I got shit to do!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so I figured I better get back on the saddle. It’s been busy and tiring for me lately so that is why this has fallen to the side. I’ve had an annoying cold for a couple of weeks, which as of today seems to finally be clearing. I traveled to Maryland last week, taking a red-eye with that cold, which didn’t help. And the week prior, I got myself a new roommate named Kat, so there was lots of cleaning, tidying and preparing for her. Oh, and I have four jobs.

I forget that I have reason to be tired at times and need to remember to give myself a break. I’ve been quite the busy body for while now, and I think it’s a mixture of anxiety, stress, compulsion and coffee intake that affect me this way. It is nearly impossible for me to sit on the couch on a rainy Saturday and watch a movie. Why, there’s shit to do!

Anyway, I don’t work all those jobs all the time. One is the main right now, Western States Center, where I actually go to an office, but not five days a week at the moment. It’s part time that will grow to full time in a month or so as I prepare for our big conference in August. Today everyone is out at a conference in Boise and I’m all alone, thinking of playing hooky soon myself. I did rearrange my office (own personal with a door!) though, and I must brag I have room in here for three desks, file cabinets and have a view of the Morrison Bridge, Willamette River and Mt. Hood.

Then I’m planning a World AIDS Day event in Portland for Africa AIDS Response, which I pretty much work from home, except for committee meetings here and there, and that won’t be crazy busy until Fall. For extra money I also cater at Portland’s White House B&B and am an Auction Spotter.

Auction spotting is really pretty good money. I show up at a charity auction looking pretty, usually wearing all black, stand in the audience and point and yell “hep!” when someone in my section bids. The auctioneer usually has his stage in the middle of the room so he can’t see all the bidders, and there’s usually about four spotters among the crowd. I get paid $100 per gig and am usually in and out in under three hours. I’m working on becoming more aggressive with bidders, and going up and talking to them when they seem to stop bidding. I say things like, “you’re out now and the bid’s over there at $2000. Do you want to get back in?” It seems people are easily persuaded to bid one more time. Plus, it goes so fast some people have no idea if they’re in or out, so talking to them sometimes gets the bid to go up. Anyway, I have to do this every Saturday night in May.

Well, that’s all for today. More exciting topics coming soon.