A Real Girl

A girl just walked into the office to be interviewed. A real girl. A smiling girl in an awkward suit. Not ancient secretary's caliber, but a real girl. So exciting. If I wasn't getting the hell out of here before the first day of summer or maybe even Memorial Day (make that Spring Bank Holiday for the Euros), I would start dreaming up lunch dates and Starbucks bitching sessions; I would get excited about someone else having a stack of lotions on their desk, someone else talking about nonsense in a eerily quiet office filled with middle aged men (and I am using middle age generously here); I would make sure that girl got hired on her girl credentials only provided she passes the basic test of human kindness. Worse than no girl in the office may be a mean girl in the office. I mean one other than the little self. I may have failed Hilary in her moment of need, but this is closer to home. I would come through.

But it's not quite worth it now, is it? Besides, to share the undivided attention as the only girl, the only kid for that matter which as I have spoken about before, does pay off nicely in piles of chocolates from various foreign countries?

My heartfelt excitement of having a potential work friend walk into the door makes me think I need to come up with an immediate plan of how this whole working from home wherever home is, shall work out. Maybe I need to find an office space full of free lancers, not so much for the copy machine, but to have a place to go to, a reason to put on real clothes, a way to actually have a conversation (other than with the little self), a way to actually meet people. How the hell does one meet people in a new country of residence if not by going to school/work/other non-sitting-on-own-couch-activity? I will not, repeat, will not join the German beerhouse round that surely takes place on Tuesdays in every country in the world and the American budweiser round that is probably on Wednesdays to be rounded up with the "all expats welcome" round on Thursdays.

How do people take advantage of the freedom of the virtual office without drowning in it? How do you motivate yourself to think beyond boundaries the way only a nice person to person discussion can facilitate? How do you stay interested if it's just you and a pile of papers?

I might just need a cat. A smart one that rejects shitty arguments and sweat pants and then we're all set.