Get It Together

For the weekend, I'm in Ohio accessing the damage done on my Mom's house. It's crazy to think some stupid, drunk kid was coming around a turn and instead of hitting the brake, he hit the accelerator and smashed into my old bedroom. It goes to show you're not safe anywhere, not even in your own home. Luckily the room wasn't totalled but there is a huge crack on the side of the house. I feel displaced being at home because I don't have a room to sleep in anymore. Last night I had to go through some boxes of all the stuff I've saved over the years: high school yearbooks, paraphernalia from my days in L.A, even baby teeth I saved. I used to be such a pack rat. I'm bringing some furniture back to put in my room to make it appear less like a 20 year old lives there.

The other day, my mom compared my lifestyle to Lindsay Lohan. Sure, I seem to party a lot and get myself into some sticky situations, but by no means am I heading for rehab or will ever afford anything really expensive. My mom also thinks I'm a lush. Once again, I do got out a lot--mostly open bars and concerts--and of course I justify my boozing to the fact a lot of it is free but that didn't convince her. I'd like to set the record straight in saying I don't get shitfaced a lot. Blacking out and getting buzzed are two different things. I'm a social drinker, too and never sit home alone drinking. Ever. But, I do admit I like the free booze. I think I do need to quit boozing so much, though. I need to sober up a bit more and get my life together. My priority should be getting a good job, making money, writing ,and inevitably travelling the world. In order to do this, I will also have to tame my social life by taking it down a notch. I still want to live in NY for a couple of months, go to France, etc. I think in the fall I will try to make these things happen. And the thing is I'm not unhappy in Chicago. I'm happier there now than I was a year ago, but I feel I need to explore other places and have other experiences. I can always come back to Chi-Town. It'll always be home base but maybe leaving for a couple of months would help me put things in perspective and help me get it together. So, my plan now is to try not to be so out of control, try to make money somehow (hopefully through my writing), try to get enough money to travel, then do it. I just really need to buckle down and concentrate.

I've come to the conclusion Chicago is the most random place I've ever lived. I used to think L.A was, but not so much anymore. Chicago is a small town in a big city. I constantly run into people randomly, like Friday night. I was leaving Schubas when some guy came up to me and was like: " I know you from somewhere." I never forget a face and instantly recognized him. My friend and I had met him at our friend's company party a month prior. Strange. Then not ten minutes later, my friend and I walked into a late night diner and saw two other people I know, one of whom I had dinner with earlier in the evening. How bizarre! And most of these people can be linked back to my friend Theresa. Even before we met, we realized we knew a lot of the same people through Myspace and Facebook. Apparently through the two of us, we know practically everyone in the city. 3-6 degrees of separation. I guess we get around.