My phone is ringing. I pick it up grimacing and bracing myself for what I know will be a bad conversation. It was a returned call. I had received an email a few minutes beforehand asserting that I was condescending and that we might need a mediator to work with us on our separation.
I placed the call, which went to voicemail. I wasn’t sure if it would be returned, but there it was. So far, no mediator.
I launched directly into my piece. “I’m so sorry that you thought I was being condescending. I didn’t mean to be. I just didn’t understand what IP meant in this context. We don’t have IP except some mockups and specs.”
“Can’t you just wait for the agreement from the lawyer? I don’t have it yet.” The tone was ramping upwards.
“Sure, I can do that, but I was just trying to help resolve things quickly so we can move on, and I had questions about the content. What is in the agreement?”
“Can’t you just wait for the agreement?” That went on repeat until it turned into a scream. I hadn’t had anyone yell at me or talk to me in this way for…certainly years. I was disturbed but also sickly curious about what was going on. Was she completely losing it? Continue reading Breaking up →
I have eased into an alternate reality that is becoming reality. Days of walking several blocks to the beach, cooking at home, and community BBQs. After years of a mostly paleo existence, I’ve learned to be less punishing, allowing myself to eat some of my favorite foods in the world – bagels and pizza. Sunshine days and local living. The world has become simultaneously very small and yet expansive.
I’ve found a sense of place and home in this gritty mecca of graffiti and washboard abs. I don’t think I’ve seen an Asian person in months, which I find oddly not cosmopolitan. I’m not missing the lack of intellectualism. I find myself fading away from the person I used to be and verging closer to who I really am. I thought I would do something big in my life, and I worry that I won’t find a sense of ambition again. It feels safe to be in a bubble.
It’s been an input period. I’m finally happy being social again. I can’t write. There is so much to say that I can’t really say anything. If I put one word in front of the other, the flow may return at some point.
Now…back to bagels and slow living. Am I meant to be slow?
My musings on life, travel, and (I suppose eventually) work. Just trying to balance left and right brain, the urge to do vs. be. Easy stuff.
