Dear Doctor,
I really want to travel the world before I sell my soul for a salary and full dental, but I have a sneaking suspicion that my parents won’t be willing to fund my debauchery and poor choices once the veneer of education is stripped away. How can I see the world without my parents’ money?
– Poor Ritchie
Ritchie,
There is a way, but it isn’t as cushy as the pleasure cruise your time at Whitman has been. In an interview with this fine paper a few semesters ago, a very close and personal friend of mine mentioned the Web site couchsurfing.com as a pretty reliable way to bum around the continent on a thin wallet. You can actually go all over the freakin’ world and get yourself pretty culturally immersed. The other option is WWOOF. No, not “woof,” stupid. I typed that W on purpose. It stands for “World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms,” and it’s basically couchsurfing plus gardening; you go to fascinating, exotic places and do organic farmwork for room and board. It has the added benefit of involving organic farms, which means you’re saving the world. On the other hand, you will be expected to do actual work.
Dear Doctor,
Sometimes I get lonely, and I can’t decide if I would rather leave my room and have crazy adventures or stay in my room and watch a movie by myself. Oftentimes when I go and have crazy adventures I find I would have enjoyed myself a lot more had I stayed in my room and watched a movie by myself. How do I solve the dilemma of being by myself versus being around other people? How do I decide how to spend my time?
– David X!
David,
The easy answer is: World of Warcraft. If you devote all of your time to an MMORPG you’ll feel like you’re getting stuff done without having to do work; you’ll make all kinds of interesting new friends who will leave you alone at the touch of a button; you’ll finally be able to have adventures and alone time all at once!
Dear Doctor,
I’m tired of not being able to have my cake and eat it, too. What’s a fella to do?
– Red Herring
Red,
Have you tried new Schrödinger’s Cake?