Blink-Personal Narrative
Blink, blink. I stare at Chris Matthews on the television for the first time as his words ring familiar in my head. It’s the third time I hear his words, because his show repeats several times in the evening news cycle. The TV has been on all day while I worked on my computer, but its the first time I look at his face. All day I’ve focused on my Mac screen, working on my projects. Mostly a design for a new mobile website for Resurrection Hospital, but also the daycare site, the moving company site and my continued job search. Blink Blink. My body is tired but my brain is still lit up. I’m finally on the couch, waiting for my mind to stop. Tomorrow I have a move in the morning, and in the evening it’s back to school. No wait, school is on Wednesday.
…show more content…
I’m really hoping I don’t have to move a lot of heavy furniture. Then again, at $13.50 an hour, I’m hoping
I can get at least get a couple of hours in. My part-time is practically a no-time recently. Blink
Blink.
A shadow glides by. “Bye pop,” I hear from what seems like a far away distance. It’s 5:30a.m. and Jenna just left for school. I crashed on the couch again. My sleep passes in a blink... literally. By 6a.m. I hear water running and by 6:30 I can hear little Madi stomping her way down the stairs to say, “Hi Daddy.” She just turned three this past Saturday. Mikey and Phoenix are rustling cereal boxes in the kitchen, too. My wife Rency says, “See you tomorrow” and she and
Madi are gone. She’ll be back later today, but she swears we never see each other. I sit up like the cryptkeeper, stiff and cold and looking very dead. The TV’s been on all night, which for me was about 4 hours of sleep. The last of the high-schoolers leave and only the college boys are left. Sebastian and I. Time for some coffee.
My name is Otto. It derives from old German and its meaning is described as “wealthy,” but I certainly am not rich. It is a name given to royalty, but it’s also the name of the bus driver on the Simpsons and Beagle Bailey's dog. I’ll let you decide which category I belong in. In truth,
I’ve had an interesting life so far. It hasn’t been filled with high adventure or riches, but I have had some moments to remember and met some important people along the way. My current adventure is also my biggest challenge, juggling family, unemployment, and college. The most valued and cherished things in my life are my five children. Well not really children, four teens
19 to 14 and little Madi, all under the same roof. That’s an adventure in itself.
There are the good days, the bad days, the long days and the days you wish never happened.
Then there are the great days, the ones that refuel you with life. I like those days. Today is not likely a great day. Specialty Movers has already contacted me. Today’s move isn’t going to happen. Sebastian is up and out. He said something about checking out an MMA place.
Tomorrow I have another class, so today will be my time to catch-up. Starbucks would be great but I’ll have to settle for Java Delight Costa Rican blend. Eggs would be good, but that mean cooking. At the moment I’m not up for cooking. Isn’t it great when you wake up and there is a cupcake in the fridge, just waiting for you. With coffee done and cupcake in hand I head back to the Mac to go through the motions. Click, click.
As I’m typing and clicking, my phone beeps. My buddy sent me a listing from EveryBlock
Chicago. Someone needs an affordable muralist. I check my email. I’m waiting to hear back from Jenny at Resurrection. The vote was split between the execs and their VP still needs to chime in, but they like the mobile website design prototype. It’s the first time I work like this.
Usually, I just decide, design and deliver. I see Jenny has the go ahead to tell me “We'd like to go with the layout with the images. Jood would like to change it a bit. She'd like the banners to be smaller, shorter, and I will be sending you new images to use. She wants them to be less complicated.” Now what does all mean exactly? There goes another beep, another friend’s message, “Hey ottoman, my gf’s hairs salon is looking for some paid graphic/marketing work so
I gave them your info.” I’m thinking, is it a good thing or not that the move was cancelled. That’s okay I guess, I have 5 chapters to read and now I have the time. Besides I hate the cold. And it’s very cold out. Time to get to work again. Click, click.
Another beep. De La Cruz wants to know if I’m up. Alex De La Cruz is the closest thing to a best friend I have. He’s always looking out for me and he is consistent about it. Sure enough, it was him who had David text me about the graphics/marketing job for the Hair Salon.
Personalitywise we are very different, but I think that why we are friends. It works better that way. I responded that I was up and working. “Coming over now,” he replied. De La Cruz worked at Cultural Affairs with me. We were both laid-off last June. He hung around for a bit and we chatted. My computer chirped throughout his visit. My wife sends messages via Google Chat.
Apparently she has some sort of wife radar and when De La Cruz is around she starts checking up on me. Personally, I think its me that keeps him walking a straight line, but she thinks otherwise. He is soon off to his next errand and then school. Yes, him too.
WIth the house quiet again, I can focus back to work. I’ll need to work straight through to get stuff done. Before that, I needed to start dinner so the kids can eat when then get home and won’t bother me. Options are limited they but fit the bill, oven fried chicken, green beans, and potatoes. I can set-up this little menu into auto-pilot and head back to my desk, and so I do.
Back at my desk, I start to click again. Sure enough, behind me I start to hear Chris Matthews’ voice again. Hardball started its first broadcast of the day. Blink,
blink.
I’m really hoping I don’t have to move a lot of heavy furniture. Then again, at $13.50 an hour, I’m hoping
I can get at least get a couple of hours in. My part-time is practically a no-time recently. Blink
Blink.
A shadow glides by. “Bye pop,” I hear from what seems like a far away distance. It’s 5:30a.m. and Jenna just left for school. I crashed on the couch again. My sleep passes in a blink... literally. By 6a.m. I hear water running and by 6:30 I can hear little Madi stomping her way down the stairs to say, “Hi Daddy.” She just turned three this past Saturday. Mikey and Phoenix are rustling cereal boxes in the kitchen, too. My wife Rency says, “See you tomorrow” and she and
Madi are gone. She’ll be back later today, but she swears we never see each other. I sit up like the cryptkeeper, stiff and cold and looking very dead. The TV’s been on all night, which for me was about 4 hours of sleep. The last of the high-schoolers leave and only the college boys are left. Sebastian and I. Time for some coffee.
My name is Otto. It derives from old German and its meaning is described as “wealthy,” but I certainly am not rich. It is a name given to royalty, but it’s also the name of the bus driver on the Simpsons and Beagle Bailey's dog. I’ll let you decide which category I belong in. In truth,
I’ve had an interesting life so far. It hasn’t been filled with high adventure or riches, but I have had some moments to remember and met some important people along the way. My current adventure is also my biggest challenge, juggling family, unemployment, and college. The most valued and cherished things in my life are my five children. Well not really children, four teens
19 to 14 and little Madi, all under the same roof. That’s an adventure in itself.
There are the good days, the bad days, the long days and the days you wish never happened.
Then there are the great days, the ones that refuel you with life. I like those days. Today is not likely a great day. Specialty Movers has already contacted me. Today’s move isn’t going to happen. Sebastian is up and out. He said something about checking out an MMA place.
Tomorrow I have another class, so today will be my time to catch-up. Starbucks would be great but I’ll have to settle for Java Delight Costa Rican blend. Eggs would be good, but that mean cooking. At the moment I’m not up for cooking. Isn’t it great when you wake up and there is a cupcake in the fridge, just waiting for you. With coffee done and cupcake in hand I head back to the Mac to go through the motions. Click, click.
As I’m typing and clicking, my phone beeps. My buddy sent me a listing from EveryBlock
Chicago. Someone needs an affordable muralist. I check my email. I’m waiting to hear back from Jenny at Resurrection. The vote was split between the execs and their VP still needs to chime in, but they like the mobile website design prototype. It’s the first time I work like this.
Usually, I just decide, design and deliver. I see Jenny has the go ahead to tell me “We'd like to go with the layout with the images. Jood would like to change it a bit. She'd like the banners to be smaller, shorter, and I will be sending you new images to use. She wants them to be less complicated.” Now what does all mean exactly? There goes another beep, another friend’s message, “Hey ottoman, my gf’s hairs salon is looking for some paid graphic/marketing work so
I gave them your info.” I’m thinking, is it a good thing or not that the move was cancelled. That’s okay I guess, I have 5 chapters to read and now I have the time. Besides I hate the cold. And it’s very cold out. Time to get to work again. Click, click.
Another beep. De La Cruz wants to know if I’m up. Alex De La Cruz is the closest thing to a best friend I have. He’s always looking out for me and he is consistent about it. Sure enough, it was him who had David text me about the graphics/marketing job for the Hair Salon.
Personalitywise we are very different, but I think that why we are friends. It works better that way. I responded that I was up and working. “Coming over now,” he replied. De La Cruz worked at Cultural Affairs with me. We were both laid-off last June. He hung around for a bit and we chatted. My computer chirped throughout his visit. My wife sends messages via Google Chat.
Apparently she has some sort of wife radar and when De La Cruz is around she starts checking up on me. Personally, I think its me that keeps him walking a straight line, but she thinks otherwise. He is soon off to his next errand and then school. Yes, him too.
WIth the house quiet again, I can focus back to work. I’ll need to work straight through to get stuff done. Before that, I needed to start dinner so the kids can eat when then get home and won’t bother me. Options are limited they but fit the bill, oven fried chicken, green beans, and potatoes. I can set-up this little menu into auto-pilot and head back to my desk, and so I do.
Back at my desk, I start to click again. Sure enough, behind me I start to hear Chris Matthews’ voice again. Hardball started its first broadcast of the day. Blink,
blink.