Money, money, money, money....money

I hate money.

That's right, I said it. I hate money. Some people say that "money makes the world go round," and I suppose that it does. But I believe in the other money-based cliche: "money is the root of all evil."

And it probably all stems from the fact that I don't really care about buying stuff or getting stuff. When some really cool technology comes out (new iPod, iPhone, video game console, TV, speakers, computer, etc), I don't rush out and get it. And, in fact, I'll probably never get it. I have AT&T's free cell phone that comes with my cellular service. I won my nicest gaming system (an XBox Classic) in a Taco Bell contest. I got my iPod for Christmas (and didn't even ask for it).

When I get things, I enjoy them. My roommate has a giant (and beautiful) TV and an XBox 360, and I enjoy both of those. But, I think, in the long run, I wouldn't buy those things unless I just had a ridiculous amount of money that I felt like I needed to spend.

But when people ask me what I want for Christmas, I don't really know. Maybe a DVD, maybe something random, maybe some clothes, but probably just money. And when I get money, I just put it in the bank.

I won $200-something dollars at a friendly poker game a few months ago, and I still have the money rolled up in a rubber band on my desk. I thought it might be fun to throw it on the table the next time they do a tournament, and I just never felt the need to spend it or even put it in the bank.

And I think my attitude about money really causes me to feel the way I do about work. I don't like my job (I actually like it more than I tell my friends but still don't like it), and I think millions of Americans feel the same way. And the main problem with me is that there aren't many jobs I think I'd like doing.

I think about GM of a baseball team, but then I think about all the pressure it would cause on my family (with the uncertainty of the job, the late hours, all the travelling). I consider teaching and nice hours and long vacations, but then I think about failing with kids and putting up with the ones that don't care. I went to school to get a journalism degree, but I quickly saw all the crap that came with that job. I grabbed an economics degree at the last minute, and that got me where I am now.

I think, deep down, I just want to be Turtle in someone's entourage. I want to wake up when I want to, do what I want to, hang out with my friends, and try to be as helpful as possible on someone else's tab. For a lot of people (probably including Turtle), that comes off as lazy because he's always expecting stuff from Vinny. I wouldn't really care about getting cool gifts or spending Vinny's money because the ride itself would be cool enough for me.

I think that's why novel writing is such a desire to me. If I can write (and I'm still not sure about that), it would be my meal ticket. I could make a decent living (my friends know how simple I live, and I don't think I'd really change no matter how much money I had), spend a few hours writing, and then do what I want. It's what I did for seven months when I had no job, and it was awesome.

So that's probably why I am the way I am about work. Because I don't really like being told to be somewhere every weekday for 8 hours doing something I'm not enjoying. Because what's the reward? Money. Money that will just go into the bank with all of its friends, get spent on essential items, and hopefully buy me the ability not to work at some point.

And, by the way, does anyone else hate what we spend money on? We spend money on food, water, and shelter. We can't even sleep for free anymore because someone always owns the space you're sleeping on.

I swear....there will come a time when we will pay money to breathe. Maybe it will be like Spaceballs where the air quality drops, and we all have to buy canned air. But, mark my words, it will happen. And sooner than you think.