Preface

Blogging for me is much like public speaking is to the socially awkward or anxious. The blank page is daunting to me, and I become nervous and discouraged. I was never one to articulate my life into words; I never kept a diary, I rarely penned my thoughts or concerns, seldom do I confide in others. I suppose the best place to make a start at is the beginning. We shall play a bit of catch up...let us get to know one another.

I am a twenty-three year old college drop-out. I completed my first year before making the decision to withdraw. I could not justify the amount of money it necessitated. Not to say I wasn't good at it; academics have always come easily to me. But the cost was exponentially growing and I was not getting what I felt to be an equal payout from it. In hindsight, I am glad for the decision. If I had continued, I would have graduated this past spring into a frozen job market. I have heard too many horror stories of women my age with decorated college degrees bar tending, waitressing, stripping and selling their eggs to make ends meet.

I live in rural, upstate New York with my boyfriend of almost two years (We will call him Joe). Two years in October, to be precise. Both of us are on the cusp of many major life decisions. We both have 'dead-end' jobs that are unsatisfying and leave us with a bitter taste in our mouths. He works two jobs; his main job is as a carpet cleaner-become-personal assistant. He receives a salaried amount of hours per week, but if there is no work, he has to tally the hours up and work them off at a later time. For instance, he gets paid for thirty hours a week, but if he works only 20, he still gets the same paycheck. But the following week, if he works forty hours, he still receives the same amount and the extra hours go toward the balance. He also has a side job as a pizza delivery boy. I work as an art gallery/personal assistant roughly twenty-five hours a week, and I have a side job as a gas station clerk, as well as odd-jobs babysitting and tutoring when I can scrape them up.

We rent a modest two-bedroom house and have, currently, four cats. We started out with one, and temporarily adopted two from friends who were moving in with a roommate who was allergic to cats (Big mistake, more on that in the future). Then we were adopted by a stray who ingratiated herself into our lives when she became pregnant. I am a sucker for animals and couldn't leave her to suffer outdoors with kittens. So she is on maternity leave in my guest bathroom. We have a clunker car that we bought for $1k from a friend of ours, no furniture to our name, accumulated debt and big dreams.

Recently, Joe and myself have been contemplating our future, leading to the discussion of his enlisting in the US Army. Big decision. Scary decision. But at the same time, it is exciting. The idea of change thrills me, and I am optimistic that this move will be one that will help us to begin climbing our way out of the slump we have found ourselves in. It almost feels like the pieces will fall into place with just the right amount of maneuvering and support.

This should be enough of a background picture to move forward. This will be a chronicle of my experiences as a twenty-something girl and her average Joe, embarking on the search for the 21st century American dream. It will not be easy, it will not be quick. But it will be exciting, and it will be real. And you are all invited to join me.

So let's go!