In the immortal words of The Doors, the time to hesitate is through

Today is the coldest day of winter thus far this year. I find this fitting.

Today is my last day of working at Retail Job. I will fully admit that I am sad. I have loved this store and it's quirky merchandise and equally quirky customers, and my own ability to be as quirky as I like. I'm a gal who likes neon hair and wearing multiple layers of skirts with legwarmers and striped tights. I understand that the majority of well paying jobs out there shun this sort of behavior. I've already given myself raven tresses to dazzle and impress those at the unemployment office and any interviews that may trickle in. The time to appear Corporate Goth is now, and I am comfortable compromising things like "looking like I lost a fight with a highlighter" to gain things like "not living in a trashcan like a green muppet."

It's time for me to form a plan of attack.

Step 1: Apply for unemployment. Go first thing Monday morning to apply in person at their offices.

Step 2: Apply for freecare healthcare coverage. I am admittedly in somewhat of a hole in terms of medical debt thanks to having difficulty navigating the MassHealth application processes. It hasn't been fun and I have nearly choked on so much red tape, but with luck and diligence perhaps I can use unemployment to my advantage and finally fall under the grand umbrella of Having Insurance Coverage rather than Being An Uninsured Urchin.

Step 3: Begin applying for office oriented jobs and things to Pay Bills that would supply me with way more money than I've ever made as a retail monkey and provide a foundation from which I can springboard into writing things without also worrying how I am going to eat.

Step 4: (and this is congruent to Step 3) begin sending out as much writing as I can to any publication I can find that accepts submissions

Step 5: Research jobs that are writing oriented. Apply apply apply. Hound the writing world until my homuncular image rattles in their brains from waking to slumber.

Now if this plan of attack sounds hectic and ill-planned it is because, well, it is. I've never really been in this situation before. I have unfortunately suffered the slings and arrows of unemployment in the past, but never at the same time had to find myself a new apartment in only a few short months. This is very exciting. And by exciting I mean terrifying. Hooray! So I basically have everything crumblywumbling in on me all at once.

Ah, but what better way to start anew than to leave everything behind! Terrifyingly terrifyingly left behind. Yay!

And also, since this actually happened and I am still a tad in shock over its glory, you can BUY MY FIRST SELF PUBLISHED BOOK at LuLu.com. It is a collection of poems from the past five years of my life, bits of this and that and poems from my very very dear friend, and one of her friends. So, yes. Exciting. Everything is very exciting. Especially this book. Other such words of encouragement!

Alright, shameless plugs out of the way, it is time for me to start my day and say goodbye to this neat little life whose mundane coattails I have been fumbling to hold onto for so long.

So long little adorable boutique shop, and thanks for all the fish. I mean baubles.

Time to go brave the Fimbulvinter and be on my way.