There's no subtle way to begin this blog. Yesterday, I was kidnapped.
"Kidnapped!??" Yes, kidnapped. Er, Young Adultnapped. Girlnapped? Stolen? Taken away.
But before I get to the nitty gritty, allow me to take you away for a moment...back to a beautiful, happy time. A time where the power bill got paid, my car's gas tank was always full, and the grocery store was a place of possibilities. A time of employment. And not your typical 9-5 daily grind, no, I was one of the privileged few that had a perfectly flexible, perfectly enjoyable, perfectly substantial job. Full-time nannying during the school year is an actor's dream come true. I had my mornings free to audition, I had my daily dose of childlike innocence, I had snacktime at the family's house. I was in an idyllic situation free of stress and worry, able to pursue my dreams and pay the bills. And then one morning I awoke and the world was somehow different. I didn't know it yet, but everything was about to spiral out of control down a road I wasn't ready to walk.
There are hazards of a nanny job just like any other; sick children, art supplies on my good clothes, getting that Justin Bieber song stuck in your head. But after two years of being a full time nanny I made the rookie mistake of forgetting one important fact; the cute little kids you fall in love with will inevitably grow up. Little by little I began to realize that the girls needed me less and less. Here they were making their own snacks, doing their homework without fussing, and quietly staying occupied until their parents returned home. The board games we used to play were now just boring. My elementary art skills were no longer impressive. Their wild imaginations were now only interested in the latest Hannah Montana episode. At first this seemed nice...like my job had become much less "work" and much more "catching up on a good book while the kiddies do their thing." Then the panic set in. It became so clear to me. Soon the parents would have this same realization. Soon they would feel the sadness in seeing their cute little ones grow up. Soon they would wonder why exactly they were paying me.
Before I knew it 'soon' turned into 'now' and I found myself sitting on the couch, watching all 7 seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and eating those canned beans in the back of the pantry that I was saving for a potential apocalypse (clearly too much Buffy). I guess I didn't read the warning label with the side effects of joblessness. Unemployment may result in ridiculous amounts of loss; Loss of sleep due to stress and worry, loss of weight due to lack of grocery money, loss of personal hygiene due to an inability to pay the laundry machines, and a loss of friends due to the aforementioned loss of hygiene and an unwillingness to leave the apartment and accidentally spend money. Charming as this existence may seem, I began to miss the world outside.
So you're all caught up on the back story. That was your prequel to what made your job-hunting heroine who she is today. And while I was all geared up and ready to tell you about my almost-disastrous kidnapping story, sleepiness has set in. I've been up all night scouring Craigslist, Snagajob, Careerbuilder, Monster, Simplyhired, Hotjobs, and Americasjobexchange. I'm exhausted. So that kidnapping story will just have to wait until next time...
