New Job

They converted the hospice into a research facility only recently. My inner child squeals at the rooms I pass... there are aged computers and patchy eurgonomic chairs there now, but you can feel the metal of the hospital beds that once inhabited the space. The city gave it to a non-profit HIV/AIDS prevention team without much thought and probably in the hopes of a good tax break. In turn, the team let out the last room on the first floor- the small one, down the hallway on the left- to my boss.

With it she makes due.

The donated copy machine in the main office broke on my first day. The quiet AIDs activist present showed me a trick: wedge the black rack into the hole gently then slam it shut. You have to do it every so often to show it who's boss. The activists are all quiet and very sweet, in contrast to my boss who, african music blaring through the walls, giggles and swears and rampages throughout the day.

She is a director. I saw her ad in the 'volunteer' section of craigslist and 2 hours after my email she called saying I got the job and could I come over now? I'm helping her during the post production process of her current documentary, and though she knows I would happily do the job for free she pays me $15 an hour.

Yesterday I sat in on a production meeting with the CEOs of a big studio. I dug my nails into my hands to keep from visually expressing my glee everytime I was introduced to someone I knew from my tv screen.

I will be helping her non-stop until she leaves for her vacation, one which is much needed and much deserved. It's something I love, so I don't mind the long hours or weekends. At night it gets cold, so we crank up the old hot box, and since the building is on a hill we get to enjoy the company of the owls as they rest before the hunt. She knows I'm a writer and that I have an interest in traveling, and has promised me that if my samples are good she will take me to South Africa to help her write her next feature.

Here's her website.

The documentary I'm helping her with is called "Angels in the Dust". It's about orphans in African, many brutally raped and some with AIDs, whose only chance is the makeshift home they call 'The Village'. The website has a promo. She told me the first night that there is no money in documentaries.

"So why do you do them?" I asked. She didn't even blink.

"Because nobody else will."

I love my new job.