hello, and welcome.

in the past i've had a secret blog and then it got me into some trouble when it was discovered. i've decided to begin this public blog to stay in touch with people. i'm the writing sort but a bad correspondent. hence, the beauty of a blog. it's like writing one letter and having a dozen people receive it that same day.

as you may be aware last month i was laid off. my world has been turned upside down overnight, or is it right side up? i was sad at first and then angry to find myself out of work. now i've settled into a more positive outlook. something good will come through. fingers are crossed that i'll get calls soon for interviews. i remember going to work several weeks ago and being called into a "web meeting." when the news was broken that my job as a copywriter was no more i looked at the tall buildings outside the window downtown and thought of the world trade center towers crashing. how fragile our sense of security is in the world. how you can lose your job any day. your building can be bombed in under a minute. i had to take down the photographs on my cubicle wall and empty out the drawers. then i was escorted out of the building and to my car.

sometimes change is a blessing in disguise. i'm fearful to no longer have a stable income, to be standing out on this tree branch not knowing where the road will lead me, but i feel so free and inspired to do more. i wanted to blow up my cookie cutter apartment, figuratively speaking!, and run off into the country.

right now spending afternoons in coffee houses and collecting unemployment rocks. i'm happier. life should be one big celebration.

this weekend i'm throwing an autumn party complete with fall comfort food and pumpkins. last night mr. waters reminded me of that computer science department party he had taken me to several years ago, the one where we walked in the door and found everyone dressed with a tail and plastic pig nose on and it was not halloween, not even close. partying with computer nerds dressed as pigs was enough to send me straight to the kitchen looking for the vodka. i've been to some interesting parties. there was the lesbian birthday party with the hotdog theme. a crowd of lesbians stood around a grill eating hotdogs while my friend was dressed as a giant dick. and then there was the naked party in college with gay boys playing thumbwar in the nude. my autumn party will be colorful but probably tame in comparison.