Blog Summary #1

I have come to the conclusion that leisure as i have been describing in my blogs doesn't necessarily have to do with time. What i think it is related to is my state of mind. I have found that what i consider to be leisure comes from my outlook at that particular moment. It is all about my perceived freedom and my freedom to choose what i will engage in for leisure. If i find cutting the grass to be leisurely then i will engage in that even though it may not seem to be leisure for others, because i am free to choose it. I have to still ask myself, 'What do i understand about the leisure in my life and how does it affect my leisure choices?' I do think that my leisure tends to be constrained, both in terms of interpersonal and intrapersonal aspects, and in terms of what i can do while navigating the responsibilities of work, school and friends. My passion being baseball, i tend to be constrained from spending time with my family and friends during the playoffs, and i am sad that my beloved Yankees have failed to make the playoffs. That intrapersonal constraint of being in a sad state of mind, can hold me back from playing softball on the weekends. I think that if i were to focus on the more positive aspects of it, that there is always next season, my intrapersonal constraint would be lessened. As well, i was only able to see one live Yankee game this year, due to the financial constraints of the cost of the games and the distance.
Overall, i am becoming more of a leisure educated person in deciding what i tend to do for leisure, what i haven't experienced in leisure that i would like to, and in being able to learn more about leisure for leisure itself, i.e. as a end in itself. For example, my blog about the Yankees missing the playoffs and needing an extra hitter, that was said half jokingly, but is still considered to be serious leisure, When i first started my blog entries, i used to think that leisure = free time. Now i realize that's not the case, because i could have free time and not be at leisure, like when i was biking home balancing the groceries. I needed the groceries and balancing them on my bike did not leave me in a happy state of mind when i got home. Who would've thought leisure could be more than just free time...

Big Band Bash

Well, the weekend is a great time to party, but i didn't expect it to be while at work. We had the grand re-opening of the building where i work and the planning committee went all out. I mean a tent, 18 piece orchestra, dinner and of course, dancing. Did i mention i work with seniors so you can just imagine the dancing! That being said, i did have to make sure people knew where to go, and that the seniors were safe, so i was "on duty" to some extent. All in all, it was a really fun and enjoyable night, and made me realize that work and pleasure can mix...sometimes!

Labour Day Weekend...what labour?

There's nothing like sitting by the pier and watching the sunset on a weekend that was quite eventful. Having flown in and out of Chicago in 30 hours made for a fun filled and interesting weekend, but it was worth it to spend time with a friend who otherwise i may not have seen. The simple things in life make it all better.

It's Officially Over...Unoffically

Well, the curtain has finally come down on the Historic House that Ruth Built and the New York Yankees are not entering into the Post Season. What a memorable event to watch though, as the players paraded around the ballpark for one final salute to the most loyal fans of the game. I truly felt part of history that night. Well, all good things must come to an end.

Balancing Act

You know when it looks like it may rain but you are not sure how long you have left till it comes down? Luckily i was able to bike to class today and that the sun was shining down on me. No problems there, a nice an relaxing 10 min. ride with my Mp3 player on hand. When i emerged from Super C with a bags of fruits and vegetables, it became clear to me that i would need to balance myself well in order to get home. I think next time it'll make more sense to bike with free hands so that i can enjoy the leisurely ride and not have to worry about Mr. Bag of Onions falling out on Sherbrooke St. West.

A Job Well Done

Since the dawn of civilization, man has yearned to become one with nature. I must say, that i am not the type of person that enjoys gardening, what with the whole planting of the flowers and the watering and weeding. Cutting the grass, on the other hand, now that's a whole other story. I was lucky enough to mow the lawn in a fairly quick amount of time over the weekend, and still have time to see Tom Brady and the Patriots' Super Bowl hopes go down the drain with his season ending knee injury. I guess it's seeing what a masterful job i did at the end of it all, that makes it worthwhile to me. But i would say that it was leisure for me to plug that bad boy in and mulch away! Now, as for the upcoming raking of the leaves and the filling of the bags, that to me is not leisure in any form. I am not motivated to rake, and would much rather just push them onto the street and let mother nature do the rest.

Season's almost over

Is this the end for my beloved Yanks? It definitely doesn't look good from here, and i can only imagine what is must look like in the Big Apple. Heads will probably roll after this season expecially since it's the last one at the historic Yankee Stadium in 'Da Bronx'. Here's to hoping things look up for this once venerable club that seems to have fallen on hard times since A-Rod's arrival. Has anyone else noticed they haven't won anything since he arrived? Well, i must go hit the batting cages now in case the Bronx Bombers call me up soon...it could be any day now! The most important thing to remember though is that as long as everyone is having fun, that's all that matters, right?!

Well, this is my first blog of what will hopefully become a routine event for me throughout this course, and i must say that it was a pretty unique experience to have put together my own blog page. I hope this will allow me to blog whenever i have something to share with all of you regarding my leisure experiences throughout this semester.