La Nomade
Enjoying Funemployment.An Open Letter to 1960 Grove.
You and your screaming baby at 6 am isn’t winning any friends.
I’m aware you just pooped out a kid like, 9 months ago, and are a bit overweight as a result – but is it absolutely necessary to walk through the house like an elephant? Have you heard of this invention called slippers? They’ve been using them in Asia for centuries. Theres oodles of great places to find them in Chinatown, or down on Clement. I’d be happy to hook you up with some. And I’m not bitching because you have hardwood floors and we don’t, trust me, I’m incredibly jealous. The furniture in my room would look so much better if the flooring beneath them were the original 1905 oak floors, and not the stained carpet filled with the memories of beer pong, spilled PBR and Tecate. Anyway, I digress.
Please don’t think that I’m completely insensitive either, I like kids too. I used to take care of them professionally. No, I cannot babysit your kid, thanks for the offer though. Anywho, just to let you know in case you didn’t know: These walls are paper thin, and everyone hears every little sound.
Also, thanks for leaving town this Labor Day weekend, you’ve made my time sleeping in a lot more enjoyable.
Love,
Your downstairs flat neighbor,
1958 Grove St.
Never Say Never?
I think so. I was going along, in my ride on funemployment, when I got a call from the temp agency. They’ve found me a position, with a tech firm, and would like me to interview.
Reality quickly set in. See friends, upon the start of my unemployedness I vowed to myself, never to go back into another office again. Realizing that I’m trying to go to either Japan or France at the beginning of next year, snapped me back into reality.
It’s only 3 months right? I can do it, it will go by faster quicker anybody’s business.
I had my initial interview yesterday. I prepared some, but was nervous and largely unprepared. I think I kicked a lot of ass, and apparently was the strongest candidate they had.
Again, cross your fingers, this blog may actually turn into something interesting down the road.
The Plan.
This is it. I have arrived. Approaching upon a month of being unemployed, I have a plan, or simply put “I have my shit together”. I’m not exactly sure how it’s going to be achieved in four short months, but we’ll see.
It goes as follows:
Get Laid off (Check)
Collect Unemployment (Check)
Go back to school and finish math for retards so you can actually have your BA posted(Check! Already enrolled! Now, if I could actually do my homework and start passing stuff)
Sort out credit/debt stuff
Pursue internships in editing.(Check! I start Wednesday)
Write more, get published.
Move back to France for grad school in February.
So far, I feel as if I’m doing a pretty good job. Now if I could just manage to beat the procrastination monster. So far I’ve spent all of this weekend, and many other subsequent days “nesting” as I’ve just moved into a new place.
Nesting involves not leaving the house for extended days at a time, except to go to the post office, not showering (except to go to class) and stuffing my face. I’ve also been reading up on blogs, lit magazines and hitting up the library. I tell myself that it’s inspiration for my new-found writing career. But I can’t think of the last writer that’s ever accomplished anything by not writing.
I will say I’ve achieved a burst of inspiration in the writing sector over the last few days. It’s got something to do with the insomnia I’m suffering. I’m almost bummed for it to go away by getting decent sleep.
25 Things About Me You Never Knew and Were Too Afraid To Ask.
I’m aware I’m a few months too late on doing this. Seeing as how I have a hard time talking about myself, I actually like what I wrote.
1. I type 95 words a minute. Yes, this means I don’t have to look at the keyboard. In fact, I’ve never formally learned how to type. I can’t tell you were the keys are, my fingers just know. I could attribute this to some sort of innate ability to pick up new things, but really it just means I’ve spent too much time on the computer as kid (read: nerd).
2. I learned how to read at age 3.
3. My favorite person to talk to is my mom. We’re friends, and chat at least every other day, if not daily. I may not actually heed all of her advice (especially when I know she’s right) but if I’m down, she makes my day a lot better.
4. My favorite subjects are books, music and food. Books about music? Hell yeah! Cookbooks? Even better. A book about books, music and food? Someone really needs to get on top of writing this.
5. I hate silence. I always have to have something in the background, music, tv or my personal favorite: the space heater – It lulls me to sleep at night.
6. My best friend is a 40 year old, single, gay man with a cat almost as old as I am. Any takers?
7. I’m an extremely light sleeper.
8. I despise milk, mayonnaise and commuting.
9. I can recite a great deal of The Canterbury Tales in Middle English from memory.
10. You probably shouldn’t take anything I say seriously, especially after a couple of drinks.
11. After getting a BA in Political Science, and flirting with the idea of getting a MA in International Relations, I have no desire to “run” the world, become a lawyer, or participate in the political process in any way, shape or form. However, I like knowing how the world works. Also, I feel it gives me a license to be legitimately cynical on the state of affairs.
12. I’ve met the Dalai Lama before. It was and will probably be the only spiritual experience I’ve ever had. He makes people cry.
13. I’m deeply saddened by the fact that it is impossible to eat and drink in every bar and restaurant in San Francisco.
14. I talk a lot of shit, but I actually do want kids someday. I even have names picked out. Weird, huh?
15. I have a crush on Chuck Klosterman and Anderson Cooper. Too bad the former has a girlfriend and the latter is gay. Story of my life.
16. I’ve grown up moving around a lot. I’ve lived in eight states, 12 cities, and attended 13 schools in my lifetime (before college).
17. I’m newly unemployed and couldn’t be happier. My new favorite website? www.stuffunemployedpeoplelike.com
18. That being said, I never want to step foot in another office (as a worker bee) as long as I live.
19. I actually want to be a writer more than anything in the world.
20. I used to compete in Geography Bees as a kid. This means I know where shit is.
21. I’m quitting smoking. For reals this time.
22. I may be 24, but I’ve lived the life of someone roughly twice my age. I’d tell you the details, but I’d much prefer you purchased my memoir when I actually get around to writing one.
23. I’ve been living out of a suitcase for a year now. In the last year I’ve lived in two countries, two states, six cities, and ten apartments. I’m tired.
24. My favorite book ever? Green Eggs & Ham.
25. I worry. A lot. About everything. I really need to stop.
I started this blog last year to document my (short lived) adventures as a nanny in France. Since that time, I just chat with K, the nanny who has survived two replacements in my wake, and don’t miss my could have been existence at all.
Now, practically a year later, very much the same lost post-undergrad I was last August, life has given me a few do-overs recently which I see the immediate need to take advantage of. Events in my life seem to take place as a crazy series of things that spiral down one after the other.
In the last three months I’ve moved back to San Francisco, found a place to live, lost a place to live, found a job, lost a job. Got into a car accident, and lost my wallet, broke and came into money.
This has made me come to the conclusion that I’ve been deeply sidetracked from the things that I originally planned to d post college and now it’s time to get that done. So now, being newly unemployed, I’ll joined the ranks of the funemployed, while getting shit done. These will be the following adventures.
So here is the what.
I arrived here in France on September 1st. And so far it hasn’t been the ideal time I’ve asked for.
So, for your reading pleasure, allow me to re-count the last ten days of my stay here in Cap d’Ail.
I got an amazing flight for $550 on Lufthansa, has a very easy flight and comfy flight over the Atlantic, unlike my working partner kim who had a hellish time on Aer Lingus, so much so it took her three days to get here on what would normally be a ten hour flight. I had a somewhat long layover in Frankfurt before heading over to Nice. by the way, if you haven’t flown Lufthansa, they give you hot towels before each meal, and all the free booze you want. I dig.
I arrived, jet lagged and was put immediately to work. No hello’s, no bisous, this basically set the tone for the last two weeks I was in store for.
The family i work for is quite interesting to say the least. The mom is some former German tv actress (read: washed up), with two kids, who are fabulous. She however, doesn’t like to do anything herself, so having no time at all to get even remotely settled, I was thrown right in to working twelve hour days by myself with absolutely no help or information as Kim didn’t arrive until three days later.
The girls are four and nine, and make the days a lot more interesting. But entirely stressful on account of their mother.
1. The internet is craptastic where I live, thus making regular posts and photo uploads to flickr difficult.
so i do apologize for my lack of updates thus far as this blog was suppossed to recount my trip here, but I promise to make a better effort. However, here hasn’t been all bad from the mosquitos (holy balls, there are a lot of them. I have as of right now 14 mosquito bites). And if you have facebook, I have pictures from Nice, Monaco, Ventimilgia, Italy, and tomorrow Cannes as well.
Nevertheless, I’m in the search for a new position which is why i’ve been hesitant to send out any info, as it may be changing soon. But keep posted about my adventures, they’re only going to get better.
Testing…
I leave in exactly one week. I should be nervous, scared and all that jazz, but I’m more ready to go than ever. This time next sunday I’ll be on a Lufthansa flight headed toward Nice (via Frankfurt). My final destination will be beautiful Cap d’ail, France. A beautiful sea-side bedroom town next to Monaco (five minutes driving). Where I’ll spend the next year co-nannying for two awesome children. Yes, co-nannying, I’ll be working with K who is my age and is coming from Florida. The mother who shall remain nameless hires two nannies for her girls which not only makes the job a lot more fun, but a lot less stressful as well. I’ve been slacking on the work tip for the last two months and it will be good to get back in the swing of things. I promise this won’t become a nanny-blog, but rather a detailed account of my daily experiences in my dream country (yes, I am a Francophile).
