My first entry didn't really tell anyone anything about who I am and why I'm writing a diary. Perhaps no one is even reading this, but to make myself feel like someone is (and mostly to kill time) I'll elaborate.

I graduated with a masters degree in film production last month, and now I'm floundering in temp jobs until I find something in my field. Eventhough I live in LA, the entertainment industry capital of the world, I'm having a difficult time finding something. It's not that I'm too picky either -- I know I'll have to start at the bottom and work up. I'm okay with that. But right now, I'd just like to get on that bottom rung, please. I've sent out so many resumes I can't keep track, and I'm hoping that one of these days someone will give me a shot.

I'm really good at schlepping.

In fact, that's how I worked my way through college and grad school. I schlepped things around and typed lots of things and filed even more things and answered countless phone calls. And now, after finally becoming a "Master", I am right back where I started. It's funny to me how people just assume that the girl (or guy) sitting at the front desk of their office (especially when you're a temp) is beneath them. I mean "funny" not as in funny "haha" or even funny "interesting", but funny "it pisses me off." In all likelihood, I have more of an education than many of the men and women whose phone I am answering. I'm only at this job for one week, however, so I don't feel like explaning to them that no, I'm not an idiot who can only muster up enough brain cells to tranfer a call. Therefore, I've decided not to let these people and whatever they might assume about my intellect bother me.

This is not to say that men or women who chose to work in the clerical field as a career are in any way unintelligent. My mother was a secretary all her life, and a damn good one, too. I'm just saying it's not MY chosen profession, and someday, when I have phones answered for me instead of vice versa, I look forward to treating whoever is tranferring my calls with much respect.

So anyway. This temp job is cake. The only thing I've been doing with any sort of consistency is answering the phone, which doesn't even ring very much. I think I've also made a few fed-ex labels and called two couriers. And that's spread over the three days I've been here. So, with all my downtime I've been surfing the net (as I was encouraged to do by my in-house boss, who told me "it can get really boring up here.") I spent the entire first day looking for a job. Sadly, I'm still here. And today I read all of jimmyusual's diary. I highly recommend his diary if you don't already read it. He writes well and is entertaining. I've found myself really caring about what happens to him and to the people he writes about. I need to start reading other people's diaries. I found jimmyusual from my sister (tattoobelly). She has jimmyusual listed as one of her favorite diaries. I first tried clicking on some random diaries and seeing if they hooked me, but I kept running into diaries written by teens and preteens, and as life-altering as teen problems can be ("Madison totally, like, told me that Dexter likes Monica, which is, like, SO WEIRD because Monica likes Ryan..."), I prefer to stay among the adult world.

Speaking of the adult world, I'm turning 29 next month and it has really crept up on me. As I was driving back from lunch today I was thinking about it. I don't know about everyone else, but the idea of turning 30 sorta scares me. Not that the number itself is the turn-off. I think what bothers me is that I'm nowhere near where I thought I'd be, life-wise, by 30. I guess I just assumed I would be married and have some non-phone answering job. You're supposed to be idle and transitional in your twenties, but by the time you hit thirty, you're supposed to BE somebody. At least, that's what my subconscious has always told me. The whole not being married thing doesn't bother me in the slightest. I was planning on getting married a few years ago, but it didn't work out, and it was for the best. I'm glad I'm still single at this age. I have seen several of my friends who married young get divorced. I'm of the mindset that I'd rather never get married than marry someone "just to get married". Maybe that sounds preachy or idealistic, but I think I'm allowed a little bit of idealism. I usually tend to err on the side of cynicism, so idealism in any form is a welcome change.

I feel so shakey today. I think I've had too much caffeine. I'm normally caffeine free, so my body is not happy. I met a friend for dinner last night at a great little bar downtown called Heroes. We sat outside and it was such a nice evening to sit outside and talk and drink. We ended up having four beers each before we even ordered, so by the time my food came I wasn't really hungry. When I woke up this morning, I felt the onset of a hangover. It never hit me full-on, but all morning I was downing water. For lunch I had a hangover-helper (i.e., a big, greasy cheeseburger) and a large diet coke. I've been back for about an hour now and the caffeine in the diet coke has really gotten to me. I should have more water.

I'm really looking forward to spending a lazy evening doing.... I don't know what. Maybe I'll rent a movie.