Vincent Libretti

Enough about bankruptcy. On to more important matters.

I am obsessed with Vincent Libretti from the new season of Project Runway.

I started watching Project Runway last season and love seeing the designers' creative process evolve. I am fascinated by the skills needed for sewing and tailoring, as it is completely out of my realm of understanding. I have been a musician and artist but never a seamstress.

Vincent, from this new, third season has captivated me from the start. From the first time I watched his short online video before the season began, to last night's surprise win, his personality, and presence have me hooked. He's cute, close to my age, he's an artist and he has such a child-like joy and abandon in his creativity (I LOVED the "kooky hat" he fashioned out of a basket in the first challenge and his giddiness in creating the doggie outfit from the 3rd challenge). If he is only on the show because he provides "good TV", well, I, for one, have been sucked in.

While in the design studio, you can see that he needs his creative juices raw in order to work. His Pollock-esque walking painting from the "Waste Not, Want Not" episode is proof of this. It was such fun watching him throw paper and glitter on his refuse-canvas during this episode. I have also made "art out of garbage" and his joy reminded me of the fun I have had creating some of my own abstract paintings. I tried my hardest to win his paper dress in the auction from challenge 6. But, having just claimed bankruptcy doesn't give me much cash to play with and I lost by only $5.

I don't think he's crazy, as others (and the producers) have portrayed him. In the scenes from the apartment, Vincent appears very normal and almost nurturing to the other designers. He called Bradley, "my boy", and showed concern over his departure from the contest.

My only complaint about Vincent Libretti's Project Runway creations is that they don't show much use of color. I have the suspicion that he might be slightly colorblind, as many men are. A little red, blue, magenta or chartreuse could help him. But, other than that, I have found my Project Runway soulmate.

Not as Bad as I Feared

Well, when you apply for bankruptcy, nobody stands over you with a pointed finger screaming "Shame on you, bad person". Good to know.

I paid my cash (1/2 now, 1/2 later - my choice) to the clerk, got my court date and signed some more papers. That was it. Then I went to the Pike Place Market and had a sandwich. Ta da.

Bankrupt and Unemployed!

All in 2 days, I am suddenly unemployed (well, almost) and nearly bankrupt.

The credit counselor I met with last Friday advised me to file for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. Because I make so little money, she suggested this instead of making deals with my creditors. She even advised me to file the paperwork myself, instead of paying a lawyer. Wow. I cried and cried and went through half a box of tissues during the meeting.

On Monday, I resigned from "Lucky number 38", (see May 17th blog) the job I held at the University. My boss was an emotionally disturbed and immature woman who made sport of accusing her employees of misinterpreting her instructions and then blamed us for her mistakes. I couldn't take it any longer when she changed my job from an analytical, task-focused job to a multi-tasking, high-stress front desk position. She also refused to order office supplies for me, (while others in the office had adequate tools for their job) and cancelled any training that was scheduled for me becuase she wanted a new desk and didn't want to blow the budget on my needs.

Something better has to come along, right? I'm so glad to be away from this office ogre but I sure need the money. Luckily, I still have a temporary, part-time job I really enjoy at the public radio station. And school starts in September. And my teaching assistantship starts in March.

Keep the faith...keep the faith...one foot in front of the other...one day at a time...God, I need a drink.

I hope I can get through this

I have never been in this much financial trouble before. I've spent my entire adulthood building and maintaining a stellar credit record. Bills were always paid on time. For eleven years, I owned my own home. I made my car payments. Then I went to college to change my life. Well, it sure changed.

Somehow, in my 5 1/2 year odyssy of obtaining my bachelor's degree, I STILL paid all of my bills on time. I only bought $35 a week in groceries. I didn't have a social life unless it was free - and with the exception of a rare movie matinee or a cup of iced coffee (NOT espresso), I did not participate in the local economy. i held 3 on-campus jobs and I did everything the financial experts told me to do and more but I still came up short. In those desperate months, I would be forced to use a zero-percent or low interest check from my credit cards to make my bills. Oh yes, I knew it was a slippery slope but at 0 or 3% interest, I thought it might be a risk I could take. Plus, I had the best credit report money could buy.

Then I moved to Seattle. And then I couldn't find work for a couple of months. And then I got sick for another month. And then I found only a part-time job. Finally I found another part-time job to suppliment my income. But I couldn't meet all of my financial obligations. And then the credit card companies, after 19 years of loyalty, raised my intrest rate to 29 or 32 percent!!!!!!!!!! Now, there's no way I can afford even the minimum monthly payments. I've called the companies but after hours of being transferred to supervisors and re-stating my case and then being transferred again to a line that only disconnects my call, I realize the system is designed to abuse it's customers and keep us in a cycle of debt.

So, I'm meeting with a credit counselor on Friday. They'll cut up my credit cards (because, obviously, someone with my crappy new credit rating can't handle a credit card!)I pray this will work and I'm terrified that my credit rating will be so low that I won't be able to get the student loans I need to attend graduate school. I'm worried. Really, really worried. And I'm really, really scared.