The Holy Trinity – Part 1: “The Crib”

All through last year abroad, when asked, I would tell that there were three basic things I missed from back home (and none of them were certain kinds of foodstuffs or TV shows mind you); 1) Family and friends 2) My apartment and 3) watching soccer on the TV.

Having now spent more than a week back in my adopted hometown of Lund, and though many of my friends still haven’t shown up down here, and even though the Spanish soccer league hasn’t quite gotten started yet – I can at least say that it feels wonderful to be back in my apartment at Ulrikedalsvägen 2T.

Let’s just start off by saying that home means a lot to me, period. And for different reasons I would imagine. One of the reasons I love my apartment so much is certainly that I am nothing but a material guy. I love stuff and the only thing I like better than your stuff is my stuff. I love to be back home with my books on my bookshelves, to sit at my desk and tap away at my computer. I love being surrounded by stuff that means a lot to me, to be able to look up from the desk and get lost in my collage of black and whites from the last few years, look into smiling faces of friends I love from great nights almost forgotten. I love to have all my memories and nick nacks in one place.

But it’s more than that too, it’s also about the fact that studying is such a big part of my life, and since I do all my studying back home I love having a well kept place where I can control my surroundings and create a good atmosphere for work. Most people I know in law school do their studying in libraries or at the faculty, they get there at 9AM, take lunch at 11:30 and mosey on yonder home at 5PM sharp. I imagine that what they get from this is a clear distinction between the work day and their free time. They work diligently during the day and then they are able to disconnect that part of their brain and go on with their lives in the evening time. My typical study day is nothing like that and my mind don’t work like that. When I’m studying (and mind you my first seminar is Friday so I’m certainly not there yet!), it’s virtually all I think about and not something I compartmentalize for a certain number of hours every day.

And when I have the opportunity I enjoy not having my life enslaved to the 9-5 grind – I study just as much as the next guy, in fact more than most and a whole lot more than some, but if I feel like sleeping in I’ll do that and instead go until the wee hours of the morning. If, around 4PM I feel a little tapped out I might pop in a DVD and watch a movie, go workout or play some basketball with my buds, but then I’ll be back studying later. To me, a good learning environment means studying when you feel like it, so if I feel like only doing a couple of hours worth of reading one day and blow off the rest of the day by watching soccer, fine that’s what I’m gonna do. I’m certainly gonna make up for it the day after when I find some inspiration and sit in front of the desk the whole day.

And the wonderful thing about my life right now is that I can do this. My schedule permits me to work out or play some basketball every day, not because I have much spare time, but because I make time. I don’t take days off, I don’t flounder about. I don’t go out drinking on a Sunday. It’s probably not the most eminently social way of organizing your life, and I certainly see the positive aspects of studying 9-5, but it’s just not how my head works. I like being efficient ya knaw, not sitting in front of the TV watching reality shows when I could get some work done. Sure, I’ll waste half and afternoon watching The Wire once and again but it’s something I’m DOING you know, it’s not wasting time, it’s not American Idol.

So for now I’m content. My apartment is awesome and school is about to kick into gear. Currently I got one piece of prime Eriksson sleeping on a mattress in my living room since dear brother haven’t been able to find any place to live in this insane real estate market and tomorrow me, him and a bunch of foreigners I’m mentoring are heading out to have dinner and drinks at one of the places nearby. Life is good, as always. Now if only the Spanish soccer league would start we’d really be cooking with gas…

Now playing: “The Complete Aladdin Recordings” Lightnin’ Hopkins

Now Watching: “The Wire Season 4”

Now Reading: “The Machine Crusade” Brian Herbert & Kevin Anderson