Dani Guillen

7:31 AM

Reluctantly up after three alarms. Before the first, I dreamed that the seller of a full-length mirror on Facebook marketplace reached out. I told my friends earlier in the week that redownloading the app was a mistake! At least it’s not Tinder. I’m on the hunt for a few pieces of furniture, though. And what do you know? As I’m hunched over the sink brushing my teeth and checking the weather, I get a reply for a TV stand I had my heart set on: “Yes, are you still interested?”

9:20 AM

The theme of the day so far seems to be “negotiations.” Negotiation of time and of finances. The negotiations with the TV stand are going fine, it’s just timing for pick up. I stupidly decided to try and negotiate payments for one of my credit cards at the same time, which is frustrating. I hate calling people first thing in the morning (surprise, that’s what I do for a living!). I opt for a chat that keeps crashing. Negotiations there don’t go where I want them to. I hate credit cards so much, but this one in particular came in clutch when I first moved back to Philly last October.

Sad I’ve wasted my morning on “negotiations,” I venture out for a latte from Small Oven Pastry Shop. I figure I can have a little time in the misty cool climate as a treat before I spend eight hours in my enclosure.

Small Oven Pastry Shop stand with fall decorations

10:00 AM

I clock in. I’ve recently started the coveted hybrid schedule and today is a work-from-home day. Hence: my enclosure, my bedroom office nook. It’s a haphazard setup for now; proper desk accessories to come later, change of desk location coming this weekend maybe. At least the lighting is nice and the view ain’t so bad!

Bedroom office nook!

12:07 PM

I finish a call with a client and receive an odd text. It’s from a Philly number claiming to be the head honcho of the firm and reads: “Hi Daniela, Let me know if you got my text, Thanks.” I panic. What did I do? Why is he contacting me? I message my team lead and supervisor to confirm if this is his cell number. They confirm it’s not and let me know it’s a scam. They ask me to text them a screenshot and they report it. Moments later, the whole firm receives an email advising of the potential scam and instructing everyone on how to handle this. This is probably the most eventful thing that will happen, I think to myself.

Screenshot of the scam text!

What do I do for work, you ask? I’m a bilingual intake specialist for a personal injury law firm that’s reputable in the area. Won’t say who, IYKYK. I’m part of a small call center screening potential new clients, both English and Spanish speaking. It doesn’t make for a super lax work-from-home gig. Not what you’d expect career-wise from someone who went to art school either! Artists and creatives are chameleons, though; melding into roles of all kinds.

1:41 PM

Lunch break! I get a nice hour-long break, but it doesn’t feel that long. I welcome the respite from the phones, but I remain busy. I finish up some emails and then make a small contribution to the De-Halloweening of the house I share with my friend Skyler and her partner, Jake. This entails taking down the now-deflated ghosts Skyler and I made out of glue and cheesecloth. I manage to take two down from the second floor before I realize I need to feed myself.

Lunch today: turkey bacon sandwich with Muenster, side of Lays and a pickle spear.

The sad ghosts in question.

2:56 PM

Amidst sending out emails for attorneys to give courtesy calls to potential clients, my friend H texts me about their birthday gathering this Saturday. It’s a PowerPoint party, which tracks for them - iconic and informative, in true Sagittarian fashion. I let them know I’ve sadly made plans for then, but that we should hang out soon. H is my good friend from my old job at the needlepoint store. I considered them my mentor at the time, and in recent years, I’ve realized they were one of the first few people to influence the contemplation of my gender. Now here we are, two non-binary creatives working corporate jobs only a floor apart in Center City. Yet we rarely see each other!

A second after I send this last message, I get a notification from the CHANI app that the Sun has entered Sagittarius. H’s birthday gathering is a PowerPoint party. It’s go-time, baby. No Nonsense November but in less of the sulking, brooding way that Scorpio season pushes.

3:32 PM

I end my call with the first person to get upset with me for “wasting” his time today. It’s fair: you complete a whole interview and re-live a difficult, sometimes traumatic, moment just to be told “we cannot assist.” It’s necessary to collect the information though, especially for a smaller firm. There just isn’t enough manpower to not be as selective as we are.

4:51 PM

Wished my sister-in-law a happy birthday with a text. I realize it’s the only time I ever text her since we’re not super close, especially less so now that I’m no longer in Virginia with the rest of my immediate family. She thanks me and lets me know they don’t have anything exciting planned, but I let her know I hope to see her next weekend regardless.

5:00 PM

Everyone else on my team logs off, save for myself and my co-worker who are on until 7 PM. We have a handful of calls to make on behalf of our team and then we wait for incoming calls. It’s expected to be slow, due to the holidays. The sunlight is gone and I feel the air of solitude the nighttime brings.

7:27 PM

I finished up a little after 7 PM and immediately lay in my bed to scroll through Instagram for a bit (follow me, I’m @daniguyeen). At this point, I decide I can move again so I text Skyler to let her know that I’m ready to chat. What the talk is regarding, I’m unsure, but it threw me into another “what did I do?” panic when she first mentioned it in the afternoon.

It’s always “what did I do?” with me, next to “I’m sorry.” What can I say? Catholic guilt runs deep in these Latinx veins.

9:07 PM

It wasn’t anything I did. Rather, something our property management company did. Or wants to do? It warranted a more serious conversation because it affects the house as a whole, and it’s not something I wish to divulge. Maybe if you ever meet me in person, you can ask.

At this point, I’ve been lying in the same spot on the couch where I was sitting when Skyler told me the news. Just contemplating. I think about our next steps and the worst-case scenario, but the panic is nonexistent here because I remember that things are different for me in Philadelphia. I remember that I am not alone, that I am held by a lovely, supportive network of kind, caring, and creative individuals. My friends, who I’ve learned to trust in and lean on. That’s hard to do for many and trust that it hasn’t been a walk in the park for me, but I’m starting to practice it more.

I mention it to two friends, both shocked to hear about the situation; one is my friend Dev, who I know I will be able to ask for the assistance I need if and when the time comes. For now, I talk to them about zombies and reminisce about a silly conversation I tried to have with them through Messenger while high. In this conversation, I had been trying to make a correlation between an individual’s astrological birth chart and the aspect of a zombie that terrifies them the most. The message I had sent them made no sense, though: there was no context and it was specific to me.

Screenshot of the message I sent my friend Dev while high about zombies and astrology.

11:06 PM

I order late-night Chinese from the place across the street. I gave up on making anything around 9/9:30 PM and settled in for chicken lo mein, egg drop soup, Emily in Paris, and a stray White Claw. The White Claw gets introduced because I’m craving wine, but it’s far too late to hit up a liquor store or the ACME. It’s what’s available in the fridge.

I feel my eyes droop as I watch Lily Collins figure out the next steps of her career and commit to staying in her beautiful, new home. Relatable, I think to myself, despite knowing that most of this show is a fantasy I indulge in. I guess that’s what makes a comfort show.

Couch-rotting POV.

Dani Guillen is a Latinx creative hailing from Northern Virginia, living in South Philly for six non-consecutive years now. A silly romantic and friend to all, Dani can be found in the thrall of the occasional goth/new wave night or belting emo songs with their best beans at your local karaoke spot. Catch more of their astrology musings on IG at @danigueeyen and witness as they slowly rebuild their art practice at @daniguillenart.