Every time I walk into the kitchen at the commune, someone is freaking out about how they have no job/no money/no means of paying rent. Some of us are worse off than others, but money is definitely a concern for all of us starving artists. The reality that money doesn't grow on trees becomes a little scarier every time somebody talks about it.
I'm doing better than the guy that got his bicycle stolen in the rain and has $40 to his name, but I can't live off of savings forever and it's beginning to make me a bit paranoid. I keep myself busy with my writing and music all the time, but since I'm not making any money off of it I probably look like a lazy, idealistic, hipster freak to the untrained eye. I need to start making money off of my creative pursuits (which would involve learning how to market myself) or get a real job.
Unfortunately, I can't just go out and get a real job. Trust me, I have tried. The economy is horrible.
This is all really depressing. I apologize. I agree with Tom and Allison that a world without money would be a really nice place. Money is one of those things that I try to avoid thinking about. Maybe that's why it took me so long to write this post. I kept putting it off all week. I set aside time to write it yesterday but I ended up having car problems and spent too much of my evening dealing with a tow truck driver. I then went to go dancing with some friends (because no matter how broke I am, I can always afford the cover charge at 80's night) but the boy that was going to come with me totally ditched.
My friend Old Hippy Poet summed it up nicely this morning: "No wonder you're kind of down today. The rent is due, your car broke down, and the cute boy didn't want to go dancing with you. Sometimes, everything just happens at once." He then spent an hour under the hood of my car and fixed it, which was exciting. But I digress.
Fortunately, my rent is cheaper than usual this month because of all the days I went without hot water. And hopefully I can pull the "look, I have no job" card and get my student loans delayed some more.
I only wish that money could solve silly boy problems, but the world doesn't work like that.
Anyway, that's all I've got. I feel like this post is less interesting and more dismal than usual. I apologize. I think I will go back to bed at this time.
Love you guys!
- Lauren a.k.a: The Yank
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| My bandmate and I on the one night we got paid for our music |
Cars are a bitch, eh? I'm glad I don't have one. Glad you have Old Hippy Poet to help you - and his wise words are always appreciated.
ReplyDeleteAt least you live with other people who are in similar situations - or, as bad as this sounds, are worse off. I know that's a terrible way to think - but I often use the whole "It could always be worse" excuse.
Too bad no one's paying us to blog, eh?
Well your situation seems bad now, but perhaps this is worse. One of my friends just moved from Alaska to Portland with her "best friend." The second morning, my friend woke up and found her "friend" gone along with all of her "friend"'s stuff. Her "friend" also stole all of my friend's stuff and her money, so now she is completely broke and jobless and staying at my brother's house for now.
ReplyDeleteThis is me being the annoying optimist. Also, the word friend has lost all meaning now because I just used it so much.
I just spent 3 months looking for a job, finally got 3 of them, none of which pay more than $13 an hour. I have a college degree and this is my life. Learn how to market your art, I think it'll be worth it for all of us...I mean, if we all learned how. You too, but you know. Oh man. Stop typing.
ReplyDeleteOld Hippy Poet is a genius - is there nothing he can't do?
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the economy being rubbish at the moment. When I first got the job I'm at now people were moving all the time, there were loads of jobs out there. Now there's hardly anything. I heard about a bar job in London getting over 300 applications. And it wasn't even anything special.
I sympathize with you! But keep on truckin'! It sounds ridiculous, but I always think of RENT the musical when I feel poor and depressed because they are poor and depressed also (and have AIDS) but end up singing about it and being happy. Lame, I know. I'm now going to go sing some Rent songs.....
ReplyDelete