If You Think That You're Strong Enough If You Think You Belong Enough Nice Dream

Shawn and I saw Up in the Air a few nights ago (verdict? I absolutely loved it and that's saying a lot because generally I hate movies.) There's a scene (not a spoiler! don't yell at me!) where George Clooney is firing some dude and he makes a comment about how the fired dude's resume says he went to culinary arts school and then ended up working at whatever giant corporationy job that he's being fired from. George Clooney asks fired guy how much the corporation paid him to give up on his dreams and fired guy replies $27,000.

Shawn has not stopped talking about that scene.

Shawn has played bass since he was a kid. He has been in bands and written his own music and played countless shows in bars. He is talented (yes, I fully admit that I am biased when I say that he is talented and no, I don't care.)

He's also really hot.

When Shawn finished college, he was accepted into a jazz program at a school 100 miles from where he lived (necessitating a move to the city, which meant finding a roommate.) He was also offered a job (in his town) selling electronics with a salary of $30,000 per year. He decided to work for a year to save money and then move to the city to attend the jazz program.

That didn't happen. The money kept flowing so he kept working and put his dreams on hold.

Eight years ago he decided to move across the country to Vancouver to see what the music scene was like. He made friends, found a job, joined a band, and settled into his new life on the west coast. And then he met me.

The last five years have been about buying a home, bringing home puppies, getting married, paying bills. So many bills. We've had a lot of fun but we also grew up a little. There hasn't been much room for dreams lately. Depressing, right?

So we're talking things through, trying to figure out if it's possible for Shawn to return to school. It would mean not moving back downtown. Taking fewer holidays. Reducing the fancy cheese budget (horror!) It could also mean getting rid of the motorcycle (victory!)

It's just a discussion prompted by a movie right now. Maybe nothing will come of it. Or maybe I'll get the chance to support Shawn as he follows his dream. It's selfish of me, sure, but being able to help him achieve awesomeness really appeals to me.