Triple grande nothing.

"After this, we will all have to live a little differently."

-Rilke

Welp...after a 9 month hiatus from blogging...I'M BACK!

I was at work yesterday with a sudden urge of hypergraphia.  Well no wonder-I've not really expressed myself in ANY way in about the time it takes to cook a baby.  Sadly photo has just about taken a back seat in my very busy/highly unfulfilling recent existence.

We'll begin with the typical re-getting to know you stuff.

1.  Got my masters (hence the last post) and moved out of Savannah F-ing Georgia not a moment too soon late in November.

2.  Though I had HIGH aspirations of going to Art Basel in Miami in December, striking up conversations with gallery owners/photographers/university hiring committees/collectors/art world people, and having them fall MADLY in love with me to the point where they're on their knees begging me to not return to Maryland for the holidays, because they "just cannot go on for another day without having ME on their staff!,"   it didn't quite work out that way.  I think I gave out perhaps 2 of my 30 printed resumes.  I assume that one person probably just needed some spare paper to spit her gum out in, the other guy likely hoping that he could see me naked sometime in the near future.

3.  I moved back home with my mom in December for what was supposed to be a month.  Initially it was just to spend some time at home with loved ones for the holidays before I was whisked away to Miami for that full time, high paying job with phenomenal health benefits that I would be landing "ANY DAY NOW."  Hey, I went to grad school, people are going to absolutely FIGHT OVER ME right?  

4.  YIPPEEEEEEEE!   Still in Maryland.  Last time I checked it was Tuesday, July 15th.  Don't get me wrong, it has been wonderful to hang out with my mom (who is without a doubt my best friend) and step-dad, Jim, who is also really sweet, but that is but one aspect of my existence.  Albeit a big/good one.  

January came.  Still no job offers despite LOTS of resumes sent.  As more time went on I became more and more aware of how much going to grad school had screwed me financially and how maybe I wasn't nearly the commodity that the Savannah College of Art and Design told me I was.  I had been working for Jim, but business was pretty slow that time of year.  Panicked, I took a job at Starbucks (mostly for the health insurance), and assured myself that it would be only for a little while.  Instead of January, March 1 became my Miami move date.  

By mid-February, after many more resumes, it became clear that I wasn't going anywhere.  Maybe it is the recession.  Maybe it is the fact that I am such a threat as this will be my "first" job out of (grad) school.  Maybe everyone goes through this and up till this point in my professional life I've just been lucky.  

Over the last nine months one and a half jobs grew to four.  Assisting my step dad's home-repair business, Starbucks, substitute teaching in Anne Arundel county, and then Bare Escentuals ("the NUMBER 1 mineral make-up in the WORLD!!!").  Over time, working for Jim completely fell off, and the school year ended, however...even with just two jobs (instead of FOUR!), I have averaged only 1 day off per 2 weeks...when I would then concentrate on sending more resumes out in Miami.  There was even a stretch in April and May where I had only 1 day off in an entire month.  Usually the only time off I have had has been the days requested off to go see my boyfriend in Miami.  

And so yesterday it occurred to me that I haven't been happy.  Well, actually I can't say that.  Its been so nice to see my parents everyday (well...I average between 3-5 double shifts a week, so...its nice to see them WHEN I actually see them).  There is a ceiling to my happiness.  I am as happy as I can possibly be when I work for $8-$10 an hour often 70 hours a week.  Let me rephrase again-I am kind of a workaholic, I would happily work that many hours if it was doing something I loved.  For the moment, I am as happy as I can possibly be maintaining as genuine of a smile as I can muster when apologizing to a morbidly obese woman who complains that her iced decaf quad grande 2 pump vanilla whole milk lite ice extra whipped cream extra caramel drizzle added chocolate drizzle caramel latte has too much ice and not enough whipped cream and wonders if perhaps YOU "are the reason why Starbucks is closing 600 stores."  

And you can imagine how those FAT paychecks are really BUILDING up my savings to move to Miami.  It is really hard to believe that you can work so many hours and barely be able to cover your monthly student loan, car, cell, insurance, storage, credit card(s), etc. etc. etc. payments.  In effect, that is why I am still here, in Maryland, writing this post from my mom's back yard.  Hooray for wi-fi.

The "final" plan is to move to Miami on August 21st.  Enough is enough.  I still don't have a photo job lined up.  But I may have yet another non-photo related opportunity for me at the Bare Escentuals that is opening up in Miami in mid-Sept (oh boy! More swirling, tapping, and buffing!).  Then maybe I'll be able to pull some weddings.  Besides that, this time moving SEEMS more concrete than it has in the past if nothing else due to my June 29th purchase of an AutoTrain ticket (I lease my car and gas is expensive).  AND I have put my notice of resignation for both jobs to go into effect on August 16th.  Those are the biggest steps in the Miami direction I have been able to make thus far, so here's hoping that THIS TIME it will actually happen.  Either way, I'll still probably be unemployed come the second half of August.  God help me.

More stuff that will actually be entertaining next time.