This is What Happens When I Actually Focus on Writing

For someone who doesn’t currently have a job and has a lot of free time, I have found a lot of excuses not to write this week, but today, I carved out three whole hours just for writing time (more on that later… it’s Friday after all and I have a whole week to catch you up on).

My last post was on Monday, if you recall. (If you don’t recall, scroll down and refresh your memory – it was a pretty great post, I had a five egg omelet and bought a truly heinous shirt). But, as we’ve established, today is Friday, so here we go!

Tuesday, August 23, 2016:

On Tuesday, I had an interview with a temp agency. Mandy worked as a temp when she first got to Chicago last year (she now works at a day care) and recommended me to the company. I was pretty confident because I’m sure I can handle filing and answering phones, plus I will find any excuse these days to wear a pencil skirt and a serious interview in the city was definitely pencil skirt-worthy. I legitimately dressed up – not only did I dress up, but I put on a face for this interview! I wore said pencil skirt, a sleeveless white/polka dot blouse and an accent belt along with panty hose (yeah, I’m classy) and my “student teaching shoes.” I call them my student teaching shoes because I bought them in preparation for student teaching, which I did back in 2014. I wore those shoes for seven hours a day for 65 days and have worn them many, many times since, but apparently Chicago is different because these shoes that should be completely broken in by now actually gave me a blister by the end of the day. I topped the whole ensemble off with a bright red lip and serious lashes (my calling in life is to model mascara… I’m just still waiting on that call).

The reason I visited Yolk on Monday was because I want to try some restaurants downtown while they’re still within walking distance because I know that once I move to Logan Square, there is no chance that I’ll be busting my butt to get there for brunch, so my plan had been to visit Wildberry Pancakes and Café. It was on Thrillist’s List of 21 Best Pancake Houses in the US and sounded delicious. But, I underestimated how popular it would be. Most of the Thrillist-recommended places I’ve been to have been worth visiting but not so high in demand and crammed with people that the fire marshall might need to be called before the breakfast rush is over. Wildberry was different. People weren’t just waiting, they were waiting outside. Thinking that being a party of one might help my chances of getting a table, I asked about the wait. I can’t remember the exact number but it was too long for me so I opened my phone and thought I would find the closest Dunkin in the direction of where I needed to go for the interview. As I was walking down the street, I saw a Qdoba. I love Qdoba; it’s like Chipotle except they don’t have E.coli.  I didn’t think they did breakfast, but they had a neon sign in the window reading BREAKFAST BURRITOS.

And this is where an ordinary day became extraordinary.

Please note that I was really hesitant to write about this. It was an extremely personal experience and even though this blog doesn’t have a lot of readers, I’m sure that some might agree with what I did and some might disagree. I decided that since I dedicated the better portion of my afternoon to writing today, that I would write down as many of the details of this week as I could and not skim over anything, so leaving out the most important part of my week would be a disservice to myself and perhaps to you if you think I did the right thing.

As I was walking up to Qdoba, there a woman leaning next to the door. She was very clearly homeless and her eyes were milky as they stared out in opposite directions. She asked me if I had any change so she could buy a bowl of rice. I told her that I didn’t. This was not a lie as I try not to carry around change, but typically empty it out into a jar in my room at the end of every and having purged my wallet of quarters, nickels and dimes on Monday night and not having spent a cent on Tuesday, I did not have any change for this woman. I told her that if I had any on the way out, I would give it to her and she sort of mumbled “Maybe you can buy me a bowl of rice on your way out”. I nodded, unsure of what I would do.

Just that morning, I had been freaking out about money. I haven’t found a job here yet and I just shelled out several hundred dollars to buy myself a new bed and soon I’ll have to start paying rent. It’s overwhelming and even though I have a lot to fall back on, when you want to be self-sufficient, it’s hard to want to tap into those resources or ask for help. But as I walked up to the counter, I knew I couldn’t walk past this woman without something for her.

To be honest, I couldn’t even see rice as an option on the menu, but I’d already decided that I would get her what I was having. I ordered two egg/potato burritos, with salsa, sour cream and guacamole. No one questioned why one person would be getting two burritos – I’m sure that’s pretty common – and it’s not like I told anyone what I was doing, but as I was ordering, this woman, for whatever reason, actually walked into the restaurant. The girl who was serving to me leaned over her friend and said “she’s back.” Clearly this woman had been here before and these girls did not like her. They even called back to the kitchen staff that this woman was there.

I had them make one of the burritos for there and one to go. I knew that I would be eating there either way, but who knew what she would want – or if she’d actually accept. I tentatively walked up to her and said, “I know you asked for rice, but I hope a burrito is alright.” She accepted and when she started to unwrap the burrito and it was clear that she was going to stay, I asked if it was alright if I sat with her. I wasn’t going to force myself on this woman further, but if she was willing, I’d eat breakfast with her. The decision was hers and she invited me to sit down.

I grabbed us both cutlery and started to talk with her. It was hard at first because I wanted to be sensitive and it looked like we were worlds away from each other – I am a millennial in business casual and she was a middle-aged woman wearing baggy clothing that still had the size sticker on the front – but we’re both human and that is a closeness that cannot be denied. I asked her simple things. I wasn’t going to pry into her life story and she didn’t ask for mine. Her name is Street. I don’t know if that’s the name her parents gave her or if it’s a nickname, but it’s what she told me. She has lived in Chicago her entire life. She doesn’t have a favorite color, but she agreed with me that pink is nice. She’s Catholic and attends several different churches in the area. I thanked her for having breakfast with me because I was on my way to an interview and it was nice to have someone to talk to because I was nervous. When she was done eating, she filled a cup that she had with her from the soda fountain and rubbed my back for a minute. I don’t like being touched but nothing about it was unnatural or made me recoil like I normally would. It was one of the gentlest moments of my life. She collected her things – a few plastic and paper bags – said goodbye and walked out the door. I wasn’t finished yet, so I stayed put, a bit in awe of what had just happened because it went against every “don’t talk to strangers” lecture I had ever heard. I felt a bit stupid and reckless for having done it but I also simply felt warm inside and ready for this interview. I picked some more at my burrito (I actually wasn’t as hungry as I thought because I was still very nervous) and a moment later, I looked up and one of the cooks was standing next to me. He passed me a little card that said “Instant Karma – this card is for one free entrée” and said quietly, “You’re a good person.” It was almost too much for me to handle, but I knew I couldn’t cry because I’d spent a lot of time on my makeup and was not going to arrive at my interview looking like I was going through some emotional upheaval and was unfit for work, but crying was still my instinct in that moment.

The interview went well. Hopefully I’ll get some work from them in the next few weeks.

The rest of the day paled in comparison to the morning. I sent out a few more applications and actually scheduled an interview with another temp agency for Wednesday, but it was rather uneventful. The most exciting thing was that I got to plan an outfit for my next interview, which included another pencil skirt and a white blouse.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016 (National Waffle Day)

Two interviews in two days. I am killing the game.

When I woke up, however, it was raining. I had to say goodbye to my white blouse because even if I managed to make it through the walk to the interview completely protected by my umbrella, I was not going to open the doors to that type of disaster. I ended up picking a black and white striped top, but didn’t wear any lipstick because that would have totally made me a business-casual mime lady and while this temp agency was advertising specifically to the theatre community – promising the opportunity to make some quick cash in your spare time – I thought looking like I’d come from a gig where I played a modern business woman/balloon-animal crafting clown was not going to help my case.

This interview was one of the best I’ve ever had, even though it was raining like crazy on my walk and I got lost which added twenty minutes to my “commute” (thank goodness I always plan for disaster to strike and leave an hour early for everything). The lady apparently liked me before I’d even said hello. She actually gave me some wonderful resume advice, which seems counterintuitive considering that I should have had that figured out before I went into the interview but will certainly be helpful as I continue to look for work that isn’t theatre-related but might help pay the bills.

I left very excited at the prospect of working with these people because she seemed to be excited to have me on board and I walked straight to Wildberry. After that interview, I knew I had a whole lot of nothing planned for the rest of the day, so it didn’t matter how long the wait was. The wait was 30-40 minutes, because not even the rain deterred people from pancakes. As you’ll see from my pictures, there were a lot of people waiting both inside and out, and I even took a picture of myself sitting not so happily under my umbrella as I waited.

I was torn when I got to the table because I knew that it was national waffle day and how could I disrespect waffles? BUT this place is called Wildberry PANCAKES, how do you wait 40 minutes at a pancake place and not get their pancakes? I couldn’t, so I ordered the Signature Berry Bliss which was covered with all sorts of glazes, goodness and fresh berries. Always go with a restaurant’s signature dish – unless you’re a vegetarian at a barbeque place, and then just get the cornbread. I got the stack of three pancakes, which I couldn’t even finish, but the traditional stack is FIVE. That’s a lot of cakes in pans right there.

When I was done, I went back out through the rain to the apartment and prepared for yoga that evening. By the time yoga rolled around, the rain had stopped (thank goodness). Yoga was wonderful even though I was behind a woman whose feet smelled like she’d stepped in something horrible 10 years ago and never washed it off (Downward facing dog is not relaxing when toes like that are a nose’s distance away). I walked home a new way (trying to figure out to navigate this city on my own and how can I find my way if I never get lost) and then made fish for dinner, cuz I’m classy.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

This was the most exciting day of the week for me because I was finally going to see Amanda Lauren Belscamper! We were going to go out during her lunch break from work. I last saw her in March and she’s had family here and hasn’t been able to meet up since I moved but this was the day we would be reunited.

I arrived a little early and scoped out the neighborhood… meaning I saw a cupcake shop and promised that I would be back!

We went to the Art of Pizza for lunch, which I’d heard of because it’s Thrillist’s #1 Pizza Pick, but, um, I was not impressed. Perhaps it would have been better if we’d ordered a fresh pizza instead of slices, but it was just meh for me.

Now, an hour is not nearly enough time for us to catch up. I’m pretty sure we need an entire week completely uninterrupted to do that, but getting to see her was glorious. The biggest bombshell for me was when Mandy ordered sausage pizza! This was the girl who’d turned me into a vegetarian!! Apparently she gave it up at some point during the spring. I told her that was fine by me as long as she would still try out a few vegetarian places in the city with me and she agreed.

Insta famous

I told Mandy that I’d started a new blog now that I’m going to be stationary and she quipped, “I have a blog too. It’s called Instagram. Smile!” and she took my picture.

Mermaids Take Chicago

We had to say goodbye way too soon but made plans to go to the movies and make mac and cheese for her birthday, which is this Sunday, so I’ll get to see her again soon, and then I’ve volunteered to help her move across the city on Thursday (which is technically the day I move into my new apartment, but I have a lot less stuff than she does at the moment).

Now, I’d vowed to myself that I would get a cupcake so I went back to Smallcakes. I thought their cupcakes would be small, mini-cakes but I was proven wrong. Very, very wrong. Apparently they’ve won several awards and were on Food Network and such and it’s easy to see why. 

They have cupcakes AND ice cream, but I was in a cupcake mood. I asked what they would suggest and was sold on the first option (which happened to be the flavor of the day): the brownie red velvet. It was a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting, a brownie on top and caramel filling. I should be dead. It was so delicious and ending up sitting in my stomach like lead. I ate it slowly, over the course of a half hour, but was still in actual physical pain as I walked back to the train. The worst part was that they gave me a rewards card and when you fill it up, you get a free cupcake – luckily for me, this place is nowhere near where I’m going to live, so the odds of me filling it up are slim. (Note to self: look up cupcakes in Logan Square).

When I got back to the apartment, I still needed to digest, but after a while, I got the gym plan that my sister has been making for me and decided to get my butt in gear – I’m in training for the Mermaid 5K after all (how mermaids run, I don’t know, but I doubt anyone is going to be taking it very seriously since it’s being advertised as more of a dance party than anything. Either way, I want to be prepared). I finally truly timed myself jogging a mile to get a baseline. 12:56 is my time to beat and if that sounds slow to you, it’s because it is but it’s the fastest I’ve ever run so I’m pretty proud. I then started lifting heavy things like Whitney suggested. My arms actually feel pretty good today (although typing for several hours is surprisingly good at pointing out exactly which muscles are sore today).

I watched reruns of SNL and cooked more fish after that and spent an hour and a half chatting on the phone with an MCT friend (and using him to tease Mr. Jas Spencer, my last tour partner, because they were together).

Friday, August 26, 2016 – TODAY

Wow, the week has gone by so quickly! Or at least, writing about it does when you turn off your cell phone.

The morning was supposed to start with a Skype date with Ryan Lind at 8:30, but he slept in so that became more like 9:15. We persevered through that and numerous technical difficulties until I had to go at 10:20 because I had a phone interview at 10:30 and I wanted to be ready in case they called a few minutes early. I joked that signing off early would make them 15 minutes late and after we said goodbye, I checked my email and had a message from them saying that there had been an emergency and they needed to reschedule for next week! Called it.

So, I deleted that from my calendar and moved onto the next activity for the day. There is a website called MeetUp where people who like the same stuff make plans to get together. I had joined a writer’s group, hoping that I could make some new friends and they were meeting today at a coffee shop in Logan Square (ok, I picked a group in Logan Square once I knew where I was going to be living… pretty smart of me, right?). So that is how I ended up dedicating three hours to blogging. I just went to the New Wave Coffee Shop, made myself at home with a bunch of people I’d never met before and started typing all of this out for you. The complimentary WiFi even meant that I could post it. AND the whole experience checks off another box on the New City Passport because one of the items is find a coffee shop to write in that ISN’T Starbucks. This place, with its mismatched furniture, vegan treats and its large canvas paintings of that have splashes of color encircling breasts and butts make it a far cry from Seattle’s number 1 coffee spot.

It’s 1:40 now and the group doesn’t end until 3. I’m not sure what else I’ll write about. I think I’m going to get a snack since I haven’t eaten and then I’ll be on my way back to downtown (the commute to the group – if I decide to return will be a lot shorter once I actually live in Logan Square). But, tonight, I’m going to a party that a TAD friend is throwing. I need to pick up some drinks because I offered to help out.

So that’s what’s happened since I last wrote. Now, turn off your laptop and go interact with people, because that’s what I’m about to do. Peace and love, everyone.