The Writer Formerly Known As Cassie And Rita (TWFKACAR)

After about a year and a quarter of gainful employment, I have been fired let go. I got the news on Friday afternoon. It was an amicable split. My heart just wasn’t in it any more, and I felt totally burned out. I was really good at answering the personal questions, but faltered when it came to the more academic stuff. It’s not that I couldn’t explain prime factorization (you bet I can) but rather that it took me too long to explain why Taiwan isn’t a member of the United Nations. My boss and the rest of the company were really great about the whole thing. They’re releasing me into the world with a month and a half of wages and benefits…

Well, here I am with a whole lot of time on my hands. I have been thinking of different ways for me to use it. Here are a few things that I am considering doing:

• learning how to cook for real
• finally reading Gravity’s Rainbow
• getting back into photography
• becoming a museum fiend
• taking advantage of my travel agent card (Ripley’s Believe It or Not, here I come!)
• visiting friends far away (Chicago! Japan!??!)
• finding a sweet ass volunteer gig
• selling some stuff on craigslist

I appreciate any and all suggestions of things to do. I also really appreciate company. I’m looking forward to some time for introspection and self-development, but it can get old. If you want me to come meet you for lunch, or dinner, or happy hour, I’ll do it! I’m actually really lucky to have this opportunity, and I’m looking forward to all of the great opportunities that are ahead.

I plan on using this blog to work on my writing, to keep people updated, but mostly to have some form of accountability. It’s not as exciting to write about another day on the couch with Maury (you are not the father!) than about a bunch of (mis)adventures in this big city. I hope to supplement this with plenty of interesting photos. I may also write some opinion posts, as I have a whole bunch of stuff brewing. And, of course, since I spend way too much time on the Internet, I will use this space to share that which is worthy of sharing.

One final thing is that I have become adept at dispensing written advice. While I’m obviously no Ann Landers (RIP!) or Dan Savage, I think it would be exciting and fun to do some sort of advice column. If you’re stuck on something in your life, leave a comment (you can do so anonymously) or email me at martief at gmail dot com.

Thanks for coming along for the ride! Feel free to comment, even if you’re not the usual commenter type.

~ by martie on January 22, 2008.