Ioriginally thought that living in San Diego for the summer would be a good idea. I enjoyed my life so much my first year of college, and I couldn’t imagine living under my parents’ roof for three months.

I failed to contemplate what I’d actually do with my time. Here I am, two weeks in, and bored out of my skull.

I live in Pepper Canyon, which was probably my first mistake. Had I chosen to sublet, I would have known my roommates beforehand, and possibly had someone to hang out with. Instead, I opted to risk random roommate assignment, and I was dealt the worst hand imaginable: I have no roommates.

Well, I basically have two roommates, but they are so attached at the hip (read: groin) that I only talk to them when strange things happen and I choose to interrupt them. The other person, my actual roommate, never moved in.

On a side note, I think my apartment is haunted. Someone has been rearranging the refrigerator contents, moving the soap, stealing towels and opening doors. It isn’t me, my one roommate, nor her boyfriend. The best explanation we’ve come up with involves the supernatural.

Most of my friends left town for the summer, and those who didn’t are working 9-to-5 jobs. Everyone is either too tired or not around to hang out with me.

Not that I spend all my time sitting and sulking. So far I have spent about five hours total on my summer school class, of which four hours and 58 minutes of those were in the lecture hall listening to the professor ramble about his kidney stones.

I have a part-time job as well, which is interesting in its own right. Have you ever really thought about the impact of a game of Barbie Dolls on a person’s psyche?

I didn’t realize until now how little free time I had last year. I don’t know what to do with myself without four classes to juggle, the Guardian to work on twice a week, and hundreds of people within yards to visit. I found myself actually hoping for homework the other day. That was when I knew I had hit an all-time low. I don’t know what to do with my free time anymore.

Anyway, I do have a point here. I’m bored. I was upset about that until a couple days ago. Then I hit a point of introspection. A calm fell over me, as I realized that I didn’t have to be constantly social. For the first time in my life, I was content to lounge on my bed and read a book on a Friday night.

I’ve since relaxed quite a bit. I have a whole lot of time for everything I want to do. Or at least I will, after this damned issue of the Guardian gets done.

This imminent free time has opened doors for me (just like my apartment’s ghost). Suddenly, I have time to read something besides Cal Copy readers. My friend, a literature major, has recommended to me the downtown San Diego City Library, which I’ll have to visit. I’ve dug out the books I started but never finished. And I’ve heard that somewhere, buried deep inside, Geisel Library actually has books. (So far in my college career, I’ve utilized the microfilm archives, the film and video library and the scholarly journals section … woo.)

Also, now that I have a car, I’ve discovered beaches besides Black’s, and I don’t miss that hill. I hope to eventually visit Mission Beach, Pacific Beach (hey, did you know there’s a beach, not just a bunch of skeezy shops?) and, like, all the other ones.

Much to my friends’ glee, I’ve discovered trance music. I entertain myself with Web sites and new songs. It’s a substantial deviation from my normal rock/hard rock musical choices, but the beats strike my fancy, and downloading is yet another thing to fill my summer nights.

Living in Pepper Canyon also has a lot of potential to fill my free time. I didn’t think too much beforehand about the appeal of San Diego to nationwide and international students. I’ve met people in Pepper Canyon from Ohio, Chile, Spain, Kentucky, Massachusetts and France. My new friend from France never ceases to amuse me.

I don’t know too many people yet, but I look forward to my remaining eight weeks. The multicultural environment is an awesome one, though I’m not very involved in it.

So even though I’m really bored, I’m actually relaxing, which is rare for me. I’m sure that by the end of the summer, I’ll have taken on enough stuff to keep my time filled, but for now, I’m looking out at a summer of new experiences and empty time.