The crazy sabbatical plan

I have been dreaming, for quite some time now, of a 'hypothetical' state where I would be completely idle, with not a single thing that has to be done or be taken care of, nothing to disrupt my peace of mind. No obligations, compulsions or deadlines, even take away the needs of hunger and the like.
I wonder what thoughts would fill my mind then, what I would be inclined to take on if I could ever achieve that state. Surely, it would be something so fulfilling as to heighten my sense of pleasure in a way that only an unexpected reward or gift can do. The actions would be like ornaments, adding a value and beauty to my weathered self, worn-out by the repetitiveness of the ordinary.
Now, to stress on the 'hypothetical' bit. Eliminating the obviously ridiculous ideas of getting rid of the body's natural needs, there are a lot of roadblocks to achieving this state. First and foremost, I'd have to convince myself of the abject futility of many of the actions we categorise as 'work'. Studying and travelling, for instance. Then, the stuff categorised under 'leisure' and 'can't do without' which would include the use of cellphones, laptops, TVs, newspapers etc. To completely wipe out my schedule and everything that has been planned would surely set off the warning bells somewhere in the logical tree of my processing unit. But, the idea is to be completely free. To be absolutely idle and have no idea of what the next move may be.
I won't attempt to predict what would take my fancy then, because to do so would be spoiling it. It's exciting to think about it. Would be like an adventure, for the soul and mind. An expedition and exploration. A crazy kind of sabbatical.
It obviously cannot be achieved in this place, I would have to search for a location. But, trickigly, it would have to be one I know nothing about.
Wishful thinking.

Of pen and paper and the digital world

I cannot recall the last time I picked up pen and paper to record my thoughts. Which is strange for a person accustomed to keeping a diary for the better part of her life.
It's not that I don't need to write things down anymore, it's just that the Notes App in my smartphone is more convenient!
And there dies the ritual of writing journals, fancy diaries and pens, on the window-sill, watching the rain and sipping coffee. Now it's tick-tick-yap-yap on my qwerty, in the middle of my hydraulics class.
Well, sure, the advantages of this new system are many. With it being faster, more eco-friendly and you can just post/send whatever you wrote in an instant. And ofcourse, no one comes peeping in to see what you're writing- cuz it is mandatory to be nose-deep in your screens when you own a smartphone.
Though I'm glad this lcd replacing paper fad has not extended to reading yet. There is something about the scent of books, especially the old worn-out ones that ensures they would never go out of fashion.
Sure, I own my share of e-books and the e-library keeps growing everyday with all the freebies internet has to offer but there are some things to hard to give up on. Like the charm of carrying an old paperback in your purse. The joys of the library with its plethora of choices staring at you from the shelves and you having to dance around on your toes to locate the one you want before settling into an easy armchair in comfortable silence. Add a fireplace and some coffee to that and we have a fairytale. With the electronic versions, its just all too easy! I have a huge collection on my machine but I never get excited about it! Probably because I know it's always gonna be there, on my hard disk. Forever and ever. Till maybe when the disk gets corrupted. But I can always download it again, for free mostly. There is no urgency, the pursuit has lost the fervent flavour! And it's such a strain on the eyes!
Reading books on a machine somehow makes it all seem too unromantic for me..
Till someone buys me a Kindle.