Goodbye Orlando, Hello LA, See you Tomorrow, Conan!

Hey Bloggers!

I am typing this entry on my flight as I head to Phoenix and leaving Orlando. : ( It is amazing how quickly time flies when it is the least convenient to you. I cannot believe 8 days have passed already. It seems I just got here. Oh well, I know I will back soon, not sure when, but it will happen.

Looking back over the week, it went really well. It was much for chill and relaxing than I had anticipated, but it also definitely had its stresses at some points. One stress point was finding all my rides to and from places. Thank you to those who helped! I really appreciate it. I only got stranded once, and I will go into that in a moment.

I had some great homemade meals, living room entertainment, and a nice night at Food and Wine that ended with sitting in the show booth at the American Pavilion to watch a concert from Starship. I also worked out and did some back exercise every day, (although my back has been acting up this trip a bit), as well as visited some old friends at the Great Movie Ride.

There were some things that did not get accomplished such as: Harry Potter World, Main Street Electrical Parade, TANGLED characters, Cowboys bar, and a Halloween party, but I still had a great trip. I will do all those next time.

My meetings with the executives did go well overall, and all three have offered the upmost support to help me get to where I want to be with the company. I was not expecting that type of reception. Was it because Orlandians are generally nicer, or is it due to being at WDW, or have I just gotten used to the demeanor of those in LA? Either way, they were all really kind to me. I am truly thankful for the chance to meeting with them all.

One of the biggest stressors was the day I had two meet and greets within two hours of each other, and my plan on how to get there fell through completely, and I was basically stranded for a bit. I had a rental car reservation that fell through and I could not get a car within 45 minutes, nor would the companies pick me up off of Disney Resort Property. I called a taxi, but had to stop at an ATM for cash to pay him. What I thought would be a quick ride, was a long ride and ended up costing me all my cash. I could not afford a way back to the next M&G unless it was free (HA!)

My meeting was all the way behind Magic Kingdom in the middle of nowhere because this location was meant to be hard to find. I had to walk around a security gate, which I got interrogated by an officer after I broke the security policy, and I had no car. I couldn’t afford a cab, and I had no time with Disney Transportation; plus, I would have to make my way backstage, and I did not know where I was going. Luckily, a good friend of mine came to my rescue. I could not have been more grateful! Oh, and btw, it was about 100 degrees at this time.

The weather tied the record for hottest days ever everyday this week, including this one. It was soooo hot this week! I cannot believe it is Oct/almost Nov. It was definitely June/July weather.

Anyway, I made it through the week, but one shift short of seasonal. I had two shift exchanges that were denied, so I hope to talk to manager to let it slide and keep my status. I would suck if all this effort was for nothing. I hope to stay seasonal, especially since it seems I will be leaving the Studios in Burbank for some time.

That brings me to Conan. I cannot believe I start tomorrow! YAYAYA! I really hope this is a beginning of a great opportunity and the beginning of a new career path. I am really nervous and excited all at the same time, even if it is for an internship. I know I am going to be thrown right in it, so I hope I will do well. I feel like this is the right move for me, and that feels great to say.

The only challenge is to find a job to sustain me the rest of my time. I will work M-Th, so I need a small job to work nights and weekends to survive. That is my goal for this week. Hopefully it will be successful. I just need to survive for a few months. SURVIVE! I also hope the jet lag won’t bother me. It usually sucks flying East to West for me, and it takes me most of the week to adjust to the time. I know I will be tired tonight, and I have a big day tomorrow to prepare for.

I will let you know how it all goes! Hopefully this is the beginning of a new chapter! However, if I did not have Conan to return too tomorrow, I think I would have stayed in Orlando a few more days. I just can’t let it go, although I noticed how bored I got this trip. I forget that the night life is not as good as LA, so for that, and I cannot believe I am admitting this, I miss LA.

Someone asked me this trip if I am happy. I haven’t thought of it like that in a while. I said, “I am becoming content.” I realize now, I have made friends, I have connections, and I have a direction, the only thing I need is a job. I need the thing I came out here for to really seal the deal I think. Then I will be happier. Maybe not Happy, but HappIER.

Okay, well, I am going to try and sleep, but doubtful. Thanks to my friends who helped me out this week!! I know this was the last week of relaxing for quite a while since I will buckle down and focus for the next few months. I had such a good week, and I hate to be leaving, but life has me going in another direction. So until next time…Goodbye Orlando, Goodbye Employment Boredom, Hello LA, and See you tomorrow, Conan!

Back in Orlando!

(written on Monday 10/25/10)

Hey Bloggers!

Guess where I am? That is right! I am in Orlando! I am back for about 8 days to get in some seasonal hours. I am happy I went back three weekends ago because I only got scheduled 8 hours for my whole trip. Luckily, I have about 17 from last trip, so I need 24 to remain seasonal. I have 8, so now I need 16, and I just got approved for a shift exchange for another 8. Therefore, I am one shift short of my 40 hours needed to be seasonal. I really hope I can find one! It would suck to come this close.

Anyway, I am writing this as I am sitting at my old apartment by the pool. It is a whopping 92 degrees today, so it feels like summer! It is so warm. I forget what humidity feels like, but I got used to it in a matter of seconds. It is funny how quickly you can get back into the rhythm of an old routine. It seems like you almost never leave home.

I am a bit nervous about the ride situation since I cannot afford a car rental. I realize how far all of my CP friends have spread out, so finding rides is much harder this trip than I expected. I know things will be okay, but still it is a stress to make sure you get to where you need to go without bothering others.

I really hope to celebrate Halloween this week, but it seems like my normal party life has slowed a bit because we are all spread out now. Nothing good ever stays the same.

I flew in on Saturday morning after my first Red Eye flight from Burbank Friday night. I left at 9pm, and arrived at JFK 5:45am, and connected to Orlando. When I arrived, I had no sense of time whatsoever! I was so exhausted!! I just can never sleep on planes.

I had a good and relaxing day on Saturday and same with yesterday. I chilled by the pool, hung out with my best friend, and saw some others. I even played at Blizzard Beach just for fun.

I work tonight for the movie on the beach at the Grand Floridian, which is my favorite job to work. I love the calming nature of sitting by the water, talking to guests, giving them marshmallows, and enjoying a movie with fireworks all at once. I realize then how much I am lucky to work here. Hopefully it will be good. Then I work tomorrow at Blizzard, and Wednesday night for Campfire movie. That’s it! I hope to get one more shift, so we will see.

I have three meet and greets scheduled with different executives on property. One is in Broadcast Productions, another is in Fireworks/Live Entertainment, and the other is with Events. I hope to learn some new information about what is at WDW, in case I fail at my time in LA, I would have something to return too. I will let you know how all that goes at the end of the week.

Man, I forgot about the mosquitoes! They are coming around now, and they are annoying!! I keep getting bit, and I don’t want too! Darn my sweet German blood!

Oh! I forgot to update you. I did enroll this past week to the UCLA Extension program for internship credit. $550 worth of my savings, and money I am not making, to prove I am getting credit for this Conan internship. So as of Friday, I am officially enrolled and set to start working when I return!! YAY! It is a start!

Anyway, I think that is all I have to report. I love being back in Orlando, it feels great. I hope to see Harry Potter World, the Main St. Electrical Parade, and the new Tangled characters, as well as some other friends. Right now, the west coast seems light-years away, and I am looking forward to a nice week since this will be my last week to relax for a long while.

Until then… talk later!

Back Home...In Orlando

(written during 9/31-10/4)

Well, my trip home came and went, but I am now at home again... in Orlando. I am making a quick visit down since the airplanes were causing a layover on my return to LA through Orlando, so naturally, I am staying for the weekend instead. I am hoping to get a few hours to maintain my seasonal status. I need 40 for the year, and this weekend I have 16 scheduled, which is great. Funny enough though, I am only working the movie on the beach at the Grand Floridian for those hours, and not where I am statused at Blizzard. By doing this now, I will have an easier week when I come back down at the end of the month to finish my 40 hours.

Anyway, being back is great. My trip home in NJ went so fast! I could not believe that was two weeks already. I am happy I solved my back issue and that I have a great outlook at getting better. I miss NJ, but I know Fall is coming and so is the colder weather. Unlike NJ, Florida is still the same warm temperature. How I missed the humidity! haha, Jk...sorta.

I am back in the same apartment where I lived last year this time, and it is weird. It feels like my room. It is my room, but with different decorations, so does that still make it my room? It feels like home, and yet, I feel a bit distanced from it. Perhaps because I know it won't go back to that, but aside from NJ, this is the only place I have finally felt settled in years.

I have come to realize this trip home, that I am definitely an East Coast girl as I said in a previous post. I look forward to the day I return to the East, but not for the cold. I like the pace of life: fast, organized, cultured and structured. I miss the weather: 4 seasons, great storms, and sometimes...the humidity. I do not like the extreme temperatures like the Northeast has, but I enjoy the more mild seasons from North Carolina down to Florida.

Orlando may not have all the seasons, but it does get cold. There is a summer and a winter. and it has the personal space one cannot find in a big city. I like the people here, too. Yes, you need to know spanish and you don't need to be as well educated, but the demeanor in general is a lot happier. I feel young in Orlando, and I can do whatever it is I want. I feel the most free here. I love the lifestyle. I can go downtown into the city or stay in the private area outside the parks where I am now. I just cannot stand the bugs or the flatness of the land (FLat FLorida). But oh boy, do I not miss the bugs!

One thing about the East Coast I miss the most is the general concept of time. Californian's have no concept of time management. East Coasters live by the minute where everyday is planned. For someone super organized, I respond to this really well.

Okay going on a tangent.... bring it back here. I am in Orlando just for the weekend, and it feels good to be back. Just by sitting here on the couch, I already feel settled or have that feeling of "home" that I have not yet felt in LA. Los Angeles still feels like an extended visit. Even though I have been there 6 months now, I have not gotten that "I belong here" feeling, and yet I have been out west longer than I lived in Orlando last year. Scary.

But, I will not even think about LA until I am back West. Until then...I am just enjoying my time back East. Back home.

Quick Realization

I think I just had a quick realization this afternoon that I cannot do journalistic news for a career. Today, there was a horrific accident at Sea World. My friend is a trainer there, so I texted her to make sure she was okay. Thank God, she is alright.

I know that this is a really hard time for everyone who works there, as these accidents never happen, if they do, they are extremely rare. The last thing I want to do is to push my friend for details about something that is so tragic, plus confidential, from the media. As of the first hour of the news break, the woman involved has not had her name released.

Knowing that my potential job is in Orlando, I emailed my job contact about the story saying I heard about it and I hope everyone is alright. Within seconds, I was asked to verify the details with my friend about whom was involved. I would be a second source. Whether this was meant to be or not, I saw this as my first test to see if I could do the job for which I am applying.

I asked my friend, but I felt really dirty and weird about it. It was as if I was using her for information that didn't benefit me but someone else. I didn't need to know the information. I realized right then, I cannot do journalistic reporting. I can do the work no problem, but it is the ethics behind it that rub me the wrong way. It is too intrusive. I felt guilty asking my friend for such sensitive information. For that one instance, I felt I was on the wrong side. I need to support her and respect her privacy, not go instigating for insensitive details. Even if I were just a source to confirm whatever facts they currently have, I didn't like the feeling of pushing and being insensitive during her time of grief. So it just occurred to me, if I cannot do investigate via text message in good conscience, then how can I do it on the job? Unfortunately, I don't think I can.

Thus, I found the answer to my question about the decision I would have to make about the job offer if I were to get it. No. I need to decline. I want to be proud of my work, not scared of it. I want people to embrace it, not get angry with it or fear it. That stands against all of my integrity as an employee and my ethics as a person. Guess I am not the next Barbara Walters.

It's hard to admit that I cannot do something. Oh well... sad.... Okay... over it! This is the final decision I need to confirm my career path. This is exactly what I needed. I don't have to wait on the answer anymore because I have my mind made up. It's like Pocahantas when she chooses the hardest path of the river. Moving to Orlando would have been really easy, and the job career path would have been smooth, but it's not the right path for me. The fork in the road is now a straight line, and it feels good. LA ENTERTAINMENT here I come! I feel that is the right direction.

Timing not with Me

As much as I am trying to remain calm, I realize that life's timing is just not meshing with mine lately. Even now, I am on the verge of buying a ticket to Orlando for tomorrow. What has brought this on? Well, my cousins who live behind me are going to Disney for two days (tues and wed). Basically, I want to spoil them!! How is it that I finally have some family come to visit, but I am not there?! ugh not fair!

Anyway, I was up to 12.30am last night texting my uncle about how much I can save him if I were to meet him on property and maingate him in the parks. My cousins have never been to Disney, and I couldn't think of going there without them. So for the last few hours, we have been looking at plane flights to get me down there for two days. I found some deals, but those deals would be if I left tomorrow but stayed for 10 days. As much as this is possible, I am not sure what I would do for the week after they left. I could work, do my projects, swim, read... I would definitely find a way to occupy my time. The only thing preventing me from pressing "purchase" is a mode of transportation.

I have been lucky enough to go to FL and always find a way around with friends or what have you. This time, it is such short notice, that it may not be possible. This realization is KILLING me. For the last few hours, I have been texting friends to borrow a bike if they had one. I was contemplating biking 14 miles to the parks to get where i needed to go. Hey, where there is a will there is a way. I just don't care how, I want it to work.

This is where I realize just how strongly I want to be down there. Last entry, I mentioned how I cannot get FL out of my head. I mean look at me! I am possibly going to buy a 10 day ticket, ride a bike miles and miles, just to get around and be with my cousins for 2 days! That's it, 48 hours to spoil them with what I know. So why did the decision or discussion of not getting there tomorrow make me so mad? I don't know! I think it is the fact that I actually have a chance to help someone out on their vacation, and I have the power to do that. I have the ability to help, but life's variables are too much.

Too much planning and last minute scheduling is going into this, more than is necessary. But I just cannot let go of the fact that they are down there and I am up here. I can save them over $500 bucks, but I have to be there; and I am not.

What hold does FL have on me? I know it is not where I will be forever, but it the only place where life makes sense to me. Being that I am not doing anything in NJ makes it hard not to think about being in FL.

Tonight while I was out to dinner, it was brought up that I wasn't in Florida because I didn't have a car. To me, that is the main reason why I left FL, and why I am not there now. I guess that was how my parents saw it. A heated discussion came up saying that I am not in FL because I knew I wasn't going to go anywhere with the job I had, could search for jobs at home, and go into the city and interview them. True, but I could do all of that in FL, while having things to occupy my time. Plus, how many interviews have I had: one. Where? NYC? Nope! Ironically enough... in Orlando! hahaha. So really, to me, one of the main reasons I am not there is because of the car, but it is so obvious I still want to be there.

I told my mom that not being at Disney when I finally have someone to visit me is really just bad timing, and it sucks. Timing in life is not meshing right now. Timing with a trip to FL, timing with finding a job, timing with moving out. LIFE! When will it click? I know this may sound a bit depressing, but hey, I am just getting so frustrated and restless. I cannot even make a trip to FL, which is like second nature to me by now, work without problems. If I cannot do that, then what can I control in life at the moment? What is left? ugh!

Okay, tune down the drama, got it. I just need to get that out. I wish I was there, for ten days or not. I wish I was there with family, friends, and sunshine. I know that I need to move to LA, and that is why I am now home. However, I am unsure that by moving to LA, if I will ever be able to let FL go. Not sure. I just hope to find a job where I feel I found my place again, where I have a purpose.

Now to buy those tickets or not?

Waiting on the Answer

Isn't it funny when time decides to move ever so slowly when you really don't want it too? And just the opposite when you don't need it too? Such a riddle. Well, I have been feeling like that every once in a while. The days at home are all blending together, so time can creeeeeeep by so slowly when I am bored. But then when I actually get to doing things, the day goes by so fast.

Well, this also happened with my spontaneous Orlando trip last weekend. I returned a week ago today. I must say that the week has crawled by for the most part, but looking back at it, it went so fast. I feel like I was just there yesterday.

I am glad I took the trip. The interview went well, and it was really informative. I came away with a great boost in self confidence and encouragement that I am doing the right thing. I chose the industry I was meant to be in, I am just waiting for my first big break. I know it is coming soon. But the most important thing I came away with last week was some closure. I left Orlando so abruptly in December, before I was ready, and I needed to go back even if were just for a few days. I know things have changed, and I needed to know that so I don't keep holding onto what was. Totally worth half of my savings... which it was.

Anyway, I am waiting; waiting for an answer from my job interview. I should be hearing soon. This interview is coming at a big crossroads in my life at the moment. I am just beginning to plan and feel mentally ready to go out to LA in March. I know the time and pressure is getting ripe, and I am on the verge of just packing up and going. The only thing stopping me? This potential job in Orlando. This would really change the direction in my life. The real question is: is it the right one?

I feel that this may be one of the biggest decisions I will ever make, and it will have the biggest impact in terms of my career. I basically have to decide between journalism and entertainment. LA has entertainment and Orlando has brought journalism. Entertainment is my passion, but I could be really good at journalism. Being a girl who hates to reject risks, do I take the position if it were offered? Or do I go chasing a dream possessed by so many and go to LA and try to beat out so many others with no guarantees? Or do I just postpone the LA dream for a while for a job I know I have the potential to be great at? But if I take the Orlando gig, am I rejecting entertainment from my unforeseeable future forever? I am so confused by all of this double questioning every move. I know each job has its pros and cons. I just fear making the wrong decision.

I see this potential job as a great experience; I can only learn from it. I could either hate it or absolutely love it. I have just had my heart set on entertainment for so long, that I have not really considered anything else. I just do not let obstacles deter me from my chosen path. But that is just it, I have chosen this path, so only I can make this decision. I guess that is the real inauguration to adulthood is it not? Since when was it up to me to make my own decision? I don't remember crossing that bridge, I must have crossed it blindfolded.

I am not sure what I will choose. I am preparing and going after LA wholeheartedly as if this Orlando opportunity is not around. I will only make my decision if I only get offered the position. As of now, I will keep low expectations with a positive attitude and stay focused on my goal at hand: to start my career. Unfortunately, that deals with having my future in some unknown executive's hands. Until then, I am waiting to hear from them. I will continue to wait for an answer, but I hope it's a good one.

Quick Trip to Orlando

So this will be rather short, but I have had an intersting and exciting past few days. First, Wednesday night was Obama's first State of the Union Address; I will make my comments on that tomorrow. Second, Thursday was a bizzare day.

My Thursday's summary: woke up to snow, fed 200 hungry/homeless, confirmed an interview, then at 4.15 I bought a 6.25pm flight to Orlando! So in less than 2 hours, I had to pack for a week, prepare for my interview, get to the airport, and leave. Phew! I made it.

It is all a blur now, but somehow i landed here. I am in Orlando, sitting in my old room. It is a bit surreal. It feels good to be back, but at the same time, I feel distant from it. I have some business to attend to on tomorrow (Monday), so let's hope it goes well.

This weekend was great. I made it to Orlando on Thursday, and Friday we left for a three day road trip. Me and three others drove from Orlando to Jeckyll Island, GA. There was not much in Jeckyll Island. It was a rocky barrier beach, a state park, and home to three restaurants that closed at 9pm. We enjoyed an afternoon photo shoot on the beach with some local music and good cuisine for dinner. Our hotel was, interesting. A bit small for 4 people, especially since my feet hung off the end of the bed.

Saturday morning, we left Jeckyll Island for Savannah, where we met Kyle, my brother. He became our own personal tour guide. He showed us South African lunch, a personal tour around the city, a look into his artistic world, and some humor despite the nasty weather. This is where I learned of Paula Dean. Her restuarant for all Food Network junkies is there. My party could not have been more estatic. Thank you Kyle for the wonderful afternoon. I miss you!!

Sat afternoon through Sunday afternoon, we drove to St. Augustine, the oldest town in the US. It’s history was definitely the main attraction. Once again, awful weather, but we had fun. We went shopping, tried gator tails, loved Holiday Inn, and saw our own version of the Fountain of Youth.

We got back to Orlando around 6pm tonight. Overall it was a fun trip. Glad I did it. Learned a lot. Good company. Yay for a weekend out of the north; nice break. I was also glad to get away from the computer too.

Orlando, a place called home

It is the end of another day, another day where I am not sure what I accomplished.  Each day feels like the one before it, and each weekday feels like a weekend, where no real significant events separate and define the days.  Some would call this a vacation, but I consider it the longest transition ever.

As of tonight, I left Orlando, Florida a month ago today. For those who do not know me, I work during breaks at Walt Disney World, but I recently had to leave.  The circumstances for why I left are insignificant now other than they were really out of my control.  Yes, I knew I was eventually going to leave soon, and I really just needed life to tell me when that time was.  That happened.  I left.  Honestly, if life didn't take control like I prayed it would, I don't think I would have left.  

I am the type of person who just wants to feel comfortable and like I fit in to my environment.  I never got that feeling with Boston (which will be explained in a later entry), and I never really felt that with my high school buddies.  Sure, I was liked and got along with others, but I never felt a coherent part of a group.  Of the group of girls I hung out with in high school, I don't see them that much because my dreams, goals, and personalities have always been different than others.  I have always been a bit of an outsider.  I don't mind it now, but it was awful during those middle school years.

Anyway, Orlando is basically the only place where I feel I can be totally me.  Totally free.  I explain to those who know me that I have two sides: my serious/northeastern side and my silly side.  I LOVE the person who I am when my silly side dominates.  In Orlando, I laugh as if I have never laughed before, act as if I am the super star in my own play, and honestly, I don't care who sees me.  When I am in NJ, I am expected to be serious, ambitious, professional, and well...reserved.  It is just the northeast way of life. 

Maybe it's the difference in culture, lifestyle, whatever; but I don't think so, for most of my friends I have in Orlando are not originally from Orlando.  They cross the whole span of the USA.  It is not the area that makes me love my life in Orlando, it is the people, the friendships.

These friendships are hard to explain to others outside of the Disney area, but there is just a strong and undeniable bond you have with any person you meet there.  People meet so easily because we all have given up a life back at home to be here, all here for the same reason: we all felt an urge to be there.  This bond becomes so strong, what would take 5 years in a friendship to know someone would take 5 weeks here.  This bond of everyone having to work together, live together, hang together, you actually HAVE to become friends or else you will be miserable.  People here come in and out so quickly, but we always find a way to come back.

This strong connection that I have with these people, is what many go without in a lifetime, and I am so lucky that I have experienced.  Looking back at it now, I can say that Orlando was where I became an adult.  I never felt so happy with myself, I learned so much of my good and bad qualities.  It has brought out the good in me.  It was my coming of age story.

This is why I have been going back for 3.5 years.  This is why I went back for 7 months after graduation. The friendships that I have feel as if they are unbreakable.  I wish I could take my friends with me wherever I go in life, but I know that cannot happen.

Orlando itself is not an area I would ever want to live life permanently, it is where I escape from it.  It is hard for my friends and family to get why I leave so often, and it is hard to tell my FL friends why I don't stay.  I just hope they get it eventually. 

But all good things come to an end.  I left a month ago today, and this day became the hardest day of my, young adult life.  Not an inch of my body and heart wanted to leave what is my home, but duty called.  It is hard to say that I am moving on, because I know it will never officially end for me.  As long as my friends are there, then I have a home to go back too, and how long can one deny returning home?

I believe whole heartedly that things happen for a reason.  I may not have been ready to leave a month ago, but there was a purpose to why I did.  I may not ever understand it, but it is all part of the plan.

This last month has been full of emotions.  Sadness, loneliness, fear, hope, happiness, anger, excitement... you name it I have felt it and still feel it.   

If you ask me "How am I doing?" Well...I am doing a LOT better. The days are getting easier.  At first I could barely hold back tears as I realized my move back home meant no independence. I felt as if I failed. I failed and came back with nothing more than 30 bucks to show for it.  Now the days go by with little to no excitement.  I wake up at 11.30, do sudoku, ride the excercise bike, go on the computer and apply for jobs.  That is my day.  There are days I get sad, but I realize that something bigger is coming.  I do not have tears anymore, but just the occasional sadness filled with great anxiousness.

I am realizing the fact that life is not meant to be planned and predictable, it's just the opposite. I am just glad I finally found the place and the people that I just click with, even if it was only meant to be temporary.  

I miss FL, Disney, my friends, my apt...my roommate especially.  I just cannot wait to return one day.  I just hope life points me in the right direction again because I surrender all control.

Thank you Orlando for your hospitality.  

It has been a month back in NJ.  Only God knows how much longer.

 

Unnerving Instability...

So it is the end of another week, and the beginning of a promising new one; except, I have no idea what to look forward too.  You see, life has really changed a lot for me in the last few weeks, and months.  Actually, now that I look back at it, I have never really had a moment of stability since high school.  

Ever since I went to school in Boston, every semester brought on new adventures.  My college experiences spanned various locations from Boston, Orlando, Chatham, New Zealand, Los Angeles, and various travel locations.  Confusing?  Try explaining this to strangers:  I went to school in Boston, while living/from Chatham, NJ, working in Orlando, and interning abroad.  Not the easiest summary, but hey, that was my life for the past 4 years.  

I spent only 5 semesters actually on campus, and graduated in 3.5 years and took a semester off for Orlando.  All except freshman year, I had a different roommate each semester.  I was abroad my entire senior year, and traveled to the other side of the world.  Through all of this, I have been through my fair shares of ups and downs.  And unfortunately, as I am quickly learning, life is not getting any easier.  Despite my various locations throughout my college career, I would say I had an ordinary experience like anyone else.

Anyway, more on college in another entry.  The point I am getting too, is that life is at such a crossroads right now, and I do not know where to turn.  I am looking for a direction, for a purpose, for a job, for a new start, and to claim my life as an adult, but life is still unstable.

I lived in Florida for 7 months prior to moving back home unexpectedly last month, and now I am back to where I started.  Has any progress been made?  Not sure.  And because life is so unsure at this moment,  I cannot tell you where I will be next week or when I plan on leaving.  It just depends on what job comes through.  I may just have to get up and go on a moment's notice, or I could be here for a year (God, I hope not).  I guess it is exciting, but it is more nerve-racking than i ever thought.  Life's stability isn't any easier than it was trying to figure out what college i would get accepted into.  I guess that is life's true lesson during this time.  

Oh well, I still have a lot to learn, and a lot to look forward too.  I am excited for life, and I am excited to move and find that stable location.  I may not be there forever, but I want a place to call my home away from home... to call my own.  I cannot wait for that day.

Down with instability!