Big City Girl

For those of you that don't know, I am no longer a temp. I was a bartender for seven years, then a temp for half a year, and when I found this job where I could get a salary, health insurance, free lunch and come and go as I please, I decided to accept the offer. You see, I am also a writer and an actress and as such there are times where I have to leave for an audition, shoot or performance.

I was hesitant to take this job because in reality, I don't identify myself as an Executive Assistant and doing so might somehow imply that I am no longer artistic. So I could keep temping here at half the pay and no insurance, or, make it a done deal and milk the cow for all it's worth. But the kicker is- there is no such thing as a permanent situation. Much like Buddhists believe, the only absolute in life is death. I could always quit, they could always fire me, who knows. So whilst I am a permanent employee, I still feel pretty tempy. Feeling Tempy is not just a kick ass blog- it's a state of mind.

I had to explain this to you before I go on to my next point. So here goes.

I am Tempy the Executive Assistant. I am also KH the Actress. I do a lot. You could easily say I work several jobs. One doesn't pay well but fullfills me, and one pays the bills and fills my stomach. But I'm not the one anyone talks about in this election.

For some reason, Big Cities have been shunned as "Elitist" in this election; towns of hedonistic money grubbing fat cats. The truth is that Big Cities are exactly that: Big Cities. They are huge communities of the rich and the poor, artsy and the business minded, the natives and the transplants. There is more diversity in one subway car than you will find any day at the UN. Oh, did I mention New York City hosts the UN? We are a representation of people who live, work, eat, sleep and breathe community. Literally. If you've ever had to live in a building like mine full of a klepto, a schitzophrenic and a pyromaniac, and in my case they all happen to be just one woman, you'd make friends with your other neighbors real fast. I see and talk to almost 50 different people daily. I work my ass off during the day and spend many nights in rooms with musicians, actors or directors. You ever had to do that? Actors are fucking nuts.

Recently a friend of mine came down with cancer and he needs help. Currently the community is organizing a benefit to help him and all of my friends and neighbors are going to help out in any way they can. If that's elitist then I'm the mother fucking Queen of England.

My friends consist of photographers, hedge fund analysts, students, waiters, carpenters, non profit administrators, lawyers, electricians... I could go on.

Don't get me wrong, there is definitely clear distribution of classes in my city. But it is the fact that Big Cities are so representational of all kinds of people that only reinforces the glorious American spirit that we have.

On September 11th the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC were attacked by terrorists. Two major cities that symbolized both the financial and political strength were targeted for these symbolic purposes, among others. We know what it's like to suffer at the hands of terrorists but we have also seen as the years have passed how we have all suffered from the primal fear these attacks created. Our country has been through a lot and the last thing we needed was for the Government to exploit this fear for their own purposes.

Now our major US cities are being attacked again, but this time by the hateful rhetoric of the McCain/Palin campaign. Un-American? Un-Patriotic? Elitist? It is not only wrong but utterly despicable to use these divisive tactics to paint another candidate as "out of touch" with the "real" America. And yes, those are the same "air quotes" John Mc Cain uses when he talks about the "health" of the "mother".

So McCain/Palin campaign, if you want to ask for votes, ask everyone. Any suggestion that some Americans are more important than others is an outright insult to all Americans. And if that's the case, in one week, I won't be the only one that's Feeling Tempy.