Happy in the Mitten
Since I’ve proven time and time again that I suck at consistency in general, I guess I will now deliver the first of my bi-yearly blog updates. I will say that as I go back and read through what I’ve written over the past two years I can see several patterns in my life. 1.) I am pretty damn funny. I can’t help but find the 
situations I’ve floundered in to be mostly hilarious. Even the earth-shattering moments like moving away from the ocean to co-habitate with my parents, or losing my job while I was living out of my car have provided a giggle or two in retrospect. And 2.) If history is any indication, I will probably continue to struggle to accomplish any goal I set for myself. Those 30 pounds I pledged to drop in 2009? Still hanging around on my ass. That half-marathon I was training for? Well, it’s hard to run when you’re smoking a pack a day and drinking vodka on a daily basis. And I guess that also answers the question about whether or not I’ve quit smoking. As for the MFA I was going to get in film… Well. I did say I was funny, didn’t I?
As much as I’ve always wanted to be, I’m just not one of those women who set goals and check them off everyday. I never finished that scarf I started around Christmas for my ex-boyfriend’s mom. I’ve only written about 10,000 words of that clusterfuck of a novel I started in November. I still can’t play more than three chords on the guitar I swore I would learn to play last year. And if I was real honest, I would tell you that I can’t even remember which chords they are.
But I guess I have accomplished some things that I really wanted to. So, per usual, I offer you a highly detailed list of my underachievements.
1.) I made some friends in Michigan.
I’ve been hanging around the Ann Arbor area now for about six months. In that time, my friend-o-sphere has exploded. I get texts and facebook messages and invitations for drinks and phone calls from people that love me. It’s a far cry from a time when I spent most of my days kicking back on the couch with my mother, drinking coffee, and debating Anthony DiNozzo’s character profile on NCIS. Not that I didn’t enjoy that time re-acquainting with my family. But at 27 years old, I should have a larger social circle than that. So I got one. But how? And where? Well, that brings me to my next development…
2.) I have acquired a ManFriend.
In December, I met a man in a bar. This has never actually been one of my goals, but it turns out he was wonderful. He was (and is) funny, and smart, and successful, and sweet, and talented in a multitude of ways. Since it just seems like overkill to refer to him as my Funny-Smart-Successful-Sweet-Talented ManFriend, I will call him Juan from here on out. Mostly because, even though he isn’t Latino, he’s great in bed and I am a sucker for the brown boys. Plus, I can’t tell you his real name anyway. He just knows too damn many people.
The point is, Juan and I really hit it off. I mean like really. He asked me on a date later that week, and then I basically moved in with him. It’s been an eye-opening experience. Almost movie-like. He introduced me to his fantastic circle of friends, and I haven’t spent a whole lot of time kibitzing about television with my mother much since then. (Which is a good thing for both of us, I assure you.) Minus a few familial squabbles about me co-habitating with a man and not contributing much to the upkeep of the homefront, it’s been really beneficial.
Juan has a lot of “projects” in the works. Projects that need a variety of my social media and internet skills. Even though I’m unemployed, it’s not like I haven’t been working on something everyday. Which sort of makes up for my lack of accomplished goals. For now anyway. In one respect, my life is half wrapped up with his both personally and with these “projects.” But, I feel confident that it’s only for the time being. And I have really enjoyed the things he’s brought into my life, including a freelance gig and some professional contacts. Which brings me to my third development.
3.) I’m getting paid to write!
Okay. Admittedly, it’s not much, and it’s barely two or three stories a week. But when Juan introduced me to a friend of his who runs a local online newspaper, and I wrote a couple pieces for them, I remembered how much I loved interviewing people and learning about their lives and weaving it into words. They let me loose on several unsuspecting school districts, and as of late, a couple arts and entertainment projects.
4.) I’m going to stay in Michigan. For now.
Between my budding career as a journalist/multi-media specialist/whatever the hell someone plops in front of me with the promise of a paycheck, and my newfound friends, and my Funny-Smart-Successful-Sweet-Talented ManFriend Juan (I thought I’d go with the long-hand for comedy’s sake), I am really happy here. In April, I brought my car back from California and cleared out my storage unit in San Diego (Another blog for another day… Perhaps in November?). I really am making a go at a life in Michigan, and it feels extremely good. I’m not sleeping on someone else’s couch or with my head in the trunk of a car. Every night, I curl up next to this beautiful, dark-haired man who makes me laugh and inspires me. I see my parents almost everyday. I’m writing and working on things… Even if I’m not getting a ton of money for it. I have a close girlfriend or two (which is clearly the real miracle). And I’ve learned and experienced things I never could have if I hadn’t come back.
I’m gushing. I know. It’s gross to hear people talk about how blissful they are. But I am just delighted to share that for once on a blog that too often overflows with fears of financial ruin and job dissatisfaction. So the finances haven’t fallen in place for me here yet. But for just this moment, fuck it, I’m happy.
