New Stuff
Well, it’s officially Spring (according to the calendar, not according to the sub-40 degree weather) and despite the persistent, hateful snow that keeps coming no matter how many times I threaten my imaginary, omnipotent being in the sky, I have several Springtime new beginnings to report.
One: I got a new iMac upon which to write my brilliant thoughts and upon which to watch awesome videos like this. Seriously, is there any sweeter email subject line than, You have been sent a shipment from the Apple Store! ?
Two: Increased responsibilities. Settling an estate is no easy task, especially one that was so mismanaged and disorganized as my mom’s. Thus far, my sister and I have had only one argument and even then it was only a few capital letters in some text messages; so far, so good! I am, however, going down for a visit in the coming month so, I may have different news to report on this front in the near future.
Three: More jobs! Now, in addition to copywriting for two VA companies and my own clients, as well as the never ending bar career, I am working at a local college as a writing coach and a portfolio assessor. You know, Erica frequently likes to tell me, “A new job isn’t going to just land in your lap, Susan.” Well, the way I got the writing coach and portfolio assessor gigs was by sitting outside at our local lesbian bar. Apropos of nothing, a friend of mine turned to me and said, “Hey Susan. I’ve got these two openings at the school. Do you want the jobs?” I said, “Uh. Okay.”
Obviously Erica is quite wrong about jobs landing in my lap. Almost every job I’ve ever had came to me in about that same way. In fact, most of my life decisions have been made as a result of someone else suggesting something to me. The reason I moved to Italy (for a year, without knowing the language or having any prior interest in studying abroad) was because a classmate of mine said, “Hey Susan, I’m studying in Florence next semester, you should come with me.”
Even when I try to make plans, the thing I end up doing almost never has anything to do with what I intended. Like, this one time I had signed up to be an English teacher in Korea. (This is a surprisingly easy position to obtain.) I didn’t have any real burning (or even lukewarm) interest in teaching English in Korea, but I was kind of lost at the time.
I was living in Brooklyn with a loony pants roommate who was WAY too involved in my personal life - like, setting up a secret phone conversation between my mother and my therapist involved - and I needed a way out. As was the case for most of my life pre-Erica, I was dead broke and had few options available. At the time, a friend of a friend was teaching English in Seoul and he apparently enjoyed it, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I had all of my paperwork filled out, my contract was signed and I was moments away from charging a damn expensive one-way ticket to Seoul. Then, literally on the day I was to purchase my flight, I was offered a full-time event planning position at a company in Manhattan. So, I took it.
Now, of course, the reason I was living with loony pants in Brooklyn to begin with was the result of yet another, “Hey Susan, why don’t you …,” being followed by my ever-spontaneous, “Sure, why not?” But, let me tell you: I learned a LOT from loony pants, and in fact, I owe her a great deal for being the one to spur me to move to New York in the first place. Unlike some other people I know (ahem … Erica … ahem), I have no idea what my tomorrows are going to bring. I have never had a 5-year plan, nor a 5-day plan for that matter. I fly by the seat of my pants and make life changes based on coincidence and random commentary from the people around me. That’s just the way I prefer to roll.
And like my estate-settling venture with my sister … so far, so good.
April 5th, 2011 at 8:53 am
Oh hi Hope! Itsyer Mom…
April 5th, 2011 at 3:15 pm
I do realize it’s another loony roommate you’re talking about, but I just miss saying it.
April 11th, 2011 at 3:26 pm
I understand. The “Oh, hi Hope,” messages were always the best.