realized I don’t know how old you are – 16, 17? Yes, please, do something you want to do. I hate to be the one to tell you this (if you haven’t figured it out), but your bf is most likely not going to always be your bf, and your dad will not always be around. I don’t want to infer anything about your relationship with bf, but believe me, you don’t want to give him the idea that you can’t function without him. You need a life of your own – so go exploring with a girlfriend a few times until you feel comfortable with getting around the city.

I’m 17.
My BF knows I can function w/o him, I just perfer not to.
Before I moved, I worked in Park City, 20 miles away from my house. I would spend all day there by myself, usually from 8AM-11PM, no matter the shift I worked. I am a very independent person. But I was also very comfortable there. I did that for 2 years.
You know, I only live a short BART ride away from San Fransisco. Maybe I can start taking day trips there…
Thank you for your suggestions Sycorax. Some are not practical for my situation, but all of them have made me start thinking. :slight_smile:

You’re welcome…and I’m sorry if I seemed patronizing or preachy. It’s just that it sounded like you were a bit scared to get out there on your own and maybe were depending too much on bf. And I know from my own experiences, you can get too comfortable with people, work, whatever, and you can miss a lot that way. I’ve heard San Francisco is a beautiful and interesting city – I hope you make the trip.
Feel free to e-mail me (or ICQ); I’d be interested in hearing about SF and your experiences. Have fun!