Saturday, January 4, 2014

The Journey In


Forgive me for trying something new, but I think I have a story in my head that I just need to see play out. I may be using these next 29 days to see what comes out of it. Below is the beginning of a story that has no name, I'm not even sure what it is really about yet, but I hope you enjoy it.

Being stuck on a freeway in Los Angeles is like its own special kind of hell. There is no where to go, no way to get out and it does not move. Of course Val was stuck right of the middle a sig alert on the 10 Freeway. The minutes seemed to pass faster then normal. She reached for her phone and called her best friend Sammy.
“What should I do, Im totally going to be late now, I can’t lose this job, I mean I just got it for god sakes.” Val whined
“You are gonna be fine, they understood how far you lived when they hired you, just call your boss and let her know. She will be fine, just breath and get off the fucking phone, you are going to get another cell phone ticket!” said Sammy.
“Ok, Love you” Val said, as she attempted to hang up the phone, find the office number and redial without getting caught by the police officer that was a few cars back.

Val and Sammy have been best friends for almost their whole life. When they look back at their friendship over the years they always have a laugh at the fact that neither like the other when they first met. Sammy was a tad bit Goth, her curly blonde hair and don’t fuck with me attitude quite frankly scared Val. Sammy always thought Val was a bit to Pretty Girl for her taste, always trying to catch the eye of some new boy at school and changing to accommodate each new boys expectation. They lived just down the street from each other and when they were put into the same English class their Freshman year of high school it was pretty evident that they were going to be friends for the rest of their life. There were times when they drifted apart, but they grew up into woman together and vowed that no matter where they were in life, they would always have each other. So it was no surprise to Sammy that Val would call in a panic of some sort the very first day of her new job.

“Um, Hello, May I please speak to Mrs. Banks” Val said with a quiver in her voice.
“Sure May I ask who is calling” said the older but chipper woman on the other line.
“This is Valentina Monreal, I am running a bit late, I’m supposed to be starting work today, I am the new Social Media, um, Marketing, Manager?” she said nervously.
“Oh OK, not a problem, let me transfer you” she said with a little giggle.

“This is Sydney, How can I help you?” said the stern woman on the other line.
“Hello, Mrs. Banks, its Valentina, Val?”
“Yes, Im about to jump on a conference call, how can I help you? Are you here yet? I have a lot for you to start with today”
“Well actually I am still on my way I have found myself in a bit of traffic. But I am on my way and should be in soon. I just wanted to call and let you know”
“Oh, Ok, not a problem, drive safe, We will see you when you arrive….Val?”
“Yes Mrs. Banks”
“Are you ready for an adventure of a lifetime?”
“Yes Ma’am”
“Great, and call me Sydney”
The phone went silent and then hung up.

Val looked at the traffic in front of her, still at a complete stand still turned up her radio and screamed with excitement. She looked at the car next to her and the driver, who now had his mouth propped open at the sight of Val’s sporadic burst of energy, and she just laughed. This was the right move, she just felt it in her bones.   

Friday, January 3, 2014

Up and At 'Em

Forgive me for trying something new, but I think I have a story in my head that I just need to see play out. I may be using these next 29 days to see what comes out of it. Below is the beginning of a story that has no name, Im not even sure what it is really about yet, but I hope you enjoy it. 


Val never really was a morning person. She likes sleeping in, but more than that she doesn’t like other people telling her what to do. “If it is that important I will wake up on time, my body will just know” she often said to her fiancé Joe as he rolled his eyes at her attempt to be insightful. Today was not the day to let her body lead the way. It is the very first day of her job at Youtopia, the one she has been dreaming about for years, and her body woke her up fifteen minutes late. “ Oh crap, Oh  crap, oh crap” she said as she ran around her bedroom looking for the perfect outfit to wear. “I told you to get your stuff ready last night, didn't I tell you?” Joe said while lying in the bed with one eye open and the duvet cover up to his neck. “Yeah, yeah you were right, as always” she replied as she proceeded to pick up her pillow and fling it at his head. 

She grabbed what she thought would do the trick a pair of slacks, a mint colored blouse and her lucky blazer and rushed to the shower. There was something about this blazer that made her feel important, taken seriously and quite business like. She often referred to it as her “business woman” blazer, but mainly because she liked the idea of walking into a restaurant and asking for the “Business Woman Special", like in the movie Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. 

She was so glad she did her hair yesterday because today it feel right into place, like it knew it was an important day. She grabbed her lip stain, mascara and blush put it on in a feverous manner hoping she didn't come out looking like the joker, or a hooker she looked in the mirror. “Breath Val, your going to do great, you deserve this job, you can do it” she said herself as she attempted to add one final coat of mascara. She walked over to the bedroom and looked at Joe “What do you think?”, “I think you look amazing as always, and I think you are going to be late if you don't leave, like, NOW!” Joe said. She kissed him on the forehead as she yelled “I love you” while walking down the stairs of their duplex. 

As she got to the front door and picked up her messenger bag, she stopped, took a deep breath and exhaled. Though she was so excited to start this new adventure in her life she couldn't help but have a tinge of doubt. After three years of running her own business and being her own boss, she just wasn't sure that going back to work for someone else, even if it was her dream job, was the best decision. 

She walked out of the door and to the car she looked back at the house one last time, closed her eyes and whispered “please let this work out”.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Ramblings of a Wandering Mind


I believe in a golden hour. That magic time in the day where you can actually feel the creativity pouring through your finger tips. My golden hour is 11:00pm apparently. I am not a morning person and I cannot be up past 4:00am but I rock 11:00am and 11:00pm. I am once again in my golden hour trying to decide what to write about. Today I was consumed by getting organized and cleaned up my office space. Then I was hit across the head by a horrible headache. It ruined the rest of the day for me, so I sat on the couch for 12 hours watching cooking shows. I love TV, I mean absolutely love it and don't get me started on food because I am a professional eater.

While watching these crazy exaggerations of people eating and competing I am reminded why I am sometimes so annoyed with the rest of the world. There are catty bitches and douch-bag bros who think that they are the worlds gift. The ones that refuse to believe that their shit don't stink and will not take criticism even if its in their best interest. We all know those people right? I hate those people, but I am also a tad bit jealous of those people. Does that make any sense? I wish I was so bold as to not care at all of what others think of me. To be so confident with myself that I could put myself out there. Instead I sit back waiting for others to tell me what to do, how to be . I played this game once, you passed gestures around in a circle. This was supposed to show you what type of leader you are. It was really eye opening because it showed me that I was a follower. I was so busy waiting to see what other people where doing so that I could follow that I would miss my opportunity and be completely lost when it was my turn. When did being a bitch start being such a bad thing? I am scared though of being too honest. I have been told that I can be judgey and mean. My brothers say I have judgey eyes.

Part of the idea behind my words for the year is to learn how to be bold, to be a bitch to stand up for myself and be proud of what I have achieved. I am also reminded of why I love food. It brings people to such a passionate place. It is a genuine piece of your soul. It brings me back to a happy place where three generations of women in my family sit, talk and eat! Those I think are my favorite memories.

Have you ever lost complete control of your concentration? Like, have your mind just swirl in every possible direction? I cannot keep my eyes or my mind in any direction. Is that normal? Who knows. I am sure that other people have felt this way too. I am noticing that 500 words is kind of tough. Finding something to write about is difficult but at least I have done it.