Livin' like Vinny Chase
If you've ever watched Entourage on HBO, you'll get the reference in this blog's title. Vince is a movie star on the show who very much lives the good life at his sprawling LA pad, sitting around his pool during the day sipping yeasty beverages and puffing on a... uh. yeah. Must be nice, huh? Anyway, with a little bit of down-time this afternoon and a little time on the beach on the horizon, I thought I'd pull a Vince and work on my tan, or lack thereof. Granted, I rock the Twilight look better than anyone I know, but a week in the sun with no epidermic conditioning beforehand is risky business any way you cut it.
Now, the voice gods in their infinite wisdom always know when you've planned some time for yourself, even if it's just laying out in the sun for an hour. If you're lucky, they'll leave you alone. But more often than not, you'll get interrupted with something pressing. I consider it a hazard of the job. Maybe the same phenomenon happens some form or fashion in other lines of work but I can't say for sure. I suppose being in demand (at least for that moment) is a good thing. Even Mr. Chase accessorizes himself with a cell phone while pool-side. However, as the sun doesn't shine at night and we haven't figured out how to make the day longer, I'm resigned to multi-tasking my tanning and my sessions. Which is a good problem to have but is admittedly not very movie-star-like. Then again, neither is my skin-tone. It's funny. There are lots of things I can think of to complain about with regard to being tied down to my job and life in general for that matter. And yet by all standards, I live a charmed life. No, I'm not a millionaire like Vince. I have a modest house and a good amount of debt to go with it. But that same house provides both a roof over my head and a place to ply my trade. I eat well (could certainly do with less), drink clean water and have a beautiful family that loves me. My car runs. Friends and colleagues are more than generous with their time and support. Most days, I can hardly wrap my brain around the problems other people in third world countries deal with. Even here in the states, I could easily be digging ditches somewhere. Which on second thought would probably provide a killer tan and some good muscle development to go with it. But would still probably suck. Though I would bet there's a few ditch diggers with a grin on their face. It's all a matter of perspective. The good life is different for everybody. The timeless image of the movie-star lounging by the pool with a margarita in one hand and a hot babe in the other doesn't always ring true. You can find happy, content people in all walks of life and all levels of the earnings ladder. I'm still working on that and some days, it seems like I have it figured it out. Other days, not so much. Need a starter course? I'm writing this post to remind myself that my "good life" is right here, right now, no matter what the circumstances of the day. Time to live it up.
