Sunday, August 29, 2010

I feel...

With my brain in a thousand places, lately the best way to describe how, or better what, I feel is 'a lot'. Nothing is more upsetting than feeling everything at once - I cannot construct any sort of simple sentence to say how it is that I feel.

I feel....
well, chaotic, indecisive,underpaid, out of balance, blessed, irrelevant, unsure, feeble, lazy, lucky, martyred, controlled, predictable, dependent, lonely, honest, desperate, indifferent, sold-out, sly, tired, gossipy, taxed...

The chaotic state of my life is really taking a bit of a toll on me. I'm trying to breathe it out, but it isn't working - I know that my situation isn't a bad one to be in, but this is my blog, my little inch of me space where I can feel an ounce of entitlement - so, if what I say bothers you - stop reading, I'm not asking for sympathy just understanding and advice.

I think the thing that I feel the most is loneliness, I don't want for friends. In fact I have some of the best people in the world in my corner, but I want to be able to touch someone when I roll over at night. I want someone to hold my hand when we walk down the street, someone to share desert with, to cook for, to love. I am ready to build a nest and settle into it with some other bird that I can call mine. I don't know what it is, maybe I too am equipped with a biological clock that is ticking away somewhere in my subconscious. - - - I want someone to share my life with, but I don't want some body, I want somebody....

Gah, don't get sucked into your own crazy.

Love to you all,
AA

Friday, August 27, 2010

Fragments of France

So, I thought I might tell the Cliff's notes version of my journey through France - maybe share a few things along the way about myself.

Firstly, I would like to say: Wow.

There has never been a place where I felt so effected, so at home, and so wished for a hand to hold and friends to share my adventures than Paris.

People compare cities of the world with one another, and I just haven't found Paris comparable to any other place I've been. It feels like an agglomeration of towns with no tall buildings and plenty of sky and green space. I saw, on the first day, why people fall in love with and move to Paris.

All of our outings were lovely, I had some of the best food I've ever tasted. My most favorite being either the lunch cruise down the Seine or the dinner at Bofinger. Both were elegant, delicious meals that I will never forget. Though breakfast every morning from the little patisserie outside our metro stop was fairly AMAZING... I got a tarte aux fraises every morning and it was HEAVEN.

And what story about France would be complete without a boy.... There was a guy on the trip I liked very much, but he was taken - though I ended up being his surrogate boyfriend for a month. Then I had a fling with a local french teacher, very cute guy. My greatest victory was finding the self confidence to talk to a stranger I found attractive. For the first time in my whole life, I went for it, and I flirted with a stranger... it didn't go especially well, but I did it and I am proud I did. (I also managed to wash away Gem and PhotoOp with the wine... très bien, non? -small victories)

Everything was as expensive as they tell you it is - but I did buy a few things to bring back, hopefully you'll get to see them :)

I definitely feel like I had my trial by fire, the first time traveling abroad, and alone. Getting delayed 4 hours on the way there, and having a horrible time getting back to the U.S. and spending the night at the airport. Everything that was negative melts away in comparison to the fantastically liberating and marvelous time I had while I was there.

If you ever have the chance to travel, take it. No matter where you go, if you are open minded, you will learn something.

Love to you all,
AA

Quitting the Chaos.

So, I feel like a cassette tape with all this ribbon of mind crinkled into some cloud above my head. I have so many thoughts that I've thunk intertwined together that I can't really sort them out right now. So, in light of that fact, I cut off the excess, throw it in my mind's back pocket to be sorted out when my brain doesn't seem like sloppily scrambled eggs.

The reason for the 'inquiet' is the lack of calm in my life right now. I had planned out my schedule for this semester far in advance and the plan fell apart when I returned from France and had a all-but-fulfilling conversation with my father.... Dad said that the 'rents would only be footin' the bill for the classes that I had to take - i.e. just one. Wrapping my brain around this idea has been a little less than easy, but I've finally gotten to a peaceful place where that's concerned. I've decided to throw all of my efforts into this one class and make it work the best I can while applying for a full-time job. (Momma, I'm sorry, I know you wanted me to work at your office and now.... turns out I could.... we can talk about the irony later.) I've found one that I really want, but the likelihood of getting it may be slim - that's kind of stressing me out, but I am trying my best to deal with the unknown and embrace it.

The real source of stress has been the job that I came back to at the University, it has become stressful and without any real reward - I worked 35 hours in the past 7 days, standing in an office, constantly working. My old boss retired, she was truly the best part of the whole job... and I asked my new boss for more hours or a raise, but instead of those things she hired someone who, though a nice person, is not in any way cut out for this job. I am the only one in my office of six people who consistently knows what they are doing 100% of the time. I continually am fixing the mistakes of my co-workers and I have to spend most of my time in my office hemmed in with my fake-but-oh-so-sticky-sweet-charming ex, which is infuriating (the one that cheated on me with our mutual friends and now pretends like I do not exist, who applied and got the job in my office the semester following our break-up knowing full-well I would still be working there but not even having the courtesy to think of me or my feelings at all. Can we all say ASS HOLE - there are very few people in my life that I can say that I do not like... but he shares the crown in that contest....).

In looking at the benefit/cost ratio I realize that I am paying the school rather than getting paid to work. And thus, being the slightly graceful human being that I am, I believe the time has come to leave the party with dignity rather than be forced to leave. The time for something new is upon me.

Instability has kind of been a theme for me lately - I have had a carousel of courtiers rotating through my life as of late. There is one that I think is worth going after, but he lives in south Florida.... 4-5 hours drive away.... and he "doesn't do" long-distance. So, in short, I've been a bit slutty - a hoe period, if you will - a different boy in my bed or on my couch every night. - - - I think that it's a means to distract myself, the conversation and company is nice, but something about it feels empty. I spent about 4 days with Beau down south, and every moment felt amazing, I can't get him out of my head - we gave little kisses but weren't physical and I was happy with that. I felt safe and comfortable - and something terribly hard to explain, but, I knew that he was more than just a body to sleep next to and keep me company. He is someone that interests me, engages me, challenges me - no one I've met is like him. These other boys can't compare - they are the empty, yet tasty, McDonald's french-fries to a four course fine meal. They lack the substance and the unique special qualities that this man has. He's not a dime a dozen dude - or dud might be more appropriate....

After all that, what I can say is that I'm scraping together all the elements that once where fairly well-knitted together - still growing, learning to be honest with others and myself - trying to keep the edges of my writing "round."

I guess the moral of the story is don't date anyone that could become your co-worker, live every day in honesty (with yourself and everything around you), and don't lose yourself when the world starts to shift around you.

Love to you all,
AA


(Name Game: the boy from SoFLA shall be called Beau because it is the French word for handsome, and that his is, and he speaks French..... and plays the piano.... and, of course, is fantastic human - in my eyes anyway)

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Sight and Sound in the world of the blind, deaf, and dumb.

I've been thinking of all sorts of fragments - building a giant cache of patches to build a carefully crafted quilt of quotations.... this may not turn out to be anything amazing, this post of fragments, but it might give you a thought to think on for a while.

I found that in my recent silence from bogging that I found far too many things to talk about and I began to journal again. When I blog, my journaling/poetry writing suffers, and vice versa. But I found an even greater self-honesty than I did before - in that silent space, uncluttered with static and the refuse of a days thoughts. - I encourage you to spend time in silence of some sort, whether it is total silence or just leaving the telephone at home for a day - find the silence.

In that same vein, I found that opening ones eyes, truly looking at anything and being fully engaged in trying to understand it makes the world so much more delicious. Life isn't a movie, it will never be - nor should be, something that you watch. Open your eyes and see what is around you, marvel at its wonders.

aaaand all the other thoughts I think will have to wait, because I am SO very tired. I'll have more to say soon :)

Love to you all,
AA

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Not a prolific poster.

For the past month, my little electronic voice has been silent. Honestly, there were so many thoughts I would have loved to record here, and I'm sure stories will be posted as memories are stirred up by daily life, but there just wasn't time. If I wasn't eating, sleeping, or at school, I was out in Paris trying to assimilate into la culture francaise.

Also, in thinking about my cyber-silence, I realize that it's a reflection of my life during the last month. There are times in your life when it is much more about what you take in than what you put out. Karma repaid me this past month, feeding me with creativity, understanding, knowledge, new friends, challenges... I grew in my silence, and all the things I learned will find their way here - I'm sure.

Love to you all, happy to be back :)

AA