I Hate Money

The life of an artist, of any kind, is usually not so fruitful in the money department. We all know this. And many artists I know get out of "the biz" because they are tired of being poor/in debt/waiting for work. For me, that is not an option. I am a born performer, and will make it my career if it kills me. That being said, of course I need (and thankfully have) a day job that pays the rent and bills- but that's about it. I love my day job- it's flexible, non-stressful, offers great benefits, and my co-workers are hilarious. But it's also at Hopkins, Maryland's second largest employer (not sure what the first is). One would think that an institution of this magnitude would be tightly-run and on top of things. Hopkins has been voted the number one hospital in the nation for years in a row. But health care has nothing to do with administration. In the admin department, I'm sure it would score very low. Simple procedures such as reimbursements or compensation for overtime take MONTHS. And I do understand how reimbursements work, because I do them. In fact, I know how important it is for someone's credit card to be reimbursed, so I frequently hand-deliver the necessary documents to the accounting department.
That being said, I've been working overtime for the past month. It's a good thing, too, because not having a monthly church job check over the summer really tightens the belt straps. Anyway, I've been working overtime, and have YET to be compensated. This sucks because A) I had to shell out $250.00 to fix my car last week, B) I have to shell out $150.00 for a recital accompanist+gas+tolls to get to the recital, C) I can't get my hair colored now (OK..not the end of the world, but this makes the 3rd time I've had to cancel the appointment b/c of finances), and D) I can't do anything social that costs money. I guess it could be worse. I know it could be worse. But I'm tired of being poor. I'm tired of sitting at home instead of going out with my friends because I don't have any money. And with the cost of gas currently raping all of us, I'm tired of not being able to hop in the car to visit friends because I can't afford to waste gas. I'm tired of deciding what I'd rather have- a new recital dress or a voice lesson. Obviously, the lesson wins. I'm also jealous of the ladies at work who buy their lunches several times a week. I'm getting sick of eating lean cuisines and spinach salads. I actually said to Ashley last night, "I know this sounds really morbid, but I wish someone at my church would die so I could sing the funeral. That's the easiest $100.00 I've ever made." Nakia always tells me I'm a stronger person for having to deal with bullshit...when exactly will this strength kick in?