Hello, hello, hello! My name is Jillian Denning and I blog over at Jillian Lorraine.
I always feel vaguely uncomfortable with the getting-to-know-you section of these kind of posts, so let’s just get the awkward out of the way and share some weird photos of me, shall we?
Here I am in my Star Wars shirt eating ribs.
Here I am at the San Diego zoo wearing my grandma’s dress and looking a little out of control.
Here I am hiding from the camera as I am wont to do. (This blogging thing is still weird for me.)
Whew, now that that’s out of the way.
I’m a writer and MFA student at Pepperdine University, which means I play pretend, for real, full time. It’s quite lovely. It also means I live in LA, for real, full time, which is lovely about 80% of the time. (None of those times are during rush hour.)
I blog about Malibu and teen soaps and my undying love for Prince Harry. My mom says my blog is pretty good so you should probably check it out and we should probably be friends.
I’m currently finishing up my last semester of school and I’m in that paralyzing time where I’m wondering if everything I’ve done has been for naught, and if I will be even slightly employable in the next few months, and why this adulthood thing is so dang scary.
You know the time.
And so, as I reach this crossroads between school and real life and adulthood and more adulthood I am doing what I’ve always done at important times in my life—I’m turning to books to guide me.
In High Fidelity, one of my favorite novels by one of my favorite authors (yo, Nick Hornby, look me up!), the protagonist, Rob, is asked what his dream careers are. He’s given no stipulations. These careers can be in any time period, can require skills he doesn’t have etc. He just needs five.
Rob comes up with five dream jobs, all of which are completely impossible/impractical. For instance, one of his jobs is: Producer, Atlantic Records 1964-1971. (The book is set mid-1990s.)
These dream jobs make me think, hmm, fictional Rob, maybe you are the man for me.
Well, maybe you are the man for me if you up the impractical just another level.
(I’m single. Did I mention that? My attraction to men like the fictional Rob may have something or may have nothing to do with that.)
Where was I?
Yes, dream careers.
I’ve been reflecting on High Fidelity and my attraction for fictional Rob and all of that lately, and it has made me wonder what my own dream careers are. If I could do anything in this world come May, what would I do?
If time/money/talents were not an issue, what would my dream be?
It’s quite a fun game. I highly recommend it.
I also highly recommend you read High Fidelity, but that’s neither here nor there.
Let’s get to the good stuff aka my own dream jobs.
Here you go.
My Five Dream Jobs
1. Full-time novelist
This is the dream, dream. The Big Kahuna. The if-I-could-do-anything-ever-ever-ever dream job. I don’t have a specific time period for this dream. I’m fine writing alongside Dorothy Parker or Louisa May Alcott. I’m fine writing now. I’m even fine if I’m not JK Rowling level, but just some random person you may have vaguely heard of. As long as I can support myself, I dream of writing novels full time and I don’t think this dream will ever die.
In my spare time I imagine dedication pages to these novels.
I’m there in my mind already.
I’m so, so there.
2. Writer for Dawson’s Creek
I’ve always known it was my calling in life to write for a teen soap, but deciding which soap was mine was a toughie. In the end I feel like my angsty teen voice would do best as a writer on Dawson’s Creek as opposed to say, The OC, or the original 90210. This meant that I had to give up the dream of marrying Josh Schwartz (wooing him on the set of The OC, of course), but sacrifices must be made for the good of Joey and Pacey everywhere, people! And maybe if I had been on Dawson’s, we could have recast Andie immediately and saved ourselves that heartache.
Anyone with me?
3. Owner of small-time bookstore a la Kathleen Kelly
I legitimately told a third grade girl this week she must read Little Women immediately and she must read it with a box of tissues. I’ve taken my wannabe Kathleen Kelly thing to a new level, and I’m only liking it, folks. I’m only liking it.
4. Local librarian (in approximately 1960)
It’s very important in this scenario that I live in a teeny tiny town that has a lot of traditions and charm and that I wear big glasses and muumuus and recommend books no one in the town has heard of. (This is feeling very Music Man and I don’t know if I should apologize or not.) Also, this dream job feels very reminiscent of dream job #3, small bookstore owner, but I’m nothing if not single-minded. And I’m nothing if not romantic.
5. Stevie Nicks
(Obviously.)
(And obviously again.)
(Oh Stevie, I love you.)
Annnnnnnd there you go.
Now it’s your turn. What are your five dream careers?
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I would so love to hear.
