I said I would commit to this

Okay, I feel like a jackass... because I told myself I would commit to this blog... and I've been slacking. REALLY slacking.

The woman I live with is out of town, and because we have not signed a lease yet, I have been couchsurfing since Wednesday. I am still in shock and awe at how nice, genuine, and incredibily successful these people are. They span through all ages, though I'm pretty sure I'm the youngest thus far. I want to accomplish what these people have done, all while achieving my central goal of becoming an activist for reproductive justice.

This is my plan:
Get a daytime job... I have a petsitting interview this week sometime.
Intern at an organization pertaining to my career goal: Either Planned Parenthood or HRC, HRW, all the bigtime orgs.
TRAVEL.. With this career path I can pretty much do whatever I want.
Settle down... maybe... with full time work... something government related that will give me benefits and still let me do all the things I want to do for myself.

A little luck.

It is incredible what a little bit of luck, perseverance, and internet browsing can do. Up until about three weeks ago, I had no idea where I would end up. All I knew was that I had to get the hell out of Tampa, and I had to get out fast. My name had been dragged through mud, sleet, snow, and hail, and I was sick and tired of seeing the same faces and hearing the same names, and the same dramatic situations that I had put up with for the last five years. I was tired of letting people into my life, only to be let down over and over.

I am the first to admit I have flaws. Everyone does. But to be hurt intentionally by those you called your friends... now that's just fucked up.

But enough about that.

Back to my luck:
It just so happens that my room faces the big city. That's right: Washington, DC... I can see the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument... They are both beautiful, and every time I look out my window, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be here. How this is the beginning of something new and exciting, and a reminder that I'm going to be just fine.

I figure I should tell you that before today, I was on a downward spiral toward bankruptcy, homelessness, and a loss of myself.

Everyone in my (small) family has, or is going to file for bankruptcy. My aunt and uncle made some investments on a duplex that fell through when the economy went down. My mom and her boyfriend bought and built several properties that are also in foreclosure. My mom also works as a dentist in a redneck town where no one has any teeth to clean in the first place. My dad impulsively bought a condo after his divorce with my mom, and that piece of shit hellhole has home-owner's association fees through the fucking ceiling, so he said F that too. Lastly, my mom's boyfriend, who is a contractor, and has been out of work for quite some time, just filed. My poor grandmother gave up her retirement money to stay at home, helping raise the most beautiful mistake of a two year old in the world. And here I am.

Luckily, my college fund was set in stone before this debacle ensued. But graduating with a degree in Women's Studies and Criminology won't do too much for me in the Sunshine State, so at this point, it is fair to say I made the right decision to move here.

While my life goals have changed dramatically in the last year, there are, at this point, two options for me: spend my life as a feminist activist in the community, working to better reproductive rights in our society... or work with animals my entire life... The benefits of both are endless... but more on that later... it's time to buy groceries.

From bankrupt family to big city feminist.

The small town feminist moves to a big city.

This week is all about changes. I move into my new apartment today. DC is everything and more I imagined it to be. On the drive up from Florida, my ears popped, a sure sign of a mountainous region... at least, that's what I thought. I kept looking at Michele and screaming while pointing: "Baby! Baby! a mountain!" With the annoyed reply of "No Janive, that's a hill." Anything compared to Florida is a mountain. At least for me.

I have officially sacrificed my sanity, my relationship, and my contacts down south, in order to start a new life here. In the capital of this (not so) great country we live in. Through this blog, I might be able to achieve something BIGGER than myself, and maybe... just maybe, become that incredible activist that I have always wanted to be.