Kaetlin Perna
June 30, 2006

I, Kaetlin Perna, work for the man. Yes, the man: the one who ultimately brings us down. I'm sitting in a regional meeting for the company I work for; I'm scribbling on a notepad and repeating "I work for the man" over and over in my head. How did it come to this? Oh right, I went to college and never finished but am reasonably intelligent and friendly. But why here? That's right - money, which means survival, which means supporting my aspirations toward life. I'm Kaetlin Perna, and not only do I work for the man but am a self confessed Bohemian sell out.

People taking legitimate notes, people drawing picture and people trying to make valid points but failing; this is the "man's" world. This, however, is not mine. My world is sitting around, thinking, writing, dreaming, dancing, singing (did I say thinking) and living. I write one acts, listen to my iPod and love rockumentaries. I dream of making 70's style documentaries of the artistic underworld of New York City. But the man keeps this down. It swallows your soul and makes you think, "so if I sold more boxes, what am I worth?"

The people who I sit in this room with say their name, how long they've been there, and a hobby. They say their time here as if it's a prison sentence. It's so sad because it lacks passion and is just a fact of life to them. I think we need to be excited about what we do. I can't say that I am but I'd like to enjoy my job just a bit. I don't want to get to a point where I can't think of having any hobbies and how boring would that be if you were this kind of drone. I don't care why any of us are working this job - but why not enjoy yourself and your life in the process. This isn't a prison and your life isn't chained to this place.

To keep my street cred, I work a very part time job in a coffee shop, there is no man, and if there is one - he's roasting the beans when I'm not working. You're serving a simple purpose with a simple pleasure, and your life for those few hours isn't complicated. "Café au Lait, non fat milk, small foam, with half Hazelnut, half decaf…" okay, that was a bit complicated, I'm sure I even looked perplexed when it was ordered. Fact of the matter is - this gives me time to interact with people on an informal level. It's this middle ground between my "man" life and my "Kaet" life - my "ideal" life. It's my dream away from both my realities where I don't let the man get me down and speak the truths of Underground Artistry in New York City to baristas and customers alike. Everyone needs an escape from time to time and like I said, it should not get to the point where you have no hobbies or an escape at all. As you can see - I may work for the man, but he ain't keeping me down.

My mom never wanted to be an accountant, she wanted to be a fixer upper type of person. In the summer she was 16, she gathered building materials and built a pool deck. I'm sure if she didn't tie herself down and have five kids so young, she might have found the time to rustle of the courage to do that. A great female architect or supportive mother who encouraged (yours truly's) dreams and aspirations. We all make sacrifices - no matter the prison term you're serving.

So what's the point of this? Well, I've come to spread my bohemian propaganda. That's right, watch out suits, me and my Birkenstocks will do a sit in and… eat brownies. (Yeah, what?) No, no. We all must sell out in our own ways, it's our sacrifice for our passion, for the things we live for (my cat), and for our own happiness. To the 12 of you (my readers) - do not ever let me catch you droning away at a company function - speak up and be heard! The path to freedom begins with truth, and if you can't start by being honest with yourself - you'll never beat the "man."