God, I feel like I need to get out of this town. I'm tired of my landlord, I'm tired of my job, I'm tired of the view.

I feel like climbing mountains and taking pictures and shopping in kitschy stores. I want to drive for days to nowhere and put my bare feet on the dash and get a driver's tan. I want to sleep in tents and eat in foreign restaurants and hike to waterfalls.

I don't want to have to argue that actual news belongs in headlines. I don't want to explain to anyone why "relatives" might be better to use than "family members" or "loved ones." And I might scream if I have to attend one more "we don't think we'll be laying off" meeting.

It's unclear what's causing this malaise. I have watched some anti-establishment movies lately ("Igby Goes Down," "The Graduate," "Secretary," and "Confidence" come to mind). But that's par for the course.

These same feelings cropped up about two years ago. I decided then that I probably needed a hobby -- something to spend time on besides work. I think that's the case now, too, but I don't want to start something too big (like taking a class, for example). I could get a call from Philly and have a chance to be gone within a month. But I don't know what to do, what to throw my energy into. Pottery? Photography? Gardening? Crocheting? Yawn. I don't think that's the challenge I need.