Obligatory exposition on work and jobs

So in Washington, I had no job. As soon as I got there, I put my well-honed job-hunting skills to work like the responsible adult that I am, searching out every available opportunity to find a source of employment, but for weeks, not a thing was to be found.

Everywhere I went, (which was nowhere because A. I didn't want to spend money on gas and it was really cold and B. because there was snow. So much snow, and my delicate southern sensibilities couldn't handle it.) I had my eyes out for an employment opportunity. I made a profile on Care.com, trying for babysitting jobs, or tutoring jobs because that's what I'm really good at, but nothing happened. Probably because everyone wanted a nanny who would take the kids outside and I'm really bad at pretending to like the outdoors. I mean, yes, I like them and they're pretty and nice to look at, but do I spend excessive amounts of time out there, exercising? No, of course not. There's no power source or wireless internet out there with which I constantly check my savings portfolio, so how am I supposed to function?

But since everybody there really really likes Outside, I was out of luck because they wanted their children to be Outside, and I want the opposite of that.

My chance finally came, when, after two months of luckless applications, (including applying to a fast food restaurant that called me for an interview two months later, as I was making plans to move back east), I got two job offers at the same time and, like the foolish job-hungry soul who never plans on free time and is overly ambitious about earning money that I am, I took them both.

The thing about having more than one job is that not only is it a busy life, but training for two jobs at the same time is a little overwhelming. You're in two new environments learning two new and completely separate sets of skills, and it's just about as tiring as it can be. And if you don't like one of those jobs and would, in fact, rather spend your time at the dentist's having your teeth pulled with tweezers, that makes everything a little bit harder. So if, after two weeks of disliking a job, you feel like quitting, it's such a beautiful option. You look at it and consider it and it's so pretty and shiny, and a chorus sings in the background.

I quit.

And worked evenings at my other job, where I made food for people in a hotel by cutting up cheese and microwaving meat, and then spent three hours smiling and talking and generally being as friendly as possible, until it was time to clean up and hide away in the kitchen, washing dishes. Then I would take the trash out and try to talk to the desk clerk who always went with me, which didn't always work out as well as expected. Then I would drive home, and every time I got halfway there the same song would play on the radio, which told me I was right on time.

My life fell into a pattern pretty quickly, which made my life choices pretty cool. So far I've noticed that moving frequently means stability is pretty much out the window, but it also means I can take just about any job I want with no worries about getting stuck in a rut. I'll be leaving again soon anyway, so who cares if it's a lame job? As long as I'm getting payed, it's pretty cool and then it's time to move on.

Of course it's not very grown up or mature of me to view everything with such casual transience, but I think I make up for it with my dedication to finding work and incredible responsibility, as a trade-off for my short attention span and-

My bad

...Oops.

So after a year of not writing, I find I have so many things to catch up on, and so many very mature adult adventures to recount.

The funny thing about being an adult is that it means you don't really have time for other things, like living your life. And then other things crop up that demand your attention and the things you want to do and have been meaning to do, but too bad you have to focus on making sure your life doesn't run off the tracks and crash into a deep ravine of the worst adult things you can imagine, like unemployment and bankruptcy and eating junk food.

The unfunny thing about being an adult is that not many things that happen to a mature and responsible person are that funny. There's not much humor to be found in rent or utility bills.

Fear not, though, I will find the best of my adventures to tell, and I will put them here to the best of my ability, with complete honesty and sincerity and seriousness. I have learned that as an adult, the more serious you are the better. Laughter is for the immature.

So this is Washington

So now, after three months of living in a new state and being incredibly delinquent in my writing, this is what I've learned about Spokane.

1. Once you figure out the major streets, you can't get lost. Since it's a block system out here and all the streets are laid out in a grid, you can follow a road through all of Spokane. Figure out which ones are the more important roads and which way they run, and you cannot get lost. At one point or another you'll run into them and you can figure out where you are from there.

2. It doesn't matter if there's snow on the road or if there's a blizzard out, people will still be driving. It can get really cold here, too.

3. Everyone here is inexplicably nice.

4. Speed limits are at least 5 mph above what everyone drives.

5. One-way streets are very popular.

6. People are really big on the outdoors here. Huge, even.

7. Once you get used to the grey, it's really pretty here. The hills and evergreens and snowy mountains are very nice to look at.

What I've learned in general:

1. Taxes are way too complex and take up a lot of time.

2. Libraries are fantastic, they give you books for free.

3. Exercise alleviates all manner of problems.

4. Jobs are hard to find but it can be done.

What I've done:

1. Survived more snow than I've seen in my entire life. (You don't get snow in North Carolina. Ever.)

2. Gotten purposefully lost just to see what's around town.

3. Ran around a park and climbed trees like a crazy person.

4. Found a library and a job (not in the same place, sadly).

What I have yet to do:

1. Go to Seattle.

2. Go to Canada.

3. Go to Glacier National Park.

4. Take part in local activities and figure out what life here is really like.

And, now that I'm moving back across the country in a month, the clock is ticking on the amount of time I have left to do fun things. As it turns out, six months is not a very long time, especially when three of those months are spent in snow. I'll be sad to leave because there's so much I'll be missing.

Spokane!

I am now a Washington State resident. More or less.

I've driven for a week (approximately 9 hours a day), seen Vegas, dealt with Atlanta traffic (verdict: I never want to live there), spent the night in various hotels and people's houses, and gone from realllllly cold to fairly warm to absolutely freezing weather (it snowed and fogged on us today).

But we're here. In an apartment in Spokane and it's awesome. And that's all for now.

May to January

So in the past six or seven months, I have graduated college, found jobs, gotten promoted in one of my jobs, owned a car, payed rent, payed for repairs to my car when I accidentally plowed through a barbed wire fence, and dealt with a haunted house that smells of old lady and is regularly invaded by a crazy family. I have lived alone, had a house mate, been to a rock concert and a festival and a fair by myself, and sustained an impressive injury due to a very sharp cooking knife. I've been on a camping trip, hosted sleepovers, lost my keys, broken my laptop, and learned how to take care of myself in some capacity. At the very least, I'm still alive.

I've learned to support myself, pay bills on time, buy food (and cook it to some extent), and make phone calls. I've quit one job after two days of work, cleaned a house in secret, dealt with two sinus infections, and spent my first Thanksgiving away from my family.

But now all that is about to change. Tomorrow I'm getting into my car to travel from North Carolina all the way to Washington state where I will live with two of my friends from college. From Massachusetts and California and Carolina, we're all going to spend some time adventuring around the country, starting way out west.

So here's to the beginning of a new adventure filled with places we've never been before, new jobs, and people we don't know. To rent and utilities and taking care of things ourselves. To being real adults for the first time and wherever that takes us. In a nutshell, here's to independence.

And here's where we'll be keeping record of our adventure. I'll still be posting here, but the whole story (from all three of us) will be written there.

Westward ho!

Job Hoarder

I got a new job. Again. When I said I was a job hoarder, I was serious. When I drive around town, I keep my eyes peeled for job openings. I learned that mall stores have "now hiring" stickers they post in the lower corner of their windows so I am now on the look out for those as well.

And the last time I was at the mall, I saw one.

And I walked in, asked for an application, and was hired on the spot. So I now have three jobs.

Granted, I was on the look-out for a new job because my main job is going to be shut down for two or so weeks for Christmas break. But still, that's yet another job I've acquired.

I may as well get used to the fact that I lack self control in the job department and really need to find an off switch for my problem.

First Thanksgiving as an Adult

Happy Thanksgiving!

From my bed. As I sit here in pajamas under a blanket imbibing ginger ale and wondering just how much it would suck being at work for eight hours versus calling in sick on my second day (yes I got a new job) (and yes, I'm considering that; I have phone anxiety).

In the meantime, the family out there is cooking up a storm and the real horde of people hasn't arrived yet. I hear they do a hymn sing every Thanksgiving as a tradition, it should be interesting to see what that's like. While they do that and socialize and have fun, I'll be hiding in my room watching movies and missing my family, 250 miles to the east.

But hey. I have snow and they do not. I win.

May your Turkey Day be filled with much food and even more family, no matter how annoying.