1972 in flux

After graduating from UCLA at the end of summer quarter, I worked at a few different odd jobs and was basically out of sorts, a BA in art history was not ‘useful’ for any particular job. I lived at home with little money and was reluctant to pursue further study in art history as its only end seemed to be college teaching and I was not eager to jump back into that pond. In early fall a placement agency found me a job at a local printing company doing odd jobs - mostly paste-up. I grew to hate it, it was a very small business and I made no friends there - the only other employee being a Chinese press operator who spoke no English. I used to go home for lunch since it was only a few minutes away. I grew so upset with my situation that at one point I was in tears and decided to just quit. It was seemingly hopeless—then I came up with an idea of taking a solo car trip, hooking up with college friends and relatives who were spread across the country. I had a VW which I filled with painting supplies and clothing, a pillow and blanket, and Styrofoam cooler and with a few funds scratched together took off the beginning of November not returning to CA until late December. I returned to the holiday hub-bub of a large festive family and continued to avoid reality well into January. I shifted around looking for jobs –finding temporary work at a flower shop for a few, weeks prior to Valentine’s Day. The smell of cut flowers all day long and my wrinkly fingers constantly wet from soaking blooms will stay with me forever - now each time I enter a florist, the smells conjure up that happy time. Sitting at the taco stand across the street from the shop, I mulled over job prospects with the other girls and I decided to try waitressing – an entry level job with no requirements. I worked at Bob’s Big Boy for about a year – spending my free time swimming, visiting college friends, driving down to Oceanside to my parent’s beach house, making art and applying to Graduate schools. Oh yes, and for the month of May, running a booth on the weekends at the Agoura Renaissance Faire.
I was persuaded to apply for a booth by my sister and our cousin both of whom were heavily into the medieval J R Tolkien stuff- I was not a fan of the Hobbit, nor of prancing around in medieval garb - though I had embroidered my jeans a few years before and did like Renaissance art, Shakespeare, and all things Tudor. They applied and got me to send one in also – (hoping for a booth- which meant more of their friends and them could get into the faire for free and have a hangout there). Applying to the Renaissance Faire was an entertaining diversion after sending applications and slides off to universities. In my proposal, I laid it on thick - giving them exactly what they were looking for. I did get OK’ed for a booth and since Chris and Anne hadn’t - they signed on as ‘workers’. The application process must have been in March because the first meeting for staking out the perimeters of the booths was April 3.